Digital radio switch over for cars

It has been announced that by 2015 the analogue FM and MW signal will be turned off and Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) will be introduced instead. Currently the analogue signal for television services is currently being switched off in stages all around the country and by 2015 everything will be digital, so it was only a matter of time that this would be introduced to cars. The digital switch over for television started in 2008 and will be complete by 2012 but when they introduced this service, they also started to upgrade the television sets that were sold too, so all new TV’s have a built in digital aerial or in some cases a digital box.

It is predicted that in 2015 when DAB comes into force 25 million cars will still have the old analogue radios which will not work as they will be obsolete. This causes great concern as many new cars that are being sold are still using the analogue radio but an upgrade is available at a cost to have the DAB radio installed instead. As a result of new technology, it seems unfair that even though car manufacturers know of the digital switch over, they are still selling cars that have radios that will not work in a few years.

Some car manufacturers have agreed to start fitting DAB radios as standard but not until 2013; a top of the range Jaguar costing in excess of £75,000 is still offering the analogue radio as standard with the option of upgrading to DAB for the cost of £250. Seems a little absurd that even the luxurious of cars that cost more than £50,000 are making people pay extra for something as trivial as an upgraded radio.

Car radios are not the only thing to be affected in the digital switchover; satellite navigation systems also rely on the analogue signal to provide traffic updates for those that have this service. Satellite navigations systems are still being investigated to see how they can be upgraded. Now that this change has been made, the public cars that have been bought this year will have their resale value affected if they still have the old analogue signalled radio, so by forking out for DAB, you may get a better price for the vehicle.

There are two options to upgrading to the digital switch-over, the most costly is to change the unit altogether at an average cost of £250 but a cheaper option of £30 - £60 is available in form of an adapter. It will convert the analogue signal into a digital one but it also means another unsightly antenna on the car roof and then plugged into the cigarette lighter in order for it to work. If you also have radio controlled buttons on your steering wheel, then they will not be compatible with an adaptor.