Radio Data System

The RDS Logo

Radio Data System, or RDS, is a communications protocol standard for embedding small amounts of digital information in conventional FM radio broadcasts. RDS standardises several types of information transmitted, including time, station identification and programme information.

Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) is the official name used for the U.S. version of RDS.^[1] The two standards are only slightly different.

The standard began as a project of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), but has since become an international standard of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Both carry data at 1,187.5 bits per second on a 57 kHz subcarrier, so there are exactly 48 cycles of subcarrier during every data bit. The RBDS/RDS subcarrier was set to the third harmonic of the 19 kHz FM stereo pilot tone to minimize interference and intermodulation between the data signal, the stereo pilot and the 38 kHz DSB-SC stereo difference signal. (The stereo difference signal extends up to 38 kHz + 15 kHz = 53 kHz, leaving 4 kHz for the lower sideband of the RDS signal.)

The data is sent with error correction. RDS defines many features including how private (in-house) or other undefined features can be "packaged" in unused program groups.

Development

RDS was inspired by the development of the Autofahrer-Rundfunk-Informationssystem (ARI) in Germany by the Institut für Rundfunktechnik (IRT) and the radio manufacturer Blaupunkt.^[2] ARI used a 57 kHz subcarrier to indicate the presence of traffic information in an FM radio broadcast.^[3]

The EBU Technical Committee launched a project at its 1974 Paris meeting to develop a technology with similar purposes to ARI, but which was more flexible and which would enable automated retuning of a receiver where a broadcast network transmitted the same radio programme on a number of different frequencies. The modulation system was based on that used in a Swedish paging system and the baseband coding was a new design, mainly developed by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the IRT. The EBU issued the first RDS specification in 1984.^[2]

Enhancements to the alternative frequencies functionality were added to the standard and it was subsequently published as a European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) standard in 1990.^[2]

In 1992 the US National Radio Systems Committee issued the North American version of the RDS standard, called the Radio Broadcast Data System. The CENELEC standard was updated in 1992 with the addition of Traffic Message Channel and in 1998 with Open Data Applications^[2] and, in 2000, RDS was published worldwide as IEC standard 62106.^[4]

Content and implementation

The following information fields are normally contained in the RDS data:

AF (alternative frequencies)

This allows a receiver to re-tune to a different frequency providing the same station when the first signal becomes too weak (e.g., when moving out of range). This is often utilized in car stereo systems.

CT (clock time)

Can synchronize a clock in the receiver or the main clock in a car. Due to transmission vagaries, CT can only be accurate to within 100 ms of UTC.

EON (enhanced other networks)

Allows the receiver to monitor other networks or stations for traffic programmes, and automatically temporarily tune into that station.

PI (programme identification)

This is the unique code that identifies the station. Every station receives a specific code with a country prefix. In the US, PI is determined by applying a formula to the station's call sign.

PS (programme service)

This is simply an eight-character static display that represents the call letters or station identity name. Most RDS capable receivers display this information and, if the station is stored in the receiver's presets, will cache this information with the frequency and other details associated with that preset.

PTY (programme type)

This coding of up to 31 pre-defined programme types (e.g., in Europe: PTY1 News, PTY6 Drama, PTY11 Rock music) allows users to find similar programming by genre. PTY31 seems to be reserved for emergency announcements in the event of natural disasters or other major calamities.

REG (regional)

This is mainly used in countries where national broadcasters run "region-specific" programming such as regional opt-outs on some of their transmitters. This functionality allows the user to "lock-down" the set to their current region or let the radio tune into other region-specific programming as they move into the other region.

RT (radio text)

This function allows a radio station to transmit a 64-character free-form textual information that can be either static e.g. station slogans or in sync with the programming such as the title and artist of the currently playing song.

TA, TP (traffic announcement, traffic programme)

The receiver can often be set to pay special attention to this flag and, for example, stop the tape/pause the CD or retune to receive a traffic bulletin. The TP flag is used to allow the user to find only those stations that regularly broadcast traffic bulletins whereas the TA flag is used to stop the tape or raise the volume during a traffic bulletin.

TMC (Traffic Message Channel)

Digitally encoded traffic information. Not all RDS equipment supports this. Often available for Automotive navigation systems. In many countries only encrypted data is broadcast, and so a subscription and appropriate decoder is required to use.

RDS support

As far as implementation is concerned, most car stereos will support at least AF, EON, REG, PS and TA/TP.

• More expensive car stereos will offer TMC, RT and / or PTY, perhaps with "NEWS" override.
• Home systems, especially hi-fi receivers, will mainly support functions like PS, RT and PTY.

