RDS? the same in US & UK?
 

Anybody knows if the RDS system used in UK is the same in US?
I want to purchase an Alpine unit with RDS ( Alpine Europe site )
..Cant seem to find any Headunit with RDS in the US site....TIA:)

anyone?

Didnt know you could get RDS in the US.. :dunno: It has been a while though..:damn:

i guess only selected cities, here in chicago we have it, even HD radio!

Mine's a US X5 in Poland and I get all the RDS info, Song & Artist plus any station info.

Baby's going back to the US in June though, all these European X's are jealous methinks.

RDS in the US started in 1992, and 1987 in Europe. Link info about RDS in the US/UK http://www.rds.org.uk/rdsfrdsrbds.html
MY question again: Did BMW used the same spec of our radios for UK and US?

Dont US radio's and UK radio work on different frequencies?

Yes. US stations on FM for example, are on a gradient "odd" frequency: 102.1, 102.3, etc. in Europe, it's gradient "even": 102.0, 102.2, etc.

RDS encoders and decoders are using the same innards and were pioneered by the same company, so I think it's a safe bet that RDS works here in the US and in the UK, no matter where your vehicle was purchased/manufactured.

HD radio may end up being a different story. Ibiquity is the company behind the curtain here in the US. There may be a competitor from Europe in the near future, there's lots of talk that a major European auto group may manufacture and market their own HD radios and possibly control some of the content, which would be a master stroke if they can pull it off.

JV

Thanks, JV.
I'm trying to purchase an Alpine headunit UK spec with RDS to be used here in the US. ( US spec Alpine headunits dont have RDS )
I tried emailing Alpine directly and they replied that they dont even know RDS exists in the US:tsk: .

RDS can be a pain in the a$$ though.
i know, when i have it one, it can take
up to 8 seconds after switching to a
station b4 the music starts.:mad: