FAQs

Digital radio was launched by all commercial and public service broadcasters in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in August 2009. Low power DAB+ trial signals commenced in Canberra in July 2010 and Darwin in August 2010.

To check coverage in your local area, please visit the Can I Get Digital Radio? page and search your postcode.

Digital radio is free. Listeners simply have to buy a new digital radio to listen. Digital radios are priced from as low as $30. There are no other costs - no subscription fees, no messing about with signing up, just tune in!

Only DAB+ radios will receive digital radio in Australia. When buying a new digital radio, check that the product packaging states that it is a DAB+ digital radio, or look for the following logo:
 

Digital radio provides high quality sound and great digital only exclusive stations including; Koffee, Easy Radio, Buddha, Coles Radio, Oldskool Radio, The ‘80s iHeartRadio, The ‘90s iHeartRadio, Chemist Warehouse Remix, The Edge, Gorilla Radio, OMG!, MY Perth Digital, KIX Perth Digital, Zoo Super Digi, Kinderling Kids, Sky Sports Radio Digital and 4TAB Digital Two, plus an ongoing selection of pop-up stations that are created for an event or a featured artist.

Event or pop-up stations are digital stations that exist for a short period of time or that change into another concept. 'Elf Radio' plays Christmas songs throughout the festive season, while the pop-up station ‘WS4KIDS’ raised funds for children in need. Digital radio allows for flexible niche programming that can highlight an event, festival or artist - the possibilities are endless.

Major retailers throughout Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra* and Darwin* are stocking digital radios including; Harvey Norman, Bing Lee, The Good Guys, Myer, David Jones, Big W, Kmart, JB Hi-Fi, Target, Retravision and specialist audio retailers as well as online retailers.

*Low power test transmission areas

There are a large selection of models including DAB+ clock radios with iPod docks, WiFi and DAB+ combinations, HiFi components, micro and mini systems, portable players, handheld MP3 and MP4 players with DAB+, USB’s, set top boxes and digital radio for your car. Plus, there are digital radios with small screens showcasing radio with images – fully illustrating the DAB+ capabilities with album covers, presenter photos, weather updates and sports results.

Like any product range, digital radio prices vary depending on the features and capabilities. Entry-level models start from around $30. There are more than 280 DAB+ digital radio models available, including vehicle aftermarket and portable devices.

Sony, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Bose, Yamaha, JVC Kenwood, Pure, Teac, Roberts, Sangean, Bush, Revo, Kogan, Blaupunkt, Tivoli and Lenoxx are just some of the many brands that manufacture DAB+ digital radios. A full range of models can be found by visiting the DAB+ Digital Radio Receivers page.

Digital radios come in a range of different models. To ensure your radio receives digital radio services in Australia it must be DAB+ enabled. Most DAB+ radios can also receive analogue FM, and some even AM. However, where coverage is available, you’ll always be able to hear your favourite AM and FM stations simulcast on DAB+ in digital radio quality sound. Just look for the blue digital radio logo on the product in-store or check the details on the packaging before you buy.

There are no plans at this stage to switch off AM and FM radio services. As there are an estimated five radio devices per home, listeners must be given time to change their radios before any discussion of the switch off of analogue services. In addition, planning needs to continue for the switch on of digital services to the rest of Australia, outside of the five metropolitan capital cities.

No, digital radio is broadcast free-to-air over the airwaves via DAB+ technology. Internet-only radio services are streamed over the telecommunications networks and incur a download cost which varies depending on the internet service provider package. Free-to-air broadcast radio stations also stream their current radio stations plus any new digital services on the internet as well as broadcasting, so the content can be accessed on both platforms.

When you first switch on your digital radio simply press the “full scan” or “auto tune” button so that all the stations in your area can be stored in the memory of the radio. For further information, please refer to your radio user guide. If your radio doesn’t automatically update with new stations, keep checking the website for current stations on-air and regularly auto-tune to pick up new content, such as the pop-up stations.

Latency is a part of digital systems generally and applies equally to digital TV. Approximately 3-4 seconds of latency for DAB+ digital radio is unavoidable resulting from system implementation delays. There is a trade-off between reducing these delays and the likelihood of errors being transmitted. CRA has worked closely with broadcasters to minimise the delays as much as possible. Buffering delays may also be experienced in digital receivers; these are not related to the actual DAB+ broadcasts.

Radio is planned by the Government into specific licence areas. Generally digital reception is good, however some postcodes and suburbs covering large regions may contain areas that do not receive optimal reception because of building or terrain shielding. The digital radio team have commenced the installation of equipment to boost coverage in some areas. Commercial Radio Australia requests that listeners advise them of any coverage issues by emailing their street name, suburb, state and postcode to info@digitalradioplus.com.au. This feedback will help to determine areas which require coverage improvements and will be used to improve future coverage.

