Using the Radio Data System

This factsheet explains the different facilities of the Radio Data System (RDS) to enable you to make the
best use of your RDS equipped radio. RDS allows radio stations to transmit data to a suitably equipped
radio that will make it easier to use. It can also provide additional information about the programmes being
transmitted. RDS information is transmitted with all BBC radio stations that broadcast on the FM band,
and with most commercial FM radio stations, although the facilities provided can vary. Several European
countries also use RDS, and radios purchased in the United Kingdom will work in those countries.

These are the most common facilities available on RDS radios.

1) Station Name (PS-Programme Service)
All RDS radios, whether they are car radios, hi-fi
tuners or portable sets, are supplied with an eight
character display that will show the name of the
selected radio station. For example, when tuned to
BBC Radio 1, the display will show 'BBC 1 FM', and
when tuned to say, BBC Radio Shropshire, will show
'BBC SHRP'. When you program your favourite
stations into the push buttons on the radio, it is not just
the frequency that is stored, but also the station's
identification. If you have set 'BBC 2 FM' to be on
button number two, then pressing this button will
always give you Radio 2 wherever you are in the
country. Automatic Tuning (AF-Alternative
Frequency) An RDS radio receives information about
the frequencies of nearby transmitters. This enables
the radio to choose the strongest FM signal for the
selected station, and the listener should never need to
re-tune the radio. This is particularly useful for car
drivers who no longer have to re-tune when driving
between different transmitter coverage areas.
2) Regional Links (REG On/Off)
Many local radio stations only have a couple of
different frequencies, and their coverage area is
limited. Some local stations are linked together
according to their region, so that if the signal from a
local radio station becomes weak, the RDS radio can
switch to another local station in the same region. If
you wish the radio to stay tuned to the same local
station regardless of the signal strength or quality, then
you should turn the Regional facility on. Not all RDS
radios include this function.
3) Travel Announcements (TA and TP)
When a local radio station broadcasts a traffic report,
the RDS radio is informed. This information can be
used to provide the listener with travel information
without them having to listen to that particular radio
station all of the time. When the travel announcement
is broadcast the radio can either turn up the volume for
you, or interrupt a cassette tape or compact disc that is
currently playing. At the end of the announcement the
radio returns to its former state by switching back to
the cassette or CD, or reducing the volume as required.
For this to work, the travel announcement function
must be switched on. RDS radios may have a button
labelled TP, Travel or Info which does this. The radio
will then only allow you to tune to a station which is
capable of sending the relevant RDS travel
announcement information.
If the signal of the selected radio station becomes
weak, the radio should re-tune itself to another station
that has the RDS travel information. If such a station
cannot be found some radios will make a 'bleep' sound
to inform you of this.
4) Enhanced Other Networks (EON)
The latest RDS sets - those with the Enhanced Other
Network (EON) facility - can switch from a BBC
Network station (eg BBC Radio 2) to a BBC Local
Radio travel bulletin, and then back to the national
station at the end of the announcement.
For example, while driving in the Midlands, an EON
RDS car radio is tuned to BBC Radio 4, and the Travel
function is switched on. The driver may be listening to
Radio 4 or to a cassette, or they could have the volume
turned down. When a nearby local radio station, such
as Radio Leicester, are about to make a travel
announcement, an RDS signal transmitted on Radio 4
tells the radio to tune to Radio Leicester for the
announcement. The radio will already know the
frequency of Radio Leicester in that area. The radio
will first check that it can receive Radio Leicester
satisfactorily and, if so, will switch from Radio 4, turn
up the volume, or interrupt the playback of the cassette
for the duration of the announcement. At the end of the
announcement the radio returns to its previous state
ready for the next announcement.
With EON, an RDS radio is told about the frequencies
of other radio stations in the area, both local and
national. If you change stations, the radio will know
immediately which frequencies to try first. The BBC
recommends the use of RDS radios which have the
EON capability.
5) Programme Type (PTY)
The BBC gives codes to individual programmes
according to their type. Some RDS radios allow you to
select the type of programme required, and will search
for a station broadcasting that type of programme.
Fifteen programme types have been defined: News,
Current Affairs, Information, Sport, Education, Drama,
Science, Culture, Varied Speech (quizzes/comedy),
Pop Music, Rock Music, Easy Listening, Light
Classical, Serious Classics and Other Music types. On
some radios the News Programme Type can be used
in a similar way to the travel announcement functions
to switch between programmes when news is
broadcast, or to interrupt a cassette or CD.
6) Radio Text (RT)
The broadcasters can send short messages to receivers
using RDS. For example, the name of the current
programme, the title of a record or a 'phone-in number.
This feature is available on some home receivers.
7) Time and Date (CT-Clock Time)
Part of the RDS data is used to transmit the current
time and date. A clock on an RDS radio never has to
be adjusted, and will automatically set itself for summer
and winter time changes. It will also take account of
leap years and, if travelling in a foreign country, will
adjust between different time zones. Not all RDS
radios support this function.
Common Questions and Problems
Q: How do I find out the frequency of the station I am
listening to?
A: With an RDS radio you should not need to know the
frequency, but if you are curious, try switching the
RDS functions off. On some radios you can do this by
pushing the RDS button, or if the station has been set
on a push button, press that button again - often the
frequency appears for the first few seconds before the
name is displayed.
Q: Why do I get brief interruptions to the radio
reception?
A: The radio might be examining other frequencies
because the present one is becoming weak. If this
persists, there may not be any others that it can use. If
this becomes annoying the RDS functions can usually
be switched off by the Alternative Frequency (AF)
function, or on some radios by an RDS button. If the
Travel Announcement function is selected on an EON
RDS radio, then the radio is told about all local radio
stations that are within the coverage area of the main
national transmitter. It might not be possible for the
radio to receive that particular local radio station at this
location, and the breaks occur because the radio is
testing the signal from that local radio station's
transmitter and does not switch over because it
discovers the signal is poor. If the breaks become
annoying, turn off the travel announcement function.
Q: During a travel announcement the volume of the
radio is too loud/quiet and I can't adjust it.
A: Many RDS radios take control of the volume during
a travel announcement, in case the listener has chosen
to travel in silence or with the volume reduced. This
pre-set volume can usually be adjusted by a
combination of front panel controls. On some car
radios you need to remove the radio from the car and
use a small screwdriver to adjust a control on top or
underneath. Consult the manual regarding this.
Back to RDS menu
Some Common Abbreviations Found on
RDS Radios
TP, TA, TI Travel Announcement feature
APF, APS Automatic programme find/scan
DX, LO, Local Change radio sensitivity
AF Alternative Frequency selection
FM, U, V Select FM band
MW, AM, M, L Select medium and/or long wave
PTY Select Programme Type
CT Display Clock
More information about radio reception can be obtained from:
BBC Reception Advice
Television Centre
London W12 7RJ
0870 0100 123 (UK only - national rate call)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception
Ceefax page 698