dab radios and portsmouth

[bednobs]

does anyone here live in portsmouth and have dab radio. If so , what channels can you get? The reason i ask is that i would like to buy my parents a dab radio as a christmas present. They listen to radio 2 and radio 4 most (smetimes radio 5) on the bbc website about whats available it says they "may"be available, but id like to kno if they are before i buy!

[Buenchico]

The easiest way to check accurately for DAB reception at your parents' address is to use the postcode checker, here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/digitalradio/

I've just entered the postcode for central Portsmouth, PO1 1AA. All of the BBC national stations, including those which are 'digital only', are shown as available, together with a good variety of commercial stations.

Chris

[bednobs]

thankyou for that chris, but as you can see by my question, as i said, i have already done that on the bbc site, and the pertinent channels say they "may" be available. i was hoping to speak to someone who actually lives there to find out
But thanks for taking the time to answer anyway!

[Buenchico]

The problem is that DAB reception can vary significantly over fairly short distances. (Reception can be very different at two locations which are less than half a mile apart). Putting 'PO1 1AA' into the postcode finder shows all the stations, which I referred to, as being 'very likely' to be received. Even if someone living in Portsmouth answers this question, their experiences might not give an accurate indication of the reception conditions where your parents live.

If you take a look at the DAB coverage map, you'll see that the area around Portsmouth is made up of a mixture of 'yellow' and 'blue' areas. It seems that PO1 1AA must be in a yellow area, while your parents postcode must fall into a blue one. Even so, blue shading still means that at least 90% of addresses should be able to receive BBC digital stations, so the chances are quite high that your parents would be able to do so:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/digitalradio/listen/cover age.shtml

Chris

[bednobs]

chris, when you answer my questions my heart lifts! i have to say you aree my favourite answerer!