Choose Option B to select from a long list of models you may already own and see if a) It's already enabled, b) If not, proceed to follow the instructions to upgrade your existing Pure radio.
From my past experience, installing the upgrade requires a computer to download the update and a USB stick and maybe a cable to install into the radio.
Top comments
Python
29 Jun 169#9
They haven't got the dab signal sorted properly in most places, maybe they should concentrate on that before thinking about dab+
gslgregory
1 Jul 163#28
Was that in your anagram exam?
Latest comments (42)
quixers
3 Jul 16#42
upgraded my one elite cheers OP
Reception improved which is cool, but not sure if i'm listening to dab or dab+, any way to tell?
MaximusRo
3 Jul 16#41
I see what you did there
vfxuk
3 Jul 16#40
Can't say I've ever had any signal problems and I've been using DAB since 2007 in multiple homes and in different counties.
Who are these "most" you speak of?
Newbold
2 Jul 161#39
Well said. Likewise BBC2 and BBC4. :smiley:
janaltus
2 Jul 161#38
Both BBC Radio Three and BBC Radio Four are broadcasted on FM and the quality is excellent. Are there any other radio stations? ;-)
flimbo73
2 Jul 16#37
Exactly! Radio 2 is about the only one I can bear in small doses.
andiejn
2 Jul 16#36
In the car, for those without decent data allowances or can't be bothered blue toothing tune in radio everytime they get in the car. What I don't see the point in is FM, as there's **** all worthwhile stations on it.
andiejn
2 Jul 16#35
Why not just get a tinted stick on sheet to put over it & dull it?
buglawton
2 Jul 16#34
At home, Internet radio is the only sensible way to receive all channels in decent quality stereo.
simit6
2 Jul 16#33
Am I the only one who really doesn't see the point of DAB, especially with intranet radio being so easy to use. ( Chromecast and sonos etc )
speculatrix
1 Jul 16#32
Thanks for this, I just upgraded our Elan II.
I needed a mini USB cable, fortunately had some charging cables for PS3 controllers. Simple downloaded the .exe and ran it,
It told me what to do: connect radio to laptop, pressed/held menu until it showed upgrade and pressed Tune, no problems at all.
I had to do a full re-tune.
I tried a variety of stations and didn't see DAB+ on the screen, not sure whether it will tell me much.
hotfinder
1 Jul 161#31
No Bug love? Well, that was a waste of money then when I bought it 11 years ago! :smile:
Bazza360
1 Jul 16#30
Thanks OP, Updated my Pure Highway (1st gen), when i looked about a year ago i think they wanted about £40-50 to do that!!!
matth9999
1 Jul 16#29
Yes, from the abysmal MP2 (they should have ditched that before launch) to AACplus, as I understand it, a limited number of extra services are available in that format... DAB+ is also backward compatible with DAB, so it is safe to upgrade, it's an extra, rather than a replacement.
Due to the installed base of non-upgradable DAB, despite some time ago the advice being "buy DAB+ capable", it is unlikely that DAB+ will gain much traction, though maybe when FM switchover eventually arrives, the bulk of the equipment sold then will be DAB+ and it will be more acceptable for some things to be "only on DAB+"
gslgregory
1 Jul 163#28
Was that in your anagram exam?
buglawton
1 Jul 16#27
DAB+ has much more robust error correction so is reputedly more immune to dropouts. It also offers higher sound quality for the same bandwidth. For the foreseeable future in the UK regrettably only specialist broadcasters will be using DAB+. But it's a start.
s3mon78
30 Jun 161#26
I found dab was bad
countryboy
30 Jun 16#25
Thanks for posting this, buglawton.
Pure were charging £10 for the DAB+ upgrade a few months ago.
colindglen
30 Jun 16#24
thanx
Newbold
30 Jun 16#23
They're keen to switch to cut transmission costs - the assumption is that by the time the switch takes place most of their listeners will already have DAB, and presumably the ones that haven't will just buy one. Prices by that point will be a lot lower than they are now. Anyone who doesn't buy one will be of little interest to the advertisers!
0dd8a11
30 Jun 16#22
Surely the majority of broadcasters are commercial, (advertiser based). Killing off the FM signal would result in a huge loss in revenue.
flimbo73
30 Jun 161#21
FM also sounds a lot better! My car radio has both DAB and FM, and the difference in sound quality between the two is quite astonishing.
P666DOM
30 Jun 16#20
The only time I have used DAB is with hire cars which came with it. The experience was terrible and it seemed to cut out even more than FM did 20 years ago. I don't see anything regarding signal so is DAB+ purely a codec change?
skywatcher77
30 Jun 161#19
I have 7 radios in total in the house, 2 of which are DAB. Although DAB gives me an extra half dozen channels or so I still prefer to listen to FM as the signal is not always great on DAB. I have also just purchased an amp from the 90's on eBay with built in FM tuner. Long live FM i say, digital has its setbacks.
