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Recently promoting the new broadcasting standard with “Radio United”, digital radio has started in Australia, with the major cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide already having stations that are broadcasting in digital. But with 40 different stations switching over to the digital platform, what does this mean for you, the listener?

Will I still be able to receive all my other stations? What are the benefits? Can I get it on my Digital Set-Top Box? All of the questions will be answered by us.

What is Digital Radio and what are the benefits?

Digital Radio is a brand new way of broadcasting radio, like digital television is a new way of broadcasting television; and while both are able to received via the old methods of hooking up an antenna, you will need some new equipment. However, this new equipment will allow you to get clearer sound and improved reception to both FM and AM channels.

Along with that, broadcasters will be able to have more channels, and will be able to send metadata of songs, along with text, program guides, news and sport scores, or more information about a product being advertised. Like Digital Television, you can pause and rewind audio.

Tuning to digital radio has also been simplified to no longer the frequencies, but by the Station’s name (or shortened name, depending on the station) – and that is a plus when a multitude of new channels come over to the digital platform.

These extra features, however, depends on both the station and on your radio box. Mix 106.5 in Sydney is transmitting cover art and news, with 2DAY FM and Triple M Sydney also announcing support for these extra features. Only one device can display all this, however, the iRiver B30.

Australia will be using the format known as DAB+, which is different to the digital radio platform used in the UK, because it adopts a higher audio codec at a low bit rate at 64kbit/s. It should also be noted that if you get a radio from the UK, it will not work here as the UK uses a previous version of the same technology (called DAB), and DAB is not forwards compatible with the standard.

It should also be noted that it is using the FM frequencies. Australia is also trialling a similar technology on the AM frequencies called Digital Radio Mondiale, which can fit more channels on the AM band. It is set to be used by long, medium and short wave broadcasters like Deutsche Welle and BBC World Service.

How can I receive digital radio?

As mentioned, you will need a compatible digital radio box to receive the channels; and as of now, you will not be able to receive the stations from your set-top-box. And while you may see digital radio stations from the ABC, these are using the TV frequencies to broadcast, not radio frequencies.

Manufacturers like Yamaha, Revo, iRiver, PURE and OXX Digital have created digital radio products for a wide range of applications, like the car, or on your table. You can find them in stores like Dick Smith and Big W, or find some in online stores.

Digital Radio, however, will not see the FM and AM radio bands being switched off, unlike digital television, in the foreseeable future (the planned date is set to 2015, depending on the take up and the coverage). So, you might not need to upgrade, unless you want interference-free music, news and sport commentary.

What are some of the channels I would receive?

All the major commercial stations, plus the ABC and SBS radio stations, are simulcasting their AM/FM stations on the digital radio Pplatform. Here are some of the radio stations you can expect to be on your digital radio box:

• Sydney – 2CH, 2DAY, 2GB, 2KY Racing, 2SM, 2UE, 702 ABC, Mix 106.5, Nova 96.9, The Edge, Triple M 104.9, Vega 95.3, WSFM 101.7
• Melbourne – 3AW, 3MP, 774 ABC, Fox 101.9, Gold 104.3, Magic 1278, Mix 101.1, Nova 100.3, SEN 1116, Sport 927, Triple M 105.1, Vega 91.5
• Brisbane – 4BC, 4VH, 4KQ 693, 612 ABC, 97.3FM, B105, Nova 106.9, Radio TAB, Triple M 104.5
• Adelaide – Cruise 1323, 891 ABC, Five AA, Mix 102.3, Nova 91.9, SAFM, Triple M 104.7
• Perth – 6IX 1080AM, 6PR 882, 720 ABC, 92.9FM, 96FM, Mix 94.5, Nova 93.7
• National – SBS Radio, ABC Radio National, ABC Classic FM, ABC NewsRadio, Triple J

The main five radio broadcasters (Austereo, ARN, DMG Radio Australia, the ABC and SBS) have also added some new radio stations, also available online, to increase the take up of having more radio stations.

Currently the new channels include:

• NovaNation (a dance station)
• Koffee (an easy listening station)
• Radar (showcasing undiscovered music)
• ABC Dig Music (“Music with Depth”)
• ABC Country (country music station)
• ABC Jazz (jazz music station)
• The Edge Digital (R&B and hop hop station)
• Pink Radio (24/7 of Pink Music)
• SBS Radio 1, SBS Radio 2, SBS Radio 3, SBS Radio 4 (Sydney and Melbourne versions of SBS Radio)

As well, SBS Radio has launched SBS Radio 6 (I presume it is the national radio feed), along with timeshifted versions of SBS Radio 1 – 4.

It is expected that more channels will be added in the near future, as the digital television transition frees up the spectrum that would be used for analogue television for digital radio.

Where did the other stations go?

The other stations that you can receive on the AM and FM dials are not on the digital platform just yet, as they have either have no plans to do so or have not got the equipment upgraded to broadcast the new stations.

But all is not lost, many should be able to also receive FM stations, and also some can also pick up internet radio stations – so you can choose to listen to the FM broadcast, or the internet stream of your radio station.