Digital Radio set from UK receiving French radio stations

[Juleyandpaul]

Hello,

I have a digital radio in the UK and am next coming to the Haute Vienne (87) later this month. If I bring it with me will it pick up French radio stations?

I see from other threads that it will not receive UK stations but wondered about the French ones.

Thanks

Juley

[Martin963]

In a word NO.

DAB radio has not been the success in France that it has been in the UK.  In consequence only a few towns (Paris,  Toulouse,  Nantes and a couple of others) have any DAB coverage at all.   But in addition the French coverage is in the frequency band around 1500 MHz,  and almost all UK sets only cover the band formerly used by ITV in black and white with 405 lines,  ie from about 175 - 230 MHz.   The BBC use a frequency of about 226 MHz.

So you are neither in a zone of reception nor equipped with the right waveband!!

It is possible that France will eventually leapfrog the UK by introducing a form of digital radio much more technically advanced than the UK's.  Germany is already actively investigating this.   It's always the way,  if you are first in with a new technology (cf 405 lines in 1936 for TV) you often pay the price by being lumbered with an inferior system,  even if it was state of the art at the time of introduction...

[Martin963]

I should perhaps have added that if your DAB radio has an FM section then that part will work fine,  Haute Vienne being served by a crackingly strong signal from the high powered transmitter at Les Cars.   It's just the DAB that won't work.

[Juleyandpaul]

Thanks Martin. That is one less thing to take with us on this trip.

Regards

Juley