I have a Pure Evoke-1XT but I cannot receive many of the stations listed on the list which appears on the radio display. How do I proceed?
– Colin
There are several reasons why stations listed on the radio might not be received when they are selected.
Occasionally digital radio stations close down or move to other networks of transmitters. These stations will be left in the list, even after they are no longer broadcasting. For example, Absolute Radio 90s recently moved from one national set of transmitters to another. Your radio may now have an entry for the ‘new’ Absolute Radio 90s and the old one.
Temporary pop-up radio stations can also remain in the list of stations after they have ceased. One of our test digital radios still lists Radio 1 Vintage and Magic Xmas, both from 2017. We recently saw a DAB radio in-use with Virgin Radio Groove in the station list, despite this service ceasing in 2008.
You could clean up the station list on your radio with the prune function. This is often found in the menu on the radio’s display and will delete stations which are no longer available.
The stations which cannot be received could be using the newer DAB+ format. Most of the UK can now receive at least eight DAB+ stations, including Jazz FM (Stereo), Magic Chilled, Virgin Radio Anthems and ForcesRadio. Some DAB digital radios which are not compatible with DAB+ ignore these stations entirely, whilst others will allow the station to be selected. The audio won’t be present and there will be no scrolling text – but the radio won’t display an error message.
The Pure Evoke-1XT was a follow up to the popular Evoke-1 model – one of the first affordable DAB digital radios. The Evoke-1XT was launched around 2005 and it’s likely the radio won’t be compatible with DAB+ signals which have been introduced in the last few years.
Finally, there could be a fault with the radio itself. If radio stations like Classic FM and BBC Radio 4 are listed but are not received when you select them there may be a problem preventing stations from being received. The Pure Evoke-1XT uses an aerial which has an F-plug connector. This screws on at the back of the radio and could have become loose over time. Ensure the connection is tight and that the aerial is fully extended in a vertical position.
If you have access to another digital radio or could borrow one you could check that these stations can be received in the same location. This could help to conclude if there is a problem with the radio or if these stations are no longer available.
Pure still offer the Evoke range. The Pure Evoke H3 and H4 in the walnut finish are likely to be the most similar to your Evoke-1XT model. When choosing a new digital radio ensure it has the digital radio tick mark, which indicates that the radio can receive DAB, DAB+ and FM stations.