Data Radio Channel (DARC) is a high-rate (16 kbit/s) standard for encoding data in a subcarrier over FM radio broadcasts. It uses a frequency of 76 kHz, the fourth harmonic of the FM radio

pilot tone In telecommunications, a pilot signal is a signal, usually a single frequency, transmitted over a communications system for supervisory, control, equalization, continuity, synchronization, or reference purposes. Uses in different communication ...

. DARC was approved as the All-European standard ETS 300 751 in 1997.

Applications

DARC is well-suited to distributing traffic information because of its higher speed. In Japan, the VICS (

Vehicle Information and Communication System A vehicle () is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velomobiles), animal-powered tr ...

) service has operated since 1996 in the

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

and

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

metropolitan areas. In

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, DARC has been tested for traffic message channel services. In the United States, it was used to deliver stock market quotations by Digital DJ beginning in 1998. In

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, DARC is used to transmit public transport data to battery-powered signs in bus and tram stations.

Similar technologies

Other data broadcasting technologies include RDS and

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

's DirectBand.

References

*Dietmar Kopitz, Bev Marks, ''RDS: The Radio Data System''. Artech House Publishers, 1999. Sections 7.6.2 and 13.3.2.2. *''Data Radio Channel (DARC) System'', Electronic Industries Alliance, 1999. 41 pages

External links

*
Broadcast messages on the DARC side

The DARC side of Munich - Hunting FM broadcasts for bus and tram display information
{{Audio broadcasting ETSI Data transmission Radio technology Telecommunications-related introductions in 1996