In article <sckfvh$16nf$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability. My
> Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a grandkid awhile back) and it
> was handy to have occasionally. Not all interesting stations are online.

nearly every terrestrial radio station from anywhere in the world has
an online stream. which is ideal for a road trip because it won't fade
out after ~30 miles.

On 7/13/2021 9:49 AM, nospam wrote:
> AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
>
>> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability. My
>> Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a grandkid awhile back)
>> and it was handy to have occasionally. Not all interesting stations
>> are online.
>
> nearly every terrestrial radio station from anywhere in the world has
> an online stream.

Some online radio apps (like Tune-in) put their own commercials over the
content sometimes covering up important news spots. Others (like Radio
USA) make you watch a video commercial before connecting you. Course
there are some stations with their own app (like WTOP) that are the same
as the transmitted product. I prefer that type. But generally you get
what you pay for (in additional ads).

> which is ideal for a road trip because it won't fade out after ~30
> miles.

I'll be able to hear my local FM news station for about 300 miles on my
way to the coast tomorrow. Course that its transmitter/antenna is
located on top of a 1200ft mountain helps. And when I get in CA there's
lots of local content and I'm seldom out of range of something
interesting. But agreed, if I get bored with the local content I just
connect the phone to the car and I have the world to listen to...

In article <sckips$jmu$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

> >> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability. My
> >> Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a grandkid awhile back)
> >> and it was handy to have occasionally. Not all interesting stations
> >> are online.
> >
> > nearly every terrestrial radio station from anywhere in the world has
> > an online stream.
>
> Some online radio apps (like Tune-in) put their own commercials over the
> content sometimes covering up important news spots. Others (like Radio
> USA) make you watch a video commercial before connecting you. Course
> there are some stations with their own app (like WTOP) that are the same
> as the transmitted product. I prefer that type. But generally you get
> what you pay for (in additional ads).

some apps do have ads of their own, but it's usually only at the start.
once connected, it's whatever the radio station normally has.

it's not just radio, but also podcasts, spotify, etc.

> > which is ideal for a road trip because it won't fade out after ~30
> > miles.
>
> I'll be able to hear my local FM news station for about 300 miles on my
> way to the coast tomorrow. Course that its transmitter/antenna is
> located on top of a 1200ft mountain helps.

that's not the usual case for most people.

where i live, 30 miles and reception starts to have issues and by 40
miles or so the station is history, unless it's an am clear channel
station and at night.

> And when I get in CA there's
> lots of local content and I'm seldom out of range of something
> interesting. But agreed, if I get bored with the local content I just
> connect the phone to the car and I have the world to listen to...

try the farmland states. outside of major cities, there's maybe one or
two radio stations, and not particularly interesting.

on the plus side, an fm converter for an mp3 player works *very* well
since there's plenty of unused spectrum.

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
> On 7/13/2021 6:22 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> > AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
>
> >> Does anybody carry a tablet for navigation anymore?
> >
> > Well, we do, but our use is indeed uncommon.
> >
> > When we use the tablet for navigation, we use it in addition to a
> > smartphone. Our use is (read: 'was' :-()) navigation in
> > rural/outback/ remote/<whatever> areas in Australia.
>
> Wow. My annual excursion is a 6 hour drive to the coast on the
> interstate.

On a good trip, we did somewhere from 10,000-14,000 km. How about
*them* apples (oops!)! :-)

> Leaving tomorrow BTW and taking the HD8+. So will be on the
> Groundhog (newsreader) for a few days.

[...]

> > SWMBO is the navigator and uses the tablet for more long range
> > navigation (kilometres and (much) more). I am the driver and use the
> > smartphone for close range navigation (hundreds of metres to a few
> > kilometres). We use offline navigation apps (mostly OsmAnd+), because
> > 1) most of the time there's no mobile coverage and 2) online maps
> > like Google Maps don't show the roads we drive nor have the details
> > we need.
> >
> > So yes, *we* need a tablet with a GPS.
>
> My question (above) was poorly written. One person out of the world's
> population would satisfy "anybody" and we now have 2 here (you and sms).

I know what you meant. As I said, we (SWMBO and me) are just the
odd-one-out.

> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability.

Shush! Don't you know you can't mention the F-thingy in this group!?
Well, too late already, nospam already beat me to it. (Some day, someone
ought to tell him that there are actually places without mobile - let
alone WiFi - coverage, which *do* have FM coverage.)