There are a growing number of RDS implementations in portable and navigation devices thanks to lower-priced, small-footprint solutions. These include:

Apple iPod's Radio Remote accessory. iPod Nano 5th Generation iPod Nano 6th Generation Directed Electronics DHHD-1000 (Table Top HD Radio) DMHD-1000 (Car Audio Add-On Tuner Box) HTC HTC Desire HD HTC Vision/G2 HTC Touch Pro HTC Touch Pro 2 HTC Touch Diamond HTC Touch HD HTC HD2 HTC HD Mini HTC Inspire 4G HTC Droid Incredible HTC Salsa HTC Smart HTC Legend HTC Desire HTC Evo 4G HTC Wildfire HTC Aria Sony Ericsson C702 C901 Green Heart C905a F305 G900 J105 Naite K600i K550i K750 K750i K770i K790i K800i K810i K850i S312 W200i W300i W350i W380i W395 W580i 595s W600i W610i W660i W760i W810i W830i P990i P1i R300 Radio R306 Radio T303 T700 W850i W890i W910i W950i W700i Sony Ericsson W980 W995 Z550i Sony Ericsson Aino Sony Ericsson Yari Sony Ericsson Elm Sony Ericsson Jalou Sony Ericsson Hazel Xperia X10 Mini Xperia X10 Mini Pro Xperia Pureness Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro Sony Ericsson Aspen Sony Ericsson Zylo

Nokia 2690 2700 Classic 2720 fold 2730 Classic 3208c 3600 slide 3710 fold 3720 Classic 5130 XpressMusic 5220 XpressMusic 5230 XpressMusic 5233 XpressMusic 5235 Comes With Music 5310 XpressMusic 5320 XpressMusic 5530 XpressMusic 5610 XpressMusic 5630 XpressMusic 5730 XpressMusic 5800 XpressMusic 5800 Navigation Edition 6210 Navigator 6220 Classic 6260 slide 6300i 6303 Classic 6500 slide 6600 fold 6600 slide 6600i slide 6700 Classic 6710 Navigator 6720 Classic 6730 Classic 6760 slide 6790 Surge 7020 7100 Supernova 7210 Supernova 7230 7310 Supernova 7510 Supernova 7610 Supernova C1-01 (with recording) C1-02 (with recording) C3-00 C2-01 C2-02 (with recording) C2-02 (with recording) C3-01 C5 C6-00 C6-01 C7 E52 E55 E6 E72 E73 E75 E5-00 N78 N79 N85 N86 8MP N96 N97 N97 mini N900 (transmit & receive) N8 (transmit & receive) X2 X3 X3-02 X5-01 X6 X6 8GB X6 16GB

Motorola L9 E6 E2 VE66 W375 W396 W230 W270 L6i W220 Motorola DEFY MB810 (Droid X) Electrify Photon Microsoft Zune HD Zune Nissan (Clarion) 2010/2011 Car Radio w/RDS (all but base model includes RDS FM) Sandisk Sansa Fuze+ Sansa SlotRadio Player Sansa Clip Zip Sangean CL-100 Samsung SGH-F330 SGH-G800 SGH-L170 SGH-L770 SGH-E950 SGH-U600 SGH-U900 GT-S3350 SGH-i917 Samsung Galaxy S Samsung Galaxy S II Samsung Wave S8500 Samsung S5230 Samsung C5212 Samsung B7722 Samsung Omnia HD Samsung Galaxy Ace Samsung Galaxy 3 Samsung Galaxy 5 LG Viewty LG KS-20 LG Cookie (KP500) LG GT505 LG GB230 GD880 Mini LG Optimus Black LG Optimus 2X Garmin Nuvi360 Griffin Technology iTrip AutoPilot iTrip 1591 (FM Transmitter with App support) Navigon 5100 Magellan Maestro 4250 Insignia NS-8V24 NS-4V24 NS-2V17 NS-HD01 Portable HD Radio Receiver Cardo Systems Scala Rider G4 O2 ATOM LIFE

Program types

The following table lists the RDS and RBDS Program Type (PTY) codes and their meanings:

PTY code	RDS Program type (EU)	RBDS Program type (North America)
0	No programme type or undefined	No program type or undefined
1	News	News
2	Current affairs	Information
3	Information	Sports
4	Sport	Talk
5	Education	Rock
6	Drama	Classic rock
7	Culture	Adult hits
8	Science	Soft rock
9	Varied	Top 40
10	Pop music	Country
11	Rock music	Oldies
12	Easy listening	Soft
13	Light classical	Nostalgia
14	Serious classical	Jazz
15	Other music	Classical
16	Weather	Rhythm and blues
17	Finance	Soft rhythm and blues
18	Children’s programmes	Language
19	Social affairs	Religious music
20	Religion	Religious talk
21	Phone-in	Personality
22	Travel	Public
23	Leisure	College
24	Jazz music	Unassigned
25	Country music	Unassigned
26	National music	Unassigned
27	Oldies music	Unassigned
28	Folk music	Unassigned
29	Documentary	Weather
30	Alarm test	Emergency test
31	Alarm	Emergency

The later RBDS standard made no attempt to match the original RDS plan, therefore several identical radio formats were given different numbers, including jazz, weather, sports, and rock. Other similar formats such as varied/college and phone-in/talk are also mismatched. This is mainly a problem for portable radios taken overseas.

Example RDS usage

The following three images illustrate how RDS can be used on an FM radio station; the latter two were taken when the radio was tuned to Nottingham radio station Trent FM. All the images are of the display on the Sony XDR-S1 DAB/FM/MW/LW portable radio.

