View Full Version : N900 Radio Transmitter: ways to amplify the radio signal
Hey,
From the threads on the forum, it is obvious that even though some people have awesome experiences with the radio transmitter, and in some cases the transmitter is way too powerful (like a friend driving behind you being able to tune in), the experience of others (including me) have been disappointing.
The fm transmitter only works when my N900 is literally touching the radio's antenna. Using the transmitter in a car, or anywhere more than 10cm away from the antenna is impossible.
Through software, would it be possible to amplify the radio signal? Or would it be possible to override the transmitter not working with a headset problem to amplify the signal through some changes to the driver, or OS?
Another thing to note is that maybe each country (or even state) has different regulations, and the transmitters are powered down according to where the N900 is sold. That would explain the discrepancy between the experience of users.
realcomix
2009-12-27, 22:17
could be your antenna on the car ..
i dont think that they would dumb down the power for each state .. maybe country .. but not state .. too much work ..
go1dfish
2009-12-27, 22:22
could be your antenna on the car ..
i dont think that they would dumb down the power for each state .. maybe country .. but not state .. too much work ..
At best I'd expect the most granular this would be is by firmware.
Would be interesting to test multiple firmware localizations on the same n900 in a fixed location with fm transmitter.
that's a pretty good idea actually.
Btw, I have tested with multiple radios, in different frequencies and the result is the same. Moreover, I've read most of the threads on the issue and there are people with similar experiences, so it's either hardware issue, software restriction, or maybe in places where the fm band is crowded the radio works much harder (but then some people have pointed out before that their n900 can overpower radio stations at close range).
somedude
2009-12-27, 22:42
I am using 89.1 in North Dallas, TX, USA.
Becasuse N900 cannot broadcast on the 87.9 which is the free wave here in states. Mine is not that strong where my friend can tune in the same channel when they are driving behind me but I do not need to touch the phone and antenna of the car.
I've been using 88.1 in the UK. It was perfect in a Honda Civic, but not so great in a Mercedes A5. A Toyota was ok and a Jag was average as well. I think it may be to do with the location of the aerial on the car? It's ok at short distances from my DAB radio at home, but even 6/7 feet away, it starts breaking up. Perhaps someone else knows the optimal frequencies to use in different cities/countries.
... from reading the forum on this issue it really does sound like the FM transmitter's range is tied to the local markets laws ... I'm in the UK ... and my FM transmitter experiences static when it's more than a couple of feet from a radio ... and in the car is useless unless I hold it, and touch the radio with the other hand ... there's no way in the world my FM transmitter could be capable of transmitting to the car behind me!
... from reading the forum on this issue it really does sound like the FM transmitter's range is tied to the local markets laws ... I'm in the UK ... and my FM transmitter experiences static when it's more than a couple of feet from a radio ... and in the car is useless unless I hold it, and touch the radio with the other hand ... there's no way in the world my FM transmitter could be capable of transmitting to the car behind me!
Which frequencies have you tried?
I think the trick may be to find an "empty" frequency, if such a thing is possible in the UK.
maybe its important how the n900 is faced toward the antenna? :>
maybe it transmits the signal in a focussed direction rather than broadcasting it 360 degrees, so if its not pointing to the antenna the right way, you'll have bad reception.
just a thought though, still dont have a n900 to prove this theory to myself.
i use 107.3 in cambridgeshire area and east london.sound quality is quite good in my volvo v70...
Laughing Man
2009-12-27, 23:59
maybe its important how the n900 is faced toward the antenna? :>
maybe it transmits the signal in a focussed direction rather than broadcasting it 360 degrees, so if its not pointing to the antenna the right way, you'll have bad reception.
just a thought though, still dont have a n900 to prove this theory to myself.
That's an interesting theory, I just tested it myself with the stereo in my room.
I first walked the farthest before I heard static. (pretty much out of the room, the stereo is on the opposite end). Car length wise it'd be about 1.5 Toyota Camrys (yes I know a odd measurement) length.
When the N900's screen is facing the user, and the back is facing the stereo the signal was clearer (no static). If I flipped the N900 around so the back was facing me and the screen was facing the stereo then I could hear static.
Though having tested the transmitter in a car being in a metal car does reduce its range a bit. I've had trouble getting it to work without static even when say resting on the middle compartment (between the two front seats). Toyota cars have their receivers in the back of the car.
Edit: And if you get in the way of the signal there's static too. E.g. position the N900 between you and the radio receiver.
I live in the USA (for clarification's sake). So whatever regulations for transmissions come from the FCC.
89.1 - N900 placed on the drive side dash and pushed back to meet the windshield.
romanianusa
2009-12-28, 01:27
Yea i got to admit...transmission is not that great and i always get static signal along with the music. I didn't bother to fine tune it though as i was busy driving. But from my first experience...that's what's what happened.
ok
when im using the stereo in my home the signal is lost if i hold the n900 more than 10cms awasy from the antenna in any direction.
by signal loss i mean a complete loss and not just simple noise that happens at 5 cm
I can confirm I can get it to work, but I need to be +-50cm from the antena. I find the relative volume to be soft, magnifing the static because I have the volume so high.
Which frequencies have you tried?
I think the trick may be to find an "empty" frequency, if such a thing is possible in the UK.
I've generally stuck to 88.1 ... although I did try it on a higher frequency on a radio that didn't go down that far ... any suggestions for a good frequency for Bristol in the UK?
go1dfish
2009-12-28, 21:25
Found this today: https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6792#c9
When FM transmitter is on, the following sys file is present:
/sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
You might could try fiddling with this value and see what happens. Of course you do so at your own risk and I take no responsibility for you frying device or getting frog-walked/fined by the FCC.
Also would be curious to know what the value in this file is for different people:
With fm transmitter on do (this will not change anything, it's just a way to see what the current level is):
cat /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
And report back what number comes back, I get 112 (also the number referenced in that bug report)
go1dfish
2009-12-28, 21:28
When the N900's screen is facing the user, and the back is facing the stereo the signal was clearer (no static). If I flipped the N900 around so the back was facing me and the screen was facing the stereo then I could hear static.
This meshes with my experience in a Rental with a top roof antenna.
I only got a decent signal by clipping the n900 to the headliner in my e51 case, and signal was better with screen down instead of screen up.
That One Guy
2009-12-28, 21:31
I finally tried the FM transmitter.
1. 2003 F250 Truck - Pretty good
2. 2008 F450 Truck - Kinda crappy
3. 05 and 08 CL65's - Couldn't hear anything playing.
This leads me to believe that different cars have different RF insulator qualities for the antenna cable going into the head unit.
mysticrokks
2009-12-28, 21:31
i have had fm transmitters that transmit at 87.9(and a car with the pick up ability for 87.9)- and it wqas great..
i cannot find any really good signal in london.. best is 154.1
its not great.
Found this today: https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6792#c9
When FM transmitter is on, the following sys file is present:
/sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
You might could try fiddling with this value and see what happens. Of course you do so at your own risk and I take no responsibility for you frying device or getting frog-walked/fined by the FCC.
Also would be curious to know what the value in this file is for different people:
With fm transmitter on do (this will not change anything, it's just a way to see what the current level is):
echo /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
And report back what number comes back, I get 112 (also the number referenced in that bug report)
112 here as well.
go1dfish
2009-12-28, 21:47
112 here as well.
Might be helpful to include firmware localization as well
I'm at 112 on US firmware PR1.0
That One Guy
2009-12-28, 21:52
I'm sitting at 111.
jsharper
2009-12-28, 22:26
mine was 111 with US firmware. The datasheet (http://www.datasheetdir.com/SI4713+Rf-Transmitters) lists a programmable transmit output voltage to be 118dBuV typical with a test condition of 102-118 dBuV for the accuracy spec. I'll go out to the car in a bit and see if I notice any diff setting this to 118.
Interestingly, /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/region_bottom_frequency contains 87500 but the GUI only goes down to 88.1 .. i'd love to be able to use the 87.5-87.9 freqs too...
jsharper
2009-12-28, 22:35
Ok, I noticed a decent improvement of 118 over 111 or 112. It cut the static down quite a bit...
Anyone find a way to manually control the tx freq to force, say, 87.9?
go1dfish
2009-12-28, 22:40
Ok, I noticed a decent improvement of 118 over 111 or 112. It cut the static down quite a bit...
Anyone find a way to manually control the tx freq to force, say, 87.9?
Did it keep your changed power level after a disabling/reenabling of the transmitter?
After a reboot?
jsharper
2009-12-28, 22:42
no, as soon as i turned off the fm transmitter, power_level got set back to 111. you'll need to find a solution to keep setting it
wizbowes
2009-12-28, 22:48
112 - in the UK.
Have rotten reception - none in the car (Saab 95) and dreadful on my one remaining FM radio in the house - has to be touching the radio to work.
i use 107.3 in cambridgeshire area and east london.sound quality is quite good in my volvo v70...
Do You have original volvo radio? I have SC-816 with rear side window antenna and when n900 is on dash FM transmission is very poor quality...
Firmware 51-1 here and the value now is 118 on the pre-production device and 113 on the Summit one.
Kinda weird.
It's set a 90.5 on the Summit one and 88.1 on the pre-prod one.
If I disable the FM Transmitter, tough, that profile is still there.
Btw, it sucks on both.
Today I used my K850i from SE as Radio (it also has RDS).
I had to place the N900 right on the headset cable (the 'antenna') to have clear audio in the 'radio' (the K850).
If I kept the N900 in my hands, sitting at the table, thus few cm away from the 'radio', the quality would drop a lot.
Rotating the N900 did affect the quality (from nothing to good quality) of the audio in the 'radio'.
And I was in my room... not in a shielded car.
LozBlake
2009-12-28, 23:20
Hey, i'm from the uk and i'm at 113, curiously as soon as i plug in the charger it drops down to 88, do you think changing it back up would solve the issue of the transmitter being unusable when charging?
I use my transmitter in my C3 at 107.3 with pretty decent reception, i occasionally get a bit of static, mainly when other pirate stations cross the frequence. I drive in the essex area and about the north m25 with my n900 sitting besides my steering wheel.
go1dfish
2009-12-28, 23:22
Hey, i'm from the uk and i'm at 113, curiously as soon as i plug in the charger it drops down to 88, do you think changing it back up would solve the issue of the transmitter being unusable when charging?
I use my transmitter in my C3 at 107.3 with pretty decent reception, i occasionally get a bit of static, mainly when other pirate stations cross the frequence. I drive in the essex area and about the north m25 with my n900 sitting besides my steering wheel.
Yes, this information was gleaned from a Bug relating to that exact issue:
https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6792#c9
Does it transmit while charging?
Mine in on charge now, FM Transmitter is off, level is 113.
I can't activate the FM Transmitter (as per the bug) while charging.
go1dfish
2009-12-28, 23:27
Does it transmit while charging?
Mine in on charge now, FM Transmitter is off, level is 113.
I can't activate the FM Transmitter (as per the bug) while charging.
I get the same behaviour, but apparently some people are able to have their FM transmitter on at reduced power while charging.
I wonder if it's a difference in charging through a 'dumb' charger vs. a USB Host.
Uhm.. indeed.
Anyway apparaently that has been fixed in 51-5, but I can't test it.
Ah I just plugged the wall charger in and it works.
If I plug in the USB cable (attached to a computer) than it complains... Interesting.
And yes, the power_level dropped from 118 to 93 on the pre-production and to 88 from 113 on the Summit one.
Interestingly, /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/region_bottom_frequency contains 87500 but the GUI only goes down to 88.1 .. i'd love to be able to use the 87.5-87.9 freqs too...
Bug https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7425 entered. I am in region 2. /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/region_bottom_frequency is 87500
If you have a region_bottom_frequency less than 88100 and 88.1MHz is the lowest frequency available to you in the FM transmitter GUI and you want to set a freq below 88.1, please vote for bug 7425.
If you are able to set a frequency below 88.1 by the GUI (or other means), please post to this thread.
jsharper
2009-12-29, 00:04
i thought i had seen a bug for that (88.1 being lowest selectable in GUI) but I can't find it now. I've voted for 7425.
According to the N900 manual the limit is 88.1 - 107.9.
According to Wikipedia an FM Transmitter "can broadcast on any FM frequency from 76.0 to 108.0 MHz (or 88.1 to 107.9 in the US)"
Weird as right now Nokia's selling only the Euro version of the device.
Btw, it sucks on both.
Today I used my K850i from SE as Radio (it also has RDS).
I had to place the N900 right on the headset cable (the 'antenna') to have clear audio in the 'radio' (the K850).
If I kept the N900 in my hands, sitting at the table, thus few cm away from the 'radio', the quality would drop a lot.
Rotating the N900 did affect the quality (from nothing to good quality) of the audio in the 'radio'.
And I was in my room... not in a shielded car.
this pretty much sums up my experience on the device...
how come we have such a huge difference in use experience of the radio transmitter?
how come we have such a huge difference in use experience of the radio transmitter?
Different receivers?
Have you tried your phone with other cars, or car with other transmitters?
danielz000
2009-12-30, 14:09
Hi All!
My first post...
I just tried the "cat /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level" command and it returned 112...
I'm in the UK and when I tested the FM transmitter inside the car and my house I was disappointed to say the least.
Is 112 the maximum signal strength?
Cheers,
Daniel
The preset power level was 114 for me (scandinavian sales SW).
Setting it to 118 removed almost all of the audible static and made the signal strong enough to be captured decently in all cars I tried it in (and older Golf, a Scudo and and shiny new Insight; only the Scudo initially struggled with it).
One thing to remember with the numbers is that the chip may have some kind of built-in Tx power management by monitoring the actual power pushed to the air vs. power reflected back from the antenna. As the antenna itself seems to be a just a metal sliver with carefully formed shape suited for antenna use and the contact is a standard metal-gold-spring-loaded touch-gold-nickel-copper contact, it is subject to variance in quality from device to device and also WILL vary as the device ages and gets dropped, dusted, humid, squeezed, dipped in beer and so on. The Tx power can quite likely be controlled to some degree by the chip itself, though the problem here is not frying the gain stage - even the maximum output is but a candle compared to the supernova-like relative luminosity of the "real" transmitter stations - but power usage that should always be minimized.
One nasty thing I noticed about the transmitter is that there's quite little fitering from the main power net of the phone to the transmitter. I noticed this when I was trying it with the not-that-good-but-adequate minihifi set I use as computer speakers and not that low sound level as I wanted to hear if the static changed as I played with the settings - the bundled charger distorted the transmitted signal to a horrible shriek that made my cat go from sleepy rest to VERY puffy in about 3,8 µs and resulted in eight bleeding deep puncture wounds on my shoulder, lots of swearing and bodily pain due to the shock from the shriek and the cat wanting to suddenly delocalize itself, which in turn resulted my computer chair toppling over and me lying on the floor, bleeding and wondering what the hell had just happened - and the shrieking just wouldn't stop until got up from the floor and pulled the charger cable - it was closer than the power button for the speaker set.
Perhaps this is why the SW is not sure whether to allow the FM transmitter to work while a power-carrying cable is plugged in? :D
danielz000
2009-12-30, 15:58
Hahah! Well i'm glad to hear you survived that attack!
Would you mind sharing how you changed the default power level? I'm a total n900 / linux noob! :(
Do you think changing it could invalidate the warranty?
*EDIT* I should probably just learn to UTFSE! Sorry!
Noob Question:
How to change it manually ?
is it something like this ?
sudo gain root
cat 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
Thanks
danielz000
2009-12-30, 17:03
I think you're going to get a file not found error with that command.
I tried using vi to edit the file but got scared when I got a file could not be opened fully error... (or something to that affect)
jsharper
2009-12-30, 17:29
close.
echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
Hello Guys
Are you sure the changing the contents of that file is going to change the Power Level ?
I think that that file is not a "config" file but it is a Log file, if you notice that file is updated whenever you start the FM Transmitter, so the only thing that that file is telling you is the current power-level.
The contents of my file where:
0
And after i started the FM Transmitter it changed to 111.
So i really think is a Log file
Maybe it cannot be changed this easily
fnordianslip
2009-12-30, 18:08
Hello Guys
Are you sure the changing the contents of that file is going to change the Power Level ?
I think that that file is not a "config" file but it is a Log file, if you notice that file is updated whenever you start the FM Transmitter, so the only thing that that file is telling you is the current power-level.
Maybe it cannot be changed this easily
I've tried echoing 118 to that file whilst the device is connected to the charger. Before echoing 118, cat returns 88, and the signal is weak. Echoing 118 increases the signal strength so that the receiver is fully quieted.
So, it works for me :)
jsharper
2009-12-30, 18:12
Hello Guys
Are you sure the changing the contents of that file is going to change the Power Level ?
I think that that file is not a "config" file but it is a Log file, if you notice that file is updated whenever you start the FM Transmitter, so the only thing that that file is telling you is the current power-level.
The contents of my file where:
0
And after i started the FM Transmitter it changed to 111.
So i really think is a Log file
Maybe it cannot be changed this easily
Files in /sys and /proc are not real files -- they are special interfaces to the kernel and drivers that are exposed to act like files. writing to the power_level "file" actually sends the new value directly to the running driver which appears to then immediately send the new value to the Si4713 fm transmitter chip via the i2c bus. I can confirm through observation that there is indeed an audible pop followed by an adjustment in the ability to receive the fm signal the moment after echoing a new value to that file.
pretty nice find, thanks guys .. now we just need to find out to mod the kernel driver to set the value ;)
close.
echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
Blah...my bad :P..I should use echo not cat..not sure what i was thinking when i type that mesg :)..
Thanks.
does it really work ? could you explain very precisely how to do ?
thanx :)
I have tested the radio transmitter in a Volvo V70, and it serves it's purpose. Compared to the old fashioned way of burning CDs I couldn't ask for more. Remember, it's a phone, not a radio station..
does it really work ? could you explain very precisely how to do ?
thanx :)
yes it really works - to do it - simply open a terminal, run root, type in the echo command a few posts back.
and...... how to run root ?
and...... how to run root ?
http://wiki.maemo.org/Root_access
yes it really works - to do it - simply open a terminal, run root, type in the echo command a few posts back.
Is it persistent?
Must the transmitter be powered up?
Is it persistent?
No.
I
Must the transmitter be powered up?
Yes.
it's maybe an idiot question but... can we put a higher value than 118 ? actually it is strength enough for me but i was just wandering ^^
or to better put it?
legal issues asides? what's the highest transmit value that is safe for the radio transmitter (as in not burning it) :)
fnordianslip
2010-01-01, 14:48
The datasheet linked in an earlier post shows the figure of 118 dbuV typical for the programmable TXO output voltage. No minimum and maximum figures are specified.
Until someone finds application notes or other detailed documentation, I wouldn't consider going above 118, and would advise sticking with the initial figure obtained by cating the file without a charger plugged in (so as not to advise dangerously).
I've ran mine for a couple of hours at 118 and noticed no issues, but am generally using 112dBuV. IIRC an increase of 6dB will double the voltage.
Ok ı'm running at 122 now, the device is still alive and running and seems stable, but I wouldn't use it like that for extended periods of time... I just felt naughty, and tbh it wouldn't be of use to me anyway with high noise so I had to do it.
One thing to remember with the numbers is that the chip may have some kind of built-in Tx power management by monitoring the actual power pushed to the air vs. power reflected back from the antenna. As the antenna itself seems to be a just a metal sliver with carefully formed shape suited for antenna use and the contact is a standard metal-gold-spring-loaded touch-gold-nickel-copper contact, it is subject to variance in quality from device to device and also WILL vary as the device ages and gets dropped, dusted, humid, squeezed, dipped in beer and so on. The Tx power can quite likely be controlled to some degree by the chip itself, though the problem here is not frying the gain stage - even the maximum output is but a candle compared to the supernova-like relative luminosity of the "real" transmitter stations - but power usage that should always be minimized.
One nasty thing I noticed about the transmitter is that there's quite little fitering from the main power net of the phone to the transmitter. I noticed this when I was trying it with the not-that-good-but-adequate minihifi set I use as computer speakers and not that low sound level as I wanted to hear if the static changed as I played with the settings - the bundled charger distorted the transmitted signal to a horrible shriek that made my cat go from sleepy rest to VERY puffy in about 3,8 µs and resulted in eight bleeding deep puncture wounds on my shoulder, lots of swearing and bodily pain due to the shock from the shriek and the cat wanting to suddenly delocalize itself, which in turn resulted my computer chair toppling over and me lying on the floor, bleeding and wondering what the hell had just happened - and the shrieking just wouldn't stop until got up from the floor and pulled the charger cable - it was closer than the power button for the speaker set.
Perhaps this is why the SW is not sure whether to allow the FM transmitter to work while a power-carrying cable is plugged in? :D
When they said to cat that /proc/ interface, they meant the shell command "cat". ;)
Haha just kidding and thanks for the tragic but comedic tale. I hope you have recovered!
I've ran mine for a couple of hours at 118 and noticed no issues, but am generally using 112dBuV. IIRC an increase of 6dB will double the voltage.
Thanks for testing this. My electronics knowledge is fairly rudimentary, so i'm curious how that works. Since 3dB is basically a doubling in output power, does that mean that the voltage and current both increase linearly in a transmitter? I suppose either one could cause a failure.
BTW when i turn off my radio, i still get "112" as the power_level. Isn't it supposed to go away or to 0 when turned off?
fnordianslip
2010-01-01, 15:15
Well, power in Watts = voltage squared divided by the impedance (or resistance), so it isn't linear.
Voltage expressions in dB use the "20 log rule" whereas power expressions in dB use the "10 log rule", hence the figure of +6dB for a doubled voltage level, and +3dB for a doubled power level.
Edit. Actually, you said voltage and current both increase linearly, and they actually do, as according to Ohms law R=V/I, so V and I rise linearly, but the power goes up exponentially, as P=VI.
Bug https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7425 entered. I am in region 2. /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/region_bottom_frequency is 87500
If you have a region_bottom_frequency less than 88100 and 88.1MHz is the lowest frequency available to you in the FM transmitter GUI and you want to set a freq below 88.1, please vote for bug 7425.
I voted on this bug report, but then noticed it has been closed:
The reason for 88.1MHz lower limit of the FM Transmitter is to use the common band with FCC countries. Frequencies under 88.1MHz are removed since the allowed output power under 88MHz is lower than on 88.1-107.9MHz band in FCC countries.
This will not be changed.
While that seems likely due to the overlap with channel 6 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FM_broadcasting_in_the_USA#FM_radio_channel_assign ments_in_the_U.S), the amount of power output by our phone transmitters is surely orders of magnitude less than the licensed stations i would expect such a regulation would apply to.
What i was able to find with a short search is that the real reason is that
the unlicensed broadcast band only goes down to 88.0 MHz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_47_CFR_Part_15#Unlicensed_broadcasting), which means a center frequency of 88.1 MHz. I would assume that's the legal realm in which the FM transmitter on the N900 is working. The power of said broadcast is expressly limited to 250 µV/m at a distance of 3 meters from the antenna. This is equivalent to 0.01 microwatts.
Any transmission over that power level is "punishable by law and confiscation of all broadcast equipment".
Voltage expressions in dB use the "20 log rule" whereas power expressions in dB use the "10 log rule", hence the figure of +6dB for a doubled voltage level, and +3dB for a doubled power level.
Thanks; i didn't know that about voltage dB units.
Edit. Actually, you said voltage and current both increase linearly, and they actually do, as according to Ohms law R=V/I, so V and I rise linearly, but the power goes up exponentially, as P=VI.
Yeah i was thinking of Ohm's law and assuming that dB was referring to power, not voltage. Is the value in the /proc/ a voltage amplification? Funny to call it "power_level" if so. :D
fnordianslip
2010-01-01, 16:04
Is the value in the /proc/ a voltage amplification? Funny to call it "power_level" if so. :D
It is a voltage value, described as " Programmable Transmit Output Voltage, TXO", in units of dBμV, according to the linked datasheet.
cat /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
88 here.
I tried setting it to 118 while transmitting and what a difference! Suddenly so much clearer.
I did find that file /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level did exist when FM transmitter was off.
I also found that plugging in a wall charger dropped the power level to 88.
Now to make it persistent...
go1dfish
2010-01-01, 19:31
Ok ı'm running at 122 now, the device is still alive and running and seems stable, but I wouldn't use it like that for extended periods of time... I just felt naughty, and tbh it wouldn't be of use to me anyway with high noise so I had to do it.
Did you notice any significant difference between 118 and 122?
i.e. I'm wondering since the chip specs specify 118, if the driver/chip knows enough to treat any values above 118 as 118.
iKneaDough
2010-01-01, 19:53
Did you notice any significant difference between 118 and 122?
i.e. I'm wondering since the chip specs specify 118, if the driver/chip knows enough to treat any values above 118 as 118.
I tried a bunch of different numbers past 118.
With each increase in number between 111 to 118, there is a noticeable improvement, but once you reach 118, any higher number doesn't seem to make any difference and sounds the same as 118 itself.
mine is at 114 and works ok in a ford focus
i just wish I could set the freq below 88.1 as everything above 88 seems to be taken
funny enough my region_bottom_freq value is set to 87500 so the 88.1 thing may be a gui limmitation
yes above 118 doesn't seem to make any noticeable difference.
I just wish we could get some more juice out of the radio transmitter as I could really use it :)
Hi - any of you guys that are looking at these files related to the FM transmitter know if there is anything that enables or disables the transmitter? I might be treading on thin ice here, but I have an N900 from Nokia.co.uk and it currently has the FM transmitter disabled! I'm awaiting a call from Nokia about this - but I was just hoping someone might know of an easy answer - unless of course this is a fault and it says it is disabled because it cannot contact it!?!?
Hmm, anyway, just thought I'd throw that in there. Sorry it isn't directly related - other than asking how I can increase my power from, well.. disabled...
optimaxxx
2010-01-02, 04:42
have people covered the fact that the transmitter's digital?
i based this on the fact that when i use my phone in my brand new vehicle, it actually displays "NOKIA" on the car's display, it also has perfect sound quality. but in our 1999 Mazda 626, it doesn't display NOkia, and the sound quality is terrible!
cat /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
88 here.
I tried setting it to 118 while transmitting and what a difference! Suddenly so much clearer.
I did find that file /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level did exist when FM transmitter was off.
I also found that plugging in a wall charger dropped the power level to 88.
Now to make it persistent...
Can an xTerm script @root be tied to a desktop shortcut like this command was >> http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=409122&postcount=3
Having a button to press from the desktop while the transmitter is running is a lot easier to do in a moving vehicle where this hack is most useful.
Opening xTerm, entering root, opening notepad, copying the script, then pasting it in xTerm is a bit cumbersome and I do not have the skills to easily confirm that something like:
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Version=0.1
Type=Application
Terminal=true
Name=POW
Exec=sudo gainroot
Exec=echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
Icon=
#X-Window-Icon=timerwidget
X-Window-Icon=
X-HildonDesk-ShowInToolbar=true
X-Osso-Type=application/x-executable
would even work and I would have to run back and forth to my car where my only FM radio lives...
...in the dark, on a cold rainy night. Brrrrr! :)
Can an xTerm script @root be tied to a desktop shortcut like this command was >> http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=409122&postcount=3
[Desktop Entry]
Encoding=UTF-8
Version=0.1
Type=Application
Terminal=true
Name=POW
Exec=sudo gainroot
Exec=echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
Icon=
#X-Window-Icon=timerwidget
X-Window-Icon=
X-HildonDesk-ShowInToolbar=true
X-Osso-Type=application/x-executable
would even work and I would have to run back and forth to my car where my only FM radio lives...
...in the dark, on a cold rainy night. Brrrrr! :)
I am not familiar with the Desktop files that much, so not sure how having to Exec lines works. Is that right?
And as sudo gainroot launches a login shell, any subsequent commands shouldn't run in there, atleast in a shell script it doesn't, again, not familiar with desktop files.
So one could setuid bit on a script that just runs this command, so it runs with root privileges.
Ok I just read your linked thread. That is a command running as normal user. So it gets tricky to escalate privileges in a command.
The setuid is the best I can think of for now, but people will complain it is not a secure option :)
I need to take a look at that this "gainroot" argument actually does; we might be able to add this command to the suders file so we can simply sudo the command without the need for a password....
I openned up /etc/suders and an excerpt.
### Automatically added by update-sudoers start ###
Defaults env_check+="HOME DISPLAY"
Defaults env_keep+="HOME DISPLAY"
Defaults env_reset
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/gainroot
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/mmc-mount /dev/mmcblk0 /media/mmc1
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/mmc-mount /dev/mmcblk0p1 /media/mmc1
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /bin/umount /media/mmc1,/bin/umount -l /media/mmc1
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/osso-usb-mass-storage-enable.sh, /usr/sbin/osso-usb-mass-storage-disable.sh
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /sbin/mkdosfs /dev/mmcblk0*, /usr/sbin/mmc-rename /dev/mmcblk0*
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /etc/init.d/af-base-apps stop , /etc/osso-af-init/gconf-daemon.sh stop
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /etc/init.d/af-base-apps start , /etc/osso-af-init/gconf-daemon.sh start
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /etc/init.d/osso-systemui restart
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/gconf-clean.sh
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/chroot /mnt/initfs /usr/bin/retutime *
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /sbin/insmod /mnt/initfs/lib/modules/current/g_file_storage.ko stall=0 file=/dev/mmcblk0
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /sbin/insmod /mnt/initfs/lib/modules/current/g_ether.ko
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /sbin/rmmod g_file_storage
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /sbin/rmmod g_ether
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/osso-backup-restore-locale
user ALL = (install) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/app-installer-tool
### Automatically added by update-sudoers end ###
### Automatically added by update-sudoers start ###
%users ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/libexec/apt-worker
%users ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/hildon-application-manager-util restore-catalogues
%users ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/hildon-application-manager-util restore-catalogues2
%users ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/hildon-application-manager-util clear-user-catalogues
### Automatically added by update-sudoers end ###
### Automatically added by update-sudoers start ###
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/personalisation
### Automatically added by update-sudoers end ###
### Automatically added by update-sudoers start ###
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/hildon-input-method-configurator.bin
So, as root, we can add the command we need and then the script can simply be
sudo echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
This is a quick look, I'll spend some more time on it later..
Yep my idea works. I'll post a how-to tomorrow. Really need sleep now.
Yep my idea works. I'll post a how-to tomorrow. Really need sleep now.
Looking forward to it mate... Thanks!
javispedro
2010-01-03, 17:37
The best way to amplify the radio signal is (other than using headphones or even the USB cable) playing with "external" cables. Just wrapping a VGA cable does a lot here, but still, your mileage may vary...
have people covered the fact that the transmitter's digital?
It isn't digital. It's a classic analog FM transmitter, but includes RDS (Radio Data System) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Data_System) information. Your old car's radio doesn't have RDS, the new one has.
It'd be nice if the FM transmitter strenght could be displayed/adjusted by the FM transmitter widget. :)
It isn't digital. It's a classic analog FM transmitter, but includes RDS (Radio Data System) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Data_System) information. Your old car's radio doesn't have RDS, the new one has.
Yup... The next thing to find is where the RDS info is stored so it can be personalized or even hacked to contain dynamic info passed from the media player or other apps.. :)
I initially thought the same regarding the RDS. However, the PS field is only 8 characters and very few receivers support the RT field (64 characters).
It may be possible to do some clever scrolling in the 8 character PS field, but the RDS data rate is very slow (1187.5 bps).
qwerty12
2010-01-03, 21:35
Yup... The next thing to find is where the RDS info is stored so it can be personalized or even hacked to contain dynamic info passed from the media player or other apps.. :)
http://maemo.org/packages/view/fmrdsnotify/
But it's no big secret; fmtxd provides a D-Bus interface for doing so; the above utilises it. There's also the preinstalled fmtx_client accessible from the X Terminal which also lets you set it, using that interface.
fmtxd does nothing special to set it, it just writes to a file in /sys.
http://maemo.org/packages/view/fmrdsnotify/
But it's no big secret; fmtxd provides a D-Bus interface for doing so; the above utilises it. There's also the preinstalled fmtx_client accessible from the X Terminal which also lets you set it, using that interface.
fmtxd does nothing special to set it, it just writes to a file in /sys.
Well there ya go, thanks.
Do you have any input on a means to change the transmitter output from the desktop.
Oh good one.
