Turn Any Android Smartphone Into an FM Radio - Mini SDR Review

[@AntennaMan]

Link to the Mini SDR dongle: ebay.us/y12XYV Link to Micro-USB to USB-C Adapter: ebay.us/8OHTdk Link to MCX to coax adapter: amzn.to/4dXL3J5 Link to TV Tuner Dongle Review - READ INSTRUCTIONS IN DESCRIPTION OF VIDEO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYS9qHaegtWVgJI Link to TV Tuner Dongle: amzn.to/3Km97rg

[@jonathancollings4886]

If you're into RF, SDR is a great hobby. You will definitely want to go to a PC at some point because Android is just so limited. At one point I was picking up aviation data and mapping it in real time. I also managed to get two SDRs working together to pull in trunked signals as well. It's quite the rabbit hole.

[@RJDA.Dakota]

It is indeed! I am a shortwave radio listener and have seen dozens of videos about shortwave SDR DX! While it opens up possibilities, I’ve tried to do KiwiSDR with my iPhone. It can be done, but with the available screen sizes, it’s not a cool experience. For KiwiSDR I would rather explore using a real computer screen or even a larger screen TV as the display.

[@UncleTerry]

My Android Action one has an FM. How about a way to add AM

[@lassitc]

Thanks!

[@AntennaMan]

Thanks so much for the contribution!

[@Quickstrike1981]

my moms phone which is a Linux style flip phone has an FM Radio in it, just hook up headphones & boom local FM channels, wish all phone were like it

[@benstandard]

That should be the standard for all smart and feature phones alike.

[@hiitsrudd8567]

My Xiaomi has FM already

[@roadwarrior213]

Bluetooth chip has fm radio build in. Carriers turn off radio on locked phones to make you use streaming music apps $$$... there was a petition sent to the FCC to force carriers to allow FM radio to be used (case of emergency was used) but not enough people spoke up. Some phones overseas even come with built in HD TV tuners...

[@benstandard]

@@roadwarrior213 carriers shouldn't be allowed to do that. Some people would enjoy listening to the radio as well as a streaming service or two.

[@waynewood8840]

Motorola “Moto G Stylus 5G” has fm radio too.

[@reflex9991]

You wouldn't believe how long I've been waiting for you to make a video of this

[@JoshColletta]

A few notes... There are a couple of likely reasons why you can't pick up AM or lower-frequency shortwave stations with a dongle like this. The most likely reason is that basic, inexpensive SDR units typically do not tie the preamplifier circuitry into the sampling circuit that is capable of decoding signals on those frequencies. In fact, the popular RTL-SDR line of dongles only recently opened up quadrature sampling on those frequencies with their fourth revision model, allowing the preamp to be used. A few other more expensive brands had already done so, but the "budget" manufacturers are just now starting to catch up. The other reason, whether your unit uses the proper circuits or not, is the type of antenna. Whip antennas are not great for shortwave, and even worse for mediumwave, especially not a whip antenna THAT small. Remember: the lower the frequency, the longer the antenna elements need to be in order to be efficient. You'll want either a longwire antenna (which is exactly what it sounds like, you can literally just take a piece of random wire and use it as an antenna) or a loop antenna, of which there are numerous options out there (or you can even make your own). FM reception is also likely limited due to the size of the antenna. It would likely be improved with a wire dipole (the T-shaped plastic-covered type of things that usually come with bookshelf stereos or mini hi-fi systems). Or, even some loop antennas would work -- in fact, I run an SDR with an AirSpy YouLoop antenna, and I can pull in pretty much everything the tuner is capable of except for satellite signals. If FM reception is the ONLY thing you want, and your device has a headphone jack, you most likely don't need a separate dongle, you probably already have an FM tuner built-in. Most modern wi-fi chips are capable of reaching those frequencies, and Android has a native tuner app. It may be pre-installed on your device, or you may have to download it. Again, you need to have a headphone jack, as the cable acts as the antenna, but all you have to do is plug in some headphones and fire up the app, and you're good to go. I actually used one of my tablets that way in a recent winter storm, when my entire city was cut off from power. Came in pretty handy once the local radio station got their generator fired up!

[@youtou721]

I have three RTL-SDR dongle placed in different places (Toronto, Hong Kong and Tokyo), and connected to my NAS and make into a SDR server, so I can listen to FM station from these three cities

[@harrkev]

If you use a USB on the go cable, you can use any rtl SDR that you want. It doesn't need to be the one with a micro USB connector.

[@Nicholas_Chris]

The antenna is designed for UHF band, this is the reason it only receives strong FM stations. To receive all FM channels (including weak signal ones) I recommend an FM antenna you can try a telescopic but for best results an outdoor FM antenna and you get to test how good the SDR tuner is. FM antenna must be mounted verticall to receive all channels. The small antenna is awfull even for UHF band, let's seay if you live near the broadcast tower you can receive the TV channels on UHF band but in most cases it performs poor. An indoor antenna such as the rabbit ears performs better compared with the small antenna.

[@AntennaMan]

The antenna is a possibility but I am able to pick up a lot more stations on a phone with a built-in FM tuner even without an antenna connected.

[@Nicholas_Chris]

@@AntennaMan Yes, because most radio stations are high powered. In my area I can receive 23 radio channels with an FM dipole all of them in Stereo. I installed a 10 element Yagi UHF antenna, I was surprised that my UHF antenna can receive 13 FM channels in stereo with 5 bars, 3 channels can be receive but in Mono (you must switch from Stereo to Mono) and the rest of them sounded poor, you must use an FM antenna. The radio I use is an Albrecht DR 52 BA FM/DAB+, Bluetooth Those 13 FM channels that I was able to receive them with UHF antennas are high powered and I have no problem receiving them inside with the radio's telescopic antenna.

[@donbest5024]

I use a older outside antenna that has a vhf low elements for fm,I can receive stations on fm over 125 miles away.

[@Nicholas_Chris]

@@donbest5024 VHF Low always had excellent reception on FM band and you can do DX-ing. Receive channels outside your area. I personally tested a VHF Low antenna back in 2019 I could receive FM stations that were not available in my area. But I had to switch from Stereo to Mono. I have an old Medion Cassette/CD Player Stereo that can be connected to an FM outdoor antenna. The antenna was mounted vertical for best performance.

[@Phoenix6652]

Remember when the radio broadcasters made a push to unlock your phone's built in FM tuner using an app? I suspect the fact that you had to use wired headphones was a deal breaker for most people. I enjoyed using the Next Radio app until it was no longer supported. I agree with the main reason they were pushing it, everyone should have a radio available in case of an emergency. You can't depend on the cell network to be available in an emergency situation. With that said, I didn't have to think twice about ordering the SDR dongle. Although it will be hanging off of my phone, I do like that I'll be able to use my Bluetooth headsets to listen to it. The important thing for me is that I'll have access to local radio in the event there's a power / cell tower outage.

[@davinp]

Android phones such as Nokia and Motorola used to come with an FM Radio chip that allows you to listen to FM Radio offline, but the phone carrier has to activate it. Unfortunately, this is a feature that has been discontinued at least in USA. Radio stations want you to use their streaming app, but listening offline has some advantages over streaming

[@UncleTerry]

My Motto one Action has it, Listen off line too, but it is ten years old

[@albertohernandez8408]

my nokia xr21 has fm radio

[@rachelannkrueger7638]

You can also use other sdr dongles for that app and there is another sdr app that works with the sdr driver and AM/Shortwave can be received there's change some settings like the direct sampling and a anntena made for AM/Shortwave or long wire. You need to adjust the analyzer to see more than the strong frequencies.

[@MrSloika]

I have an S10e with a built in tuner. The earbud wires do double duty as the antenna. I use Next radio app and Android 10 because support for terrestrial radio in US versions of Android after 10 have been disabled.

[@FoulOwl2112]

Luckily my phone already has an FM tuner built in. Works great

[@ArtFernandez1]

which phone to you have? I have and older one that works, but my S21 Plus does not.

[@vampyrkiller]

​​@@ArtFernandez1 xiaomi redmi note 9 series

[@tpl608]

My man Tyler. You will cause them to sell out several products. Watch and that would be a fun as a video.

[@erniecolussy1705]

Many wireless motorcycle intercom units come with built in FM radio. Unfortunately most travel information stations are AM. This includes mountain pass report radio stations. Since the intercoms can also act as Bluetooth head sets this is a possible option. But how this functions would like require pulling over to access the station. At which time if a data connection is available checking the state DOT website is likely a better option.

[@davidsradioroom9678]

I have the TV adapter, but after I got it, LI noticed it was not supposed to work on Samsung phones. You mentioned an older version of the app should get sound. How does one go about getting an older version? I am willing to try it. Thanks.

[@AntennaMan]

Instructions are in the pinned comment and description of this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYS9qHaegtWVgJIsi=bbyXK_XrAIEvrDar

[@davidsradioroom9678]

@@AntennaMan I will let you know how it works. Thanks

[@shenghe9876]

What about stock FM radio apps or NextRadio, which use the headphone cable as an antenna on devices that have an activated FM radio chip? Also, the reason that you can't pick AM radio is because some RTL-SDR dongles (like yours) aren't wired for direct sampling. The only way to receive AM and shortwave radio is to use an upconverter like the Airspy SpyVerter or the NooElec Ham It Up.

[@impossiblescissors]

The best way to get into the SDR hobby is the adapter sold by RTL-SDR blog that works with PC. I've used it to check out local FM, HD Radio and weather radio, with potential for so much more. Will have to make a long wire antenna to get shortwave and AM. I'm wondering about the tuning range of the unit you tested.

[@kensejkora4424]

The SDR dongle Tyler demonstrated uses the RTL2832U+R820T2 chipset, the same as the RTL-SDR blog unit. It likely support reception up to eabout 1500 MHz. One should be able to use it to monitor most anything of interest in the VHF and UHF bands. One will likely have to adjust the gain settings, which are accessible in the 'Gains' option, by dragging the upper tool br all the way to the left.

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

AM radio waves are best received at night. I’m in Northern Ontario and I can receive AM stations from Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and several other US cities at night. Try it out then.

[@MartyGlenn72]

Only out of town stations come in better at night because the signals bounce off the ionosphere and return to the earth hundreds of miles away (Sky Wave). With local stations, they either come in the same or sometimes WORSE at night due to various factors like powering down at sunset, changing to a directional pattern at sunset, or other stations on the same or adjacent frequencies interfering. Also, there are locations where a station will be loud and clear during the daytime, but actually fade at night due to the ground wave getting interference from the sky wave. These are usually locations close enough to receive the ground wave of a station but also far enough away to also get the sky wave of that station...

[@NorthcoasterHobby]

@@MartyGlenn72 Thanks for the information, especially about the local stations. I don’t even have any local AM stations, so I was not aware of various nighttime conditions having the opposite effect on them.

[@MartyGlenn72]

@@NorthcoasterHobby​​⁠yes, I know that around 20 years ago, in most of Canada away from the big cities and other heavily populated areas, the CRTC basically ordered the AM stations to move to FM and permanently sign off the AM’s. Which make for great DX’ing conditions, as long as the remaining stations are well maintained and there’s no interference from computers, fluorescent lights, and other electronic devices. I was in New Brunswick in 1990, and I picked up 1030 WBZ from Boston in the daytime with no problem. I went back in the early 2000’s, and there was no sign of WBZ!

[@waynetompkins3006]

It's too cold up there.

[@waynetompkins3006]

​@@MartyGlenn72WBZ can regularly be heard in South Florida at night.

[@ericmoeller3634]

its most likely not the antenna or the dongle but when it comes to sdr reception the antenna does most of the work that why you couldn't get am stations i have a RTL sdr dongle and I've had the same issues with that app sdr touch picking up mainly strong stations that app is garbage i wish i never paid 10 bucks for it i dont have that same issue with sdr console on my laptop but the antenna does matter to

[@raymondmartin6737]

Yes Pad TV after a while had no audio, and I got it back with the suggested older version. 😊

[@svetislavvidenovic7573]

interesting device. Can it be used for simply listening to local FM radio stations? Does it have a stereo output?

[@HarryTwoDogs]

When I was an Android phone user up to about 8 years ago, it was a known fact ALL Android phones were equipped from the factory with an FM radio receiver chip. In the early days these chips could be activated by the user with an app. Eventually the carriers completely disabled the chips and the activation apps were blocked by Google apps. Not sure if any Android phones still come so equipped. Probably not.

[@AntennaMan]

Some Motorola phones still have FM tuners built in but most modern Android phones don't.

[@stephenswaim243]

​@@AntennaMan My newer (2023 model) Motorola's android phone (bought unlocked) still supports FM radio, it is built in and the tuner app is in the phone app options. The earphone cord serves as the antenna. Works great, use it all the time. Obviously the "chip" in the phone has it available, the only reason most can't use the tuner that is on the chip is because the data company you are buying your phone from LOCKS IT OUT so they can FORCE you to use their data stream!! I imagine if you buy an unlocked phone of almost any variety you can still activate the built in FM tuner. If you get your phone via your service provider you will probably NEVER be able to unlock the FM tuner that is on the chip even once you pay off the phone and they do THEIR "unlock" procedure. Check the MANUFACTURER'S specs directly with the manufacturer to verify

[@dansaville3333]

A while back I tried that software with a very old Nooelec USB stick I had laying around and it works great. Of course had to use an OTG cable. My phone has an FM receiver built in and I've always wondered if the hardware is actually capable of more frequencies.

[@kensejkora4424]

Nice video, Tyler. The program likely defaults to low gain, so it can only receive the strong stations. On the upper toolbar, drag it all the way to the left, and you should see a 'Gains' option as the third box from the right. Click on that and adjust the Gain Control upward. As for receiving AM stations between 530 and 1700 kHz, the dongle is not optimized for that. Its internal design is best from 30 MHz upward. It might be possible the dongle supports 'Direct Sampling', which *might* allow tuning below 30 MHz. This is accessible in the 'Prefs' box, and should be set to disabled for receiving above 30 MHz, and best to try Q branch for below 30 MHz.

[@Poorgeniu5]

If you only listen to FM radio... and you got an international version of a certain phone, (likely Android). Then there is a chance that ur phone have an FM tuner built in in which that case, just plug in an headphone/earbuds and launch the radio app.

[@1stprinceoflite]

It sure doesn't hurt to have FM in a emergency. That included antenna should of been a telescoping version that is at least 2 ft. Placement is key to pick up the signal you are seeking.

[@lokiva8540]

Those included tuners are often disabled in carrier firmware. When not, they often rely on an isolated common headphone or earbuds cable shield as an antenna, and phones are increasingly skipping wired headset jacks. BT earbuds mean no antenna, tuner present or not.

[@mistermac56]

@@lokiva8540 I have a Motorola Moto One 5G Ace that I use only for FM radio with wired earbuds and make sure to keep it fully charged during severe weather.

[@waynetompkins3006]

I bought an Android phone in Argentina that had an FM radio app included, and it works by using your earphones as an antenna. Like Tyler mentioned, it only gets the strongest stations, but otherwise, it works fine, including in the US.

[@benstandard]

Some Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia phones have activated FM radio tuners in them and they're widely available in the U.S. I don't use phones if they don't FM radio.​@@lokiva8540

[@TheKingOfInappropriateComments]

Why did they partially demonitize you?

[@AntennaMan]

Will explain in a video tomorrow

[@LonSeidman]

You've found the gateway drug into radio :). Soon you'll be ready to punch your ham ticket! :)

[@inter_1097]

I actually had a ham ticket, but decided I enjoyed listening much more.

[@tegrqbruh4158]

these r820t based dongles will generally tune from 24 MHz - 1.7GHz and not lower nor higher. Also an antenna with an adjustable telescope for instance will open you up to much better reception than this included generic UHF antenna that you have got going on in here.

[@stevenlynn3942]

Never new this existed. Thanks for the heads up!

[@alvallac2171]

*knew

[@stevenlynn3942]

@@alvallac2171 Well, at least I didn't spell it gnu! (Aka The Wildebeest, not to be confused with the software)

[@lajkme7649]

You are great 😀

[@JackT_Music_on_Vinyl]

I'm pretty sure the reception issue (only strong stations) is due to the typically cheap FM receivers made today and limited by the size and cost.of this dongke.

[@Learner1985]

Whatcha got on Dielectric antennas for NextGenTV?

[@kisho2679]

which devices would also allow to transmit, so to use for CB communication (or as walkie-talkie)?

[@jeffreyd399]

This is cool for casual radio listening. But if you're an avid FM Dx'er you need something bigger and badder antenna wise. This is a type of hobby that requires a lot of moving around and USB connections that start to wear out after awhile. I have an Airspy HF Discovery for heavy duty FM dxing and a large FM antenna. It doesn't require moving the USB plug or wire at all.

[@hetrodoxlysonov-wh9oo]

You can buy very small FM radios also very cheap small pay as you go phones with built in radios.

[@peterkozlowski4377]

Any links for this from a seller in north america and not Shenzhen ,Guangdong, China? Have to wait like 2 weeks(?) supposedly at a glacial speed and hope it doesn't get lost on the way. Not in the mood to potentially argue with someone about my delivery not arriving from that far overseas 😊

[@AntennaMan]

Unfortunately it's only sold by sellers based in China

[@1stprinceoflite]

​​@@AntennaManMy plan is to replace my phone with one that has FM. Thinking of the Samsung A 15 . They have a 5G version of the phone but has no FM radio.

[@lokiva8540]

Nooelec. NY based, company with serious RF lab tools and people backing up their branded variants. Also a range of accessories and mods.

[@kensejkora4424]

A better SDR dongle is the RTL-SDR V4. It is available in the USA from AMazon for $31.95, and is also available on the RTL-SDR page under the 'RTL-SDR Store' link.