Typical radio display when no RDS data is available

Typical radio display showing the PS name (programme service) field.

Sample Radio Text usage, in this case showing the name and artist of the song being broadcast - Duran Duran's Save a Prayer - the bottom line scrolls to reveal the rest of the text.

Scrolling Program Service messages are illegal in the U.K.^{[citation needed]} and expressly forbidden by the RDS standards for all countries because of the potential of distracting drivers on the road and causing problems with receiver memory stores. Scrolling messages are, however, widely used in mainland Europe and are common in the U.S.

PI A206

Service menu of a car radio

Other usage

In addition, RDS is being proposed as the data transmission protocol in California's "Programmable Communicating Thermostat" (PCT) program. The proposed technology would allow electricity consumers exposed to “time-based pricing” for electricity to respond to an RDS signal containing price information when their retail electricity price changed during periods of high wholesale electricity costs or abnormally high demand that threatened the stability of the electricity grid. The PCT could then automate any actions that the consumer had pre-programmed the device to take. For example, if the price of electricity went up on a hot afternoon because of extremely high demand, the consumer could preset the PCT to raise their air conditioner cooling set point by a few degrees in order to reduce their overall electricity consumption and bill.

The technology could be extended to other home electricity consuming devices such as water heaters, clothes dryers, dishwashers, swimming pool pumps, etc. allowing consumers under time-based pricing for electricity significant automatic control over their electricity consumption during periods when the price of electricity is naturally higher than normal (see load management). The goal is to give consumers a choice between paying more for high value peak electricity, or reducing their lowest value loads at those times. Such voluntary “demand response” behavior could significantly reduce the price of electricity during non-peak periods because of reduced need for infrequently used peaking power plants, and also reduce the chances of blackouts during emergency events when the electricity grid is stressed or damaged.

RDS subcarrier use for the control of peak power has been in development in Australia since early 2000. ETSA the South Australia Electricity Trust and Saab Systems Australia, a local South Australian company, pioneered the idea after Saab engineer Trent Ryan developed the idea in late 1999 and brought it to Saab for further refinement.

In Sweden, RDS PTY signalling is used to let the public service broadcaster break into commercial radio station transmissions to broadcast emergency warnings. ^[5]

RDS chipsets

Companies such as ST Microelectronics, Silicon Labs in Austin, Texas and NXP Semiconductors (formerly Philips) offer single chip solutions that are found in these devices. The Silicon Labs part supports PS, RT, PTY, TMC, and all other RDS types in a single 3x3 mm chip and its intended purpose is portable usage (such as mobile phones and MP3 players). NXP also has solutions in this field, and has some automotive chips.

See also

High-level RDS APIs

• Advanced Multimedia Supplements (JSR-234) (in Java programming language)
• OpenMAX AL (in C programming language)

Related technologies

• Data Radio Channel (DARC)
• DirectBand
• PSIP
• ALERT FM- RBDS emergency notification system
• HEARO Local Alert Receiver
• UECP -protocol (Universal Encoder Communication Protocol) ^[6]

Related topics

• Digital radio
• Error correction
• Modem
• FM broadcasting
• Internet radio device
• List of stations using the Radio Data System in New Zealand
• Radio receiver

Notes

1. ^ "NRSC Website". www.nrscstandards.org. National Radio Systems Committee. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} "March 2009: RDS is now 25 – the complete history". Geneva, Switzerland: The RDS Forum. 2009-03-27. p. 1. http://www.2wcom.com/fileadmin/redaktion/dokumente/Company/25_years_RDS.pdf. Retrieved 2011-06-15. 
3. ^ EP 1432157 
4. ^ "IEC Webstore Publication detail: IEC 62106 Ed. 1.0 English". Geneva, Switzerland: International Electrotechnical Commission. http://webstore.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/artnum/025877. Retrieved 2009-05-18. 
5. ^ MSB VMA Report
6. ^ http://www.rds.org.uk/rds98/ebuuecpspecification.htm EBU UECP Specification

References

• The Directory of European FM Broadcasting, European FM Handbook 2002-2003, 13th edition, published July 1st 2002, B5 format, ISBN 951-98733-1-7 [1]^{[dead link]}
• Dietmar Kopitz, Bev Marks, RDS: Radio Data System (Mobile Communications Library), ISBN 0-89006-744-9 [2]
• MSB VMA report, [3]

External links

• FARWAY IRFC, TV and Radio Transmission , Radio Data System Encoders
• Specification of the RDS standard, available via the RDS Forum
• "NRSC-4 National Radio Systems Committee United States RBDS Standard - Specification of the radio broadcast data system (RBDS)"
• The RDS Forum is the professional association of the users of the Radio Data System broadcast technology
  • RDS: "The Radio Data System", "The Broadcasters Guide to RDS"
  • RDS Features Serving as Tuning Aids^{[dead link]}
• BBC factsheet - Radio Data System (RDS) in HTML format
• RDSList.com
• RDS on Cgran.org - A GNU Radio-based open source implementation of an RDS receiver and transmitter