Blues, rock, pop, hip-hop - musical styles that could hardly be more different and yet have one thing in common: They inspire people and trigger emotions. And where do people listen to the most music - by far? In the car! Today, state-of-the-art multimedia systems ensure the best sound and entertainment. But when did radio entertainment come to Opel vehicles? And which developments did the car manufacturer from Rüsselsheim play a pioneering role in? A tribute to good entertainment while driving on "World Radio Day" on February 13.
Enjoying music on a long journey: the radio in the Admiral and Kapitän
World Radio Day, or simply World Radio Day, has been celebrated since 2012 - as a reminder of the founding of United Nations Radio on February 13, 1946. However, entertainment from the airwaves was born at the beginning of the 20th century; in Germany, the first radio station went on air in 1923. Fritz von Opel, a grandson of company founder Adam Opel, was also a radio pioneer at the time and was involved in setting up the Südwestdeutscher Rundfunkdienst, the forerunner of Hessischer Rundfunk.
Almost at the same time, the first car radio provides background music while driving in the USA. Opel finally did it in 1938: The manufacturer offered a car radio as an accessory for the Admiral for the first time, which was initially installed under the dashboard near the floor. Just one year later, Opel installs a Blaupunkt radio in the dashboard on request for the launch of the Kapitän - including a higher control and sound slot. The advantage: the sound no longer came from the footwell, but from the middle height of the car, allowing passengers to enjoy hits such as Zarah Leander's "Ich weiß, es wird einmal ein Wunder gescheh'n" in much better quality.
VHF, disk antenna and radios from Opel production
After the end of the Second World War and with the beginning of the "economic miracle years", the further development of car radios and reception options also accelerated rapidly. VHF - the ultra-short wave - is introduced in Europe in 1949. As early as the first half of the 1950s, car radios in Opel models were also equipped with the new frequency range. Opel vehicles with stereo reception followed at the end of the 1960s. In the mid-1970s, the brand with the Blitz even launched its own range of Opel radios in standard, comfort and luxury versions - the latter with cassette deck - on the market; Opel also carried out the servicing of the radios itself at the time.
As early as 1971, Opel also offered a new windshield antenna on request, initially in the top models Admiral and Diplomat. According to company texts at the time, its reception was "equal to that of conventional rod antennas, in many cases even superior". The windshield acted as the antenna carrier, while the antenna itself ran along the edge of the windshield in the form of a barely perceptible silver conductor. This means that visibility is not impaired - and radio listeners no longer have to worry about maintaining an externally mounted, more damage-prone rod antenna.1977 all Opel radios are equipped with traffic radio - a technological innovation that makes driving a lot more relaxed and time-saving, as drivers are made directly aware of the announcements on the radio. If, for example, the decoder button is pressed on cassette radios, the warning radio also switches on automatically when the music tape is playing.
Radio reception becomes even more convenient in the following decade. In 1981, Opel launches its first car radio with automatic volume control. From 1984, RDS, short for Radio Data System, is tested; in 1988, the digital transmission method is finally introduced, which allows car radios to display further information on the current program or traffic reports.
CARIN: The leap from radio to navigation system
Until then, drivers had to rely on printed road maps and traffic reports on the radio when planning their journey. In 1995, Opel became the first car manufacturer to present a mid-range model with a fully integrated navigation system with the Vectra. The "Car Information and Navigation System (CARIN)" developed by Philips provides passengers with visual and acoustic route information. The map material is stored on CD; the position of the vehicle is determined every three seconds by a combination of GPS, satellite signal reception and magnetic field probe as well as ABS wheel sensors.
"Timely turn-by-turn directions are just as much a part of the electronic road map's repertoire as advice on the best lane to take before tricky intersections," according to Opel's advertising. And with the second generation "Carin 440" in the Opel Astra, navigation also found its way into the compact class in 1998.
At the same time, the developers worked on continuously improving the sound quality. Noise or similar interference should be a thing of the past in the future - thanks to Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB). Digital radio reception enables crystal-clear listening enjoyment of a larger number of programs and is now standard in all Opel cars and the majority of commercial vehicles.
From IntelliLink to the multimedia system: the Internet makes its entrance
2012 marks the beginning of the Internet age in Opel vehicles: The brand introduces the new IntelliLink infotainment system in the Opel Adam - making it a pioneer in the small car segment. And today? There is no longer any question of a simple "radio". Instead, ultra-modern multimedia systems are used, with digital DAB-Plus reception for interference-free sound quality; numerous loudspeakers including subwoofer and amplifier ensure maximum listening pleasure in all seats. In addition, the infotainment systems with their networking and personalization options become an individual entertainment and planning medium for the journey.
The foundation for all of this was laid by radio, which is why Opel is also celebrating "World Radio Day" on February 13 - with the promise of making future innovations in infotainment technology available to drivers across all classes.3
