Everything should be up and running well within a year if not sooner
Do you have personal experience of what is involved to validate this statement - or is it just what you think should happen?
No but surely most would agree 1 year is enough time to get it all sorted and on air. 18 months is realty letting it drag on for far too long
Take a look at post #8040, which lists several reasons these things take longer than you want. There are other reasons too.
Unless you have experience of building and financing something like this, or indeed a single or multiple FM equivalent transmission site, you really don't fully understand why some go down to the wire.
There are several people here who have either done this or are currently doing it, and who more fully understand what is involved.
If you are convinced you can do it faster, feel free to apply for an area in the future.
A well constructed post.
Building a new network can involve some relatively complex project management.
Some tasks take longer or cost more than could reasonably be assumed at the planning stage.
Some things that seemed perfectly reasonable on paper can be almost impossible in practice - and it could be a multitude of reasons.
Small operators on tight budgets can’t always throw money at problems to make them go away.
Everything should be up and running well within a year if not sooner
Do you have personal experience of what is involved to validate this statement - or is it just what you think should happen?
No but surely most would agree 1 year is enough time to get it all sorted and on air. 18 months is realty letting it drag on for far too long
Take a look at post #8040, which lists several reasons these things take longer than you want. There are other reasons too.
Unless you have experience of building and financing something like this, or indeed a single or multiple FM equivalent transmission site, you really don't fully understand why some go down to the wire.
There are several people here who have either done this or are currently doing it, and who more fully understand what is involved.
If you are convinced you can do it faster, feel free to apply for an area in the future.
A well constructed post.
Building a new network can involve some relatively complex project management.
Some tasks take longer or cost more than could reasonably be assumed at the planning stage.
Some things that seemed perfectly reasonable on paper can be almost impossible in practice - and it could be a multitude of reasons.
Small operators on tight budgets can’t always throw money at problems to make them go away.
The only way these multiplexes generally can launch in weeks is where the operator has a substantial operation with transmitters sitting around and sites they already have in use for something else with all the connectivity.
This is how we have seen 2 of the Round 7 licenses on air before many of the Round 5, and we saw some Round 3 licenses on air before the Round 1s.
The key is you need to have someone who is ready to go and has a particular desire to get the mux on air quickly, either they know they have a lot of services lined up or they need it for themselves or both.
It could be argued ofcom may have not given these Round 5 licences to the right people. But it's not a race and there's lots of other factors to consider. As long as they can get them on within the 18 months, that is all ofcom care about, not "operator A can do it in 6 weeks and operator B will take 18 months".
They have updated their website and states ‘ On January 1st 2026, Brighton and Hove Digital Radio CIC, operating as Brighton DAB will upgrade the trial with a full ‘broadcast multiplex’ licence - issued by the Ofcom’.
Looking at the comments above, I'm now wondering if nearby Luton will be launching. The licence was awarded to the uni that runs Radio LaB and they are a single transmitter site using, I believe, the same site Radio LaB already uses for FM. In theory it should have had a similar time frame as Southend which uses the licence owners site. Should I assume they likely won't launch?
Looking at the comments above, I'm now wondering if nearby Luton will be launching. The licence was awarded to the uni that runs Radio LaB and they are a single transmitter site using, I believe, the same site Radio LaB already uses for FM. In theory it should have had a similar time frame as Southend which uses the licence owners site. Should I assume they likely won't launch?
I wouldn’t assume anything until the 18 months are up.
I've always wondered how many are actually listening to these SS Mux's though.. very very few imo with so many other choices available
I wouldn't necessarily assume that. I listen to my neighbouring SSDAB Mux often in the car and sometimes at home. If I'm doing it, then I'm fairly sure other people are.
Looking at the comments above, I'm now wondering if nearby Luton will be launching. The licence was awarded to the uni that runs Radio LaB and they are a single transmitter site using, I believe, the same site Radio LaB already uses for FM. In theory it should have had a similar time frame as Southend which uses the licence owners site. Should I assume they likely won't launch?
I wouldn’t assume anything until the 18 months are up.
Indeed. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see at least one actually make it on air by the very last day.
Given the time frames left here I feel some people will be cutting short their Christmas breaks!
I've always wondered how many are actually listening to these SS Mux's though.. very very few imo with so many other choices available
I wouldn't necessarily assume that. I listen to my neighbouring SSDAB Mux often in the car and sometimes at home. If I'm doing it, then I'm fairly sure other people are.
