Radio Finds No Stations in Switzerland: A Step-by-Step Checklist to Fix It

A radio that suddenly finds nothing is annoying. Go through the steps below in order; each takes a minute or two, and the first two are the likeliest causes.

1. Is it a DAB+ radio?

If the radio is an old FM model, it never receives DAB+. SRG stations left FM on 31 December 2024, and the FM switch-off page lists the dates. Look for DAB+ on the device or in the manual. On the display, DAB+ stations carry a plus after the name. SRF notes that the words digital radio alone are not enough.

Plain DAB without the plus is a related trap. Only DAB+ is broadcast in Switzerland, according to dabplus.ch, so the label must say DAB+. If you are unsure what the labels mean, what is DAB+ explains them.

2. Is the radio set to DAB+?

Many radios have a source button for DAB+, FM and sometimes internet or Bluetooth. A radio left on FM will show nothing for DAB+ stations however good the signal is. Choose DAB+ as the source before anything else.

3. Run a new station scan

A radio scans automatically the first time you turn it on. After that, the list can be stale. Start a scan manually, wait until it finishes, and check the list. dabplus.ch recommends a new scan whenever reception drops or the radio has been moved. Stations are shown in alphabetical order.

4. Fix the antenna and the place

Pull the telescopic antenna out to its full length and hang it vertically. Put the radio close to a window, and try different spots. Even half a metre can matter. dabplus.ch also notes that Minergie and concrete buildings dampen the signal, so a room deep inside a building may need an external antenna.

Keep the radio away from LED lamps and other electronics that interfere. If the display shows stations after you switch the lamp off, you have your answer.

5. Check the coverage at your address

If nothing helps, see whether the stations are broadcast at your location at all. The coverage and reception page shows how to use the BAKOM transmitter map and the dabplus.ch programme filter. Dense walls and basements make reception harder, as dabplus.ch notes for concrete buildings.

6. Reset and scan again

If the problem persists, reset the radio to factory settings, as dabplus.ch suggests. Then run a scan from scratch. Your presets and settings will be gone, so write down what you need first.

What a weak signal looks like

The symptoms differ from FM. FM fades into hiss, and DAB+ goes quiet, as Kassensturz noted in 2019. A radio that plays for a few seconds and then drops out, or finds a handful of stations instead of the usual list, is describing a signal that sits right at the edge of what it can decode. Moving the radio half a metre or turning the antenna upright is often the whole repair. If the whole list is empty even next to a window with the antenna out, the cause is more likely a radio without DAB+, or the wrong source setting.

In the car

The car radio is a different problem. If the car has an FM-only radio, it does not receive DAB+ at all, and an adapter or a new radio solves it. DAB+ in the car covers the options and the 2024 tests. An adapter that finds nothing most often has the antenna in a poor position, which the Kassensturz tests flagged.

Still nothing

SRG runs a DAB+ helpline on 0848 040 102, and dabplus.ch has a question-and-answer section. If a radio fails every step above in a spot where the map says coverage exists, the radio itself may be at fault, and the shop or warranty is the next step.