I'm putting together an emergency kit at home and one thing I'm missing is an emergency radio. I'm wondering, since the DX has an FM radio app, can that be used as an emergency radio? It certainly has its advantage with the bells and whistles in it (compass, map).
The key question is, the FM app is not an internet radio, but a real radio based on an FM receiver hardware, is that correct?
I'm putting together an emergency kit at home and one thing I'm missing is an emergency radio. I'm wondering, since the DX has an FM radio app, can that be used as an emergency radio? It certainly has its advantage with the bells and whistles in it (compass, map).
The key question is, the FM app is not an internet radio, but a real radio based on an FM receiver hardware, is that correct?
yes it is, I am not sure is the software is in place or not on that phone. My son has an X2 and the FM app software came with it. Keep in mind that you have to have earphones plugged in for the app to open as this is what the tuner uses for an antennae. And reception isn't as good as a radio, so you may want to test it before you NEED it.
If it were me putting together an emergency kit, I think I would think of the DX as a fallback to a radio in your already kit that may have both AM / FM (and possibly digital radio) for a couple of reasons.
You're probably not going to leave your phone in the emergency kit, so if you get separated from your phone in an emergency, but make it to your kit, you might wouldn't have a radio. Also, it is much easier to predict / control battery life with a portable radio than it is with a cell phone.
yes it is, I am not sure is the software is in place or not on that phone. My son has an X2 and the FM app software came with it. Keep in mind that you have to have earphones plugged in for the app to open as this is what the tuner uses for an antennae. And reception isn't as good as a radio, so you may want to test it before you NEED it.
If it were me putting together an emergency kit, I think I would think of the DX as a fallback to a radio in your already kit that may have both AM / FM (and possibly digital radio) for a couple of reasons.
You're probably not going to leave your phone in the emergency kit, so if you get separated from your phone in an emergency, but make it to your kit, you might wouldn't have a radio. Also, it is much easier to predict / control battery life with a portable radio than it is with a cell phone.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the tip. You are right. Although I keep my phone with me almost all the time, it just doesn't play very well with the whole idea of a grab-n-go emergency kit. Shouldn't have to think about whether I have everything needed with me when a true emergency hits.
Thanks for the tip. You are right. Although I keep my phone with me almost all the time, it just doesn't play very well with the whole idea of a grab-n-go emergency kit. Shouldn't have to think about whether I have everything needed with me when a true emergency hits.
You may want to throw a cheap headset in there, like I said, you need that as an antennae for the DX radio, so it could still be a backup to your radio and would add virtually no weight.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pupkact
You may want to throw a cheap headset in there, like I said, you need that as an antennae for the DX radio, so it could still be a backup to your radio and would add virtually no weight.
+1 You HAVE to use headphones or speakers with the FM app. You cannot use the build in speaker. The FM app came with my original Droid X.
A small transistor radio or MP3 player sized FM receiver would be better since you don't have to wait for them to boot up, etc. Also, odds are if you are in an emergency situation, your WiFi wouldn't be available for using map, weather and other apps.
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fwiw...i don't think the fm radio app that comes on the DX will work unless it has an active cell signal. In other words try it first. I tried it one time with it in airplane mode thinking i would save some battery....no go.
*edit
i know that sounds stupid since the earphones work as an antenna but its true. Also here is what i did. I took some old ear buds. I cut the cable off right at the plug. Then plugged it into the jack and bam i had radio without a 4 ft cord hanging around.
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Motorola DROID X is an Android powered smartphone with a 1GHz processor, huge 4.3-inch display with 480x854 pixels resolution, 8-megapixel camera with 720p motion video capture and many other features. It's the newest addition to Motorola... Read More
DX as emergency radio
