A DAB radio

BBC Radio Kent is now available on Digital Radio (DAB). Here are some of your questions answered about DAB in Kent.

Will I be able to pick BBC Radio Kent up on my Freeview box or Sky TV?
No, you will need a DAB Digital Radio.

Will I be able to hear BBC Radio Kent outside Kent?
Although coverage does spill into adjacent counties, the Kent multiplex is a local service and is only intended to be heard within the county. You won't be able to hear it in London or on the beach in Eastbourne.

Do I need to pay a subscription for Digital Radio?
No, once you have purchased the radio, there is no additional payment for DAB Digital Radio.

How much do DAB Digital Radio's cost?
They start at around £70 and are available in most high street stores.

Can you get DAB Car Radios?
Yes.

What frequency is it on?
You don't need to know! The DAB radio displays a list of stations it can receive. You just scroll through the list and select the station you want to listen to.

So which stations can I now hear on DAB in Kent?
BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC 5 Live Sports Extra, 1xtra BBC, BBC 6 Music, BBC 7, BBC Asian Network, BBC World Service,Classic FM, Core
Life, Oneword, Planet Rock, talkSPORT, Virgin, BBC Kent, Capital Gold, Kiss, Invicta FM, KM-d, XFM.

Additional services from adjacent counties may also be available depending on where you live.

I've already got a DAB radio, but can't see BBC Radio Kent in the list of stations?
As the Kent multiplex is a new group of channels, you may need to press Auto Tune or Scan on your radio once so that it finds the new services. For more information, look in the manual that came with your radio. BBC Radio Kent appears as BBC KENT on the multiplex.

Why is the transmission on DAB delayed?
We have to digitally encode the programme for DAB. All of the local services such as BBC Radio Kent, Invicta FM etc are then encoded together before being sent to the transmitter. When your radio receives the signal, it then has to decode the digits back into analogue audio for you to hear. All of this takes time, and introduces just under two seconds of delay.

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