Another "I Never Knew That".

[developer]

As I entered the Queensway Tunnel in Birmingham the radio reception began to disappear.

The radio station names on the display also began to disappear as each station's signal was lost.

The strongest (Radio 2) became the only one on the display until I approached the exit where the weaker ones returned.

It would appear that the display only shows those actually being received, not (as I thought) those that were generally available in the area.

 

[grober]

It's all down to RDS which is a digital info stream on a subcarrier of the FM transmission.
Tells the radio what stations are available to it which I assume it then displays. So no signals no output list? Radio Data System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[developer]

I'd just never noticed it before, though in the Queensway, with it's sweeping bend, you're not usually looking at the display - more trying to avoid Di and Dodi syndrome.

 

[Dieselman]

^ Yep, wicked tunnels if you're going a bit.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Great place to hear V6 howl: driving our Omega through there was like concentrated Police, Camera, Action! soundtrack!!

Followed an Audi R8 V10 through last weekend. Wonderful.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Not quite as dramatic, but our I5 diesel sounded great in there this evening, in an Intercity 125 kind of way. All aboard!!

 

[Dieselman]

sounded great in there this evening, in an Intercity 125 kind of way.

When the 4.2 Cdi was first tested in a W210, that's exactly how the sound was described.

 

[mct_cars]

As I entered the Queensway Tunnel in Birmingham the radio reception began to disappear.

The radio station names on the display also began to disappear as each station's signal was lost.

The strongest (Radio 2) became the only one on the display until I approached the exit where the weaker ones returned.

It would appear that the display only shows those actually being received, not (as I thought) those that were generally available in the area.

You don't loose any stations in the Tyne Tunnel because they've built a closed loop system to maintain reception.