Development of the European VHF/FM Radio-Data System “RDS” for VHF/FM Broadcasting and Car Reception

The European Broadcasting Union has for about 10 years been studying the development of a radio-data system for FM broadcasting. This system will facilitate the introduction of automatic tuning features in new domestic, portable and car radios, and will additionally permit the distribution of auxiliary information within a wide range of applications.

After a brief description of the general system requirements, some specific problems relating to reception in moving vehicles, particularly under severe multipath conditions, are discussed. The coordinated applications of the system are then reviewed, and special mention is made of the radio-frequency and baseband-modulation characteristics, chosen to implement these coordinated applications with a maximum of flexibility. Finally certain possibilities for the design of receivers are indicated as well.