Thread: Android Tablet FM USB Tuner?

Originally Posted by scl789

Hey guys,

Been searching and cant figure this one out.How are you guys tuning FM on your android tablets? Does someone make a USB FM tuner and an APP for it? Or are you guys doing it some other way?

Some tables (like Dell Streak), just like phones (like Droid X), come with an FM tuner that uses the headphone cable as the antenna. I'm not sure if anyone has made a driver/frontend for any of the USB radios used in x86-based car PCs - I'm sure it can be done, but writing drivers for Android gets complicated, so your average Android developer might not be up to the task. Your best bet is to get a tablet that has an FM module already built in.

Yeah the tablet I am looking at does not have an integrated FM tuner. How is everyone solving this issue? Just putting a standard after market stereo under the tablet?

Why does this thread ends with the post above this one? Im also someone who is seriously thinking about putting an android tablet in my car. but i would like to replace it for my current radio. but i do not want to lose the uppertunity to listen to FM radio.

i found that some of you guys use a 3g connection to listen to radio. but the 3g reception isnt always that great. so this will result in a buggy or no radio listening experience.
besides the reception does the streaming radio costs quite a lot data, so it costs quite a lot money if you stream alot.

so is there no alternative to use a usb FM receiver or something like that?

hope to find some nice solutions

Not realy a working option yet but more of a concept I have at this point but, I am looking to add a bluetooth module to my HD Zoom HD radio so I can control it from a Anddroid device. I assume it is possable since you can A: control the device from a serial port on a computer and B: you can now connect to a bluetooth serial device from Android. I was thinking about using either a Arduino Uno with bluetooth (cheapest option since I have one ) or a IOIO (more expensive) which has a little more capability and built in bluetooth support. The other bonus of these 2 options is they can have multiple TTL conections so I can expand a little to maybe include a Sirius tunner. As a side bonus they both have IO's so theareticaly they can also have hardware buttons wired in for tunning and use in other apps if they are setup to emulate bluetooth media buttons. The only issue is of course the analog audio would go directly to the same input/amp as the Android device so it would need to be muted at the radio if you get a call of it is giving nav info. This is of course all theory at this point but might be a option.

Ok, thats one solution ... isnt there a simpler solution? somthing like just a small bluetooth radio? wich you can connect and control directly via bluetooth to your android tablet or something like it? (just thinking out loud)

or maybe if you have some programming skills this could be something? : http://www2.dasilvas.info/hd-radio

found something else; a tablet with FM radio build in. its a indian build. dont know if it would work in Europe and US aswell.. you can even watch TV on it.

Cyrus TV Pad:


Specs:
Cyrus Tvpad :
1. Processor : MV 955, 806 MHz
2. Memory : 512 MB flash + 512 MB RAM, Micro sd up to 32 GB
3. Android 2.3 Gingerbread
4. TV Analog & Digital, FM radio
5. Layar 7 Inch WVGA TFT LCD,800*480,Capacitive,Multitouch
6. Camera 5 Mega Pixel with auto focus
7. Bluetooth,mini usb,WiFi Router – bisa internetan berlima via WiFi
8. Fitur GPS (Global Positioning System), G-sensor,E-compass
9. Music (MP3)
10. Video (WMA,MPEG4)
11. Free Internet Telkomsel selama 3 bulan
12. Dimensi : 193.5mm*126.4mm*14mm
13. SMS.MMS,EMAIL
14. Batere 3800mAh
15. Network : HSUPA/HSDPA/WCDMA/EDGE/GPRS/GSM

price: around 236 euro's

source: http://www.tokobbc.com/index.php?mai...roducts_id=104

dont know how the support will be, when and if there will be software updates from Cyrus..

I think the bluetooth/rs232 thing is good using the radio linked to in post #7. Just need an app to talk to the radio.

Managing the audio will be an extra little challenge since the audio from the radio would go direct to an amp, not piped through bluetooth to the tablet.

Managing the audio will be an extra little challenge since the audio from the radio would go direct to an amp, not piped through bluetooth to the tablet.

Normally the tablet is hooked into the amps? I can't imagine that directing the radio audio straight to the amp instead of through the tablet would cause any difference. I've been following your other thread about the android radio, and if I knew how to program with hardware I'd help - I'm just a lonely hobbiest software dev though hehe...

Yes, that's why I say it will be a challenge. A basic bluetooth serial RS232 will not send the radio audio back to the tablet. They have RCA outputs that need to go somewhere. Not sure most tablets will take that as an input.

I hear you on the hobbiest part. I dabble but have not even attempted to jump into Android.

Glad to see you're still hanging around