Radio functionDisplay & personalisation1 min read
RDS & FM extras
What the ATS Mini shows on FM beyond audio: RDS station names, radio text and clock, plus the regional de-emphasis setting, and how it appears in the app.
On the FM broadcast band, many stations send extra data alongside the audio. The ATS Mini can decode this RDS information and show it on screen.
What RDS shows
- Station name: the short name the broadcaster transmits.
- Radio text: a scrolling line, often the current song or programme.
- Programme type: a genre tag such as News, Pop or Classical.
- Clock: the radio can set its time from the station’s RDS clock.
You choose which of these to display in the radio’s menu, or show them all.
FM de-emphasis (set it for your region)
FM broadcasts boost the treble before transmission, and the receiver has to undo it by the right amount: 50 µs in Europe and most of the world, 75 µs in the Americas. Selecting the matching value in the radio’s menu keeps FM audio sounding natural rather than overly bright or dull.
In the app
RDS is drawn on the radio’s own screen, so the way to see it in the app is a screenshot of the display. The RDS and de-emphasis options live in the radio’s menu, which you can drive from the browser with the Left / OK / Right navigation buttons.
Recommended gear
- Telescopic whip antennaAntennaRDS only decodes above a certain signal level, so the whip’s length decides which stations show a name.
- Small magnetic antenna baseAccessorySticking the whip to something steel and aiming it is often what pushes a marginal FM station into RDS.