[@lokiva8540]

Shenzhen, Guangdong is an industrial incubator region with efficiencies of logistics not present in the USA. They deserve a lot of respect for that, whereas our VC/PE and HFT/X-change ask-bid-cancel latency scammers culture has destroyed R&D and long term infrastructure priorities, in ways where arguably NYSE and NASDAQ and SEC and FINRA are overdue to shut down as criminal frauds, as well as the Bezos ScAmazon empire for other reasons. Adding the S-words of butt tattoos in Japanese collapsed and Korean growth versions, or Taiwan for alternate chip fabs, opens some massively complex and ethically messy issues to global electronics. Then we could compare the Meta crime family, or Apple vs Alphabet business practices and their respective good points as to security or open access, and predatory or scam vs functional business practices. Our grass is greener arguments fall apart rapidly, but there isn't really a functional fully ethical business model for these product elements anywhere globally.

[@theamazingDrBob]

I miss the iPod with the built-in FM radio inside of it. I wish I could find a good portable HD radio I could take on road trips. I like to record radio stations wherever I go.

[@AntennaMan]

The iPod actually never had an FM tuner, but many MP3 players did.

[@noahkug]

my lenovo tablet has a pretty sensitive tuner. with just a wire antenna i can get RDS permanently in a 130 km range

[@HaveanOreshnik]

This is perfect, I need to hear some certain stations from Cuba, Here and from Taiwan, spy radio

[@brianwalker7771]

My phone actually has a built in fm tuner. A pair of headphones is my go to antenna. I can use them,the speaker or Bluetooth for audio. Oddly my plug in antenna is NOT acceptable to my phone's fm tuner app.

[@radiorexandy]

You mentioned Ham Radio; most hams are on SSB these days. Does the unit demodulate (decode) SSB transmissions?

[@lokiva8540]

No but yes.... The SDR brings in a baseband. Software options allow for demod of various AM DSB, SSB/USB/LSB, A3, A9, DSB suppressed carrier, NBFM, WBFM, deemphasis at 0, 25, 50, or 75 uS, etc. Most DVB-T2 chipsets cutoff in or above HF. Nooelec in NY state makes converters that allow use down to 9 kHz, the lower edge of what the FCC regulates as RF.

[@kensejkora4424]

Yes, it can decode SSB. If you click on the 'FM' button, which is farthest to the left near the start button, it will open a dialog window to choose different modes like AM, USB, LSB, Narrow FM, etc. As others have mentioned, this unit may not work well below 30 MHz, which is where mose ham transmissions occur. You might be able to tune there using Direct Sampling, which isccessible in the 'Prefs' option by dragging the tool bar all the way to the left.

[@realdavidadams]

Your tuner chip in your phone can receive FM radio. However, your manufacturers cut the traces to disable this reception. I consider this to be an emergency communication issue. For example mobile phone access was not possible on 9/11. At that time I had a phone without the cut traces. I can no longer find a phone that allows access to the FM signal.

[@LatitudeSky]

Mobile phones didn't stop working on 9/11. What are you talking about? Maybe in NYC but virtually the entire world doesn't live in NYC. Our phones worked fine. And a radio IN a phone is hardly the only radio a person would have around. The truth is radio is increasingly irrelevant to younger people and they wouldn't use it even if they had it. So there is no value in mandating people have a thing they won't use. Rather, find a way to reach them using things they DO use, like SMS or twitter.

[@realdavidadams]

@@LatitudeSky After the attack, the cell phone networks of New York City and the Tri-State area were rapidly overloaded (a mass call event) as traffic doubled over normal levels. Cell phone traffic also overloaded across the East Coast, leading to crashes of the cell phone network. Verizon's downtown wire phone service was interrupted for days and weeks because of cut subscriber cables, and to the 140 West Street exchange being shut for days. Capacity between Brooklyn and Manhattan was also diminished by cut trunk cables. Following the attacks, the issues with the cell network weren't resolved until 36 cellular COWs (cell towers on wheels) were deployed by September 14, 2001, in Lower Manhattan to support the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and provide critical phone service to rescue and recovery workers.

[@realdavidadams]

@@LatitudeSky who needed information more than folks in the city!? This is retorical question.

[@stephenswaim243]

@@LatitudeSky Who carries a separate transistor radio with them when they walk into the office every day? Yes, those in NYC had spotty to virtually NO cell phone service on 9/11, no way to receive information about what was happening without a portable radio of some sort ON YOUR PERSON unless you were inside a building a working TV or radio.

[@thesmashtvnetwork]

have you try this on pc with a android emulater

[@AntennaMan]

I haven't but I'm sure there's PC software that can be used with it.

