I notice that the Euro versions of the audio 20 radio (the one after the facelift) have RDS. The US version does not (which really pisses me off)... is there some secret menu or a software update from the dealer that can make it work? I don't see much discussion about this in the forums, only about command.

Thanks.

 

RBDS as it is known in the US has largely been ignored by broadcasters. It adds a few bits of data to the standard AM and FM carriers. These are usually used for title and artist displays, some traffic, and some weather.

If I was advising a station owner, I would suggest he spend money on an HD transmitter, where advertising time can be sold. RBDS has no way to measure audience, and is not very rich in terms of messages that can be produced.

The Audio 20 for the US is not the same pumpkin as the European version. I did not see any firmware that would allow RBDS, although Sirius does display a version of it. The data is captured by the receiver, and sent via MOST bus to the head unit. The SDARS receiver (Sirius) is built by Delphi, who is a strong supporter of RBDS, so it is not suprising they would use it on satellite.

 

Actually where I live in NYC rds is used by nearly all stations and for everything from title /artist to traffic updates for gps / to display on the radio

 

My wife's BMW X3 has RDS on the radio and it's a nice feature for us to see the title & artist. I understand many people won't care about that. I don't know of any stations using it for traffic or anything else.

If it can be enabled, I would like to know how.

Thanks!

 

i have euro COMAND and the major radio stations support RDS in LA area...
some just show station name and some show song/program titles as well...
i'd take RDS over AM anyday...