RBDS…Not Your Average Radio

You may not be familiar with the latest radio DJ, but these days, you don’t need to be.  You can get all the song information you need just by looking at your stereo.  And no, I’m not talking about testing out your telepathy skills over the airwaves.  I’m talking about the latest technologies now being integrated into new stereo models. 

Stereos are getting smarter and smarter.  Not only can they deliver scores of audio entertainment options, they are now able to display actual text information about the songs playing on the radio.  You might have seen it before, but you are probably asking, “How do I get it?” and “How does it work?”  Answer:  Through a little-known acronym called RBDS.

RBDS stands for Radio Broadcast Data System and is the technology that enables an RBDS-capable stereo to display digital information on the LCD screen.  This digital information includes the name of the station, alternative station frequencies, time and date, song title, track/artist info, and program genre (such as Rock, Pop, Country, News, etc.).  Advertisers’ information, such as websites or phone numbers, can also be displayed during the duration of a radio commercial, and RBDS even has the capacity to broadcast traffic and weather reports! 

Not all radio stations, or stereos for that matter, can display this digital text, though.  The station must support the technology and the stereo must be developed with the capability to accommodate RBDS data.  A lot of stations and newer models of stereos already support RBDS; however, as time goes on, more are expected to jump on the RBDS bandwagon. 

So, how does it work?  Let’s break RBDS technology down without getting into the mumbo jumbo of radio frequency jargon.  Simply put, each FM radio station is allowed 200 KHz of bandwidth, or range of frequencies.  Some of this bandwidth is used for music, but not all of it.  RBDS is a separate radio signal that fits within this 200 KHz of bandwidth, but transmits data information in parallel with the FM station’s audio signal.  This information travels through the radio waves and goes right to our stereo head units.

Pretty cool technology, huh?