I certainly listen to stations on a nearby SS mux too. I think ones like King's Lynn, Salisbury, and Ludlow will get the most listeners though as they are the only local option in those areas
I certainly listen to stations on a nearby SS mux too. I think ones like King's Lynn, Salisbury, and Ludlow will get the most listeners though as they are the only local option in those areas
Any sign of the "Chelmo" multiplex? Their website is quoting a launch date of tomorrow or Saturday?
Weald Radio is launching on West Kent DAB, and they are running announcements each hour saying that they will appear "at the very end of 2025", so I'm assuming it should be fired up really soon.
Yeh I believe they are waiting on the nod from Ofcom.
Weald Radio had its DSP licence issued in the summer. Just a case of waiting for the SSDAB licence holders to build everything.
West Kent Radio also has its licence in place.
I make it 13 areas in round five, all due before 22 January. Of those, five are in Kent.
The announcements have been changed to mid January now. Elsewhere in their output, they say about launching in the first few days into next month but formally on DAB in the middle of Jan.
I don't know whether to assume that the mux will be fired up for testing before they can be available there, hence the delay between launching at all and appearing on the radio.
I've always wondered how many are actually listening to these SS Mux's though.. very very few imo with so many other choices available
I wouldn't necessarily assume that. I listen to my neighbouring SSDAB Mux often in the car and sometimes at home. If I'm doing it, then I'm fairly sure other people are.
Now that I've moved into an area that has access to one (Bradford SSDAB), I listen sometimes to one or two of the services on it in the kitchen where I just have a radio and not an internet device. I wish the local FM community station, BCB, was on there as the DAB reception is much better than the FM reception on that station. I've no idea why they wouldn't go on it unless it's the usual community radio politics.
Looking at the comments above, I'm now wondering if nearby Luton will be launching. The licence was awarded to the uni that runs Radio LaB and they are a single transmitter site using, I believe, the same site Radio LaB already uses for FM. In theory it should have had a similar time frame as Southend which uses the licence owners site. Should I assume they likely won't launch?
The Senior Lecturer in Radio at the Uni is quite active in community radio and SSDAB in many places, so very likely it will launch
I certainly listen to stations on a nearby SS mux too. I think ones like King's Lynn, Salisbury, and Ludlow will get the most listeners though as they are the only local option in those areas
Any sign of the "Chelmo" multiplex? Their website is quoting a launch date of tomorrow or Saturday?
Oh I no longer live in Chelmsford so can't say, however I am visiting tomorrow so will give the band a scan
I've always wondered how many are actually listening to these SS Mux's though.. very very few imo with so many other choices available
yes this is a good question, and something the stations paying to be on SSDAB will be wondering. As I have commented before 95% of my radio listening is in the car, and most SSDAB coverage are too small or low powered meaning drop outs in the coverage area. Poole does it, Southampton does it Winchester and Portsmouth (trial not been there since it went fully licensed) too. As a part time radio anorak I might put up with it, but real listeners won't.
This situation reminds me of when community radio first launched and there were power levels around 25w, at least with analogue it would get hissy and switch to mono, not ideal but you could still listen, the DAB breaking up - on/off is very intrusive if actually trying to listen to the content!
I think we need more power (ERP) on SSDAB ultimately.
My comments on coverage are purely based on the areas I visit and have experiences of, hopefully there are some areas where SSDAB coverage is actually useable, London perhaps?
I've always wondered how many are actually listening to these SS Mux's though.. very very few imo with so many other choices available
yes this is a good question, and something the stations paying to be on SSDAB will be wondering. As I have commented before 95% of my radio listening is in the car, and most SSDAB coverage are too small or low powered meaning drop outs in the coverage area. Poole does it, Southampton does it Winchester and Portsmouth (trial not been there since it went fully licensed) too. As a part time radio anorak I might put up with it, but real listeners won't.
This situation reminds me of when community radio first launched and there were power levels around 25w, at least with analogue it would get hissy and switch to mono, not ideal but you could still listen, the DAB breaking up - on/off is very intrusive if actually trying to listen to the content!
I think we need more power (ERP) on SSDAB ultimately.
My comments on coverage are purely based on the areas I visit and have experiences of, hopefully there are some areas where SSDAB coverage is actually useable, London perhaps?
I am actually waiting for ELED to see how robust that signal will be. Most of my driving is short, to Romford, Upminster, Brentwood, Ockendon etc....
