Interesting article:

Radio Scrappage

Put it here rather than off-topic as it could very well apply to boomboxes.

I'm really disappointed, and scared of, this whole FM radio switch-off idea. As a collector of boomboxes, I hate to have to come to terms with the fact I won't be able to use at least half of my boomboxes anymore. I don't listen to tapes, I only listen to the radio on my boxes that don't have line-in, and I sometimes listen to CDs via the line-in, through some of my boxes that do have it. How dare the government force a switch-over that would render some of my favourite radios useless?! I really am not impressed. I'm interested to hear what other members here make of this.

God, I hope they don't get this idea over on this side of the pond...

It's not just a bad idea, it just flat out sucks...

Haha thats quite funny because YLE, who is the Finnish Broadcasting Company, abandoned DAB in 2005. Read the story here. All of ya'll move to Finland! But the UK idea sucks bigtime if it is to be reality.

Sucks it does. In the US digital radio is about a popular as a root canal. We have stations that broadcast in HD (meaning you need an HD radio) that has nowhere near the broadcast strength of straight up FM. Plus, if I remember correctly, you cannot switch to FM mono in HD so your stuck with whatever noise and quality issue that you get.

The digital reception I've heard so far has been decidedly underwhelming in terms of quality. FM, even with it's (often) overprocessed 'in yer face' sound is far superior in sound quality. BBC Radio 2 FM have a real nice sound, slightly compressed but still a fair dynamic range, so do a few other stations I can receive. Also with digital, no more distant station reception it's either on or burbling underwater sound, or nothing - no 'switch to mono and keep listening' option as Oldschool69 mentioned.

as soon as the UK government announced that analogue TV was set for the chop.....i knew it was only a matter of time that analogue radio would go the same way........just think, it`ll be a boombox sale extravaganza when everyone decides to sell thier boxes....might be able to pickup a c100 or an m90 for a fiver.....weh hey......fingers crossed..........oh i forgot, its taken 3000 pounds of my hard earned cash to get the collection ive got........ill take 500 quid for the lot..............sold

the gov must think the general population is made up of culture devoid idiots with only interests for new, cheap garbage.

either that or there's something in it for them.

this actually make these boombox's more valuable if everyone scraps them!!!! but it's not good if you listen to the radio side!!

I think this radio scrappage scheme will just clear the country of "in the wild" boomboxes, 'cause everyone will be handing them into their nearest electrical shop to get a discount on a new DAB radio. It is probably likely to kill the boombox, just leaving ones with collectors.

The FM switch off has a "target" date of 2015.
Don't hold your breath

...In the mean time, get your worst, busted up doner boombox & get £20 off a DAB radio like
this one, & plug it into the aux-in of yr fave boomer.
Alternatively, you can plug any DAB radio/tuner (& remember, that includes any Freeview reciever in the UK) into add a decent FM transmitter, like this one from Canada:
http://www.ccrane.com/radios/f.../fm-transmitter.aspx (EU / UK spec transmitters are puny, & this lot ship internationally. I own one & it's brilliant).

I don't think FM is going to die, it'll just get more exclusive, like vinyl.

Everybody has to start buying FM transmitters.
I own a CCRANE too. These things rock
FM will never die !!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the info on the FM transmitter. I've been looking for one for months now. You see, I have this idea of doing the same sort of thing as 'Decentralized party" but for charity.

If used correctly, you can get this transmitter to work for a range of about 100 yards (clear in FM mono). Pretty decent really!

hey guys just checking a few old posts and come across this.
if this is true it,s an absolute joke iv,e heard some s**t in my time but this is insane.
it,s obvious why this joke of a government want this to happen...yeah all the cash their gonna make from it.
fm radio is perfect, who wants a s****y d.a.b. radio?? cheap, worthless, meaningless, s**t, it makes me and this mup*et government probly don,t even know what a ghetto blaster is, maybe we should all march down to number 10 with our boxes and get the party started

I hope it does´nt come so.
Digital radio is worse quality and would end up the most of all boomboxes.

But in austria the DAB project ended a few time ago. Here the end of the station

Big aerial destruction

quote:

I don't listen to tapes, I only listen to the radio on my boxes

I only listen to cassette... I am okay!