[@thepicard83]

Bluestacks is excellent to run android software on pc

[@thesmashtvnetwork]

@@thepicard83 I WAIT for some one test it be for i buy one

[@thesmashtvnetwork]

@@thepicard83 i got a reply from ebay seller reply was broken english but sound like i can get custom software built ask about adding some gps taging as well custom software for tv tuner for us to sumit scan data might help built a better ant maping

[@thesmashtvnetwork]

@@AntennaMan hey he ask if you like do a discount order we see if he can offer what i ask i hope we can get some gps maping data so user can imput zip code and find all channel scan in thear area code

[@wilty5]

Is there an equivalent dongle for an iPhone?

[@FanchBreizh]

Hello, your name is antenna man yet you haven't tried this with another antenna?? I was expecting more in-depth content.

[@admirals818]

I've had multiple phones that actually have an FM tuner built-in. But for some weird reason, it has been disabled by my cell phone provider.

[@sa3270]

They probably want you to listen to radio stations over an app so they can track what you're listening to and make you listen to ads first.

[@Poorgeniu5]

You could install a rooted custom ROM to gain the functionality back but phone brands have been taking the extra step to physically disonnect the FM Tuner circuitry inside the chip so that it cant be renabled by software sadly. Also since your's is an carrier locked phone, installing an custom ROM is generally impossible.

[@mistermac56]

@@Poorgeniu5 that's why I never buy a phone from a carrier and buy one that is carrier unlocked.

[@EF-69]

... another reason I will never have a carrier locked phone again.

[@dmo848]

Samsung phones also. No idea why

[@ConsumerDV]

My Android phone has built-in analog FM tuner. No HD Radio though.

[@UncleTerry]

My Android Action one has an FM. How about a way to add AM

[@CARLiCON]

My old Moto flip fone has FM built in, but u must have headphones plugged in as they're the antenna. Only bummer is its mono only

[@AntennaMan]

A lot of Motorola phones have an FM tuner built in. The newest ones don't even require the earphones to be plugged in!

[@preshisify]

thank you ☕

[@mikeblank5139]

UPDATE - The part that Looks like an antenna, might be a misnomer. The part that actually receives the signal, is probably the WIRE. Unravel the wire, and move the wire in different directions, see how many more stations that you receive. You are welcomed.

[@AntennaMan]

I didn't think about that. Great tip!

[@kensejkora4424]

The 'antenna' portion really is a telescoping antenna. The wire is small gauge coaxial cable, something like RG-316. Since it is shielded coax, it is unlikely the cable itself picks up very much RF, or at least it is designed not to do so. However, unraveling it gets the active antenna element away from RF interference generated by the smartphone, so that might help in performance. Locating teh antenna ner an opening like a window will help as well.

[@mikeblank5139]

@@kensejkora4424 I agree

[@thomashenden71]

I would try, if a longer cord between the phone and the receiver, reduce the interference on AM radio, plus winding the cord through a ferrite core. And AM is best at night, of course, and with a much better antenna than the supplied one. A little surprised that the "Antenna Man" isn’t into AM, which is a fallback option in case of - well a situation with global crisis, war or something where actually - good knowledge of radio, AM, Ham-radio, walkietalkies is king!

[@RonaldHeld]

But I like AM talk radio bummer on the reception issue.

[@MrNickb-s500]

Tyler can I mail you a check to donate to your channel?

[@EF-69]

It's the crappy antenna. There's a variety of those tuners out there, some are substantially better than others. Most do not cover the frequencies for the AM broadcast band.

[@ieatiron1]

awesome

[@cvr24]

My Samsung phone has an FM tuner built-in, because it was intended for Latin America. The North American SKUs for the exact same phone have the FM radio disabled.

[@AntennaMan]

Before I switched to the Pixel for the great camera, I purchased factory unlocked phones for this reason. Most Motorola smartphones have an FM tuner built in.

[@WiSeNhEiMeR-1369]

thanks coop ..

[@charlie_nolan]

If it can do HAM radio it can also do businesses and some public safety

[@pauldswiftie13]

Some SDRs can have HD Radio decoded on android

[@djbeatreviews3438]

I don’t understand why you hate AM radio. I’m in the radio business. And the number 1 most listened to morning show in NYC is on a AM station.

[@AntennaMan]

It's a medium that sounds horrible with bad programming and is basically on life support. The most listened to morning show in NY is #1 in what age group? 65 and over? In 15-20 years there will be no listeners left on AM.