Well what I did was 3 things:
1. Become root, run visudo. In that text file [be careful] add line:
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/local/bin/118
ie type
O
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/local/bin/118
[ESC]
:x
2. Make a file "/usr/local/bin/118"
with contents:
#!/bin/sh
/bin/echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
exit 0
Then type:
chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/118
3. Add file:
/usr/share/applications/hildon/118.desktop
With contents:
[Desktop Entry]
Version=0.1
Type=Application
Name=118
Exec= /usr/bin/sudo /usr/local/bin/118
Icon=
X-Windows-Icon=
X-HildonDesk-ShowInToolbar=false
X-Osso-Type=application/x-executable
And now you have an app called 118 that does what you want.
I am not an expert on hildon *.desktop files and running this command waits for some sort of X feedback, so you need to multi-task out and it disappears.
Please someone tidy up that part of it.
Oh good one.
Well what I did was 3 things:
1. Become root, run visudo. In that text file [be careful] add line:
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/local/bin/118
ie type
O
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/local/bin/118
[ESC]
:x
2. Make a file "/usr/local/bin/118"
with contents:
#!/bin/sh
/bin/echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
exit 0
Then type:
chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/118
3. Add file:
/usr/share/applications/hildon/118.desktop
With contents:
[Desktop Entry]
Version=0.1
Type=Application
Name=118
Exec= /usr/bin/sudo /usr/local/bin/118
Icon=
X-Windows-Icon=
X-HildonDesk-ShowInToolbar=false
X-Osso-Type=application/x-executable
And now you have an app called 118 that does what you want.
I am not an expert on hildon *.desktop files and running this command waits for some sort of X feedback, so you need to multi-task out and it disappears.
Please someone tidy up that part of it.
I have put those two files you create in that in a tarball you get download onto the N900 directly.
So run this as root:
wget http://www.dward.us/software/118.tar
tar xf 118.tar
Now run ls and they will both be there, so now just run:
mv 118 /usr/local/bin/
mv 118.desktop /usr/share/applications/hildon/
HTH
I was trying to get the exact same thing running and it's great that someone got it working! =)
Anyway, I hit a bump trying to follow your steps:
Nokia-N900-42-11:~# visudo
visudo: no editor found (editor path = /bin/vi)
Any clue? I'm using an ssh connection and logged in as root.
I was trying to get the exact same thing running and it's great that someone got it working! =)
Anyway, I hit a bump trying to follow your steps:
Nokia-N900-42-11:~# visudo
visudo: no editor found (editor path = /bin/vi)
Any clue? I'm using an ssh connection and logged in as root.
Oh ok, I thought that was just my N900.
Just link it to vim, you do have vim installed?
ln -s /usr/bin/vim /bin/vi
Oh ok, I thought that was just my N900.
Just link it to vim, you do have vim installed?
ln -s /usr/bin/vim /bin/vi
No, but I'm installing it right now =)
Nice. Works like a charm. I renamed it though to RadioHACK =)
Nice. Works like a charm. I renamed it though to RadioHACK =)
Cool. There was a typo in my code with the untaring. I have edited and fixed that, sorry.
Now to make the GUI side effect much better.
I am installed the Maemo 5 SDK, so maybe I will make this a whole lot better and add a dialog box to say the command was successful.
Haha nice. Don't forget to add the permission setting steps to your guide with the tar ball!
chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/118
;)
Haha nice. Don't forget to add the permission setting steps to your guide with the tar ball!
chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/118
;)
That is the idea of the tarball; tar preserves unix perms, that's why I used that method.
debernardis
2010-01-04, 07:11
I wrote to Pekka Ronkko, author of the simple-fmtx widget, to enclose the hack in the next version of his package. Best solution imho.
slavikko
2010-01-04, 08:38
Wrote the following quick & dirty script to use with desktop-cmd-exec (http://maemo.org/packages/view/desktop-cmd-exec/)
Create a file with the following code to /usr/local/bin/toggleradio.sh
#!/bin/bash
fmtx_client|grep disabled > /dev/null
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
fmtx_client -p 1 > /dev/null
fmtx_client -f 106900 > /dev/null
echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
echo "RF Enabled @106.90 with power `cat /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level`"
else
fmtx_client -p 0
echo "RF Disabled"
fi
exit 0
chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/toggleradio.sh
add user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/local/bin/toggleradio.sh to /etc/sudoers
This will enable the rf transmitter if it's disabled and raise the power and disabled it if it's enabled. Configure desktop-cmd-exec to run it on click. The command line to insert to desktop-cmd-exec is 'sudo /usr/local/bin/toggleradio.sh'
Note, needs bash which you can get by apt-get install bash
NOTE: there's seemingly a bug in the desktop-cmd-exec right now which causes it to run the script when you return to the desktop even though it's set to run on-click. I contacted the dev and hope that it'll be sorted out soon.
Made a new version of the script that's not dependent on bash & has some optional parameters to set the xmit power / freq
#!/bin/sh
#N900 FM transmitter toggler
#Establishing funtions
enableFM () {
fmtx_client -p1 > /dev/null
if [ $freq ]; then
fmtx_client -f$freq > /dev/null
fi
echo $power > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
freq=`fmtx_client |grep frequency=|awk '{print int(substr($1,11))/1000};'`
echo "RF Enabled @"$freq" with power `cat /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level`"
return 0
}
disableFM () {
fmtx_client -p 0 > /dev/null
echo "RF Disabled"
return 0
}
usage () {
echo "Usage:"
echo " By default the script sets the power to 118 and does not mess with your default frequency, if you just run it."
echo " Optional parameter one let's you define the transmission power manually"
echo " Optional parameter two let's you define the frequency manually (eg. 106900 for 106.9)"
exit 0
}
#Very simple command line parsing
case "$1" in
[0-9]* ) power=$1;;
[A-Za-z\-]* ) usage;;
* ) power=118;;
esac
case "$2" in
[0-9]* ) freq=$2;;
* )
esac
fmtx_client|grep disabled > /dev/null
if [ $? = 0 ]; then
enableFM
else
disableFM
fi
exit 0
LozBlake
2010-01-04, 10:15
I have put those two files you create in that in a tarball you get download onto the N900 directly.
So run this as roo:
wget http://www.dward.us/software/118.tar
tar xf 118.tar
Now run ls and they will both be there, so now just run:
mv 118 /usr/local/bin/
mv 118.desktop /usr/share/applications/hildon/
HTH
Am i doing something wrong here, my n900 says wget not found??
Also by roo do you mean root?
I'm a complete novice by the way, sorry if this is all a bit obvious
slavikko
2010-01-04, 11:31
root yes.
wget is not installed by default.
You can get it by running 'apt-get install wget' (as root)
Note, needs bash which you can get by apt-get install bash
AFAICS your script doesn't use any bash specific features. Can you check it's work with standard /bin/sh?
hi, i have had success using echo in the terminal.
following the instructions from daveqb for a desktop shortcut for it has not worked...i have a desktop shortcut, however it is not making any changes.
I may have done something wrong, wanted to let you know though just in case!
slavikko
2010-01-04, 14:22
AFAICS your script doesn't use any bash specific features. Can you check it's work with standard /bin/sh?
Didn't work directly since it was a bit bashy, but I posted a new version in the original post that does not need sh.
nice one!
it seems that frequency setting is disabled on my phone
I get:
"fmtx_client: ERROR: Unable to set frequency (Frequency is not currently allowed)"
or am I doing something wrong?
shadowjk
2010-01-04, 16:06
I initially thought the same regarding the RDS. However, the PS field is only 8 characters and very few receivers support the RT field (64 characters).
It may be possible to do some clever scrolling in the 8 character PS field, but the RDS data rate is very slow (1187.5 bps).
1187.5bps is, what, over 100 chars per second? so you could change the 8char field over 10 times per second? Sounds plenty fast to me.
Messed around with the scripts a little and came up with some stuff that doesn't require any outside apps etc to work.
Edit a file called /opt/bin/boostfm.sh
!/bin/sh
STATE=`fmtx_client | grep state | cut -d '=' -f2`
if [ "disabled" = ${STATE} ]
then
echo "Turning on FM transmitter"
fmtx_client -p1
else
echo "Turning off FM transmitter"
fmtx_client -p0
fi
/bin/echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
exit 0
Now add the following to /etc/sudoers
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /opt/bin/boostfm.sh
Now create a file called BoostFM.desktop in /usr/share/applications/hildon which contains
[Desktop Entry]
Version=0.1
Type=Application
Name=BoostFM
Exec=osso-xterm 'sudo /opt/bin/boostfm.sh'
Icon=general_fm_transmitter
X-Windows-Icon=
X-HildonDesk-ShowInToolbar=false
X-Osso-Type=application/x-executable
This will open up an xterm, run the script and then close the xterm. It checks to see if the transmitter is on and will turn it off if it is. I used a standard system icon for the icon in the desktop file. All you need to now is put it as a shortcut on your desktop and its one tap on and off.
legoman666
2010-01-04, 16:37
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/vacant
Sorry if this is asked before, I did some searching, but could not find it. Seems there are some experts on this thread..
Is there a way to use bluetooth for my Parrot carkit and use the FM tramsmitter as well? I find the N900 'seas' the Parrot as 'an earphone' and I get the music through bluetooth.. The volume is very low and I can't adjust it on Parrot or caraudio or N900! So I would like having a carkit and fm tfransmitter for my music. Thx!
This will open up an xterm, run the script and then close the xterm. It checks to see if the transmitter is on and will turn it off if it is. I used a standard system icon for the icon in the desktop file. All you need to now is put it as a shortcut on your desktop and its one tap on and off.
If i use your Solution i get an xterm where i have to type in a Password.
So i just replaced the Exec-Line to "Exec= /usr/bin/sudo /usr/local/bin/boostfm.sh"
The only problem is that it starts a window with nothing in it and just the name BoostFM. If i switch to the Desktop it is gone and worked.
Don't know how to fix this problem.
greetings
Christopher
If i use your Solution i get an xterm where i have to type in a Password.
So i just replaced the Exec-Line to "Exec= /usr/bin/sudo /usr/local/bin/boostfm.sh"
The only problem is that it starts a window with nothing in it and just the name BoostFM. If i switch to the Desktop it is gone and worked.
Don't know how to fix this problem.
greetings
Christopher
You didnt add the line to your suduoers file as shown in step II. You have to have that line otherwise you will get prompted
Something broke!
I followed the instructions and everything went well... icon is present and when pushed window opens and closes. Tested it on the radio and it rocks!
I came back in to write this post and went to terminal to see what level it reports and couldn't gain root. :eek:
xTerm reports:
sudoers file: syntax error, line 75 <<<
sudo: parse error in etc/sudoers near line 75
Now Applications Manager reports "operation failed" and shows no catalogues installed.
Media player does not show any songs and will not close. :eek::eek:
I would hate to reflash. Is there anything I can try?
Messed around with the scripts a little and came up with some stuff that doesn't require any outside apps etc to work.
Edit a file called /opt/bin/boostfm.sh
!/bin/sh
STATE=`fmtx_client | grep state | cut -d '=' -f2`
if [ "disabled" = ${STATE} ]
then
echo "Turning on FM transmitter"
fmtx_client -p1
else
echo "Turning off FM transmitter"
fmtx_client -p0
fi
/bin/echo 118 > /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
exit 0
Now add the following to /etc/sudoers
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /opt/bin/boostfm.sh
Now create a file called BoostFM.desktop in /usr/share/applications/hildon which contains
[Desktop Entry]
Version=0.1
Type=Application
Name=BoostFM
Exec=osso-xterm 'sudo /opt/bin/boostfm.sh'
Icon=general_fm_transmitter
X-Windows-Icon=
X-HildonDesk-ShowInToolbar=false
X-Osso-Type=application/x-executable
This will open up an xterm, run the script and then close the xterm. It checks to see if the transmitter is on and will turn it off if it is. I used a standard system icon for the icon in the desktop file. All you need to now is put it as a shortcut on your desktop and its one tap on and off.
fnordianslip
2010-01-04, 23:08
You could try ssh as root locally on the N900 or from something else, and fixing the /etc/sudoers file, assuming you have the ssh server running.
qwerty12
2010-01-04, 23:10
Something broke!
I followed the instructions and everything went well... icon is present and when pushed window opens and closes. Tested it about:blankon the radio and it rocks!
I came back in to write this post and went to terminal to see what level it reports and couldn't gain root. :eek:
xTerm reports:
sudoers file: syntax error, line 75 <<<
sudo: parse error in etc/sudoers near line 75
Now Applications Manager reports "operation failed" and shows no catalogues installed.
Media player does not show any songs and will not close. :eek::eek:
I would hate to reflash. Is there anything I can try?
If you have rootsh installed (not the extras-devel version), run "rootsh /bin/sh" and you can remove the offending line from sudoers.
For future reference: Use visudo instead of editing sudoers directly. visudo tells you if a line will **** up the entire sudo system when exiting the editor.
For future reference: Use visudo instead of editing sudoers directly. visudo tells you if a line will **** up the entire sudo system when exiting the editor.
EXACTLY!!
I was going to write that as I was reading through the last few [new] pages as alot of people are suggesting editing the file directly.
But now someone has made a good example of themselves for the benefit of the community.
Thanks YoDude ;)
EXACTLY!!
I was going to write that as I was reading through the last few [new] pages as alot of people are suggesting editing the file directly.
But now someone has made a good example of themselves for the benefit of the community.
Thanks YoDude ;)
Yeah... I'm not sure what example was made :rolleyes:
I suspect people cut and paste the line and ended up with a blank line in their sudoers file. Sorry but the code tags seem to add a blank line wether I want it or not.
Agree with visudo comment. I actually used that myself guess I should have specified that. This is why I suck at writing docs
I suspect people cut and paste the line and ended up with a blank line in their sudoers file. Sorry but the code tags seem to add a blank line wether I want it or not.
Agree with visudo comment. I actually used that myself guess I should have specified that. This is why I suck at writing docs
The extra line was exactly what happened... NP, after all...
I finally learned this:
http://files.myopera.com/yodude/blog/flash.png
:D
I also learned that I made quite a few changes since I backed up last...
..and, if you package this up in a deb they will write songs about you. :)
It works and it adds so much value to the N900. The FM transmitter will now act as most expect it to and not the way it was shipped. Cheers.
As a bonus, if my Chinook & Diablo re-flashing history is a guide, this means a new firmware image will be available within the next two or three days :rolleyes:
Kind of like washing your car will make it rain. :D
1187.5bps is, what, over 100 chars per second? so you could change the 8char field over 10 times per second? Sounds plenty fast to me.
The RDS signal carries more than just those 8 characters, so no.
But it might be fast enough to show "RINGING" when there's an incoming call and "YOUR MOM" when it's someone special :-)
It works and it adds so much value to the N900. The FM transmitter will now act as most expect it to and not the way it was shipped. Cheers.
is there a "non geeky" way for newbies to achieve these results? For me N900 transmitter is completely useless because all I get is static :(
This is awesome guys ! i was looking for this. tks, will try it later today.
Other nice tweak would be getting the radio display to show the name of the song playing instead of "NOKIA".
it would be nice if this could be added to the fmxwidget, so everytime you switch the fm transmitter on youll get the value set automaticaly ... let's see if i can get ahold of the guy who wrote it...
You didnt add the line to your suduoers file as shown in step II. You have to have that line otherwise you will get prompted
I have the same problem, xterm opening and requesting password, however I have edited sudoers according to your instructions. Cannot see where I have erred though I must have...any ideas? Some common sense mistake perhaps?
I have the same problem, xterm opening and requesting password, however I have edited sudoers according to your instructions. Cannot see where I have erred though I must have...any ideas? Some common sense mistake perhaps?
Make sure you do not have a blank line or trailing characters after the line. As stated in a few posts previous its best to use visudo to edit this file as it will highlight syntax errors etc.
is there a "non geeky" way for newbies to achieve these results? For me N900 transmitter is completely useless because all I get is static :(
I'll second that - any way this could be made into an app or similar for those not so techie? :)
I'll second that - any way this could be made into an app or similar for those not so techie? :)
I will see what I can do. No promises but I will try package it up
I will see what I can do. No promises but I will try package it up
Thank you sir. This would be GREAT :).
I will see what I can do. No promises but I will try package it up
I told ya... I can almost hear the songs the'll be singin' about you now. :)
You better hurry up Bratag, if you want those songs to have your name in them... ;) :)
any luck with setting the frequency below 88000?
ViciousXUSMC
2010-01-06, 07:52
Whats the easiest way to apply that long command to echo power level 118 without committing it to memory and typing it out? I tried copy/paste from a note but that doesnt work.
For a temporary solution so I can try it in the car when I leave work I am just leaving the terminal open in the background after having typed it in there once so I can use the up arrow to recall it.
Any more permanent ways to use this command on command?
update: tried it out, not a big improvement for me in the car. Still fades out too easy, very sensitive to positon and even where I drive. Its a combination of weak reception from my car and crowded radio waves.
I did notice something today worth noting, the volume level on the player effects the transmission. Turning it up all the way made it more clear, while lowest volume you can not hear it.
Just a guess but its possible the reason different people are reporting a different transmission strength was due to nothing more than a different volume setting with 118 being the max.
I think the next thing to do is research a signal booster for the car rather than a way to make the N900 transmit better. Though if we find any effective way to make it boosted higher (or change the tuning to an area less crowded) without damaging the unit its a welcome mod.
You better hurry up Bratag, if you want those songs to have your name in them... ;) :)
What rhymes with qwerty? ;)
Uploading a package now... be patient (half hour to show up)... I'll post when it's there and installable...
Ok, I've uploaded fm-boost_0.1-2fremantle1 to the extras-devel repository. It really is just the script developed by Stephen Birch, go1dfish, jsharper, YoDude, DaveQB, and Bratag (with help from others :)), a sudoers.d entry, an icon and a menu entry.
People who use this hack need to test it now...
It is in the "System" category.
Standard warning: Beware the Extras-devel repository. Testers should enable the repository, install this package, and then disable the repository.
YoDude: Song to be to the tune of "God Save The King" :D ;)
Bug in this version: the icon doesn't show (oops, left the .png extension on!)
Just a note: the new firmware looks like it may set the TX power to 118 by default, thus negating the need for this hack.
Sorry folks - and thanks qole - Work has been crawling up my butt and hasnt given me a lot of packaging free time :)
Ok, I've uploaded fm-boost_0.1-2fremantle1 to the extras-devel repository. It really is just the script developed by Stephen Birch, go1dfish, jsharper, YoDude, DaveQB, and Bratag (with help from others :)), a sudoers.d entry, an icon and a menu entry.
People who use this hack need to test it now...
It is in the "System" category.
Standard warning: Beware the Extras-devel repository. Testers should enable the repository, install this package, and then disable the repository.
YoDude: Song to be to the tune of "God Save The King" :D ;)
Just a start..
"Hey qole, take a walk on the wild side.
...and the maemo boys sing,
Do ta do do, do, do, do ta do do do..."
:)
Bug in this version: the icon doesn't show (oops, left the .png extension on!)
Just a note: the new firmware looks like it may set the TX power to 118 by default, thus negating the need for this hack.
Interesting. That would be good.
Bug in this version: the icon doesn't show (oops, left the .png extension on!)
Just a note: the new firmware looks like it may set the TX power to 118 by default, thus negating the need for this hack.
New firmware ????????? :confused: How do you know about it ?? Any other thing updates that you can share about the new firmware ?
Spill the beans.... how long we have to use the hack ? :wink:wink
New firmware ????????? :confused: How do you know about it ?? Any other thing updates that you can share about the new firmware ?
Selected beta testers are not at liberty to say... and if they were there would be another thread for it. :)
***
Back on topic... Since I was appointed the example boy, DO NOT FORGET TO DISABLE the "Extras-Developer" repository when you are through downloading.
With a new firmware update coming or even with the installation of everyday programs from the "safe" repos, it is very easy to mung it all up if it pulls un-tested versions of dependencies out of "Extras-Developer" because you forgot to disable it.
thanks for the package, just tried it and works like a charm!
It is possible to find out when fmtx is activated by listening on the dbus. So it is easy to make this script run automatically whenever that happens.
YoDude is just speeding away,
Thought he was Texrat for a day
Then I guess he came to see,
Lyrics weren't his specialty
-- he said:
"Hey qole, take a walk on the wild side.
...and the maemo boys sing,
Do ta do do, do, do, do ta do do do..."
:)
The best is to write a small daemon that listens to the d-bus. The problem is that the relevant events have array and list arguments, which dbus-scripts does not support.
The second best, but much easier, is depend on the package dbus-scripts, and include in your package a file /et/dbus-scripts.d/fmtx including a line:
/usr/bin/fmtx-power * * com.nokia.policy info connected 1
This way the script /usr/bin/fmtx-power will be called whenever fmtx is enabled. The main problem I have is that this event looks generic, and not fmtx specific, though I did not see it generate by anything else. I suggest that the script should first check that the power_level is non-zero, before writing 118.
vietn900
2010-01-07, 07:02
sorry if its repost but just incase ...
here's the FM transmitter hack :
pt 1 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mztH87af4SI
pt 2 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmCmZ5kYSaU
Better range and also RDS profile through radio says "NOKIA" instead of station freq :)
YoDude is just speeding away,
Thought he was Texrat for a day
Then I guess he came to see,
Lyrics weren't his specialty
-- he said:
I see how he is Bratag, he couldn't even wait for me to finish the song either. :rolleyes:
:D
/ C - Dm7 - / / C D / F D / 1st / /
YoDude was just driving away
Thought he'd transmit some FM that day
He put his phone here
He put his phone there
Figured talk.maemo.org was the place where
He'd say:
Hey qole, take a walk on the wild side
Yo qole, boost my signal on the wild side.
