Pure Digital Highway AM, DAB, FM Radio

This is the second Pure Highway AM/FM DAB radio I have purchased. The first was bought soon after they hit the market (4 years+) and is now in my husband's car, and works perfectly.

The idea is simple: The Pure Highway scans for a vacant band on the FM frequency, and you then tune your FM radio to that frequency. It will come up with PURE DAB on the radio screen, and this can be fixed to a preset button, if required. When you turn on the car, and the radio kicks in, the Highway will take you to your chosen digital (DAB) station. If the FM signal is occupied as you travel around (I work as a sales rep), then it is easy enough to Autoscan again, and find another FM frequency to use. Sound quality is dependent on the quality of your car radio, but the greatest benefit is that you are able to receive DAB-only stations, like Planet Rock, on an FM/AM car radio.

PLUS POINTS:
- Small size. Will work perfectly well in the glovebox, or central console of the car. Does not need to sit on the dashboard.
- Can be used as a stand-alone radio with batteries: we have used it when on holiday, in various fairly remote areas, and it has been able to pick up the DAB signal, using just the portable speakers as an aerial.
- The aerial, although it can be fixed to the windscreen for example, does not have to be fixed, and can be tucked away, once you have worked out the best position for it. I have had it draped around the head-rest of the passenger seat without a problem.
- Ease of use: Use Autotune to find the DAB stations in your area, press the centre of the dial, and it selects the station. Then press one of the preset buttons, and it is fixed to a preset. Simple!
- Connect with an iPod. Using a separately purchased lead (about £3.00 off Ebay), you can connect an iPod to the DAB and play it through the car system. This is ideal if your car doesn't come with an iPod connector.

MINUS POINTS:
The only minus point that I can think of is not related to the Pure Highway itself, but rather to the unpredictability of the DAB signal.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS:
Some reviews mention that the aerial sticky is a single use, and that if you need to change the position of the aerial, you have a problem. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. I moved my original Pure Highway from one car to another. The aerial does not have to be stuck down. If you want this aesthetically, then you can purchase another aerial kit separately.

The guy I purchased this one from said that he had found a smaller module that worked with an iPhone. As I don't have an iPhone, and have no plans of buying one, I prefer the Highway.

I will avoid repeating other people's comment. But I will will in some gaps.

Firstly DAB radio is amazing. So much choice. Forget FM!

I was a bit skeptical about the Pure Highway, especially as it uses an FM Transmitter, as they ofter have problems with interference. However, I was blown away, the Pure Highway has the best FM transmitter that I have tried.

Also, you can use it to play music from your MP3 Player/Mobile phone onto your car's radio (3.5mm male to 3.5mm jack needed).

Pure Highway, claim you can use it as a personal unit, but this is non-sense. You can use it as a portable unit, but not personal. You can't go jogging with it. PLus, you need cabling for the aeriel.

It does work on batteries (but I don't think the FM transmitter will on batteries only on car power supply).

DAB radio is great, if you have not heard DAB you have no idea what you are missing out. So many great channels. Also, the the same channels on DAB sounds much better those being broadcast on FM. There is a noticeable improvement.

The only down side is the cabling. So okay, for long journey, but not worth settup for small journeys....

I have not had any reception problems, even though I bought mine on eBay and the aeriel had been removed from the windscreen....

I bought the Pure Highway because one of the lorries I drive doesn't pick up the AM frequency and being as talkSPORT is the station I listen to mostly I thought it would solve the problem.

It does, more often than not. I write that because on Saturday night for example I had to re-tune the frequency a few times due to where I was driving, I was picking up a few pirate stations using my recommended frequency (not the Highway's fault)

There are dead area's I've found, ie driving between London and Yeovil, just after Andover there was no reception at all but I picked it up again near Winchester.

Around London, I listen to a station called Arrow Rock, no adverts, no DJ's just song after song, that station isn't available on ordinary FM so that's a bonus.

Another plus is I can plug the ipod into it and listen to my own playlist when talkSPORT's not delivering the goods.

I do wonder if reception would be improved by buying a mag mounted ariel but that said the ariel that it was supplied with that sticks to the windscreen isn't that bad usually.

I find if the Highway recommends a frequency at either end of the FM waveband (to tune my radio to) ie 87 point something or 107 point something I usually have interference free reception and can do a trip without re-setting the frequency.

To end I'd have to say it's a nifty little gadget with more plusses than minusses and it suits me fine.

This is my third Pure Highway, the 1st failing under warranty and the 2nd being a troublesome replacement, eventually giving up just out side of the 2 year warranty period.
This one has not got off to a good start as it comes with V1.1 firmware and refuses to update to V1.5, nether mind it works.
I spend a lot of time in my van on the road, local radio is not good and my fav' station is only available on Digital or AM, so not a lot of choice then!

I bought the unit because of the poor reception of BBC Radio 5 and absence of sister sports channels on medium wave, especially in the evenings when the signal seems to degenerate. The set-up in the car was easy enough but the problems come when you attach and dismantle it every time you travel.

The first thing to go was the window mount. It fell apart. So I stuck some black velcro to the dash and attached it there. After a few weeks I started to have problems with the power supply connection which eventually packed in all together. This was just after I'd bought a new external aerial for an extra 19 quid. So now the unit didn't work unless I put batteries in and lstened through headphones!! (It doesn't tune in to the FM channel when on batteries.

So when I really need to listen to a DAB channel, usually football or cricket that's my setup. Rubbish really for a layout of about 90 quid!!

It's about time you could buy a reasonably priced DAB radio for a car. They've only just stopped putting blummin cassettes in for G's sakes!!!