i thought the FCC was considering auctioning off channels 5 and 6 (possibly even the entire VHF-Low band) for an extended FM band... alternately, using it for mobile ATSC would be interesting....

How about use channels 2-6 for DAB or IBOC instead?

How about use channels 2-6 for DAB or IBOC instead?

Now that would be interesting... A Sporadic-E catch using IBOC or DAB. The ultimate challenge... :-)

My best catch came in 1981 when I taped a complete newscast (still got the tape) of ZBM Hamilton Bermuda when I lived in Dundas ON. Much of it in full stereo too, with the wild fluctuations of Sporadic-E reception clearly evident in the recording and visible on the signal strength meter of the Sansui TU-9900 fed with 300 ohm shielded cable from a 6 element Colben beam made in Dundas... Those were the days... 81.9 if my memory serves me correctly...

Cameron

I am looking to listen to CFRA in Ottawa. I know in 2002 they were granted a license to operate digital radio.

http://www.broadcasting-history.ca/index3.php?url=http%3A//www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/radio/histories.php%3Fid%3D456%26historyID%3D229

"On November 13, CFRA was granted a licence to operate transitional digital radio undertakings (DRU) to serve Ottawa. Three transmitters were used: one was located at the CBC's site at Camp Fortune, Quebec. The other two transmitters were located in Ottawa, one at the CBC's building on Lanark Avenue and the other at the Time MCI Las Brisas building. All three transmitters operated in a single frequency network, using 1487.696 MHz (DRB channel 21) with an effective isotropic radiated power of 5,928 watts, 2,850 watts and 2,965 watts, respectively. The transmitters employed the EUREKA-147 digital audio broadcasting system."

Is this still working? What are my options? As a newbie I am finding this stuff confusing

I am looking to listen to CFRA in Ottawa. I know in 2002 they were granted a license to operate digital radio.

In my visits to Ottawa circa 2003 and beyond, I don't ever recall hearing anything other than CBC on DAB.

If you have / had one of those shirt-pocket sized radios from what was then Radio Shack, it was the radio sold nationally for DAB. There were others, but they were of very limited quantity.

I'm still using mine for listening to the stations from Toronto. Several stations have fallen silent, but many remain.

Cameron

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-532.htm

The DRB (Digital Radio Broadcasting) stations have been renewed to December 31st, 2009 by the C.R.T.C.

Now this is interesting.

1) Re-launch DAB as DAB+ and issue a new allotment plan?
2) Spectrum auction of the 1.5 GHz spectrum used for DAB?

The current situation is pathetic. Stations that have been "renewed" haven't been on the air for quite a while now. Others are broadcasting in a haphazard manner. Still others are OK.

Without some kind of direction, it could all just disappear.

Inquiring minds want to know..... :)

Cameron

Extensions to August 31, 2011 for some DAB stations, while others have been expired:

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-810.htm

That's because the C.R.T.C. has been granting extensions to broadcasting undertakings that ceased eons ago.

On my recent trip to Ottawa there was only the CBC up an running on DAB.

The Toronto situation continues to deteriorate and I plan to provide a full update by the end of the following week.

Cameron

Hi Folks,

As you can see... It's been a long time since I've posted to this thread. :-)

And... a lot has changed....

DAB in Toronto as of tonight 7:30pm EST.

Note that I've shortened the channel numbers down to the same nomenclature used by Industry Canada to denote L-Band channels. If you have a Perstel DR-101LF DAB radio sold by what was Radio Shack, L3 would be noted as LC as it's tuning. Once tuned in, the DAB channel then displays all of it's info instead.

Now on to what's on each "channel" or ensemble. If you're used to the U.K. way of describing channels, the term "multiplex" is often used.

Now here's what's happening....

L3
680NEWS no audio
CHFI no audio
1050CHUM no audio
104.5 CHUM.FM no audio
EDGE 102 audio ok with some clipping on voice & music peaks.

L4
CFRB audio ok (mono)
MIX 99.9 audio OK (mini hum left channel) (hasn't been called that in at
least a year or two now, it's Virgin Radio)
THE FAN audio OK (mono)
EZ.ROCK audio right channel louder (as of at least a month ago, now called "Boom FM"...)
JAZZ FM audio OK

L6
CBC Radio 1 audio OK (mono)
CBC Radio 2 audio OK
Premiere chaine audio OK (mono)
Espace Musique audio OK
CBLT data
RDI data

L9
CJYE no audio (I think license revoked by CRTC)
CJMR no audio (I think license revoked by CRTC)
CIRV audio in stereo but out of phase
CIAO audio in stereo, best sound on DAB I've heard in years, BUT is audio of "Proud FM" 103.9!!! (CIRR FM) Toronto. Go figure...
CFMX audio in stereo, but out of phase

L8 has long gone.

That is what's on out of Toronto on DAB.

Cameron

EZ Rock has had that problem(different volumes for each channel) pretty much from the beginning.

EZ Rock has had that problem(different volumes for each channel) pretty much from the beginning.

Actually, I remember back in late '03 into '04, both channels were low. But I think from '05 they bumped up the right channel. If both were brought up to an even level it would sound OK.

As to L9, it has always been a showcase on how NOT to engineer an audio stream. It would really help if they could match up audio feeds to what labels go with each station..... And get the phase right.....

Cameron

Here in Canada, DAB is being broadcast from Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver.

Are they still testing DAB here in Ottawa? In the recent license renewals Toronto and Vancouver were mentioned (I can't remember if Montreal was in it), but Ottawa was absent.

Are they still testing DAB here in Ottawa?

Yup. I heard the CBC when I was there over Christmas.

Cameron

Yup. I heard the CBC when I was there over Christmas.

Ahh. I found their license renewal (Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-264 (http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-264.htm) for those who are interested). It includes renewals for CBC Transitional Digital Radio Undertakings in Windsor, Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. The one I was looking at was for other stations.

Windsor, Montréal, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. The one I was looking at was for other stations.

You can scratch Windsor. :-) It's been off for a LONG time, and no plans are in the works to revitalize it.

Cameron

CBC handed back to the CRTC it's licenses for it's DAB transmitters in Montreal.

CRTC notice here:

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2010/2010-381.htm

Don't know about Vancouver's status re: DAB broadcasting.

What's left is Toronto.

How long will that last?

Cameron

If CBC has given up on using DAB for its largest French market and the second-largest city in Canada, that's not a good sign for the system.
On the up side, the decision will affect very few people because DAB never really worked anyway. I know because I used to live there and tried to use a DAB radio for a few weeks before returning it to the store in frustration.

For sale soon one Arcam Alpha 10 DAB Tuner. 10 Years old in good condition, lightly used the past few years.:D

Someone recently mentioned a scarcity of further load bearing capability on a CBC-owned tower, so I'm wondering if the CBC is being pragmatic about making room for money-making renters? DAB is great, but it does nothing for the CBC's bottom line like renting out space to Global or other TV and radio broadcasters.

This is the end of DAB in Canada.

Canadian DAB 1999-2010. :(