... and the newbies go
Doo, doo doo, doo doo, doo doo doo...
(F) / C - Dm7 - / :
Apologies to Mr. Rabinowitz for mangling his lyrics and kudos to Herbie Flowers on fretless bass for that mesmerizing compound interval that somehow makes the rhythm of both sets of lyrics work...
there is now an app that runs the hack script when u run it...
tested today with my N900 and g/friends ford fiesta with FM RDS notify which shows device name and music tags on cars cd player screen!! works perfect :D
checkout my setup.. wont use it often, but it looks the goods and now it works!
any luck with setting the frequency below 88000?
Same question.
It's illegal in countries that adopted FCC regulations. I don't know how many that is, but enough that Nokia isn't changing it (as was stated in the bug tracker closing remark).
It's illegal in countries that adopted FCC regulations. I don't know how many that is, but enough that Nokia isn't changing it (as was stated in the bug tracker closing remark).
What, frequency or power level?
Do you have a link to the bug?
***
BTW, the next best feature of an FM transmitter app would be 5 frequency pre-sets so that once vacant channels are found, they can be saved.and named for the locations they're best used.
>> http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/vacant
It was discussed a few pages back; search the thread.
Here: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?p=448917&highlight=fcc#post448917
It's illegal in countries that adopted FCC regulations. I don't know how many that is, but enough that Nokia isn't changing it (as was stated in the bug tracker closing remark).
it is not exactly like that but close
anyway it is not illegal where i am and at a specific output level so i was wondering whether it is possible to change it
i guess not :(
it is not exactly like that but close
Oh? How is it not illegal? I was skeptical at first but the material i read seemed fairly clear on it.
I just downloaded it.
When i click on the icon, it seems to open a Xterminal, that is closing very fast (less than one second) and that's all.
Is it working now ? is it a bug ?
BTW, thanx a lot to work on it, I don't have a good reception in my car and I really hope that it will help :)
normal behaviour since some shell script is running to set the value... just execute it and check for yourself via xterm
cat /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
and you sould see the 118
so it should work ? , very simple :)
Is it permanent ?
no it's not, you have to press it everytime you change the state from off to on, but i guess the community will come up with another solution soon :)
thanks for your fast replies mason !
so why not push the thanks button? ;)
morusaka
2010-01-09, 15:08
I wonder if it is possible to emit a TA signal (RDS Traffic Announcement) when the telephone rings for an incoming call. (as well as the name of the contact to show on the radio display)
My car stereo pauses CD playback when it receives a TA signal (and I think this is the common behaviour), this way you could stop cd playback when there is an incoming call.
Thank you for this interesting thread,
L-
Haw to say thanks for the Script app to boost FM Transmitter.
Tested it and now got perfect signal even 10m from the antenna :)
Thank you. Working like a charm in bringing improvement to the fm transmitter.
felbutss
2010-01-10, 00:39
is there a newer app? and where is it??? lol this is all safe right????
goodfellabk718
2010-01-10, 17:32
so i assume this gain adjustment would need power. how has battery life been after gain adjustment? Also, whenever i used the default transmitter in the car, if i would keep my phone on the charger it would make the transmitter unusable, very staticky. I was wondering with this new app, is there less static if using fm-booster with car charger?
thanks
so i assume this gain adjustment would need power. how has battery life been after gain adjustment? Also, whenever i used the default transmitter in the car, if i would keep my phone on the charger it would make the transmitter unusable, very staticky. I was wondering with this new app, is there less static if using fm-booster with car charger?
thanks
Haven't tried charge it with the new script. But when I have been using the charger in the car I just put so the phone is higher than charger cable. When I do it like that it works quite okay.
goodfellabk718
2010-01-10, 17:58
Haven't tried charge it with the new script. But when I have been using the charger in the car I just put so the phone is higher than charger cable. When I do it like that it works quite okay.
yeah, i would like the phone in a specific area on my dash but i may have to get one of those windshield suction cup holders to make it sit higher. thanks for the response.
so i assume this gain adjustment would need power. how has battery life been after gain adjustment?
Radio like this involves very little power, so if the combination of chip and internal antenna are efficient I wouldn't expect a noticable difference. But you never know - good question.
Also, whenever i used the default transmitter in the car, if i would keep my phone on the charger it would make the transmitter unusable, very staticky. I was wondering with this new app, is there less static if using fm-booster with car charger?
That's due to a bug which turns the transmit power down a lot when the charger is plugged in. It may be fixed in the forthcoming firmware.
Meanwhile, the app may well fix it (NB: I haven't tried yet), even setting to the 'normal' transmit power of 112.
Oh? How is it not illegal? I was skeptical at first but the material i read seemed fairly clear on it.
Well it may be illegal in the US but not in the UK for example.
KurrentEweser
2010-01-11, 03:45
Unlike the FM radio, there is no way to connect an external antenna to the N900. Not even through the USB jack or the headphone jack. The FCC may be the reason for that. The wavelength of the FM band makes an internal antenna next to being useless. One possibility is to make a passive antenna repeater that the N900 can be placed next to.
Maybe duct taping a coat hanger to the phone will work. A little bit tin foil can be used for fine tuning. :D
javispedro
2010-01-11, 14:33
Unlike the FM radio, there is no way to connect an external antenna to the N900.
There's (both headphones and USB cable helps; that's why I don't consider the "power level decreases while a USB cable is connected" a bug). Though I'm worried packaging "an enabler" for this might make Nokia less inclined to allow enabling it as trivially as currently is (the fmtx is a V4L device!).
And of course, connecting headphones to it makes it _finally_ usable, like they do in every other device with an FMTX I've used, including multiple car GPS devices that you can practically buy in any shop in Spain. I have to wonder if the FCC is really so restrictive.
One possibility is to make a passive antenna repeater that the N900 can be placed next to.
That's what I was trying to say previously; just wrapping the device with VGA cable seems to do wonders. Of course, this is all very random :)
Without the enabler the fm-transmitter is useless.
KurrentEweser
2010-01-11, 18:24
That's what I was trying to say previously; just wrapping the device with VGA cable seems to do wonders. Of course, this is all very random :)
The trick is to orient the N900 for vertical polarization(as most vehicle antennas are) and use a reflector to make the signal as directional as possible.
The trick is to orient the N900 for vertical polarization(as most vehicle antennas are) and use a reflector to make the signal as directional as possible.
Time to install a parabol dish on the passenger seat of my car. If I have to take people in the car with me, there's always the back row left for them. :D
Well it may be illegal in the US but not in the UK for example.
You know, his use of the the phrase "FCC countries" in the bug tracker statement made me assume that a lot of other countries have adopted the FCC regulations for FM broadcast, but after a bit more searching i can't find any indication that is true.
Does anyone know of a country besides the US where that band is regulated?
It may just come down to the FCC requiring devices sold in the US to conform to the frequency restrictions, and Nokia taking the easy way out of blocking it so they can release only one version worldwide.
OK i got a stupid question, do I run the FM boost script before opening the media player & FM transmitter or is it OK if I run the script while FM transmitter is turned on and media player is also running ?
Also, do I need to run the script everytime I turn the FM transmitter ON ?
Maybe duct taping a coat hanger to the phone will work. A little bit tin foil can be used for fine tuning. :D
Funny you should mention that, cuz while testing the fm booster app, I found that if I could be at least over 20 feet away and have a clear static free signal... if I place the n900 on the corn of the wall ... were those metal end cover are on dry walls.
Also line of sight seemed to help also.
x
Thought I'd chime in here.
Volvo S40, N900 with the latest available firmware. Reception is excellent, I even get 'Nokia' on my radio (which was a nice surprise).
In fact, its so good I keep the device in the center console armrest.
I didn't notice any difference with the screen being open or closed.
Frequency: 90.7
But on a related note, is there some app or widget to toggle the radio from the home screen? Its really a pain to go to settings > fm transmitter > on every time :/
Thought I'd chime in here.
Volvo S40, N900 with the latest available firmware. Reception is excellent, I even get 'Nokia' on my radio (which was a nice surprise).
In fact, its so good I keep the device in the center console armrest.
I didn't notice any difference with the screen being open or closed.
Frequency: 90.7
But on a related note, is there some app or widget to toggle the radio from the home screen? Its really a pain to go to settings > fm transmitter > on every time :/
Ya there is a desktop widget for FM transmitter that you can use to turn it on or off and also to set the frequency.
Ya there is a desktop widget for FM transmitter that you can use to turn it on or off and also to set the frequency.
Yup, it can now be found in "Extras-testing" as fm-boost...
It does require that the Media-player and FM transmitter be on before starting it and;
It does not stay resident after the FM transmitter is shut down (Closed Media Player)... It is required to be launched every time.
After the recent Firmware update I checked the transmitter power level without it and it measured "111".
>> http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=444328&postcount=17
After applying "FM Boost" (by clicking on its shortcut icon) my transmitters power level measured "118" (theoretical max).
>> http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=446738&postcount=44
Laughing Man
2010-01-13, 19:18
Funny you should mention that, cuz while testing the fm booster app, I found that if I could be at least over 20 feet away and have a clear static free signal... if I place the n900 on the corn of the wall ... were those metal end cover are on dry walls.
Also line of sight seemed to help also.
x
Seems like you guys should sign up for the next Nokia PUSH. =P
janszoon
2010-01-13, 19:41
[QUOTE=YoDude;468947]Yup, it can now be found in "Extras-testing" as fm-boost...
Coming in a bit late here but is FM-Boost a pre-baked widget that amplifies the FM transmitter as discussed in this thread?
Cheers.
[QUOTE=YoDude;468947]Yup, it can now be found in "Extras-testing" as fm-boost...
Coming in a bit late here but is FM-Boost a pre-baked widget that amplifies the FM transmitter as discussed in this thread?
Cheers.
Yes, it's a small script that amplifies the FM transmitter power.
Nice work guys but i have another question regarding the FM transmitter. See, before my n900 i was using Nokia n97 and on that phone i was able to set the frequency to two last decimal places, which resulted in finding more free frequencies.. n900 can't do that. Example: N900 - 99,1MHz; n97 - 99,15MHz.
Is there a way to enable that on the n900?
After the recent Firmware update I checked the transmitter power level without it and it measured "111".
After applying "FM Boost" (by clicking on its shortcut icon) my transmitters power level measured "118" (theoretical max).
YoDude, please report again after you have updated to the 1.1 firmware. I'm curious to know if this script is obsoleted. I really hope it is.
RogerTHAcctant
2010-01-13, 21:19
I can't find fm-boost in the extras-testing repository
please help! ahh... i want to get my fm transmitter to work too..
I activated extras-testing repository, but I can't find it even by searching it, and going down the "all" listing in alphabetical order. Does anyone one else have this problem by any chance?
MaemoCurmudgeon
2010-01-13, 21:51
what kind of car????
many newer cars have special radiation (solar) absorbing glass (ex Mercedes R class) that even interferes with toll booth transponders.
Since the car guys assumed that all the transmitter are on the outside of the car that is where they put the antenna and now your little N900 is inside a "faraday" cage.
check your owners manual if you have a section that states you can only put toll transponders in certain spots of your front windscreen, you may have a problem
YoDude, please report again after you have updated to the 1.1 firmware. I'm curious to know if this script is obsoleted. I really hope it is.
Same ol' song dude. :)
Updated PR1.1 firmware reports 111 without.
Push fm-boost button and BAM!
118
It is still needed. :eek:
Ok, then I guess I should push to extras-testing. :(
EDIT: ...when the packages interface is not broken... :(:(
I found a new feature in FM-Transmitter...The transmitter now displays the artist and song on the radio display in my car...so no need to write a new program for that...All thanks to the new firmware from Nokia
Ok, then I guess I should push to extras-testing. :(
EDIT: ...when the packages interface is not broken... :(:(
My appologies RogerTHAcctant. It was in "Extras-devel" all along but will soon be in "Extras-testing".
It must have been the spiffy new icon qole configured that tripped me up.
...Since the car guys assumed that all the transmitter are on the outside of the car that is where they put the antenna and now your little N900 is inside a "faraday" cage...
But at least your N900 is now somewhat safe from random lighting strikes. :p
I found a new feature in FM-Transmitter...The transmitter now displays the artist and song on the radio display in my car...so no need to write a new program for that...All thanks to the new firmware from Nokia
can anybody confirm this?
mhm... then i could uninstall rdsnotify because sms-displaying isn't working for me at all :(
RogerTHAcctant
2010-01-15, 03:54
My appologies RogerTHAcctant. It was in "Extras-devel" all along but will soon be in "Extras-testing".
It must have been the spiffy new icon qole configured that tripped me up.
Lol cool thanks, I was disabling and re-enabling my extras testing repository and updating it. I thought maybe someone took it down or i didn't know if my apps weren't updated or what not.
I could just enable the extras devel, thanks for your response though!
finally tried out the script and I'm happy to report that it works like a charm. I have not used my car cd player in last two days because I've just been using N900 to play my mp3s via fm and its been working great :)
Thanks to the author of FM Boost.
@b666m : i can confirm this, just tried the fm tx this morning and this new feature just surprised me :p
oldpmaguy
2010-01-15, 17:59
I can't find fm-boost in the extras-testing repository
please help! ahh... i want to get my fm transmitter to work too..
I activated extras-testing repository, but I can't find it even by searching it, and going down the "all" listing in alphabetical order. Does anyone one else have this problem by any chance?
I too am looking for this app, but can't find it. Could someone point me to it a bit more clearly? Thank you.
Strutten
2010-01-15, 18:35
It's in extras devel. Do you need more advise than that, or do you know how to find it?
The app is called fm-boost and it is in Extras-devel (http://wiki.maemo.org/Extras-devel).
I am trying to promote it to Extras-testing but there is a bug (http://maemo.org/packages/package_instance/view/fremantle_extras-devel_free_armel/fm-boost/0.2-1fremantle1/) in the webpage, and I'm waiting for them to fix it.
I used FM Boost with PR1.1 all day today and made these observations:
- It must be invoked again every time the frequency is changed. Even if Media Pl;ayer and the transmitter is running. If you change to another station, you need to push the FM Boost button again. :)
- Where this thing really shines is with the car charger plugged in. As others have reported, plugging in the car charger reduces transmitter output to an unusable level. Push the magic FM Boost button and BAM!, wall to wall sound. The consistant voltage provided by the charger powers it up to a point where I could swear, the snow and ice on my windshield melted faster when it was on, LoL.
(BTW, this same power reduction is invoked when the battery level gets low. Perhaps some sloppy Power Management code is to blame. Maybe changes in the Power Management profile could be another way to invoke the script but regretfully, I don't know enough about this. )
- A simple song extolling the heroism and virtue our man qole has displayed in providing this tool for us is not enough. Because his pre-sales unit doesn't have this handicap, the development did not benefit him in the least and his motivation was truly an unselfish concern for the welfare of others... I'm thinkin' dude needs a dang magnum opus or suttin'.
:D
Nothing unselfish about it. I love the Lou Reed parodies.
oldpmaguy
2010-01-16, 03:12
It's in extras devel. Do you need more advise than that, or do you know how to find it?
I dug around until I found it. I'm new to Maemo, so the whole "directories on the tablet" thing is brand new to me, as are the different categories of downloads. But I have it sorted out now. Thanks for you help just the same.
... can't wait for FM Boost to be moved to a repository that I'm not scared off using by "Here be Dragons" type warnings ... anything that makes my FM Transmitter slightly more usable is very welcome! Thanks to everyone working on this, and testing it!
Nothing unselfish about it. I love the Lou Reed parodies.
Yeah I know, that whole altruistic spiel was just blowin' smoke up your butt hoping you will continue developing the thing. Maybe widgetize it to a status app button like how "Load Applet" is. :)
I was also hoping someone would continue with that "opus" thing. :D
Standing on the corner
N900 in my hand
FM Boost'n tunes and Jane she's the best
Me, honey, I'm in a rock 'n' roll band
Ridin' in a Stutz Bearcat, qole
You know those were different times
All, all the poets they studied rules of verse
And those ladies they rolled their eyes
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane
(sort of a shuffle crossing the key of A, I'm thinkin')
E—---------------------------------
B—--------4-----------6---4--------
G—--------4---2---2---6---4--------
D—2---2---4---2---2---6---4---2---2
A—2---2---2---0---0---4---2---2---2
E—0---0-----------------------0---0 (http://www.jango.com/music/Lou+Reed)
EDIT: Added for EmmaGx
... can't wait for FM Boost to be moved to a repository that I'm not scared off using by "Here be Dragons" type warnings ... anything that makes my FM Transmitter slightly more usable is very welcome! Thanks to everyone working on this, and testing it!
Give it a few days and I'm sure it will be in "testing". These repositories might be down now anyway because of a server move.
After qole announces it is in the "Testing" repo I'll guide you through it in this thread.
Thanks, BTW. Staying away from "Extras-Devel" is the responsible thing to do and saves a lot of agg for the people who will help if any other, unrelated problem develops in the future...
I guess this thread might be as good a place as any to show how the "Extras-Testing" repository can be used responsibly by a user.
... can't wait for FM Boost to be moved to a repository that I'm not scared off using by "Here be Dragons" type warnings ... anything that makes my FM Transmitter slightly more usable is very welcome! Thanks to everyone working on this, and testing it!
I find it's working perfectly after PR1.1, I don't need the booster anymore :eek:
aboaboit
2010-01-16, 17:46
Does anyone know of a country besides the US where that band is regulated?
AFAIK, that band is regulated in most countries. What changes from place to place are the ERP levels (effective radiated power, a mix of tx power and antenna gain) allowed for unlicensed and licensed operation.
I find it's working perfectly after PR1.1, I don't need the booster anymore :eek:
Well good for you!
Would you mind terribly installing the Rootsh App found here >> http://maemo.org/downloads/product/Maemo5/rootsh/
1. After installation fire up Media Player and then enable the FM transmitter.
2. Minimize Media Player while keeping it running.
3. Open xTerm and type:
sudo gainroot
and hitting enter.
(If you use the on screen keyboard you may have to reopen the keyboard a second time for it to take :( ).
4. At the new /home/user # prompt type:
cat /sys/class/i2c-adapter/i2c-2/2-0063/power_level
...and report back what 3 digit number is returned.
(Do not invoke FM Boost prior to this and again, for some odd reason unrelated to all of this, if you use the on screen keyboard you may have to reopen it to hit enter again after typing a command.)
Also: Where (what region) did your phone come from and is it a sales unit or a Nokia loaner.
I'm making a new post to report another observation that I found today:
After shutting down Media Player the FM Transmitter remains open for about 40 seconds, I suppose so you can change media players if you want. During this 40 second period the N900 transmits a "beep" every 2 seconds or so that is picked up by your receiver.
This may have been their before, but I never heard it without FM Boost invoked.
BTW, mine is a post-sales. Global DDP unit that I re-flashed to US regional firmware before updating to PR1.1
As reported earlier, I do need FM Boost... unless I've been drinking Kool-aid out of the wrong glass. :)
wickermonkey
2010-01-16, 20:46
Ive got a honda civic and 105.00 work very well. Ive used this frequency in my car and at work and it works well on both. Most radio frequencies used work to a 0.1 tolerance (which so i am to believe the USA dont have the odd numbers because they are deemed useless due to this) so any frequency 0.2 awat from one that is used should be fine. A quick search on google for unused radio frequencies should throw up some results
I'm making a new post to report another observation that I found today:
After shutting down Media Player the FM Transmitter remains open for about 40 seconds, I suppose so you can change media players if you want. During this 40 second period the N900 transmits a "beep" every 2 seconds or so that is picked up by your receiver.
This may have been their before, but I never heard it without FM Boost invoked.
BTW, mine is a post-sales. Global DDP unit that I re-flashed to US regional firmware before updating to PR1.1
As reported earlier, I do need FM Boost... unless I've been drinking Kool-aid out of the wrong glass. :)
... the beep was there before the updates, and without the boost button ... I assumed it was something to do with reminding you your FM transmitter is on ... and also so that you know your radio is tuned to the right frequecy ...
EDIT: Added for EmmaGx
Give it a few days and I'm sure it will be in "testing". These repositories might be down now anyway because of a server move.
After qole announces it is in the "Testing" repo I'll guide you through it in this thread.
Thanks, BTW. Staying away from "Extras-Devel" is the responsible thing to do and saves a lot of agg for the people who will help if any other, unrelated problem develops in the future...
I guess this thread might be as good a place as any to show how the "Extras-Testing" repository can be used responsibly by a user.
I do sometimes feel like a wimp for staying clear of extras-devel and extras-testing ... but then when I realise how few (none) issues I've had with the phone, and how many others are complaining of after messing up their phones with software they didn't fuly understand the implications of I don't feel nearly so bad ...
... I really should investigate reflashing my phone tho so that I can feel confident using extras-testing to help the community output some fabulous apps ... *really should be braver*
I find it's working perfectly after PR1.1, I don't need the booster anymore :eek:
Lucky you! ... have we worked out yet if the FM radio's power is limited in different countries? ... or is it just luck of the draw whether or not you got a good one?
Watergate
2010-01-17, 20:35
HI,
I would like to ask if it is possible to setup more transmission power in some way as my fm sender + fm boost is still not strong enough to make a decent quality in my opel zafira?
Thanks in advance
michael196
2010-01-18, 07:36
I have a Passat B6, and the quality and loudness depeneds on 2 factors (mostly):
1. where I am
2. what frequency I use
In every region another frequency is needed in order to sound good, thats according to what I noticed while using the FM transmitter.
