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Affordable Small Scale DAB For Stoke And Newcastle
GETTING TECHNICAL: coverage
The Stoke and Newcastle area is one of the larger SSDAB licences awarded by Ofcom covering a significant population size. At around 350,000 people it’s a great opportunity for new stations to develop an audience or for existing stations to significantly extend their reach with relatively low financial outlay.
As can be seen from the adjacent map*, our signal provides extensive coverage of the of the City and the neighbouring borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The green area of the map represents good indoor reception. In the yellow areas, reception is still good for mobile use. (e.g. in cars, outside or on foot.)
To maximise their audience, we will be encouraging stations to use a DAB+ signal (most new DAB radio sets can pick up DAB+ broadcasts) which is a more robust than the traditional DAB broadcast.
CONNECTING UP
One frequently asked question is whether any additional equipment is needed to broadcast with us on DAB. Without getting too bogged down in the technicalities, the simple answer is, no, there isn’t (usually). The vast majority of stations are already ‘streaming’ (broadcasting) on the internet and so already have equipment/software to facilitate this. It’s usually a simple process to adapt this software/equipment to get a signal to our transmitters. If you have questions we’re happy to chat at more depth about this but, in all likelihood, there will be no expensive piece of equipment to purchase beforehand.
ERROR PROTECTION
Error Protection Explained
In simple terms, Error Protection allows DAB radio receivers to receive signals in places where they normally wouldn’t. For example, signals from DAB transmitters may be lower at the edge of the coverage area, in built-up areas or in places where there is electrical interference. Adding additional Error Protection means that signals can be received more easily when these adverse effects occur. There are three levels of error protection that are permitted for use in the UK which named as Levels ‘1’, ‘2’ and ‘3’ with Level 1 offering the best level of protection. (E.g. for DAB+ signals these are called EEP-1A, EEP-2A and EEP-3A.) Additional Error Protection requires additional bandwidth. (e.g. an EEP-1A signal uses 50% more bandwidth than EEP-3A.) Consequently, most multiplexes only offer Level 3 protection in order to maximise the number of stations that can be carried.
Our Error Protection Policy
Recognising that it will take some time for our Mux to reach full capacity, we’ve taken the decision to offer Level 1 protection free of charge for all our initial customers. Extra Error Protection uses more bandwidth so, at some point, we may need to use this additional capacity to make room for new stations. Consequently, this concession will be administered strictly on a ‘first come,-first served’ basis, i.e. we may have to reduce the Error Protection levels for stations that have been with us the shortest time before others.
Whenever possible, stations in this scenario may be offered the opportunity to pay an additional fee to maintain their Level 1 protection or to drop on to Level 2 protection. However, this can’t be guaranteed. Nevertheless, for stations who request and pay for a particular a particular protection level when they join the mux, this will be guaranteed for the duration of their contract with us.
get in touch
To find out more, get in touch using the contact details below:-
Phone
Mobile: 07771773981
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Registered Office: 31 Chamberlain Ave, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 5EN