FM/DAB radio reception on trains

[bicbasher]

Just wondering what your experiences are attempting to use FM/DAB radio bands on the rail network?

It doesn't seem to be a major problem to get FM and DAB on all NR services within London and FM is fine on Southern and Southeastern. DAB I've tried on the London to Brighton line and is fine within London, then patchy until you get to Preston Park.

On East Coast, FM/DAB were fine until you got outside London, then useless until I got off the train in Peterborough. I now select 1GB of music for the train if I'm going long distance, which is a shame as I'd like to check out local services on my journey.

 

[SS4]

I find DAB is a bit patchy on the WCML (it works fine on the XCity once one has left the New St tunnels).

I did manage to listen to a football game on the DAB though.

 

[lookapigeon]

Sotuheastern and Southern are fine for FM, SWT's Desiro trains have a hit and miss; the material of the train/windows seems to reduce the strength of FM radio signals within the carriage.

 

[radamfi]

Pendolinos, Voyagers and Meridians seems to block FM/DAB radio.

 

[philjo]

My personal DAB receiver didn't work in a pendolino from MK to Euston even though I could see the Hemel transmitter (which broadcasts the DAB for the area) out of the window!

By contrast I had an almost continuous DAB signal for Test Match Special on a HST from Stevenage to Alnmouth in August - it might have gone further but England had won by then so I switched off! Sandy Heath & Peterborough transmitters can be seen from the train window.

ECML is a bit dodgy south of Stevenage due to the the tunnels! Welwyn tunnels cause problems travelling north as it seems to switch from Hemel to Sandy Heath transmitters in that area & Knebworth-Stevenage has a deep cutting, so I often lose signal & have to do a rescan approaching Hitchin unless the batteries are fully charged.

Managed to have FM reception on most of ECML. Long wave is useless on 365s - you just receive the EMU "whine" in your headphones!

 

[mawallace]

Pendolinos, Voyagers and Meridians seems to block FM/DAB radio.

As soon as any the above units get on the move, it also wipes out my mobile internet and mobile signal!

 

[snail]

Pendolinos, Voyagers and Meridians seems to block FM/DAB radio.

Near the vestibule doors is ok, as are some of the seats near the emergency exit windows: I presume these don't have the metal coatings applied.

TPE 185s are fine in my experience for FM and DAB as is any of the Northern stock.

 

[SteveP29]

I never get FM between Newcastle & Edinburgh, whether on HST, 225 or Voyager

 

[MKB]

FM signals have limited coverage, so if, say, you try to listen to radio 2 on a Pendolino, even if you can get a signal, you have to retune about very 15 minutes.

Streaming on a wifi connection is specifically against the t&c's and wifi on a Pendolino is, in my experience, very poor, being down more often than it is up.

The four radio channels that Pendolinos used to broadcast were also unreliable, but actually the least worst of these three possible ways of getting live radio.