Commercial Radio Australia has already started planning the digital radio rollout in other areas throughout Australia, low power DAB+ digital radio trials have switched on in Canberra and Darwin. CRA is working with the Federal Government to plan and to allocate VHF Band III spectrum in regional areas for the rollout of digital radio services across Australia.

DAB+ digital radio is available across a large range of vehicles as both standard and an option. Audi and BMW now come with digital radio as standard, while Mercedes offers the technology as standard across their entire range. The Infiniti Q50 along with the Lexus CT, ES, GS, RX and LX models come with digital radio as standard, while the Skoda Yeti, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, Jaguar F-Type and the entirel Mini range offer digital radio as an option. The high end Toyota Aurion and Landcruiser models, Nissan X-Trail, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Kuga, Falcon, Territory and Transit Van all come with digital radio as standard. Luxury vehicles including Aston Martin, Bentley, and McLaren have digital radio as standard in most models, while Lamborghini and Porsche offer it as an option across their range. Truck manufacturers including Hino, Isuzu, Fuso, Cat and UD all offer digital radio as standard across their entire range. The adoption of digital radio by vehicle manufacturers is rapidly increasing, with 22% of new vehicles now manufacturered with factory fitted DAB+ digital radio.

Sydney: KIIS 1065, WSFM 101.7, Nova 96.9, Smooth 95.3, 2UE Talking Lifestyle 954, Sydney’s 2CH 1170, 2GB, hit104.1 2Day FM, Triple M 104.9 FM, 2SM, Sky Sports Radio, Buddha Hits, Chemist Warehouse Remix, Coles Radio, MMM Greatest Hits Digital, The Edge Digital, Easy Hits, Kinderling Kids, Sky Sports Radio 2, The 80s iHeartRadio, The 90s iHeartRadio, Sky Thoroughbred Central, Elf Radio, Fun Super Digi, Oldskool Hits, News Talk Sport, Koffee, Dance Super Digi, Gorilla Radio, Zoo Super Digi, MMM Classic Rock Digital, MMM Modern Digital, SBS, ABC and some community stations
 
Melbourne: Gold 104.3, KIIS 101.1, Nova 100, Smooth 91.5, 3AW 693, Talking Lifestyle 1278AM, RSN Racing & Sport, hit101.9 Fox FM, Triple M 105.1 FM, Classic Rock Radio, SEN 1116, Aussie Digital, Buddha Hits, Chemist Warehouse Remix, MMM Greatest Hits Digital, Coles Radio, Easy Hits, Elf Radio, Kinderling Kids, Koffee, Koool, News Talk Sport, Oldskool Hits, RSN Carnival, Rythmos, The 80s iHeartRadio, The 90s iHeartRadio, MMM Classic Rock Digital, MMM Modern Digital, The Edge Digital, SBS, ABC and some community stations
 
Brisbane: 4KQ 693, 97.3 FM, Nova 106.9, 4BC 1116, Talking Lifestyle 882, RadioTAB 1008 AM, hit105, Triple M 104.5 FM, 4TAB Digital Two, Buddha Hits, Chemist Warehouse Remix, MMM Greatest Hits Digital, Coles Radio, Easy Hits, Elf Radio, Kinderling Kids, Koffee, News Talk Sport, Oldskool Hits, RadioTAB, Smooth, The 80s iHeartRadio, The 90s iHeartRadio, The Edge Digital, Triple M Classic Rock Digital, MMM Modern Digital, SBS, ABC and some community stations
 
Adelaide: Cruise 1323, Mix 102.3, FIVEaa 1395 AM, Nova 91.9, hit107, Triple M 104.7 FM, Buddha Hits, Chemist Warehouse Remix, Coles Radio, Easy Hits, Elf Radio, Kinderling Kids, Oldskool Hits, Smooth, The 80s iHeartRadio, The 90s iHeartRadio, The Edge Digital, MMM Modern Digital, MMM Greatest Hits Digital, SBS, ABC and some community stations
 
Perth: 96FM, 6IX 1080 AM, Nova 93.7, 6PR 882, hit92.9, Mix 94.5 FM, Buddha Hits, MMM Classic Rock Digital, Easy Hits, Kinderling Kids, KIX Perth Digital, My Perth Digital, News Talk Sport, Oldskool Hits, Smooth, X Digital, Elf Radio, Coles Radio, The 80s iHeartRadio, The Edge Digital, SBS, ABC and some community stations
 
Canberra trial: 2CA 1053, 2CC 1206, hit104.7, Mix 106.3 FM, Buddha Hits, Elf Radio, KIX Canberra Digital, My Canberra Digital, The Edge Digital, Coles Radio Canberra, ABC and SBS Radio stations
 
Darwin trial: Classic Rock Digital, Hot 100, Mix 104.9, 92.3 FM Kix Country, ABC and SBS Radio stations