Arcam Alpha 10 - Manual (Page 8)

Trouble shooting guide
1. Display shows ‘Service not found’ when an
attempt is made to select a service:
This can happen when the tuner has an ensemble stored that is no
longer available. For example when the tuner is first shipped it has
the BBC ensemble stored, and if it is used in another country then
that ensemble will not be available. In this situation one should
perform a search. Note that re-configuration of services within an
ensemble is handled without having to perform a search, so if
services are added or removed from the ensemble it is not
necessary to perform a search. This may also happen when an
attempt is made to select a service that has been removed from the
ensemble. Normally redundant services are automatically removed
from the list but occasionally they are not. If this happens simply
select another active service.This will remove the redundant services
fom the list of available services and from any stored presets.
The other situation when the tuner may fail to select a service is when
the signal strength is insufficient. When a service is not selected it is
possible to view the signal strength in Engineering Mode (provided an
attempt has been made to select a service from the required
ensemble). Generally the meter needs to be past the 'E' in ‘Strength’
for reliable reception. We strongly recommend that an external aerial
is always used for the best possible performance. If the signal strength
is marginal then an indoor aerial will only work some of the time, as
the signal quality is affected by weather and the time of day.
Note:There will be situations where some ensembles are strong and
others are weak. With a good aerial you may be able to weakly pick
up some ensembles from outside their practical coverage range.
2. Display shows ‘No Signal’:
If a signal at the required frequency is missing entirely, then the tuner
will display this message. Note that it may take some time (about I
minute) to show the message. If you have removed the aerial and
this message appears, reconnect the aerial and reselect a service to
restore operation.
3. Display shows ‘No services stored’ at the end of
the search:
This will happen when the signal strength is insufficient due to either
a poor aerial or lack of an available DAB signal.
4. Audio is lost and display shows‘signal weak - muted’:
This happens when the signal becomes weak. A better aerial will be
required.
5. Audio is lost and display shows ‘Service ended’ or
‘Arcam DAB Tuner’:
This will happen if the selected service is no longer being broadcast.
(In practice this will rarely happen.) Select another active service.
6. Display shows ‘No service stored’ when a preset
button is pressed:
If a service has not been assigned to a preset button then this message
will be shown.This will also happen if that service is removed from the
ensemble, even temporarily, because the preset will be deleted. If the
tuner is used under conditions of weak signal strength then
occasionally presets may be lost. This is because if ensemble
components are only partially detected then the tuner will sometimes
decide that a service has been removed and will delete the preset.
Notes on data rate and sound quality:
The tuner supports MPEG audio data rates up to 256 kb/s which is
the maximum rate as defined by the ETSI specification for DAB
radio. Data rates transmitted will generally be lower than this
because broadcasters prefer to make use of available bandwidth to
include a high number of services. Higher compression factors are
used to get lower data rates, and this makes audio quality worse.
Most stereo services operate at I92kb/s at present, and this has
been found to give very high quality audio (though 256 is even
better). Some speech based services use mono in order to reduce
the data rate and some apply higher compression as well. It is also
common to find that different services have different audio quality
even though they operate at the same data rate. This is due to
differences in the audio processing techniques used in the
transmission chain. Generally speaking, audio is transmitted without
dynamic range compression (DRC) being applied (unlike FM
broadcasts are). DAB uses a system whereby the coefficients for
DRC are transmitted separately, so that the tuner can actually apply
the compression itself This is beneficial because the listener can
decide whether or not to have DRC, most hi-fi enthusiasts do not.
However some DAB broadcasts still have some form of DRC
applied to the audio itself and this is generally detrimental to the
audio quality.
If your tuner locks or‘hangs’, the unit can be reset by switching the
power off and on again.
Guarantee
WORLDWIDE GUARANTEE
This entitles you to have the unit repaired free of charge, during the
first two years after purchase, at any authorised Arcam distributor
provided that it was originally purchased as new from an authorised
ARCAM dealer or distributor
The manufacturer can accept no responsibility for defects arising
from accident, misuse, abuse, wear and tear, neglect or through
unauthorised adjustment and/or repair, neither can they accept
responsibility for damage or loss occurring during transit to or from
the person claiming under the guarantee.
The warranty covers:
Parts and labour costs for two years from the purchase date. After
two years you must pay for both parts and labour costs. The
warranty does not cover transportation costs at any time.
CLAIMS UNDER GUARANTEE
This equipment should be packed in the original packing and
returned to the dealer from whom it was purchased, or failing this,
directly to the Arcam distributor in the country of residence. It
should be sent carriage prepaid by a reputable carrier - NOT by
post. No responsibility can be accepted for the unit whilst in transit
to the dealer or distributor and customers are therefore advised to
insure the unit against loss or damage whilst in transit.
For further details contact Arcam at:
ARCAM Customer Support Department, Pembroke Avenue, Denny
Industrial Centre, Waterbeach, Cambridge, CB5 9PB, England.
Telephone: +44 (0) 1223 203203 Fax:+44 (0) 1223 863384
e-mail: [email protected]