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| DAB
("original flavour") |
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| DAB+ |
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| Radio Numérique Terrestre - DMB-Radio |
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| DMB TV |
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Ensemble Label
| EId | |
3 Stereo |
 3 Stereo | 3 Joint
Stereo | 4 Joint St.
LSF | 3 Mono | 3 Mono
LSF | 3 Dual
Channel | 1 Packet
Data | 3 Stream
Data | 3 DAB+
(Mode?) + | 3 DAB+
Stereo + | 3 DAB+
Mono + | 3 DAB+
5.1 + | | | IV | TII |
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The DAB Chapter in the history of Canadian radio broadcasting came to an end in 2011. At CBC's request, the CRTC revoked the CBC licences in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Windsor. All CBC DAB transmissions have ended. The Windsor transmissions actually ended several years ago. In Montreal, the CBC's licences were revoked in 2010.
Commercial radio transmissions have also ended, as has the CRC's experimental ensemble in Ottawa. The Block L4 ensemble in Toronto broadcast intermittently as late as November 2011 and is believed to have been Canada's last DAB transmission.
This state of affairs is tragic considering that at one time, Eureka 147 DAB, known as DRB in Canada, had been tested and demonstrated more extensively in Canada than anywhere else, even Europe.
That leadership was due in no small part to the expertise at the Communications Research Centre Canada, but also to the active engagement of the public-service broadcaster CBC. Canada was not immune to the same commercial pressures existing in the United States, however. Under the licensing regime existing in both countries, larger radio stations jealously guarded the commercial advantages that their transmission contours gave them and were rigorously opposed to any system which would, in effect, level the playing field. According to a CRC account of the development of DAB in North America, "US broadcasters tried to derail this process at a number of time[s in order] to restrict the process to a IBOC solution".
DAB networks in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver had been operating since early 1999 and in early 2000 a DAB transmitter was set up in Windsor, which provided a signal into Detroit (U.S.A), the home of the North American automobile industry. In all, some 10 million potential listeners were within range of DAB signals, about 35% of the population. In Ottawa, the nation's capital, there was one regular ensemble as well as an experimental ensemble that operated intermittently. An ensemble also operated briefly in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Both the Windsor and Halifax transmissions ceased some time ago, leaving only a rump of services operating in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver. At the end, the transmissions appeared to be half-hearted, suffering frequently from fundamental technical faults. In Vancouver, Wohnort observed transmissions taking place on the wrong frequency, while in Toronto some ensembles would cease operation completely during hot weather.
In contrast to other countries that adopted and implemented DAB, 23 channels are allocated to DRB in the range 1452 - 1492 MHz as follows:-
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DRB
channel | Frequency | DRB
channel | Frequency | DRB
channel | Frequency |
| 1 | 1452.816 | 9 | 1466.768 | 17 | 1480.720 |
| 2 | 1454.560 | 10 | 1468.512 | 18 | 1482.464 |
| 3 | 1456.304 | 11 | 1470.256 | 19 | 1484.208 |
| 4 | 1458.048 | 12 | 1472.000 | 20 | 1485.952 |
| 5 | 1459.792 | 13 | 1473.744 | 21 | 1487.696 |
| 6 | 1461.536 | 14 | 1475.488 | 22 | 1489.440 |
| 7 | 1463.280 | 15 | 1477.232 | 23 | 1491.184 |
| 8 | 1465.024 | 16 | 1478.976 | | |
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Allocation plans are available in a variety of data and document formats at the Spectrum Management and Telecommunications site.
There is a web site devoted to DAB in Canada but this appears not to have been updated recently.
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Sources:
Communications Research Centre
Industry Canada - Spectrum Management and Telecommunications
World DAB Forum
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Block L8: 1465.024 MHz
DRB Plan: NS001
Operator: CBC Radio-Canada
Sites:
The DRB Allotment Plan allocated this channel to CBC Radio Canada. However, CBC shared Block L11 with commercial broadcasters during test transmissions which ran between June 2003 and October 2004.
Sources: Spectrum Management and Telecommunications
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Block L11: 1470.256 MHz
DRB Plan:NS002
Operator: CBC, CHUM, Maritime, NewCap
Sites: Geizer Hill (200w)
On-Air: June 2003 - October 2004
These test transmissions have now ceased.
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DAB Halifax
| B001 | | 3 RC
Premiere | 3 FM96.5 | 3 CHFX Radio FM | 3 C100 Radio FM | 3 Q104 Radio FM | 3 CBC Radio 2 | 3 CBC
Radio 1 | | | II | TII |
12.11.2003
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Source: Observations, 12.11.2003
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Block L1: 1452.816 MHz
DRB Plan: QU109
Operator: Montreal Private Stations
Sites: Mont-Royal (Montreal, QC)
On-Air:
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Stations Privees
| 0010 | | 3 TEAM 990 | 2 RADIO ENERGIE | 3 ROCKDETENTE | 3 MTL BEST MUSIC | 3 RADIOMEDIA | | | II | TII |
16.10.2004 |
Stations Privees
| 0010 | | 3 TEAM 990 | 2 RADIO ENERGIE | 3 ROCKDETENTE | 3 MTL BEST MUSIC | 3 RADIOMEDIA | | | II | TII |
22.08.2006
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Source: Observations, 16.10.2004
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Block L2: 1458.048 MHz
DRB Plan: QU110
Operator: Standard Radio Inc.
Sites: Montréal (Place Ville-Marie) and at Laval
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The Commission originally approved this ensemble in August 2001, but it never made it onto the air.
