Questions

Why do I have DAB+ reception problems in Norfolk?

Why do I have DAB+ reception problems in my car around Mid and West Norfolk?
– Derek

In the UK DAB+ radio stations are broadcast alongside DAB stations. If you can receive any of the UK’s national digital radio stations, such as Absolute Radio or Planet Rock, you should also pick up DAB+ radio stations.

This does depend on the radio being compatible with DAB+ radio stations. Some older car radios and DAB adapters cannot receive stations in the newer DAB+ format. Car stereos don’t tend to have the same DAB+ logos or tick marks that we see on portable radios. One way to check if your radio does receive DAB+ stations is to look for Heart 80s or Union JACK. Both of these stations only broadcast on digital radio in the newer DAB+ format.

If you are sure that the device is capable of receiving DAB+ digital radio stations there could be an issue with coverage.

Coverage in Mid and West Norfolk

Using a coverage checker we can see which stations should be available in these areas.

The centre of King’s Lynn, Dereham and Swaffham all appear to have ‘good coverage’ of DAB+ radio stations including Gold UK, LBC News and Heart 80s and nine others. However, no reception is predicted in these areas of DAB+ stations like talkRADIO and Virgin Radio Anthems.

In Norwich those stations are predicted to have ‘fair reception’, in addition to DAB+ station NME 1.

Norwich also benefits from an additional group of digital stations which are part of a trial in the city. You should be able to listen to Radio Caroline Flashback, Chris Country and more than fifteen other DAB+ stations.

National DAB+ radio stations are transmitted from locations including North West Norfolk, Tacolneston, Stoke Holy Cross and West Lynn.

Although we are unaware of any current plans to improve coverage of national DAB radio stations additional transmitters are occasionally switched on. New transmitters have made DAB+ stations like Union JACK available to more listeners in Norfolk and Suffolk.