RADIO RECEPTION

ON THE MOVE AND

OVERSEAS
Many people enjoy listening to the radio when they are
travelling in the UK or abroad. In the UK you can benefit
from special features such as travel bulletins, and in many
parts of the world you can listen to BBC World Service in
English.

BBC radio services are broadcast on different wavebands

and in order to get the best reception you need the correct
equipment. This BBC factsheet explains more about the
equipment you need to find our full range of services and
how to get the most from them.

Listening on the move

To get the best possible reception you will need a radio covering three wavebands:-

FM (sometimes known as VHF, V, U, or UKW)

Medium wave (also known as MW or AM)
Long wave (or LW)

In addition all BBC digital radio services, national stations and many local radio
stations are available on DAB digital radio. There is more about DAB later in this
factsheet.

1 FM

FM usually gives excellent sound quality and is mostly in stereo. FM signals travel
in almost straight lines but are unable to travel over or pass through large
obstructions such as hills. Because of this reception is affected when you are
driving through built-up areas or deep valleys. The sound may become distorted
because your radio receives one signal direct from the transmitter and another
reflected signal from buildings or surrounding hills. However a good aerial can help
minimise this difficulty.

Many FM transmitters are needed to give good coverage across the country.
Adjacent transmitters do not use the same FM frequencies because this could lead
to interference. So, as you travel around, you will need to re-tune the radio. Some
older radio sets have frequency pre-set push-buttons, or you will have to manually