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| CJAD | | kbit/s | | |
| CJFM-FM | | kbit/s | | |
Source: CRTC |
Block L4: 1458.048 MHz
DRB Plan: QU111
Operator: CBC Radio-Canada
Sites: Mont-Royal (Montreal, QC)
On-Air: September 1998 (pilot); October 1999 - June 2010
The CBC conducted its first Montreal DAB test transmissions in 1993. At CBC's request, the CRTC revoked its Montreal licence in 2010.
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CBC Radio-Canada
| 13FD | | 3 CBC Radio One | 3 CBC Radio Two | 3 R-C Premiere | 3 R-C Culturelle | | | II | TII |
15.11.2002 |
CBC Radio-Canada
| 13FD | | 2 CBC Radio One | 3 CBC Radio Two | 2 R-C Premiere | 3 R-C Culturelle | 3 Pr..
No.. | | 3 SRN IP | 3 SRC IP | | II | TII |
15.11.2003 |
CBC Radio-Canada
| 13FD | | 3 CBC
R.. One | | 3 CBC Radio Two | 3 Premiere chaine | 3 Espace Musique | 3 Nou..
Gui.. | | 3 SRN IP | 3 SRC IP | | II | TII |
16.10.2004 |
CBC Radio-Canada
| 13FD | | 3 CBC
R.. One | 3 CBC Radio Two | 3 Premiere chaine | 3 Espace Musique | 4 Pre..
Nou.. | | 3 SRC IP | | II | TII |
22.08.2006
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Source: Observations, 22.08.2006
CRTC, June 2010
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Block L7: 1463.280 MHz
DRB Plan: ON074
Operator:
Sites: CBC Building, Lanark Av.; Camp Fortune, Québec; Time MCI Las Brisas Building, Ottawa;
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Source: CRTC
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Block L9: 1466.768 MHz
DRB Plan: ON075
Operator: Communications Research Centre
Sites:
On-Air: February 2005
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CRC-Ensemble
23.08.2006
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Note that at the time this Snapshot was taken, the ensemble was being operated for test purposes in Transmission Mode I, optimised for Band III, rather than either the usual L-band Modes II or IV.
This ensemble has now ceased. No further transmissions are understood to be planned.
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Source: Observations, 23.08.2006
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Block L18: 1482.464 MHz
DRB Plan: ON070
Operator: CBC
Sites: CBC Building, Lanark Av.; Camp Fortune, Québec; Time MCI Las Brisas Building, Ottawa
On-Air: February 2003 - January 2011
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CBC Radio-Canada
| 17DF | | 2 CBC Radio One | 2 CBC Radio Two | 2 R-C Premiere | 2 R-C Culturelle | | | II | TII |
14.11.2003 |
CBC Radio-Canada
| 17DF | | 2 CBC Radio One | 3 CBC Radio Two | 2 R-C Premiere | 3 R-C Culturelle | | | II | TII |
14.10.2004
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The CBC's DAB transmissions have now ceased.
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Source: Observations, 14.10.2004
CW, 02.10.2010
CRTC, 21.01.2011
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Block L19: 1484.208 MHz
DRB Plan: ON071
Operator:
Sites: CBC Building, Lanark Av.; Time MCI Las Brisas Building, Ottawa; Camp Fortune, Québec
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Source: CRTC
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Block L21: 1487.696 MHz
DRB Plan: ON072
Operator:
Sites: CBC Building, Lanark Av.; Time MCI Las Brisas Building, Ottawa; Camp Fortune, Québec
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Source: CRTC
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Block L1: 1452.816 MHz
DRB Plan:
Operator:
Sites:
A feasability study in 2001 identified Block L1 as a potential additional channel for digital radio in the Greater Toronto Area. The plan involved the reallocation of the frequency assignment in St. Catharines, which in turn was dependent upon the reallocation of the frequency assignment in Peterborough. However, an area subject to incoming interference from Mount Forest would still exist in the GTA, particularly in the southern portion of Scarborough.
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Source: Spectrum Management and Telecommunications
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Block L2: 1454.56 MHz
DRB Plan: ON112
Operator:
Sites: Cn Tower (5kW)
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Source: CRTC
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Block L3: 1456.304 MHz
DRB Plan: ON113
Operator: Master FM
Sites: CN Tower (8kW) plus 1 relay
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CHANNEL3
| C100 | | 3 1050CHUM | 3 104.5 CHUM-FM | 3 EDGE 102 | 3 680 NEWS | 3 CHFI | | | II | TII |
18.02.2003 |
CHANNEL3
| C100 | | 3 1050CHUM | 3 104.5 CHUM-FM | 3 EDGE 102 | | 3 680NEWS | 3 CHFI | | | II | TII |
17.11.2003 |
CHANNEL3
| C100 | | 3 1050CHUM | 3 104.5 CHUM-FM | 3 EDGE 102 | | 3 680NEWS | 3 CHFI | | | II | TII |
19.10.2004 |
CHANNEL3
| C100 | | 3 1050CHUM | 3 104.5 CHUM-FM | 3 EDGE 102 | | 3 680 NEWS | 3 CHFI | | | II | TII |
27.08.2006
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This ensemble has now ceased.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission authorised Corus Radio to transfer the Service EDGE 102 (CFNY) from the Block L3 ensemble CHANNEL3 to the Block L8 ensemble CH___8 and Rogers Broadcasting to transfer the Service 92.5JACK (CJAQ) from the Block L8 ensemble CH___8 to the Block L3 ensemble CHANNEL3. The move would have resulted in each broadcaster having all its services on one multiplex. That transfer of services never took place.
Source: Observations, 27.08.2006
CH, 06.07.2010
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