I visit and stay in Southend and the City Dab is consistent and strong in the car when I travel from Thorpe Bay to Leigh On Sea. So short journeys which the majority of car journeys are, will get listeners. However when doing long distant I'll choose to stream the phone, used to be I'd use AM but now there's only Five Live, Talksport and Caroline and reception of those are prone to electrical interference which as an anorak I will put up with, but Joe Public won't
I've always wondered how many are actually listening to these SS Mux's though.. very very few imo with so many other choices available
yes this is a good question, and something the stations paying to be on SSDAB will be wondering. As I have commented before 95% of my radio listening is in the car, and most SSDAB coverage are too small or low powered meaning drop outs in the coverage area. Poole does it, Southampton does it Winchester and Portsmouth (trial not been there since it went fully licensed) too. As a part time radio anorak I might put up with it, but real listeners won't.
This situation reminds me of when community radio first launched and there were power levels around 25w, at least with analogue it would get hissy and switch to mono, not ideal but you could still listen, the DAB breaking up - on/off is very intrusive if actually trying to listen to the content!
I think we need more power (ERP) on SSDAB ultimately.
My comments on coverage are purely based on the areas I visit and have experiences of, hopefully there are some areas where SSDAB coverage is actually useable, London perhaps?
A lot of these coverage problems are because people use "free" sites instead of paying a bit for the good ones. When multiplexes take the time to carefully use coverage tools to protect other multiplexes, pick the right antennas, and use the right site, the coverage is often great.
But many of them use the wrong site, wrong antennas, or similar, and then they end up with very little power and blame Ofcom and everyone else.
Some of these have really good coverage; I can get 50 miles of almost full motorway coverage out of Loughborough and Rugby, as was mentioned this week.
Others, we know, have problems. I can drive from the outskirts of Leicester, through it, and out the other side in about 5 minutes at night because the 40% rule makes the coverage really small.
Other multiplexes, like Northampton, don't cover the town center (and presumably that's why they have no services on them and Nlive went on Rugby, not Northampton) because they picked the wrong site way outside the town center.
There are reasons for everything, and maybe someone should create a scoring system to rate which multiplexes have good coverage and which don't.
I've always wondered how many are actually listening to these SS Mux's though.. very very few imo with so many other choices available
yes this is a good question, and something the stations paying to be on SSDAB will be wondering. As I have commented before 95% of my radio listening is in the car, and most SSDAB coverage are too small or low powered meaning drop outs in the coverage area. Poole does it, Southampton does it Winchester and Portsmouth (trial not been there since it went fully licensed) too. As a part time radio anorak I might put up with it, but real listeners won't.
This situation reminds me of when community radio first launched and there were power levels around 25w, at least with analogue it would get hissy and switch to mono, not ideal but you could still listen, the DAB breaking up - on/off is very intrusive if actually trying to listen to the content!
I think we need more power (ERP) on SSDAB ultimately.
My comments on coverage are purely based on the areas I visit and have experiences of, hopefully there are some areas where SSDAB coverage is actually useable, London perhaps?
A lot of these coverage problems are because people use "free" sites instead of paying a bit for the good ones. When multiplexes take the time to carefully use coverage tools to protect other multiplexes, pick the right antennas, and use the right site, the coverage is often great.
But many of them use the wrong site, wrong antennas, or similar, and then they end up with very little power and blame Ofcom and everyone else.
Some of these have really good coverage; I can get 50 miles of almost full motorway coverage out of Loughborough and Rugby, as was mentioned this week.
Others, we know, have problems. I can drive from the outskirts of Leicester, through it, and out the other side in about 5 minutes at night because the 40% rule makes the coverage really small.
Other multiplexes, like Northampton, don't cover the town center (and presumably that's why they have no services on them and Nlive went on Rugby, not Northampton) because they picked the wrong site way outside the town center.
There are reasons for everything, and maybe someone should create a scoring system to rate which multiplexes have good coverage and which don't.
I agree. Just spending a tiny bit more, doing some more research and evaluation, or putting in a small filler tx (though I have a feeling that might be quite a logistical headache) could solve the problems. Bedford near me is terrific on its one tx, as is Colchester. I've found others though, High Peak and Salisbury being prime examples, to have patchy signal in urban areas and many drop outs. Salisbury could be solved with a small filler in the city centre, 10w I would say.
Also if South Herts are reading, Hemel needs a transmitter! 😅
I've always wondered how many are actually listening to these SS Mux's though.. very very few imo with so many other choices available
yes this is a good question, and something the stations paying to be on SSDAB will be wondering. As I have commented before 95% of my radio listening is in the car, and most SSDAB coverage are too small or low powered meaning drop outs in the coverage area. Poole does it, Southampton does it Winchester and Portsmouth (trial not been there since it went fully licensed) too. As a part time radio anorak I might put up with it, but real listeners won't.