[@LGR605]

👍👍 I'm a very rural area of eastern SD. 570 WNAX in Yankton is a powerhouse for news and ag info (which less than two percent of the population cares about), another is 'The Mighty 790' outta Fargo. both can beam out on the prairie. Plus KXRB out of Sioux Falls, a bit more music there.

[@peterkozlowski4377]

@@AntennaMan This. the only people who listen to am are older people who tune in for oldies radio, talk,etc.

[@sa3270]

​@@AntennaMan I'm quite a bit younger than 65 and I listen mostly to an FM simulcast of an AM station on the radio. Gotta have my talk radio.

[@djbeatreviews3438]

There is such thing as HD And AM stereo, witch sounds like FM station

[@benstandard]

All phones should come with an activated fm tuner in them whether a smart phone or a feature phone.

[@LatitudeSky]

Too bad if your area has DAB radio, I guess. Here, have FM whether or not there are any stations. Okay. How much does that part add to the cost of the phone?

[@tpl608]

I thought police and fire all moved to digital? My old awesome scanner does not work much anymore.

[@waynetompkins3006]

I've always argued that police, fire and municipal communications are just as much public record as their e-mails and meetings, with some common sense exceptions like police undercover and surveillance operations. Inevitably, I'm called a Communist and a Fascist and even an Al Qaeda sympathizer. I don't understand the mindset of some people. I used to have an awesome police scanner, but now even my local garbage man is chatting on his digitally encrypted Motorola radio.

[@LatitudeSky]

Not all but most. You can get an SDR that can decode P25, DMR, and the other AMBE codec formats. It's more costly, of course.

[@tpl608]

@@LatitudeSky make and model?

[@fruitcup01]

I had a fm radio in an older Android phone, was good as any basic radio. Sadly people will need one in any grid down scenario.

[@dandippel6087]

Or just use an app like iHeart radio or TuneIn 🤷

[@2148aa]

This is not going to work well. Another non working toy to collect dust. Air band is AM.

[@RealBLAlley]

My MotoG already has an FM tuner.

[@peterkozlowski4377]

Yeah I called it on the application interface, definitely not designed with an android touch interface in mind, seems kinda clunky and no usb c. The blue case looks kinda cheap and flimsy, no offense. Sigh, at least its cheap but wish some company would step up and make a real polished sdr dongle with superior software vs. a product that looks like a diy product.

[@roadrunner3563]

No HD :(

[@jamesm568]

I could have sworn Android phones already had built-in FM radios?

[@Phoenix6652]

You are correct, but the problem is both your phone carrier needs to enable it, and you need an app to take advantage of it. This did happen for a short time. The broadcasters were behind an app called Next Radio which took advantage of the built in fm tuner. There was another catch and I suspect this catch played a big part in it's downfall. Wired headphones were required as they are the fm tuners antenna. Since cell phone companies were moving away from headphone Jack's, there would be no way to receive anything. Unfortunately Next Radio failed to catch on.

[@jamesm568]

@@Phoenix6652 5G and cheap data probably killed it too.

[@dougbrowning82]

@@Phoenix6652 This is a serious public safety issue. In emergency situations, wireless and wired internet are often unavailable, and many lives are saved by having access to radio broadcasting. The FCC needs to get on the ball and force wireless carriers to enable the FM receivers on their hardware. This is just as bad as most people no longer having access to always on POTS telephone lines. Public safety needs to come before corporate profit.

[@redstickham6394]

My previous Samsung Galaxy was able to hear FM stations with an app. It used the headphones cable for an antenna. That phone stopped working so I had to get another one and it didn't have the headphone jack so I couldn't use the app anymore.

[@jmr]

Drives me nuts how many devices still use micro USB.

[@dwightsmith5174]

Only analog....? Really prefer HD FM. And HD AM.

[@FRLAZone2018]

you can try rabbit ears antenna or yagi antenna on the fm radio and it's works. also speakerwire. but you will need mcx male to f type female 😂😉 (VHF/UHF band only)

[@steveburnham5073]

Try to listen to the AM band at night, because you will receive more stations.

[@FleaMarketJohn]

👍👍

[@AntennaMan]

Thanks for watching and being a member of the channel!

[@Fubar684]

Cool, but the FM station I listen to already has an app to download.

[@ecash00]

BETTER ANTENNA

[@1stprinceoflite]

Copper wire with alligator clip will help with some stations. Length around 2 ft.

[@ecash00]

@@1stprinceoflite yep. but height will matter.. Attach to REAL antenna with a booster.