> My
> Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a grandkid awhile back) and it
> was handy to have occasionally. Not all interesting stations are online.

Hmmm! Interesting! Might check if my (older) Samsung tablets have it.
Then we can navigate *and* listen to the radio, how cool is *that*!? :-)

In article <sckqq4.ahc.1@ID-201911.user.individual.net>, Frank Slootweg
<this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

>
> > One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability.
>
> Shush! Don't you know you can't mention the F-thingy in this group!?
> Well, too late already, nospam already beat me to it. (Some day, someone
> ought to tell him that there are actually places without mobile - let
> alone WiFi - coverage, which *do* have FM coverage.)

nobody said such places didn't exist. what you fail to understand is
that there aren't very many such places and it affects *very* few
people.

but if you find yourself in such a place, bring an fm radio. no big
deal.

On 7/13/2021 10:50 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

>> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability. My
>> Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a grandkid awhile back) and
>> it was handy to have occasionally. Not all interesting stations are
>> online.

> Hmmm! Interesting! Might check if my (older) Samsung tablets have it.
> Then we can navigate *and* listen to the radio, how cool is *that*!?
> :-)

Even if a tablet's hardware has FM capability (chip?) the tablet
manufacturer may not have enabled it. I use an app called NextRadio from
the Play Store to check. It tells you right up front if FM is available
on the device.

In article <sckmtj$k7n$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

> >> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability. My
> >> Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a grandkid awhile back) and
> >> it was handy to have occasionally. Not all interesting stations are
> >> online.
>
> > Hmmm! Interesting! Might check if my (older) Samsung tablets have it.
> > Then we can navigate *and* listen to the radio, how cool is *that*!?
> > :-)
>
> Even if a tablet's hardware has FM capability (chip?) the tablet
> manufacturer may not have enabled it. I use an app called NextRadio from
> the Play Store to check. It tells you right up front if FM is available
> on the device.

fm also requires wired headphones for the antenna, which limits it to
one person, and in a vehicle, often prohibited for the driver.

nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
> In article <sckmtj$k7n$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
>
> > >> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability. My
> > >> Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a grandkid awhile back) and
> > >> it was handy to have occasionally. Not all interesting stations are
> > >> online.
> >
> > > Hmmm! Interesting! Might check if my (older) Samsung tablets have it.
> > > Then we can navigate *and* listen to the radio, how cool is *that*!?
> > > :-)
> >
> > Even if a tablet's hardware has FM capability (chip?) the tablet
> > manufacturer may not have enabled it. I use an app called NextRadio from
> > the Play Store to check. It tells you right up front if FM is available
> > on the device.
>
> fm also requires wired headphones for the antenna, which limits it to
> one person, and in a vehicle, often prohibited for the driver.

That's why <insert_diety> invented splitters. (That's assuming that it
actually requires headphones, instead of just the wire.)

Frank Slootweg wrote on 13.07.2021 20:24
>>> Even if a tablet's hardware has FM capability (chip?) the tablet
>>> manufacturer may not have enabled it. I use an app called NextRadio from
>>> the Play Store to check. It tells you right up front if FM is available
>>> on the device.
>>
>> fm also requires wired headphones for the antenna, which limits it to
>> one person, and in a vehicle, often prohibited for the driver.
>
> That's why <insert_diety> invented splitters. (That's assuming that it
> actually requires headphones, instead of just the wire.)

What nospam is doing is making excuses for the lack of functionality in
iPhones, because he _hates_ that almost all Android phones have FM radios.

*It's yet another thing which is _impossible_ on iOS that we use every day.*
--
Alan Baker, Alan Browne, Chris, Haemactylus, Joerg Lorenz, Jolly Roger,
Lewis, nospam, Rod Speed, Savageduck, Wade Garrett, Wolffan, Your Name,
et al. are embarrassed & ashamed at how much is impossible to do with iOS.

In article <sckvp2.604.1@ID-201911.user.individual.net>, Frank Slootweg
<this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

> > > >> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM capability. My
> > > >> Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a grandkid awhile back) and
> > > >> it was handy to have occasionally. Not all interesting stations are
> > > >> online.
> > >
> > > > Hmmm! Interesting! Might check if my (older) Samsung tablets have it.
> > > > Then we can navigate *and* listen to the radio, how cool is *that*!?
> > > > :-)
> > >
> > > Even if a tablet's hardware has FM capability (chip?) the tablet
> > > manufacturer may not have enabled it. I use an app called NextRadio from
> > > the Play Store to check. It tells you right up front if FM is available
> > > on the device.
> >
> > fm also requires wired headphones for the antenna, which limits it to
> > one person, and in a vehicle, often prohibited for the driver.
>
> That's why <insert_diety> invented splitters. (That's assuming that it
> actually requires headphones, instead of just the wire.)

ok, two people using a splitter, with unknown effect on reception. it's
still less than ideal.

