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Help FM Radio

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xman95

Android Enthusiast
I see FM Radio under Full Features on the Boost Mobile website. Is there an app for this?? How do we access it?
Thanks!

http://www.boostmobile.com/shop/phones/lg-volt/

  • 3-way calling
  • 3.5mm headset jack
  • 8MP camera
  • Accelerometer
  • Access to Boost Zone
  • Access to Gmail® and Google Talk™
  • Access to Google Play™
  • Audio Recorder
  • Calendar
  • Call waiting
  • Caller ID
  • FM Radio
  • Full HD (1080p) video capture
  • Music player
  • Nationwide Sprint® 3G Network and Nationwide Sprint® 4G LTE Network
  • One-click access to Facebook®, Twitter® and more
  • Picture and video sharing
  • Portrait to Landscape auto-rotate
  • Speakerphone
  • Stereo Bluetooth®
  • TTY mode
  • Vibrate mode
  • Virtual QWERTY keyboard
  • Voicemail
 
Download NextRadio in the Google Play Store. That's the stock app to access the fm radio in our phones. Remember to always plug in headphones, because that's how the antenna functions: by using the headphone wire.
 
Murf1 said:
Wow. Didn't realize it could even do that. THANKS!
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glad i could help... fm radio is really a great function to have, but only a few select companies are even bothering to include it into just a couple of devices. i guess they figure the technology is too archaic. sad.
 
billpenny78clo said:
glad i could help... fm radio is really a great function to have, but only a few select companies are even bothering to include it into just a couple of devices. i guess they figure the technology is too archaic. sad.
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I think the theory is why use the radio when you can stream? Nevermind that there's frequently areas with no coverage. Also, the radio doesn't use data.
 
bg4m3r said:
I think the theory is why use the radio when you can stream? Nevermind that there's frequently areas with no coverage. Also, the radio doesn't use data.
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This is exactly why I wanted a phone with FM radio. You don't need the Cellphone network (battery drain anyway) or use any data.
 
Mine did want network the 1st time I started the app. I suppose to find local stations and pull down their data and set presets. I haven't tried it yet, but I presume you can still manually tune and listen to the presets without WIFI?
 
geekhandstrong said:
fm radio is really a great function to have, but only a few select companies are even bothering to include it into just a couple of devices. i guess they figure the technology is too archaic. sad.
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Actually I'd like the reverse - an FM transmitter. That would be extremely useful for cars which don't have bluetooth or an audio input jack of some sort.
 
Phil42 said:
Actually I'd like the reverse - an FM transmitter. That would be extremely useful for cars which don't have bluetooth or an audio input jack of some sort.
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as rad as that would be, Bluetooth has pretty much killed any other radio frequency's chance of success.
 
EarlyMon said:
Never going to be likely - adds to FCC certification costs, minimal return, and those transmitters tend to use a specialized chip, the most popular one made right here in the USA.
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Well, yeah, I figured that much, but given the choice, I'd rather have the transmitter over the receiver in the phone.
 
EarlyMon said:
Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon all have something like this -

http://www.amazon.com/Transmitter-IC-F27-Universal-Smartphone-including/dp/B00HIATW04/

Less than $20.
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I've tried FM Transmitters in the past, and they suck! Too much interference and poor sound quality. Just not enough power I think and that's b/c of regulations. I thought it would be a good idea instead of upgrading the radio, or when I've used a rental car back in the day (most have 3.5mm jack now). It's been several years now, so maybe they've improved???
 
Some are better than others, none work well with a crowed FM band, so it'll vary by market. Transmitters are indeed power limited, if you transmit beyond a few feet it's a whole new game with the FCC and you're a pirate station lol.
 
I got an Android phone that has an FM transmitter, a Lenovo. But then we're not quite so concerned about FCC rules here. LOL. And phones with TV tuners as well, so don't have to be on the internet to watch live TV.
 
mikedt said:
I got an Android phone that has an FM transmitter, a Lenovo. But then we're not quite so concerned about FCC rules here.
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Adding an FM transmitter is not a very big deal in terms of FCC paperwork. A phone already has lots of paperwork for transmitting antennas (NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G/4G, etc.) and adding an additional one, especially one well below 100 milliwatts, is not that much more effort.

The FCC's Part 15, Subpart D regulations gives the rules for low power unlicensed transmitters.

I think the issue is planned obsolesence. The manufacturers and carriers assume you're going to use the phone in a modern car where Bluetooth is included with almost every radio. If you're using an older car which doesn't have Bluetooth or an audio in jack, you should be forced to buy a new car (or at least upgrade your radio).
 
Ok. I rather thought that all of the FCC paperwork I've seen has included the engineering and tests behind it and that that wasn't expensive. But maybe you're right.

I thought the issue was more along the lines of return on investment and how many extra phones they'd sell for the costs involved. And then comes the extra antenna function - last personal FM transmitter I built (not snark, I've done it) required a bit of wire for the antenna.

And for those that use it, add on the cost of people who actually use it and then end up complaining that they want it to just work on a crowded FM band - which is never really going to happen.

I think transmitting over FM in a car is already obsolete. Despite the fact that I do it several times every week and have for years, I know I'm in a dying minority on this one.

As for buying a new car or stereo - the solution really isn't expensive and as I mentioned - available from popular retailers.

Anyway - cheers! :)
 
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