RDBS IN YOUR
FUTURE?
RDS, or as we say in
Canada, RDBS ("Radio Data Broadcast System") is a low-cost technique
to provide many of the value-added services associated with Digital Radio to
existing FM stations. Like Eureka DAB,
it's been around for a while, and has proven to work as advertised. Unlike DAB, there are lots of RDS-equipped
radios already available to the public, which makes some of us wonder why it
hasn't caught on like sliced bread, at least so far.
RDS is a narrow-band
data subcarrier that operates at 57 kHz, which is exactly the third harmonic of
the 19 kHz stereo pilot. The 57 kHz
carrier is suppressed, leaving only the data sidebands, which are typically
injected at 4% or so of total modulation.
The data provided can
be a little or a lot. At the low end,
most stations would implement scrolling call letters and a station slogan. RDS can also tell the receiver what format
the station thinks it is, and can provide accurate time, so receivers can be
programmed to seek, say, country music radio stations, and always have accurate
time displayed. Many stations like to
add scrolling song title and artist information, both for what's playing right
now and what's coming up after the next stop set ends. Some stations in
A unique feature of
RDS-equipped car radio/CD players is the ability to set a data flag when local
traffic information is being discussed on the main channel. This flag can tell the radio to interrupt a
CD that it's playing (or another radio station), switch to the traffic info, then switch back after the report is finished.
Another DAB-like
feature of RDS is the ability to provide lists of alternate frequencies where
the station may be found in areas where the primary frequency is weak or
unavailable. The receiver can be set up
to switch automatically to the alternate frequency when this happens. This would seem to be a natural feature for
CBC/Radio Canada, yet they, too, have been slow to adopt the technology.
Like Eureka DAB, RDS
comes to us from
One of the few
controversial aspects of the system is whether or not song information should
be scrolling across the faceplates of car radios. Expressly forbidden in
So why don't we hear
more about RDS, and why haven't more radio stations jumped on the
bandwagon? It's available to any FM
radio station out there, and the entry-level encoders, that
provide the scrolling "static" information can be purchased for less
than $1,000. Even the more sophisticated
"dynamic RDS encoders" cost only a few thousand dollars to
install. (But it may be quite a bit more
involved to provide automatic song titling information, for instance, depending
upon your existing automation system.) Perhaps the problem is a lack of awareness of
the number of RDS-equipped receivers already in the market. Although we've heard some estimates of as
high as 1/3 of aftermarket car radios being RDS-equipped, very few choose to
brag about it. You'll see radios
advertising features such as MP3 capability or detachable face plates, but it
can be very hard to find out if a radio is RDS-equipped without actually trying
it out yourself. This is also true of
factory-equipped radios in new vehicles.
It's possible that
RDBS, rather than making a big splash, is going to silently sneak up on us all,
gradually gaining market share until we're wondering how we got along without
it.