Watergate
2010-01-18, 07:52
I have a Passat B6, and the quality and loudness depeneds on 2 factors (mostly):
1. where I am
2. what frequency I use
In every region another frequency is needed in order to sound good, thats according to what I noticed while using the FM transmitter.
I only get the signal next to the window if I hold the device in my left hand when I`m driving which is so bad. I get weak signal if I place the device in the small luckage room next to the passenger seat in the front.
Signal is present but weak. I have tried several frequencies.
I think to problem would be solved with more power on the signal?
I know this is a bit off-topic and that some else asked the same question on this thread, but nobody answered it. I would like to know if anybody can get even numbers after the decimal in the frequency selection list. I can't seem to set frequencies like 99.2. All I have is 1,3,5,7,9 is this normal? or some limitation in the generic firmware?
Laughing Man
2010-01-18, 14:38
I do sometimes feel like a wimp for staying clear of extras-devel and extras-testing ... but then when I realise how few (none) issues I've had with the phone, and how many others are complaining of after messing up their phones with software they didn't fuly understand the implications of I don't feel nearly so bad ...
... I really should investigate reflashing my phone tho so that I can feel confident using extras-testing to help the community output some fabulous apps ... *really should be braver*
Here are some tips. First look at the extras-testing page to see if anhyone has posted the checkbox list and checked for such things as optification, any severe issues, etc. It should be relatively safe to proceed if the boxes are marked. If not then you may want to post here, asking about the software to see if someone else will get the ball rolling if you don't want to risk having to reflash device. And always keep several backups on the memory card.
You can also check bug reports for that application if you want more info on what bugs or issues people are experiencing.
Good luck, and have fun!
Here are some tips. First look at the extras-testing page to see if anhyone has posted the checkbox list and checked for such things as optification, any severe issues, etc. It should be relatively safe to proceed if the boxes are marked. If not then you may want to post here, asking about the software to see if someone else will get the ball rolling if you don't want to risk having to reflash device. And always keep several backups on the memory card.
You can also check bug reports for that application if you want more info on what bugs or issues people are experiencing.
Good luck, and have fun!
... thanks! ... sounds like testing should still be relatively safe then assuming I take some sensible precautions before diving in to trying completely untried apps ...
I read somewhere that with the latest firmware, FM transmitter sends out RDS information without the need of any extra software but for whatever reason it is not working for me. I either get "Nokia" or "RDS" on my stereo system instead of mp3 information.
I also installed RDS software but I had no luck with that either. What am I doing wrong ?
pisthpeeps
2010-01-19, 23:01
All this while n900's FM transmitter was not giving me good results in my old ford fiesta car with antenna at top of car on front side. Based on the inputs from various threads here, i did the following and got very good results today
1. Cleaned the car's antenna with cloth. Lots of dust was there.
2. Connected the micro USB cable with n900 and left the other end near the car stereo.
It worked excellently with very negligible disturbance on a 40 min drive from Uxbridge to Bracknell. And I didnt increase the FM transmitter power and left it at the normal113.
I used 103.5 frequency(South West London) in n900 and there was no issues.
I read somewhere that with the latest firmware, FM transmitter sends out RDS information without the need of any extra software but for whatever reason it is not working for me. I either get "Nokia" or "RDS" on my stereo system instead of mp3 information.
I also installed RDS software but I had no luck with that either. What am I doing wrong ?
Most likely your stereo system doesn't support RDS text but only static RDS station name (NOKIA). Many car radios don't have RDS text to not distract the driver. Don't laugh, that's the official recommendation by the RDS consortium. :)
M A S T E R
2010-01-20, 00:08
I am using 89.1 in North Dallas, TX, USA.
Becasuse N900 cannot broadcast on the 87.9 which is the free wave here in states. Mine is not that strong where my friend can tune in the same channel when they are driving behind me but I do not need to touch the phone and antenna of the car.
(*spoiler alert*first time poster)
really 89.1 works for you? i will have to try too and see how it goes i am in the south dallas area and for some reason if i go to north or too south i have to switch from 95.7 and 101.5. i will let you know or pm me =).
-MASTER
Most likely your stereo system doesn't support RDS text but only static RDS station name (NOKIA). Many car radios don't have RDS text to not distract the driver. Don't laugh, that's the official recommendation by the RDS consortium. :)
Well, I know for a fact that my car stereo supports is because when tuned to the radio station, it shows artist and song title along with the station name.
what is le changelog of this last version : fm-boost 0.2-2fremantle1 ?
Honestly, nothing was changed (except a bugtracker field). It was an attempt to workaround the broken packages interface.
If anyone can get into the packages interface for fm-boost and promote the package to testing, please go ahead and do it. I only get timeouts and errors when I try.
I guess I could try renaming it boost-fm and see if I can promote that one... What an ugly workaround that would be...
Hoorah! I was able to get in to the package instance page and promote the package tonight!
So, everyone, you can now vote (http://maemo.org/packages/package_instance/view/fremantle_extras-testing_free_armel/fm-boost/0.2-2fremantle1/) the package into Extras.
I saw somewhere that there is a new version of FM Transmitter widget that integrates this script with the widget. Are you planning to keep a separate version as well ? Personally, I think it would be better to consolidate the resources and both developers to work together to have one app to do both things :)
ajamils: Sounds good. I don't mind getting rid of this hack, especially since I'm getting hassled about it not being "user friendly" in Extras-testing.
shishir_ctg
2010-01-23, 19:15
hi I can not set up my yahoo account... help me
@ajamils, i second that idea. It would be much more seamless without the hassle of one more button :)
you got a link for me to check out the new version ajamils?
@shishir_ctg you're in the wrong threat, also if you expect someone to help you more information would be usefull since nowone can know what are you trying to do and what you did so far!
ok guys got fm boost, simple fm transmitter widget and rds notify installed. works great but when i plug my phone into the in car charger signal completely goes? also rds notify has a 'no' written next to sms? any reason? thanks
@ajamils, i second that idea. It would be much more seamless without the hassle of one more button :)
you got a link for me to check out the new version ajamils?
Here is the link
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=41859&highlight=boost
BadMojoUT
2010-01-23, 22:19
ok guys got fm boost, simple fm transmitter widget and rds notify installed. works great but when i plug my phone into the in car charger signal completely goes? also rds notify has a 'no' written next to sms? any reason? thanks
Activate FM Boost after you plug your car charger and activate the FM transmitter. The transmit power is throttled down when you plug in the car charger and so you need to activate the boost afterwards to throttle the power back up.
mobileuser
2010-01-24, 16:00
i use 107.3 in cambridgeshire area and east london.sound quality is quite good in my volvo v70...
Thanks for this one ... after trying on endless channels in the car with no luck - lots of static and drop outs - I tried this channel. I'm in the South East of UK (Surrey Area) and this was perfect - never dropped once, no static!! 107.3 for sure!
chewster
2010-01-24, 17:33
This is why I love linux. A few curious people tackle a problem, and all of a sudden my reasonably good FM transmitter is now an excellent FM transmitter.
Went from tolerable quality to CD quality.
Thanks to everyone who worked on this.
I'm using 90.1 in Mississauga ON Canada in case anyone in my area is looking for decent frequencies.
Bingley Joe
2010-01-24, 19:05
I've found 104.9 to work really well in downtown Toronto.
I've found 104.9 to work really well in downtown Toronto.
Cool , does it mean its going to work well in Vancouver , Canada ?
I have 105.50 and it is ok , sometimes I get "funny" noises on it though , do you know how to find a vacant fm frequency with less noise in Canada ?
do I have to place my phone anywhere specific in the car ?
Cheers :)
soravhoney
2010-01-25, 15:08
I am using 100.0 In Jalandhar but sound signal damps totally when crossing 1m area. Using FM in Sony SOK-NWZ-B143F(B).
The app is called fm-boost and it is in Extras-devel (http://wiki.maemo.org/Extras-devel).
I am trying to promote it to Extras-testing but there is a bug (http://maemo.org/packages/package_instance/view/fremantle_extras-devel_free_armel/fm-boost/0.2-1fremantle1/) in the webpage, and I'm waiting for them to fix it.
Hello , Do you know what frequencies work best for fm transmitter in Vancouver ?
Since you are from Vancouver too , I though maybe you can help me:p
I use 105.50 and it seems ok but not the best , i still get some "noises" though .
do I have to put my cellphone near window or anything like that ?
any help would be appreciated :)
Honestly, I don't drive in a car very much, maybe twice a week, and then I just listen to CBC 1 or my kid's MP3 CD. The only thing that would make the FM transmitter really interesting to me would be getting some real N900-compatible 3G in Vancouver so I could listen to Internet radio on the car's stereo. But that's 6 months away or more.
qole , thanks for the input ,I have tried the internet radio(through my wifi) and it seems the internet radio quality is way better than playing music through the fm transmitter , but that's maybe just me ! lol
Yeah , there is still no NAM 3G in Vancouver , I guess he have to wait , that is not going to bother me since everywhere I go , I have access to internet through wifi ,but Its good to have it !
PS, how do like your n900 so far ?
Cheers.
Is there a way to make the signal stronger than 118 ? i really want to increase it to the maximum.
It's allways helpfull to read or at least scan the threat since this was answerd bevor.
You can increase the value, but it makes no difference in the signal strength beyond 118 to answer your question.
The script works great to boost my signal... but I was wondering if there is any way to bypass the transmitter disabling when you plug it in to charge. I figure it’s possible because one of my chargers doesn't disable it.
e.g
Nokia wall charger -> FM transmitter works while charging :)
Nokia USB charger -> FM transmitter disabled
Cheap car usb charger -> FM transmitter disabled
It’s annoying to be only able to listen to song or charge my phone while driving. Especially as I have a 1700km drive in a couple of weeks.
Normaly if you plugged in the charger and toggle the widget the transmitter should be set to full power again (118). Give it a shot ...
Normaly if you plugged in the charger and toggle the widget the transmitter should be set to full power again (118). Give it a shot ...
When I plug in the wall charger, the signal does get weaker, as I can hear a little bit of static, but yes, toggling the widget gets it back to full power.
However with the USB charger + car charger, as soon as I plug them in, the yellow note comes up "Unplug USB to continue using FM transmitter", attempting to turn the widget back on says "FM-Transmitter Power level set to: 118", but nothing get transmitted. Trying to turn it on via media player says "Unable to use FM transmitter while USB is connected. Unplug USB to continue using FM transmitter" So it seems like it is being totally disabled, not just set really to really low power. As soon as I unplug that charger, I can toggle it back on.
Hello, i live in south france toulouse, and every single FM band is already used. I am using fmboost via fmtx widget. if i leave the city and drive to the countryside i can find one or two free bands that i can use, with a bit of static, but am quickly kicked out by local radio station frequencies. id really appreciate if the boost level could be set over 118 to fix this issue... any way to do this ? hardware capable ? harmful for the device ?
thanks !
Magel282
2010-02-07, 12:02
When I try and use the booster it just opens then closes straight away.. Is this normal? I have music playing and the transmiter active when I try to open it.
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