DAB Radio - Receiving all stations

[Weeble]

Hello all,

I've just got my new Mini which very luckily came with the DAB radio fitted. However, I could not receive all the stations but only a handful of local stations. It seems I was not alone as others seemed to be having the same problem. The 'manual' for the radio is not very helpful and also confuses with talk of German radio bands.

Anyway, after a bit of random button pressing i've managed to work out how to get all the stations. It's all to do with ensembles, apparently DAB radio stations are grouped into ensembles. The trick is telling the DAB radio to look for more ensembles, for example all the BBC stations are grouped under the BBC ensemble.

One you know this the Mini manual makes a bit more sense as it tells you to hold down the DAB option button to search for all ensembles automatically. I also found another way not documented, when at the ensemble list (where i only had one before, North East) i pressed the little left and right arrow button between the two rotary knobs, this initiates a manual scan of ensembles. The display will say 'Searching' keep doing this until you find all the ensembles you want.

I hope this helps, took me about an hour to figure this out.

[muse2me]

Really helpful, thanks. I picked up my MINI last Sept and I still haven't fully got to grips with the technology. I'm sure I'll get there one day. I have however, just sucessfully filled a USB with MP3 tunes. Much easier than CD's. What car have you got?

[Weeble]

Quote: Originally Posted by muse2me (original)

Really helpful, thanks. I picked up my MINI last Sept and I still haven't fully got to grips with the technology. I'm sure I'll get there one day. I have however, just sucessfully filled a USB with MP3 tunes. Much easier than CD's. What car have you got?

Just picked up a Countryman ALL4 Cooper D, love it.

[sootyvrs]

I read that all new mini's have DAB as standard now. Is this true?

I must admit I've not checked mine which I got new last month. Does it have a DAB button?

[Weeble]

Scootyvrs,

They are supposed to but there is a supply issue. There is another thread about this where you can see quite a few frustrated Mini owners. It's a bit of a lottery at the moment, I was lucky my car came with DAB but when I was at my dealer there was another car with the same spec as mine that had come in on the same day without a DAB radio.

I'm sure MINI will sort it out over the next couple of months. It's easy to check if you have DAB, go to the Mode menu, where the normal radio, ipod and aux options are, if you have DAB there will be an option for it there.

Weeble.

[muse2me]

Quote: Originally Posted by Weeble (original)

Just picked up a Countryman ALL4 Cooper D, love it.

Very nice. Posted any pics yet?

[Weeble]

Quote: Originally Posted by muse2me (original)

Very nice. Posted any pics yet?

Muse2me,

Yes have posted a pic in the Countryman photos forum. Only the one for now but will be taking some more this weekend.

I have to say I do like the DAB radio, reception has been great even in weak signal areas, like the wider station choice and sound quality.

[muse2me]

Quote: Originally Posted by Weeble (original)

Muse2me,

Yes have posted a pic in the Countryman photos forum. Only the one for now but will be taking some more this weekend.

I have to say I do like the DAB radio, reception has been great even in weak signal areas, like the wider station choice and sound quality.

I'll have a peek.

Yes I'm impressed with the DAB, I'm used to having it in the house but I love it more in the car. Very occasionally I've lost the signal altogether but it's only been momentarily.

[muse2me]

Quote: Originally Posted by Weeble (original)

Yes have posted a pic in the Countryman photos forum. Only the one for now but will be taking some more this weekend.
.

Great colour. Wheels are fab.

[sootyvrs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Weeble (original)

Scootyvrs,

They are supposed to but there is a supply issue. There is another thread about this where you can see quite a few frustrated Mini owners. It's a bit of a lottery at the moment, I was lucky my car came with DAB but when I was at my dealer there was another car with the same spec as mine that had come in on the same day without a DAB radio.

I'm sure MINI will sort it out over the next couple of months. It's easy to check if you have DAB, go to the Mode menu, where the normal radio, ipod and aux options are, if you have DAB there will be an option for it there.

Weeble.

Just checked.

Looks like I'm one of the unlucky ones that did not get DAB

Not good how BMW-Mini have handled this. There should have been a reimbursement for those who have done without!

I'm also disappointed with my dealer did not tell me about this also!

Apologies for the rant

[billy.batson]

Have had my new Clubman for 3 weeks now, have not yet had time to properly look at the radio, but when I tuned the stations I noticed it has the DAB option but selecting that, all I got was NO SIGNAL.

Does this mean that I have not actually got DAB, or is the No Signal due to where we live, way out in the country?

[Weeble]

Quote: Originally Posted by billy.batson (original)

Have had my new Clubman for 3 weeks now, have not yet had time to properly look at the radio, but when I tuned the stations I noticed it has the DAB option but selecting that, all I got was NO SIGNAL.

Does this mean that I have not actually got DAB, or is the No Signal due to where we live, way out in the country?

I only get the no signal when I go in tunnels so assume it's just lack of signal in your area. Otherwise it might be because you have not tuned any of the stations in.

[Angib]

DAB tuning is an entirely separate operation from FM tuning, just as the Mini treats the DAB as a separate audio source, not another waveband.

So until you've done the autotune in DAB it will show no signal. There do seem to be places that have a poor enough signal that the DAB won't autotune, even though it will receive at the same place once tuned. Don't ask me why - though there's no doubt the DAB gods are a fickle bunch and enjoy a good laugh at us down here.

You also need to set up the DAB to receive 'local and national ensembles' - look in the crappy information card about how to do that.

DAB stations are transmitted with many stations bundled together on one frequency - that bundle of stations is called an 'ensemble'. So you need to tell the radio to search for local ensembles (eg, to get local commercial stations) as well as national ensembles (which will get you all the BBC stations, even the 'local' ones).

[sidepipe]

Quote: Originally Posted by billy.batson (original)

Have had my new Clubman for 3 weeks now, have not yet had time to properly look at the radio, but when I tuned the stations I noticed it has the DAB option but selecting that, all I got was NO SIGNAL.

Does this mean that I have not actually got DAB, or is the No Signal due to where we live, way out in the country?

Picked up mine last Friday, and I'm sure that it said "no signal" until I initiated a scan.

[Ludwig]

Weeble, thanks for initiating this thread.
Very helpful and useful to me.

My wife has just picked up a new Countryman Cooper.
I'm glad you found the manual re. DAB vague too!
I thought it was just me.

Question re. memorising DAB stations.
How do you memorise stations on "buttons" 7 to 12?

Ludwig