FM radio with RDS for the GS?

[Tobers]

I'd like to listen to the radio on my bike. I have an FM radio on my phone which I can plug in through the Autocom, but the reception is pants and it doesn't have RDS so it constantly needs retuning.

What I really really want is an FM radio with RDS to fit to the bike with some sort of handlebar mounted waterproof doo-dah to change channels etc.

Anyone got any ideas?

Andy

 

[pikeydave]

Hi Andy

Why don't you go digital, subject to reception, which I would think would be fine in your neck of the woods.
Have good results with a Ferguson via Autocom using the long connector lead as an ariel. At moment trying to arrange even better reception by taping lead in a vertical plane all over RT. Fiddly volume/station button but am going to try drillig and tapping a small screw to it to turn it intp a minature joystick.

Have got GS adv back now and will email you a pic about slighly short threads leaving no room for locknuts.

Dave

 

[Greg Masters]

I use the Sony jobbie in the picture below.

It's a great radio when walking around, but doesn't work very well on the bike due to poor reception (the ear-piece leads act as an aerial). I've currently have it configured so that the audio output does loop of the underside of the beak on its way to the Autocom. It's better than it was, but unless I'm in central London, I don't bother with it.

FWIW, the unit is not massively frequency specific. For example, when tuned to 89.1 (Terry Wogan), it'll pick up strong signals in a range from about 88.0 to 90.0. In particular, Station FM, which broadcasts on 89.8FM from a block of flats in Holloway, bleeds through to the extent that Tel's dulcets are totally obliterated!

I'd contemplate digital, but I'm not sure how good it would be outside London or, indeed, the UK.



Greg

 

[pikeydave]

Re Digital

Reception is prob better than you think especially for BBC stuff. Can vouch for main routes in a rough triangle from south coast to london up to Luton M4 Bristol and across Mendips back to the South again. Now I was expecting some probs but as far as I can remember only some road near Cheddar (burrington to locals) where you're in a gorge that it plays up.. but so does FM. Remember the UK is going digital totally I think by 2006.

 

[mpriestley]

not just yet.............

Remember the UK is going digital totally I think by 2006.

The Govt have not yet confirmed exactly when analogue TV signals will be switched off but it is likely to be 2012-2015.

To date there has been no formal proposition made about turning off analogue radio signals but in any event this will not happen until TV signals are all digital. So you still have at least 15 years of AM/FM and probabbly longer...........

 

[Roge]

http://www.jmcorp.com/

Try these guys they do stuff for 'wings etc

 

[Greg Masters]

Forgot to attach the piccie!



Greg

 

[Iain Hogg]

Re: not just yet.............

The Govt have not yet confirmed exactly when analogue TV signals will be switched off but it is likely to be 2012-2015.

To date there has been no formal proposition made about turning off analogue radio signals but in any event this will not happen until TV signals are all digital. So you still have at least 15 years of AM/FM and probabbly longer...........

They had better get thier a*se in gear with some new transmitters then.

I live in Sussex, just outside Brighton, in a not very rural situation and recently spoke to an arial installation guy, fitting a new one across the road from us, about what the digital reception was like here.

He refused to comment until he had done a survey (at a price!) and added that reception was extremely sucseptible to position - he had fitted arials to semi-detached houses sharing the same chimney and only one of them could get digital

There is an upside to all this - we can't get Channel 5 either!

Iain

 

[SilverFish]

Portable DAB Radio

Im considering an Adapt DR201 portable DAB radio.

Its about the right size, has a telescopic aerial and some other good features. Im not sure what the reception is going to be like, but I'm sure it depends entirely on your journey.

One was recently posted on our For Sale section and got snapped up pretty quickly.

I think the DR201 is end of line, but can be got for around £130.

A better model would be the Perstel DR301 which again is a DAB, MP3 pocket player; but uses SD Cards this time. Though annonyingly I cant see it for sale anyway.

Mike

 

[Tobers]

I'm thinking more along the lines of a car-type radio but smaller i.e. one that can be built in (somewhere!) and fit a proper aerial - one of those rubbery ones not an electic auto-extending one! Although a rubber electric autoextending virbating aerial might be interesting to Mrs Tobers.

A handlebar fitted remote thingy would be required too.

I think I'm going to be disappointed on this one.....

 

[pikeydave]

Hmmmm....
bit bulky a standard car radio and I'm thinking you want to put this on the 1200gs?

Have a look at www.revo.co.uk

Might be just flexible enough to stuff in panniers etc. and it comes with a remote... and I've got one.

PM me for more if interested

 

[LivNorway]

Any news on this subject?

A friend of mine, HP, rides a GS Adventure, and he wants a waterproof radio.
(He has Garmin GPS, I don't know what type.)

Liv.

 

[Pint6x]

Although a rubber electric autoextending virbating aerial might be interesting to Mrs Tobers....

S'orright - I've already asked - she wasn't interested.