Operation Manual

Guide to Digital Radio
This section provides a brief guide to digital radio (DAB), explains how the features of your
DRX-601ESM provide access to it and provides some useful addresses for finding out more.
Your DRX-601ESM enables you to receive and listen to the new DAB radio programmes. Digital Audio
Broadcast (DAB) is a new form of radio broadcasting using digital signals rather than traditional
analogue signals. DAB provides near CD-quality audio with virtually interference-free reception. DAB
also enables broadcasters to transmit additional data along with the audio including other audio
channels, text and in the future, perhaps computer data and images.
Digital radio is broadcast as groups of data called ensembles or multiplexes. Each multiplex can
contain a number of services (stations) and each service contains a primary service and can contain
secondary services as illustrated in the following diagram.
Each multiplex is transmitted in a set frequency range and received by your DRX-601ESM for
decoding. Your DRX-601ESM enables you to receive multiplexes broadcast in frequency band III
(174-240 MHz) and store the services in each multiplex for you to access. The number of
multiplexes you receive will vary depending on your location. Band III is divided into 41 channels
labelled 5A to 13F. Each channel can contain one multiplex. Channels allocated to the UK are in the
range 11B to 12D.
Multiplexes and services have labels (names) which are used to identify them. Instead of needing to
know a particular frequency to listen to your favourite broadcast you can simply select the service
name. Secondary services and additional data such as text containing programme or multiplex
information are also easily accessed using your DRX-601ESM.
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