1
 adjust the tuning while driving. Fortunately most
modern car radios incorporate the Radio Data
System (RDS) that keeps you tuned to the station
automatically. There is more about RDS later in this
factsheet.
2 Medium and Long wave
These signals can travel longer distances than FM
signals and are more able to follow the contours of
the ground. However, obstructions in their path,
such as buildings or hills, may weaken the signals.
This is especially true in very built-up areas such as
towns and cities where interference from electrical
sources (streets lamps, flashing signs and power
lines) can mean you experience poor reception.
You may come across a different problem in sparsely
populated areas where reception either fades from
time to time or is distorted.
Although medium and long wave reception are
usually good during the day, night-time reception can
be spoiled by interference from transmitters that are
further away than your local transmitter. If this
happens try tuning to a different frequency or to FM.
For more information about day and night reception
see our Radio Aerials And Good Reception
factsheet.
Long wave is only used in Europe so your radio may
not have long wave available. Some radios may have
a setting marked AM (amplitude modulation).
Usually this refers to medium wave but some sets
with AM have medium wave and long wave all on one
waveband. To find out if this is true for your set
please check the handbook.
3 Radio Data System (RDS)
Many modern car radios incorporate the Radio Data
System (RDS). This system automatically selects the
strongest FM signal for the station you wish to
receive. With RDS this means that you do not need
to retune as you drive around. RDS also displays the
name of the station you are tuned to and can display
the time and date. It automatically adjusts itself as
you move through time zones, leap years and
summer/wintertime changes.
If you use your car over long journeys, the most
useful feature is that RDS can automatically detect
travel announcements as they are broadcast by local
BBC radio stations. The radio can alert you by
raising the volume or by interrupting the playing of
either disc or tape during each bulletin. This means
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you never need miss important traffic news. Most
new RDS sets will automatically switch from listening
to BBC network stations (such as BBC Radio 2) to
BBC local radio travel bulletins and then back again
once the bulletin is over. You can turn this facility off
if you wish.
RDS is standard across Europe so if your car has
RDS it will also work on the continent (where
obviously it can’t necessarily pick up BBC stations).
Most good car manufacturers fit RDS radios as
standard. For more information please read our
technical factsheet about RDS.
4 Digital radio
The BBC first launched digital radio (DAB or Digital
Audio Broadcasting) in 1995 and has now expanded
coverage to 85% of the population, with plans for
more transmitters.
This new way of transmitting radio signals has all the
main benefits of RDS but gives even better reception
and is easier to operate. Unlike medium wave, long
wave or FM (where signals received from two
sources can cause interference) different digital radio
signals can actually help each other, giving you clearer
sound.
BBC analogue networks are transmitted on digital
radio, along with a range of new digital stations.The
new digital services are:
1Xtra
BBC 6 Music
BBC 7
BBC Asian Network
Five Live Sports Extra
BBC World Service
At present new cars can be fitted with DAB on
request and more models are coming onto the
market. DAB costs more than analogue radio but
prices are dropping. At the moment, automatic
travel announcement alerts are not available on
digital radio as this service is still under
development.
Although DAB doesn’t normally suffer from the kind
of interference that can affect FM, LW and MW, it can
suffer from burbling noises if signals are very weak
and in some cases the sound can disappear
altogether. In this instance some car radios will
attempt to transfer to FM if possible.
For more information about the BBC digital radio
services and how to receive them please visit our
website at bbc.co.uk/digitalradio.
Listening overseas
You will not be able to pick up BBC stations
broadcasting on FM, MW, LW and DAB very far from
UK shores. They are funded by the UK licence fee
and the BBC is not permitted to re-broadcast them
from other countries.
BBC World Service is funded directly by the UK
Government and broadcasts 24 hours a day in
English and many other languages across the globe.
Many transmissions can now be heard via the BBC
World Service website at bbc.co.uk/worldservice.
To listen to it abroad using a radio you will usually
need a set that can receive short wave (although in
some areas BBC World Service can also be picked up
on FM and long wave). Short waves are used for
broadcasting worldwide and there are nine
commonly used short wave broadcasting bands.
Reception can be good but there are some snags:
Finding the station you want can be difficult
because many of them are on frequencies very close
together.
Some broadcasters actually share frequencies and
so the bands get very crowded.
Reception can vary greatly between the day and
the night with the higher frequencies giving better
results in daylight, while lower frequencies are better
after dark.This can lead to frequent re-tuning.
Because of this the BBC World Service is broadcast
on many short wave frequencies simultaneously. The
frequency that gives you the best reception will
depend on where you are abroad. A radio that
covers the following short wave bands will be best
for picking up BBC World Service around the world.
16 metres (17 MHz)
19 metres (15 MHz)
25 metres (11 MHz)
31 metres (9 MHz)
41 metres (7 MHz)
49 metres (6 MHz)
Finding these bands on a conventional radio with a
tuning dial can be very difficult, so we recommend a
radio with a digital display showing you the exact
frequency you are tuned to. This makes tuning in
much easier and far more accurate. These sets
usually have pre-set buttons so you can store the
frequencies you use the most. It is often useful to do
this before you leave home, especially if you will be
staying largely in one area.
To find the frequencies used in the country you will
be travelling in check our website at
bbc.co.uk/worldservice and click on “Radio
Schedules” to choose the nearest city or area for
more help. In a few places BBC World Service is
available on FM and MW so you can use a
conventional radio without short wave.
Short wave frequencies can vary between summer
and winter, atmospheric conditions and the time of
day you will be listening. Try all the frequencies to
find which gives the best reception. If signals fade
you may need to retry the other frequencies again.
In some areas close to the UK (such as Ireland,
France, Denmark, Belgium and Holland) 198 kHz
long wave carries BBC Radio 4 during the day and
BBC World Service at night. BBC World Service can
also be heard on digital radio throughout the UK,
and on 648 kHz Medium Wave in the Benelux
countries and the South East of England.
Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM)
The BBC and other major broadcasters are part of
a consortium that has developed a new digital radio
system for world broadcasting called DRM.
Although receivers are currently expensive and in
limited supply, regular DRM short wave broadcasts
now take place from the BBC and can be received in
many countries. Sound quality and ease of tuning are
outstanding, giving DRM the potential to be a new
standard in worldwide reception. Visit www.drm.org
for more information.
World space satellite radio
In some parts of the world BBC World Service in
English can be received by satellite using a World
Space portable receiver. This includes Africa and
most of Europe except Scandinavian and Baltic
countries. The sound quality is excellent but the
special receiving aerial panel usually needs to be
outdoors or in a window facing the direction of the
satellite. More information is available from specialist
retailers.