Category Archives: dab digital radio

Call for Ramadan Services for DAB

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We are interested in hearing from anyone who would like to operate a Ramadan service on the following DAB multiplexes during June and July 2014:

Interested parties are invited to answer this questionnaire, after which we will discuss opportunities to contract for capacity for up to 28 days on each available multiplex.

Please fill in the questionnaire by 5pm on 31st March 2014

All contracts for capacity are subject to the availability of suitable capacity on each multiplex.  If there are multiple expressions of interest, and more demand for capacity than is available, we will select services on the basis of ability to enter a standard carriage contract rather than first come basis.

We intend to notify interest parties in April.

Any questionnaire submissions that are received after the date specified above, will still be considered for a licence, but subject to capacity availability.

The fee to broadcast on any of the multiplexes will be £2,000+VAT for the 28 days, subject to contract, and you will be required to get your signal to the multiplex centre (which we can describe in more detail after submission of the form).

All successful service providers are reminded that they will need to hold the necessary DSP licence from Ofcom and comply with the requirements of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, in particular if they wish to broadcast charity appeals and must take reasonable steps to satisfy itself that the charity appeal organisation concerned can produce satisfactory evidence of charitable status, or, in the case of an emergency appeal, that a responsible public fund has been set up to deal with it.   Further details can be found at: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/commercial-references-radio/.

If you have any questions about this opportunity please contact [email protected]

Surrey Launch Update – 26th October 2013

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We are currently on track for our December launch – below is a summary of progress:

BT circuits are in to the majority of service provider sites with work progressing to plan at others; we still read delivery dates a little cautiously given the delays experienced in other areas of the UK although Surrey has fared better in general.  Interface equipment for studios is being built ready for delivery and installation.  We are tentatively looking at installing the multiplex rack and having some live data running through the systems in mid-November.

On the transmitter side there is lots underway:

Guildford –

  • Telemetry circuit delivery planned 25/10/13
  • Build to commence first week of November
  • Commissioning requested w/c 18th November

Reigate –

  • Telemetry Circuit complete
  • Decommissioning of existing racks completed this week
  • Build to commence w/c 27th October
  • Commissioning requested w/c 18th November

Crystal Palace –

  • Build completion due early next week.
  • Commissioning requested w/c 11th November 

Muxco WCL: Update 28th November 2012

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Here’s another update on the progress for our Wrexham, Chester and Liverpool multiplex.

We’re pleased to announce that we now have transmitters installed and powered at two of our three sites – Wrexham Rhos and Moel-y-Parc.  In addition, the steel work for the mast to support the antenna has been delivered to St John’s Beacon and is awaiting fitting. We’re pushing to get as much done as possible on masts before the seasonal “freeze” on planned work around the Christmas period.

This week also sees multiplexer bay and equipment delivered to our transmission HQ in London and we’re finalising the configuration details. This includes kbit/s, labels, links to FM (where needed) and several other variables to ensure stations present in the way they and their listeners would like.

We’ve also started hooking up service providers to the network, with three down and three more to go.

Muxco WCL: Update 20th November 2012

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The transmitter builds are progressing but telecoms delays continue to hamper our ability to currently announce a launch date.

More positively, we’re excited to see our multiplexers commissioned and installed into the rack.  Here are a couple of pictures.  You can see that there are two IPCs – one is the main and one is the backup; they’re otherwise identical.  The multiplexing software is loaded up and all the information on the services is programmed in.   The other things in the rack are GPS clocks and routers.  This is the heart of our multiplex and we can’t wait to bring the whole thing to life as soon as we can.

Muxco WCL: Update 12th November 2012

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Work continues for the launch,  here’s a quick update of where things stand.

Our transmitters are arriving in the UK this week and installation will commence immediately.  Given the time of the year, weather issues will always remain a variable in the build timetable. The multiplexer (the software that multiplexes the audio) is built and expected to be in place in the next two weeks.

It’s disappointing that delays to some telecoms provision mean that we can’t yet provide a firm date for our launch.  We do, however continue to push forwards and hope to be able to provide more information soon.

Then and Now.

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Last week Pure held an event to celebrate 10 years of making beautiful functional DAB radios. Matt, Greg and I attended and enjoyed seeing the display of Pure Evokes from across the last decade, from the first blue nylon-fronted limited run to the smart 2012 union flag issue. We were pleased to celebrate the distance covered with the team from Pure and toast their successes.

It was appropriate timing for us, looking back and forward – not least because earlier the same day I’d had our kick off meeting with our transmission subcontractor, lining things up for the launch of Muxco WCL later this year.

At GCAP (as was) between 2001 and 2007 Greg Matt and I operated over 20 DAB multiplexes and oversaw the launches for a large amount of those.

I became pretty used to launches and multiplexes but that was then. All sorts of things have changed, not always the obvious stuff.  Here’s an example.

The more multiplexes you launch the more transmitters there are to inexplicably go on the blink at odd times, like, say 3am.

Back then in 2002 or 2003, as now, I’d always have the phone to hand, and after waking with a jolt to hear what had gone wrong, I would notify station engineers instantly, them similarly half asleep. I think it is fair to say they didn’t always give a flying toss that a DAB transmitter that covered 6 sheep in a field had gone down 3db for four minutes. The sheep could still tune in on FM if they so chose and that was the engineers priority. And could I please get off the phone because did I know it was 3am? Consequently we got better at managing that information in a way that suited the radio stations who are our clients, and the ones who pay the bills.

However in this new landscape here in 2012 a station engineer might actually care very much that his DAB feed is affected, even a small amount. DAB is of greater importance than ever and so I can’t approach things the same way as we used to. We will be using new telemetry, which will be customised to our new requirements – so what requirements would we like?

The radio stations, our clients will be the ones at the centre of this process.  Whilst our transmission team crack on with the big pointy mast side of the build, I’ll be getting in touch with the radio station’s tech teams over the coming weeks to work through some practical stuff, and to get a feel for what they need from us.

MuxCo welcomes the findings of the Digital Radio Working Group

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The Digital Radio Working Group (‘DRWG’) has today (19 Dec 2008) published its final report on the status and strategy for digital radio.

In the UK, 31.4% of all adults every week currently listen to radio via a digital radio platform, and this results in the digital platforms having a total share of all radio listening of 18.7% (Rajar Q3 2008).  DAB is and is set to remain the principal digital radio platform – 8m sets sold to date, and DAB accounts for over 11% of total listening.

MuxCo agrees with the DRWG that a radio-specific broadcast platform is an essential part of radio’s future and that “DAB, unlike both DTT and the internet, is the most effective and financially viable way of delivering digital radio, particularly large local radio services, for the foreseeable future”.

We welcome the DRWG’s suggestions for a migration path which would be triggered by at least 50% of total radio listening is to digital platforms, and that the DRWG believe this could be achieved between 2015 and 2020.

Gregory Watson, MD at MuxCo, says “It is great news that the Digital Radio Working Group, and its members which include the BBC, Radiocentre and DRDB, has reaffirmed its commitment to the development of a sustainable and successful digital future for radio.    Today’s announcement gives us even more comfort with the development of DAB.  We look forward to the publication of the Government’s Digital Britain Report in early 2009, and urge Government and Ofcom to consider the recommendations set out in the DRWG report”.

The full DRWG report can be downloaded http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5700.aspx

London DAB Capacity Available

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It doesn’t happen very often, so I think it’s worth a mention here. NOWdigital has advertised that there’s some available capacity on the London 3 multiplex owned by GCap, UTV, SMG and Carphone Warehouse. They don’t say how much capacity, but they’re asking potential operators to download an application form and return it to the multiplex manager by the end of the week.

Oh, and if you need any advice, we’re always here to help!

Hereford & Worcester

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Its the 6th June and the sun is shining, so hopefully this now marks the start of summer. For us it mark’s the closing date for applications for the Herefordshire and Worcestershire multiplex, something MuxCo Hereford & Worcester Ltd has submitted its application for.

Behind the bid, alongside us, are Town & Country and local radio man (and the theme tune writer for Gladiators no-less), Muff Murfin. It was an interesting licence area to plan, covering a number of urban areas and also a lot of green space, so it was a little more complex getting the transmitter network right.

We have included an interesting selection of new radio formats to complement the existing local services of Wyvern FM, Sunshine and the BBC, ranging from an interactive youth service, Shuffle, to a classic rock station called Smithy Rock, and a new local speech station too – Local Live. I won’t bore you here with all the detail but you will find a copy of the application online here. In the meantime, its off to the pub for a well earned drink and to think about the next project. As always, please send us your views and comments to [email protected].