DAB Radio

[Hannibales]

Has anyone else had a hard time setting this up? I kept getting "No Signal" on the display. After a bit of fiddling I managed to get it sorted out, though it only seems able to tune into a single multiplex at a time, i.e. it can get all the BBC channels because they're on the same frequency, but you can't switch to say, Virgin, without going through several menus to change what MINI call the 'ensemble'. I was hoping it would be like FM where you can twist the function knob and scan over all the stations. I can do this on my DAB radio in my kitchen, so why not on the MINI? I've been able to program 12 different stations, from different 'ensembles' into the memory keys, but that means I'm limited to those twelve, which is a bit of a pain! Anyone had more success?

[ru81]

I'll be interested to hear responses to this as i have it ordered on mine. Are you able to switch back to analogue (i.e. turn off the DAB) if you struggle to get a DAB signal?

[Hannibales]

Yes, if you press the 'Audio' button you can choose the source, FM Tuner, DAB, CD and Aux Input. I only got my MCS late this afternoon and have spent about 20mins fiddling with the radio, so I'll be doing some more investigations tomorrow and hopefully will be able to report something positive!

[Hannibales]

OK, having a look at the following post has given me a few pointers to try out!

http://www.mini2.com/forum/2nd-gen-m...ml#post2783625

[Paul]

Follow the suggestion by hayesl and you should be fine, I was so confused by the system (and instructions) until I read that post!

[Hannibales]

OK, followed hayesl's advice and now it's working fine. It's a pity you can't flick through all the available stations before choosing one, but it's sounds good and that's the main thing. If only they'd made the instructions clearer, they seem to have no bearing to anything that happens on the radio!

[Paul]

Agree, the instructions are rubbish!

[~Marcus~]

Got mine working finally. The instructions really do suck. Tomorrow's task is to get the traffic reports working!

[MINIMAT]

DAB stations are packaged in a bunch called an ensemble. The more stations in the ensemble the lower the space for each and the worse the sound quality for each. Not only that I think when you are tuned to an ensemble it takes the information for the one you want and ignores the rest. So if you are listening to BBC7 it is also getting the information for all the other BBC stations like Radio 1 etc at the same time and ignoring them. If you like all the information for that bunch of stations are in the same place on the dial.

Your DAB kitchen radio does an autotune where it is and hunts to find all the ensembles and stations and places them usually in alphabetical order though some of the older ones used to put them by ensemble.

The problem with DAB in a car is this wouldn’t be useful. I could sit outside by house and look for DAB stations drive to somewhere 30 miles away and possibly lose some of the local ensembles by my house but others would be found.

Instead most DAB radios find an ensemble that carries five or six stations then when you search they hunt for the next ensemble that probably carries another five or six stations. As you keep moving you will be finding new ensembles but losing others.

The BBC national stations can usually be picked up anywhere. In Birmingham Radio WM appears both on the Birmingham and Wolverhampton ensembles.

DAB ensemble - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia