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Astra 2D - The British TV & Radio Site

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British Radio

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National DAB Multiplexes in the UK
BBC DAB National
BBC National DAB is a Digital audio broadcasting multiplex owned and operated by the BBC and is transmitted from a number of transmitter sites across the country; it only carries BBC radio stations.
Station
Bitrate
 Audio
Description
BBC Radio 1
128kbit/s
Joint Stereo
Youth orientated Popular music and speech.
BBC Radio 2
128kbit/s
Joint Stereo
Adult-oriented Pop Music
BBC Radio 3
192kbit/s
Joint Stereo
Classic Music
BBC Radio 4 (FM)
128kbit/s
Joint Stereo
News & Speech
BBC Radio 5 Live
80kbit/s
Mono
Live news and sport
BBC 6 Music
128kbit/s
Joint Stereo
Classic rock Alternative rock Funk Indie Jazz Hip Hop
BBC Radio 7
80kbit/s
Mono
Comedy, Drama, and Children's programming
BBC 1Xtra
128kbit/s
Joint Stereo
New Black / urban music
BBC Asian Network
64kbit/s
Mono
South Asian orientated
BBC World Service
64kbit/s
Mono
English language version of the BBC World Service
Part Time Services
The BBC National DAB multiplex makes extensive use of dynamic ensemble reconfiguration to allow a number of part time services to broadcast. While these additional services are on air the bit rates of (one or more of) BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5, and data services are reduced.
BBC Data Services
Digital radio text is the scrolling information that is broadcast along with the audio content on DAB.
This can be dynamic programme information, an email address or phone number for a particular show, news headlines and sports results - and on some music networks 'now playing' track information.
Some of the latest DAB products can pick up a broadcast EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) which provides free, useful information programme information for up to 7 days in advance prior to broadcast, allowing users to record a particular show automatically - or even an entire series of programmes.
 
Digital One
Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex, jointly owned by GCap Media and Arqiva. The multiplex covers approximately 87% of the UK population from a total of 103 transmitters. It has no coverage, however, in Northern Ireland, where there is a shortage of frequencies due to nearby VHF analogue TV services in the Republic of Ireland.
Station Bitrate Audio Description
Classic FM
160kbit/s
Joint Stereo
National commercial classical music station.
Planet Rock
128kbit/s
Joint Stereo
Semi-automated rock music station.
talkSPORT
64kbit/s
Mono
National sports and talk station.
Absolute Radio
160kbit/s
Joint Stereo
National rock music station.
Birdsong
160kbit/s
joint Stereo
Originally used as a test transmission for Classic FM.
 
Birdsong
The Birdsong was originally used as a test transmission for Classic FM. It was recorded in 1992, in the back garden of Quentin Howard, CEO of the Digital One multiplex.
When financial news station Bloomberg, and rolling news station ITN News Radio ceased to broadcast within several months of one another in 2003, replacement audio services were never found due to a commitment in Digital One's broadcasting licence to provide a news station.
This resulted in a station playing a 36-minute, 56-second loop of birdsong and ambient sounds, entitled D1 Temp which broadcast for almost two years.
In June 2005, the capacity formerly used by the speech services, and later by the birdsong, was given over to a test transmission of video to mobile phones.
When the service Oneword ceased in 2008 the birdsong audio once again returned to the multiplex on the Oneword channel.
 
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