how and why would you update the radio?

[bsmith1051]

I'm getting ready to root my Sprint Hero and install a different ROM. In all the research I've done I've seen several references to flashing or updating the radio? What is that? Are they talking about the firmware on a particular chip and apart from the main boot ROM? Or, are they talking about a device driver included with the ROM?

I would really appreciate it if someone in-the-know could explain this!

Also, how would you know if you need to perform this kind of update?

 

[srkmagnus]

The radio generally affects the signal of the phone to the cell tower/carrier. You can get the newest radio along with some general info on it here (older radios are also on the site for reference): Download: Radio Baseband 2.42.01.04.27 for Sprint CDMA Hero

Please note that you can only flash a Sprint Radio onto a Sprint Hero. Flashing a radio designed for another carrier (or GSM Hero) will more than likely brick the phone.