Norway: First country to end national broadcasts on FM
When listening to marginal FM signals, the AR1780 can be set to mono mode instead of default stereo mode.
(Source: The Guardian)
Digital switchover means that only the country's local radio stations continue to use FM frequencies
Norway has completed its transition to digital radio, becoming the first country in the world to shut down national broadcasts of its FM network.
The country's most northern regions and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic switched to digital audio broadcasting (DAB) as scheduled on Wednesday, said Digitalradio Norge (DRN), an umbrella group for Norway's public and commercial radio.
The transition, which began on 11 January, allows for better sound quality and more channels and functions at an eighth of the cost of FM radio, according to authorities.
The move has, however, been met with some criticism linked to technical incidents and claims that there is not enough DAB coverage across the country.
Radio users have also complained about the cost of having to buy new receivers or adapters, usually priced at between a100 and a200 (88 and 176).
Only 49% of motorists are able to listen to DAB in their cars, according to DRN figures.["]