N900 Radio Transmitter: ways to amplify the radio signal

[smage]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by realcomix

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.

[smage]

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]

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.

[Thor]

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.

[EmmaGx]

... 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!

[Thor]

Originally Posted by EmmaGx

... 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.

[msa]

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.

[ceza_21]

i use 107.3 in cambridgeshire area and east london.sound quality is quite good in my volvo v70...