RDS in the UK independent sector: current regulations and future issues

The Radio Authority licenses and regulates commercial radio broadcasting within the UK, and acts on behalf of the Radiocommunications Agency to provide the first line of technical regulation of MF and VHF transmission systems, ranging from a few watts output up to many kilowatts. RDS is widely used at all levels of Independent Radio on the VHF waveband. This paper starts by explaining the spectral standards that RDS and other sub-carriers must achieve, and the way in which those standards are monitored. It goes on to detail the licensing arrangements that apply to RDS in the commercial sector, in terms of facilities related to the main programme, spare capacity that can be used for other purposes, and also sub-carriers on the same baseband signal at frequencies other than 57 kHz. It then outlines the Radio Authority´s responsibilities for regulating the RDS data itself, and the degree to which radio stations have taken advantage of the various facilities. Factors involved with PI Code allocation are discussed, and finally, the paper considers the scope for compatibility between the `independent´ nature of commercial broadcasting and the synergy of an RDS network, and what the future might hold