[@peterkozlowski4377]

The lack of usb c is kinda a hard sell. Yes i know about the adapter, but still most modern tablets and phones are usb c. This kind of shows a lack of foresight on their part when designing this. How many years ago did they design this thing? Seriously? 🙄 Does there exist one with usb c? maybe review that one if it does exist. Last thing we need is another adapter hanging off the port on your phone/tablet. Not exactly a deal breaker but makes me wonder how lazy/sloppy they were when designing and putting this out. DIY definitely comes to mind here.

[@sa3270]

They're probably trying to get rid of old stock or components they already had on hand.

[@LatitudeSky]

Lack of foresight? This device was intended for users who have MicroUSB. They also trusted people to have big brains and know how to deal with it if an adapter is needed. It's not rocket science.

[@j.patrickmoore9137]

I had an LG smartphone (not the smartest smartphone by any means) that had FM capability built in and used the wired earbuds as the antenna wire. I upgraded the phone and lost the functionality with the new phone.

[@michaelhuynh8793]

I have a iPhone it cant work I have a portable tv with radio im good with my battery powered tv

[@buckrockerm]

My Motorola phones already have a radio chip installed.

[@GerardPinzone]

Awesome! Now I can listen to FM radio. Let me scan the stations...crap...crap...commercials...crap...commercials...commercials...crap...crap...more crap...

[@AntennaMan]

I agree there isn't much worth listening to on radio in most areas. This device is more for hobbyists.

[@somapersona]

I actually listen to FM Radio a LOT LoL

[@GerardPinzone]

@@somapersona I feel sorry.

[@dmo848]

Crazy how only Motorola phones are the only phones I've seen with the fm radio still.

[@AntennaMan]

Some Samsungs still have them. Before I switched to the Pixel my Moto G played the FM tuner even without headphones plugged in which was awesome

[@raymondmartin6737]

Cat Country 96 in the Poconos 😊

[@001delight9]

That's not new to me, most of the smartphone's i've owned including my older ones including cellphone has fm radio, all i need is a earphone/headphone/pc speaker with 3mm audio jack, plug it in, open the fm radio app included on your smartphone, scan for fm radio stations & that's it.

[@ChewyChicken589]

I actually have a pretty good TV tuner for Android but I've never seen this

[@WRXinthe410]

I disagree about AM radio. I mostly only listen to AM. Still great to me.

[@mephitusincognito7918]

...funny how you hate AM radio.. move away from the electronics... like. outside.. a ways away from the house..... with a battery powered radio with a completely analog (not digital in any way) tuner and listen in. you'll be surprised at how clear AM can be... and what stations you can pick up at night.. i've heard 'alternative' music stations from 3 states away... the AM band is still very useful out in 'the sticks' ...

[@tpl608]

My man Tyler. Please do the side to side head bob and Bla Bla Bla. It was glorious. It should be your signature. Lol

[@Solomon.SarkahAddo]

Install radio station on

[@JCWise-sf9ww]

Why do I need a FM dongle adapter when you can live stream any radio station in the world with the browser already on your smartphone? Only avantage is the other service frequencies. Thanks for plugging that digital devices causes interference To AM radio receivers, the ruin nation of wiping out medium wave reception. The FCC should have restrictions on limiting RFI caused by digital devices & switching power supplies, to LW, MW & SW reception!

[@AntennaMan]

It's obviously more convenient to stream a radio station on an app. This dongle is more for hobbyists

[@stephenswaim243]

Limited amount of data on your phone's data plan. Why pay MORE for something that you should be able to get for FREE?

[@JCWise-sf9ww]

@@stephenswaim243 If you were using the dongle for local radio signals or streaming them, why would you even fool around with using your phone, when you can use a regular radio receiver? OTA radio is free! Streaming is good for stations you can't get in your local area.

[@noctawny3]

Hey, AM is still good. :(

[@polarvortex6601]

handy for natural disasters

[@davinp]

Apple is very restrictive with the iPhone as it is not open source as Android is.

[@peterbeers]

To bad smartphones don't have built-in radio receiver anymore.

[@AntennaMan]

Some still do but it's usually mid-range and budget models from Motorola.

[@billsam21st]

Hey, some of us, O.G.'s once in a while, listen to am, lol!

[@kc0lif]

i got apps to listen to fm/am.

[@AntennaMan]

For most people, that's the best option. This device is more for hobbyists.

[@waynetompkins3006]

Talk about a product that's more trouble than it's worth....

[@joe10117]

too bad no HD 1 FM ...

[@marshallgrads]

Thanks!

[@AntennaMan]

Thanks for the contribution! Hopefully you enjoyed the video. The Mini SDR is definitely a pretty niche product but I figured a few of my viewers would like it.