• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Help FM Radio

xman95

Android Enthusiast
Nov 17, 2011
434
144
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
 
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.
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.
 
Upvote 0
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.

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.
 
Upvote 0
Upvote 0
Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon all have something like this -

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

Less than $20.

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???
 
Upvote 0
I got an Android phone that has an FM transmitter, a Lenovo. But then we're not quite so concerned about FCC rules here.

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).
 
  • Like
Reactions: EarlyMon and bg4m3r
Upvote 0
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! :)
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones