I have a genuine question, what's to gain from this? I could half-understand it if they were going to re-allocate the 88-108 MHz block, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
I could also understand why such an action would be taken if that meant that they could pack more stations in the same spectrum, but considering that Switzerland is a relatively small country, so is there really a market? Even if considering multiple languages per niche.
I guess a case could be made for power savings by virtue of (assuming local topography allows) lower power transmitters or by multiplexing various stations on the same transmitter.
On a personal level, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about all forms of analog broadcasting being slowly phased out. The tinkerer in me likes the idea of being capable of constructing an information receiving device in an almost "survivalist" manner, but if this trend continues and analog FM really goes the way of the dodo, then I surmise that DAB (or whichever local flavor is chosen) will become easily and cheaply available, which makes my gut feeling a moot point anyway.
I don't know, I just don't like the idea of needing a processor to receive broadcast audio, and I can't quite put my finger on why.
It probably lets them scrap large amounts of FM transmitters, relays, broadcasting hardware and maintenance. I assume in a mountainous country such as Switzerland this adds up to quite a lot
But DAB is already deployed, removing the FM part will probably allow them to spare money. I think the transmitters are managed by someone else than SRF (maybe Swisscom broadcast), as any service it can be pretty expensive. This said, I'm not happy about the removal of FM. Now I want to find out what's the cheapest way to broadcast the whole FM band at once using an SDR (inside my house).
"The tinkerer in me likes the idea of being capable of constructing an information receiving device in an almost "survivalist" manner..."
I agree. I'm concerned the more advanced broadcast technology is the easier it is to control and or shut down.
A broadcast service can be shut down for various reasons, political, economic,etc. or because of some unforeseen disaster, natural or human-made. Whatever the reason the population is then cut off from news and information. The simpler the technology the easier it is to restart or resurrect.
Whilst Europe has largely dispensed with AM radio, we're seeing this debate playing out in the US over AM radio in cars. And now we're seeing this with FM, and Switzerland isn't the first.
Let's look at this holistically for a moment. AM radio is easy to establish and it works well—witness both local and shortwave services in the 20th Century. An AM receiver can be as simple as a tuned circuit and diode (a crystal set). FM is a little more complex but mono FM is nevertheless very easy to get going. Similarly, an FM receiver can be as simple as a single valve or transistor circuit configured as a superregenerative† detector (I've used one to listen to FM over a 100 miles from the transmitter, they can be extraordinarily sensitive given their simplicity).
This simplicity and ease of establishment just isn't possible with DAB. DAB requires advanced electronics, ICs etc. that cannot be improvised without high tech production.
It seems to me these debates over the closure of AM and FM services are being conducted without the public's interest and national security in mind.
I could also understand why such an action would be taken if that meant that they could pack more stations in the same spectrum, but considering that Switzerland is a relatively small country, so is there really a market? Even if considering multiple languages per niche.
I guess a case could be made for power savings by virtue of (assuming local topography allows) lower power transmitters or by multiplexing various stations on the same transmitter.
On a personal level, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about all forms of analog broadcasting being slowly phased out. The tinkerer in me likes the idea of being capable of constructing an information receiving device in an almost "survivalist" manner, but if this trend continues and analog FM really goes the way of the dodo, then I surmise that DAB (or whichever local flavor is chosen) will become easily and cheaply available, which makes my gut feeling a moot point anyway.
I don't know, I just don't like the idea of needing a processor to receive broadcast audio, and I can't quite put my finger on why.