Bigfootpete
30 Jun 16#18
Ahh my larger old model is not compatible :disappointed:
jont999
30 Jun 16#17
My trusty Pure Siesta is eligible, thanks!
flimbo73
29 Jun 162#3
The UK has no plans to move from DAB to DAB+
While DAB+ services are now appearing in the UK, there are no plans to switch the majority of radio broadcasting over to DAB+: not yet, anyway. There have been a lot of DAB sets sold in the UK. DAB sets are in over half of all households here, and generally we don’t replace radios as fast as any other entertainment equipment (like a TV, a set-top box, or a mobile phone). Given this, it’s unlikely that the UK will be switching to DAB+ any time soon, and there are no plans to make that change.
buglawton to flimbo73
30 Jun 16#16
There seems to be one national DAB+ multiplex already, as well as the local ones in a handful of UK cities.
Newbold
30 Jun 16#15
I think you're considerably more optimistic about this than you should be. There's a lot of pressure by broadcasters to make the switch to reduce costs, and I'm gussing this will happen in the next 5 years or so. Here's a recent comment by Which?
When will the digital radio switchover happen?
The government has said that once a switchover is announced a further two years at least will pass before the actual switchover takes place.
FM will be around for a while yet – there is currently no fixed date to announce a switchover to digital radio. The government has set certain criteria before the switchover can even be scheduled.
These criteria are:
Digital listening must reach 50% of all radio listening – this includes listening through TV and the internet as well as DAB.
National DAB coverage is comparable to FM.
With figures for digital listening sitting at just over 40% at the moment. This figure has languished around this point for some time, partly due to the fact that DAB coverage has remained patchy. The current trajectory would see it pass the 50% mark in early 2018 and hence, it’s highly unlikely the switchover will happen before 2020.
Newbold
29 Jun 161#10
Imagine how many hundreds of thousands of useless FM radios there are going to be when they switch off the FM signals in due course. :confused:
bazclack to Newbold
30 Jun 161#14
FM will not be turned off for another 30 years at least. It was originally going to be last year!
flimbo73
29 Jun 16#13
After being forced to retune Absolute Radio 80's the reception is now worse than it was before. Keeps cutting out in town.
Python
29 Jun 169#9
They haven't got the dab signal sorted properly in most places, maybe they should concentrate on that before thinking about dab+
fairyfae to Python
29 Jun 16#12
Same here - keeping losing reception especially with Talksport - won't be buying another as not impressed!
buglawton
29 Jun 16#11
I think that DAB+ is being used in a number of cities on a new multiplex for local and specialist stations that operate on a low budget. But upgrading your radio means you could take it to Europe too.
rover176
29 Jun 16#8
Thanks. .As well as the DAB+, the FM scan has also been improved.
HarryFenner
29 Jun 16#7
Pure have got 97 models! They're barmy! (But very successful). I'm happy with my Bug Too, which I got for £20 from Toys-R-Us.
BigAde
29 Jun 16#6
Yes, a Tempus-1, also on low, but still find it too bright particularly during the dark winter nights.
Think they fixed it on the later models.
greencode
29 Jun 16#5
Really? I've got a Tempus-1 and with the brightness on the Low setting it's really dim and perfect for the bedroom.
BigAde
29 Jun 16#4
Nothing for my Tempus :disappointed:
Looking to replace it anyway as the display is too bright at night.
The weekday/weekend alarm function is rather nice though and difficult to find on other radios.
Opening post
From my past experience, installing the upgrade requires a computer to download the update and a USB stick and maybe a cable to install into the radio.
Top comments
Latest comments (42)
Reception improved which is cool, but not sure if i'm listening to dab or dab+, any way to tell?
Who are these "most" you speak of?
I needed a mini USB cable, fortunately had some charging cables for PS3 controllers. Simple downloaded the .exe and ran it,
It told me what to do: connect radio to laptop, pressed/held menu until it showed upgrade and pressed Tune, no problems at all.
I had to do a full re-tune.
I tried a variety of stations and didn't see DAB+ on the screen, not sure whether it will tell me much.
Due to the installed base of non-upgradable DAB, despite some time ago the advice being "buy DAB+ capable", it is unlikely that DAB+ will gain much traction, though maybe when FM switchover eventually arrives, the bulk of the equipment sold then will be DAB+ and it will be more acceptable for some things to be "only on DAB+"
Pure were charging £10 for the DAB+ upgrade a few months ago.
While DAB+ services are now appearing in the UK, there are no plans to switch the majority of radio broadcasting over to DAB+: not yet, anyway. There have been a lot of DAB sets sold in the UK. DAB sets are in over half of all households here, and generally we don’t replace radios as fast as any other entertainment equipment (like a TV, a set-top box, or a mobile phone). Given this, it’s unlikely that the UK will be switching to DAB+ any time soon, and there are no plans to make that change.
When will the digital radio switchover happen?
The government has said that once a switchover is announced a further two years at least will pass before the actual switchover takes place.
FM will be around for a while yet – there is currently no fixed date to announce a switchover to digital radio. The government has set certain criteria before the switchover can even be scheduled.
These criteria are:
Digital listening must reach 50% of all radio listening – this includes listening through TV and the internet as well as DAB.
National DAB coverage is comparable to FM.
With figures for digital listening sitting at just over 40% at the moment. This figure has languished around this point for some time, partly due to the fact that DAB coverage has remained patchy. The current trajectory would see it pass the 50% mark in early 2018 and hence, it’s highly unlikely the switchover will happen before 2020.
Think they fixed it on the later models.
Looking to replace it anyway as the display is too bright at night.
The weekday/weekend alarm function is rather nice though and difficult to find on other radios.