This situation reminds me of when community radio first launched and there were power levels around 25w, at least with analogue it would get hissy and switch to mono, not ideal but you could still listen, the DAB breaking up - on/off is very intrusive if actually trying to listen to the content!
I think we need more power (ERP) on SSDAB ultimately.
My comments on coverage are purely based on the areas I visit and have experiences of, hopefully there are some areas where SSDAB coverage is actually useable, London perhaps?
A lot of these coverage problems are because people use "free" sites instead of paying a bit for the good ones. When multiplexes take the time to carefully use coverage tools to protect other multiplexes, pick the right antennas, and use the right site, the coverage is often great.
But many of them use the wrong site, wrong antennas, or similar, and then they end up with very little power and blame Ofcom and everyone else.
Some of these have really good coverage; I can get 50 miles of almost full motorway coverage out of Loughborough and Rugby, as was mentioned this week.
Others, we know, have problems. I can drive from the outskirts of Leicester, through it, and out the other side in about 5 minutes at night because the 40% rule makes the coverage really small.
Other multiplexes, like Northampton, don't cover the town center (and presumably that's why they have no services on them and Nlive went on Rugby, not Northampton) because they picked the wrong site way outside the town center.
There are reasons for everything, and maybe someone should create a scoring system to rate which multiplexes have good coverage and which don't.
I agree. Just spending a tiny bit more, doing some more research and evaluation, or putting in a small filler tx (though I have a feeling that might be quite a logistical headache) could solve the problems. Bedford near me is terrific on its one tx, as is Colchester. I've found others though, High Peak and Salisbury being prime examples, to have patchy signal in urban areas and many drop outs. Salisbury could be solved with a small filler in the city centre, 10w I would say.
Also if South Herts are reading, Hemel needs a transmitter! 😅
Colchester has a 500w up apparently, but then I don’t know what site they are using.
As for South Herts, Hemel should be covered?
The three ELED transmitter sites are tricky - difficult access to equipment rooms or roofs. Also, two of the sites are difficult to get keys for too as they are owned by local councils, who have very strict procedures about what keys you can get and when. (You'd like to think you can just book meetings/pickups but ...!) So installation has taken much longer than originally expected, but all equipment has been installed except the antenna at Brentwood - so hopefully we will see ELED on air very soon.
The three ELED transmitter sites are tricky - difficult access to equipment rooms or roofs. Also, two of the sites are difficult to get keys for too as they are owned by local councils, who have very strict procedures about what keys you can get and when. (You'd like to think you can just book meetings/pickups but ...!) So installation has taken much longer than originally expected, but all equipment has been installed except the antenna at Brentwood - so hopefully we will see ELED on air very soon.
If its so difficult and takes all this time what happens if you're running a service on it and there is a fault? Will you be running on partial coverage for 6 months waiting for a key?
A lot of these coverage problems are because people use "free" sites instead of paying a bit for the good ones. When multiplexes take the time to carefully use coverage tools to protect other multiplexes, pick the right antennas, and use the right site, the coverage is often great.
they have to use 'free' less ideal sites to fit into the commercial model. There simply isn't enough money around from small scale radio to pay ssdab mux operators the money needed for them to then pay Arqiva, or WIG, or $cell site tower co. as demonstrated by UKDABnetworks with Winchester (Arqiva site).
Comments
Trial London; 56\100
London North last weekend; 43/100 with occasional breakup
London North tonight; 80/100 with ‘full bars’
Clear evidence of a new transmitter switch on (expected to be Holden Point).
A well constructed post.
Building a new network can involve some relatively complex project management.
Some tasks take longer or cost more than could reasonably be assumed at the planning stage.
Some things that seemed perfectly reasonable on paper can be almost impossible in practice - and it could be a multitude of reasons.
Small operators on tight budgets can’t always throw money at problems to make them go away.
The only way these multiplexes generally can launch in weeks is where the operator has a substantial operation with transmitters sitting around and sites they already have in use for something else with all the connectivity.
This is how we have seen 2 of the Round 7 licenses on air before many of the Round 5, and we saw some Round 3 licenses on air before the Round 1s.
The key is you need to have someone who is ready to go and has a particular desire to get the mux on air quickly, either they know they have a lot of services lined up or they need it for themselves or both.
It could be argued ofcom may have not given these Round 5 licences to the right people. But it's not a race and there's lots of other factors to consider. As long as they can get them on within the 18 months, that is all ofcom care about, not "operator A can do it in 6 weeks and operator B will take 18 months".
