EVO FM Radio Problems

[Redraider1]

I can't pick up a single FM station on the radio app - is anybody else having problems or am I missing something?

 

[v3ritas06]

Do you have the headphones plugged in? I believe they are used as the antenna.

 

[dfine1966]

Depends on what type of headset you have plugged in. I actually using an ipod touch headset that works fine with it. Any good headset should activate the fm stations.

 

[Redraider1]

I have only used Ipod ear buds (high end), but I get nothing but static.

 

[MRBULLRED]

It has to be your headphones.. I was amazed how great and clear it was....

 

[praytorain]

I only get one station with headphones plugged in

 

[dfine1966]

I just tried mine again with the apple ipod buds and it works fine. I am picking up stations on the other side of the state. Just make sure the plug is all the way in. I noticed that you have to make sure it is plugged in all the way or you get terrible static signals. That was what happened to me the first time I tried the FM app. I got no channels at all. I couldn't figure out why. Finally, I unplugged the headsets and tried again, and realized they weren't all the way in. As soon as I did that , I have no problems.

 

[Redraider1]

I tried a pair that came with an old blackberry, i was able to pick up a couple of stations but not most of the ones I usually listen to, and some had static. When I try with my good headphones, I get nothing - They are pushed in all the way, they sound great using Pandora. I don't know what the deal is?

 

[dfine1966]

If you have a friend that has an EVO, let him or her try your headphones on his or hers to see if it is a headset problem or phone problem. That might be the easiest solution. Or go into a Sprint store and try one of their phones. And if it works for theirs, then why you are there, they could look at your phone.

 

[Braaainz]

Ignore the scan feature and try and go to a specific radio station. I know that my scan missed one of my favorite stations (which is a little weak - can barely get it on my old Walkman) but I can manually tune it and it comes in great!

 

[xSIN1134x]

mine works great as well, used old bb headphones...doing it manually is the best way like said above, autoscan not that great

 

[Brett636]

I get some stations, but only the closest and most powerful stations will come in. Everything else is pure static. This was using a set of ipod earbuds.

 

[SPL15]

Depending on the cable design of the headset/headphones, your reception will vary big time. The way these types of things work is that the phone uses the signal conductor of the headset/headphones as the antenna, but if the headphone cables are shielded as in the ground connection completely surrounds the signal conductor, your antenna is effectively well shielded from electromagnetic radiation (such as a radio station). Headphones that use a twisted pair type wire construction work better as the ground connection is a separate wire that is twisted around the signal wire instead of a copper braid that completely covers the signal wire. This enables the electromagnetic waves to be induced into BOTH conductors equally & the radio signal can be extracted from the signal wire but because the signal is equally induced into BOTh ground & signal conductors it "cancels" out in the headphones (But RF induction can't be heard when induced for analog audio frequency purposes anyways so it really is not a point). Sheilded cabling is great for reducing RFI induction ie FM transmission. The headphones/headsets that will work best for FM reception will be unshielded, High quality headphones will most likely be shielded twisted pair so you wont get good reception with this.

Unfortunately you cant tell a headphones cable construction unless you rip it apart & cut the cable... Google twisted pair & shielded cable for more info on construction. It wont go into why they wont work for FM radio reception, but it will go into the different modes of induced electromagnetic noise reduction & this is why one cable works for FM reception while the other doesnt.

 

[05 TypeS DC5]

i'm using the palm pre headsets but the signals aren't great, i probably get 1 good clear signal....

 

[praytorain]

For those having issues with reception:

If you push the headphones in just a little until you get the headphone icon, then see if you get better if not great reception (note you might have to push it in a little more to have it happen, you have to play around).

The reason I ask is because I couldn't pick up anything but static, then I unplugged halfway and got great reception. I tried 3 sets of headphone, all the same thing. I took the phone back to Best Buy and the replaced it with a HW version 003. When they first plugged it in started off good. When I left the store and plugged them in, it was doing the same as before. I must unplug halfway and hold it.

People who get this to work can you list what headphones you are using?

Also I have the AUX stereo cable problem too, with both the old EVO and the new one. I think there is definately a hardware flaw. I have tried two different cables for that also.