Transistor radio in London/Paris

Hi,

Like you I carry an AM/FM transistor radio that operates on 2 AA batteries when traveling in Europe, good for listening to German news broadcasts esp at night. Yes, it picks up the BBC when you're in northern France. When I was in Arras (towards Belgium), the radio picked up the night and day broadcasts of the BBC.

I am glad to see that I am not the only one left who uses the term "transistor radio".

If your radio uses the old-fashioned dial tuning it will work fine. But if it uses digital tuning it might not work as the spacing of the stations is different in Europe.

If you are bringing along a smartphone or tablet there are awesome apps you can use that generate white noise. You can also of course access radio stations via Wifi at your hotel.
One less thing to lug around.

BBC radio is available over the air in northern France but the FM service doesn't reach to Paris. You are just too far.

If you are listening on an app instead of the transistor you can get BBC1,2,3,4 and 5 (Live) anywhere in the world. But FM is only line of sight.

BBC4 Long Wave is continuing for a while longer. That is an AM type transmission but way off the dial for North American transistors. You would need a radio capable of long wave reception.

As mentioned above, the tuning intervals in Europe and the UK are different than those in North America. If it is analogue tuning - you turn a dial or a wheel and listen until it tunes in - you should be successful if you are close enough to the transmitter. If it is digital tuning unless you can change the intervals (sometimes a switch on the back) you may well be out of luck even if you are on top of the transmitter.

Clear as mud?

In the 70's, I used to listen to Armed Forces Radio Network. It was great because I was able to get the weather and news in Europe. I wonder if they still broadcast over the radio to the service men station in Europe? I also listened to Radio Free Europe and Voice of America. I know the are no longer broadcasting.

Good to know about the differences in tuning. My transistor radio has the old fashion dial tuning, the same type since the early 1960s, not the digital type. It's the AM/FM pocket size sold by Radio Shack (they're no more) as its $10.99 special, has strong and clear reception.

The only BBC national radio station on medium wave (AM) is Five Live on 909 and 693 kHz. Transmissions may stretch down to Paris at night but could just be a 'mush' from several transmitters.

In London you would be able to get Five Live on one or both of these frequencies plus Radio 4 on 720 kHz. On FM you will find BBC Radio 2, 3, 4, London, and 1 - in that order tuning upwards from 87.9 MHz. Plus a whole host of community,commercial and pirate stations.

I appreciate all the good info regarding my radio question, have to laugh at Stan's comment about the word "transistor radio". I know this is "old school" technology, but I love my little radio. What I am hearing is that I may have trouble with digital tuning, which is what I have on my Sangean DT-22VX. While I was in Spain last year, I did use my IPhone, mostly listened to podcasts as I could set the timer for the phone to shut off. I will look for the BBC APP and perhaps that will work. The hotels we are staying at have WIFI, but not sure how good it will be. So I think I am hearing that since I have a digital tuner, my Sangean won't work, is that correct?

bk,

I'd suggest checking the owner's manual for the radio. Some Sangean models appear to have "adjustable tuning steps", so you may be able to set it for the different band spacing in Europe.

I have a Samsung MP3 player (like a Galaxy phone without the phone) and it has a built-in FM radio with an option to switch between US and Euro station spacing. Samsung phones might have similar.

And if you do have a digital radio, chances are very good you can switch between the two spacings. Another option is to get a small transistor-sized shortwave radio (that's what I travel with).

For white noise I have apps on my cellphone and my Kindle, I can't fall asleep without that masking noise. I used to tune to the noise between stations but some stations start to broadcast at sunup so it would startle me awake.

On a May, 2015 trip to England my trusty, very small Sony SRF-M37W Walkman Digital Tuning Weather/FM/AM Stereo Radio worked very well. $30 on Amazon. Purchased in USA.

I especially enjoyed the BBC Five Live program because of the variety of news and interest stories. Don't remember the frequencies for different parts of the country but reception was good in the Cotswolds. Check the BBC website for the regional settings.

I too like to listen to the radio while falling to sleep and early in the morning.

Cheers!