Ah that's great news, thanks for link
I wouldn’t assume anything until the 18 months are up.
I wouldn't necessarily assume that. I listen to my neighbouring SSDAB Mux often in the car and sometimes at home. If I'm doing it, then I'm fairly sure other people are.
Indeed. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see at least one actually make it on air by the very last day.
Given the time frames left here I feel some people will be cutting short their Christmas breaks!
I certainly listen to stations on a nearby SS mux too. I think ones like King's Lynn, Salisbury, and Ludlow will get the most listeners though as they are the only local option in those areas
The announcements have been changed to mid January now. Elsewhere in their output, they say about launching in the first few days into next month but formally on DAB in the middle of Jan.
I don't know whether to assume that the mux will be fired up for testing before they can be available there, hence the delay between launching at all and appearing on the radio.
Now that I've moved into an area that has access to one (Bradford SSDAB), I listen sometimes to one or two of the services on it in the kitchen where I just have a radio and not an internet device. I wish the local FM community station, BCB, was on there as the DAB reception is much better than the FM reception on that station. I've no idea why they wouldn't go on it unless it's the usual community radio politics.
Oh I no longer live in Chelmsford so can't say, however I am visiting tomorrow so will give the band a scan
yes this is a good question, and something the stations paying to be on SSDAB will be wondering. As I have commented before 95% of my radio listening is in the car, and most SSDAB coverage are too small or low powered meaning drop outs in the coverage area. Poole does it, Southampton does it Winchester and Portsmouth (trial not been there since it went fully licensed) too. As a part time radio anorak I might put up with it, but real listeners won't.
This situation reminds me of when community radio first launched and there were power levels around 25w, at least with analogue it would get hissy and switch to mono, not ideal but you could still listen, the DAB breaking up - on/off is very intrusive if actually trying to listen to the content!
I think we need more power (ERP) on SSDAB ultimately.
My comments on coverage are purely based on the areas I visit and have experiences of, hopefully there are some areas where SSDAB coverage is actually useable, London perhaps?
I am actually waiting for ELED to see how robust that signal will be. Most of my driving is short, to Romford, Upminster, Brentwood, Ockendon etc....
I visit and stay in Southend and the City Dab is consistent and strong in the car when I travel from Thorpe Bay to Leigh On Sea. So short journeys which the majority of car journeys are, will get listeners. However when doing long distant I'll choose to stream the phone, used to be I'd use AM but now there's only Five Live, Talksport and Caroline and reception of those are prone to electrical interference which as an anorak I will put up with, but Joe Public won't
A lot of these coverage problems are because people use "free" sites instead of paying a bit for the good ones. When multiplexes take the time to carefully use coverage tools to protect other multiplexes, pick the right antennas, and use the right site, the coverage is often great.
But many of them use the wrong site, wrong antennas, or similar, and then they end up with very little power and blame Ofcom and everyone else.
Some of these have really good coverage; I can get 50 miles of almost full motorway coverage out of Loughborough and Rugby, as was mentioned this week.
Others, we know, have problems. I can drive from the outskirts of Leicester, through it, and out the other side in about 5 minutes at night because the 40% rule makes the coverage really small.
Other multiplexes, like Northampton, don't cover the town center (and presumably that's why they have no services on them and Nlive went on Rugby, not Northampton) because they picked the wrong site way outside the town center.
There are reasons for everything, and maybe someone should create a scoring system to rate which multiplexes have good coverage and which don't.
I agree. Just spending a tiny bit more, doing some more research and evaluation, or putting in a small filler tx (though I have a feeling that might be quite a logistical headache) could solve the problems. Bedford near me is terrific on its one tx, as is Colchester. I've found others though, High Peak and Salisbury being prime examples, to have patchy signal in urban areas and many drop outs. Salisbury could be solved with a small filler in the city centre, 10w I would say.
Also if South Herts are reading, Hemel needs a transmitter! 😅
Yep! Not sure what is going on there 😞
Colchester has a 500w up apparently, but then I don’t know what site they are using.
As for South Herts, Hemel should be covered?
The three ELED transmitter sites are tricky - difficult access to equipment rooms or roofs. Also, two of the sites are difficult to get keys for too as they are owned by local councils, who have very strict procedures about what keys you can get and when. (You'd like to think you can just book meetings/pickups but ...!) So installation has taken much longer than originally expected, but all equipment has been installed except the antenna at Brentwood - so hopefully we will see ELED on air very soon.
If its so difficult and takes all this time what happens if you're running a service on it and there is a fault? Will you be running on partial coverage for 6 months waiting for a key?