Program Identification (PI)
This information helps the receiver to identify a station. It enables the radio to differentiate between areas where the
same programme is transmitted. The car radio only switches to a stronger station when the reception grows weaker if
the stronger station transmits the same programme identification.
Traffic Programme (TP)
This signal enables the receiver to detect that a station with a traffic programme is being received.
Traffic Announcement (TA)
With this signal the receiver can detect a traffic announcement and interrupt the current playback of a different audio
source.
Program Service (PS)
This information tells the receiver which station it is receiving. It is directly played back in the display of the car radio,
e.g. BBC Radio 3.
Alternative Frequencies (AF)
A list of alternative frequencies that send the same programme is transmitted. If the transmitter station currently
received becomes too weak, the receiver detects from the AF signal on which frequencies it must search for a better
station.
Program Type (PTY)
This code gives the receiver information on the type of the transmitted programme (e.g. sports, classic, news etc.).
The listener can select his favourite programme more directly.
A national disaster alarm can also be sent this way. However, not all the radio stations offer the PTY service.
Clock Time (CT)
Many stations transmit the current time in the RDS data. If a radio receives this signal, it sets the in-built clock auto-
matically.
Therefore, when you leave the transmission area, the RDS system has the advantage that it switches to a similar
transmitter station that can be better received. However, it only changes when it finds a better station with the same
programme.
Short signal attenuations due to the reception cannot be eliminated by the RDS system either, since this would mean
that the car radios permanently switches back and forth. The listener would feel much more disturbed by this than by
short-term reception problems.
Another advantage of the RDS system is that the station name is displayed. The station name of an RDS station is
displayed in the car radio.
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