PS Implementation Advice

RDS Forum 2009 has adopted a Position Paper explaining why the PS name must be static and why Dynamic/Alternate PS is expressly forbidden in the RDS standard IEC 62106.

The Problem:

PS is designed for speedy acquisition - of 8 characters, indicating the radio station's identity (PS name) and this being quickly received is critical to overall RDS usability.
This PS can be held in receiver memory for even quicker recall upon selection of a preset.
The use of PS, dynamically, will create display information that makes no sense in terms of the actual radio station name and saved in the receiver memory will cause significant confusion to the user when returning to a particular preset.
Some RDS equipped radios automatically scan the FM band and use the PS of receivable programmes to display them with associated buttons for programme selection. Dynamic PS creates then labels that make no sense.
Safety issue for car radios, which should not have rapidly changing displays; the transmission of PS, dynamically, causes rapidly changing displays that are clearly potentially distracting to a driver.

The RDS Forum 2009 Statement:

In short: It is recommended that the RDS PS feature is only used as specified in the RDS Standard and the use of Dynamic or Alternate PS should be prohibited. This is vital to ensure appropriate operation of hundreds of millions of RDS equipped radios in use, requiring compliant transmissions for correct functionality. The best practice to use dynamic text is to deliver it via the RadioText and RadioText Plus features only.

Click here to download the statement R09/048_6 in PDF format (48 kB).

The Support documentation:

Click here to download Relevant extract from the new RDS Implementation Guidelines. A document in PDF format (21 kB)