On 7/13/2021 12:24 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
>> In article <sckmtj$k7n$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>>> One thing I do kinda miss on the Fire tablets is FM
>>>>> capability. My Samsung Tab A6 had it (had = gave it to a
>>>>> grandkid awhile back) and it was handy to have occasionally.
>>>>> Not all interesting stations are online.
>>>
>>>> Hmmm! Interesting! Might check if my (older) Samsung tablets
>>>> have it. Then we can navigate *and* listen to the radio, how
>>>> cool is *that*!? :-)
>>>
>>> Even if a tablet's hardware has FM capability (chip?) the tablet
>>> manufacturer may not have enabled it. I use an app called
>>> NextRadio from the Play Store to check. It tells you right up
>>> front if FM is available on the device.

Perhaps I should mention that every tablet I've ever had with FM
capability also has had a built in app to use it with. It's also usually
mentioned in the tablet ads as a selling point. So if your tablets don't
have the app you may be SOL. But it's still worth a try, I always do
with a new toy...

>> fm also requires wired headphones for the antenna, which limits it
>> to one person, and in a vehicle, often prohibited for the driver.

I have one of those modern cars with a built in FM radio and speakers.
But I did find the tablet FM useful around the house...

> That's why <insert_diety> invented splitters. (That's assuming that
> it actually requires headphones, instead of just the wire.)

In article <sckv8m$ghn$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

> >> fm also requires wired headphones for the antenna, which limits it
> >> to one person, and in a vehicle, often prohibited for the driver.
>
> I have one of those modern cars with a built in FM radio and speakers.

except that's limited to 30-50 miles, other than that one station near
you.

> But I did find the tablet FM useful around the house...

do you walk around with wired headphones and a tablet? that doesn't
sound ideal.

On 7/13/2021 2:23 PM, nospam wrote:
> In article <sckv8m$ghn$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.com>
> wrote:
>
>>>> fm also requires wired headphones for the antenna, which limits
>>>> it to one person, and in a vehicle, often prohibited for the
>>>> driver.
>>
>> I have one of those modern cars with a built in FM radio and
>> speakers.
>
> except that's limited to 30-50 miles, other than that one station
> near you.

So's a tablet when using the built in FM radio.

>> But I did find the tablet FM useful around the house...

> do you walk around with wired headphones and a tablet?

I generally relax sitting in my big recliner (where I am now). My most
used tablets are in a vertical file organizer bolted to a table next to
the chair. I have a 6 foot audio cable extension that hides under the
table and can be extended to the right length. I use wired earbuds. I
listen to online news or music or my local 2K+ song collection often
when reading or posting. Right now the song playing is "Let me call you
sweetheart". I find my HD10 to be the best fidelity so usually use it.
If I still had a FM capable tablet I would listen to local stations on
it but I don't. Fortunately with modern technology they make dinky
portable FM radios now so I sometimes use that. Perhaps more than you
wanted to know, but then you asked...

> that doesn't sound ideal.

YMMV.

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
[...]

> I have one of those modern cars with a built in FM radio and speakers.

Wow! I've an AM one with vacuum tubes. I believe the car is a Ford
Model T. It has a nice colour.

> But I did find the tablet FM useful around the house...

I might fire up my tablets one of these days to see if they have FM
radios, but don't hold your breath.

nospam <nospam@nospam.invalid> wrote:
> In article <sckv8m$ghn$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
>
> > >> fm also requires wired headphones for the antenna, which limits it
> > >> to one person, and in a vehicle, often prohibited for the driver.
> >
> > I have one of those modern cars with a built in FM radio and speakers.
>
> except that's limited to 30-50 miles, other than that one station near
> you.

Here - NL and probably most/all of the_EU/Europe - all somewhat major
stations have multiple transmitters/towers at different locations and
cover the whole country or a big part of the country, i.e. way, way more
than 30-50 miles.

> > But I did find the tablet FM useful around the house...
>
> do you walk around with wired headphones and a tablet? that doesn't
> sound ideal.

You should see me with my ghetto-blaster!