7 ms·

I dunno, if you haven't run into audio or video interference on a wired device, you're lucky or have quality cables. I've definitely picked up radio stations on

I dunno, if you haven't run into audio or video interference on a wired device, you're lucky or have quality cables. I've definitely picked up radio stations on headphones or had nearby electrical currents induce an annoying buzz in a microphone or distort a video signal.

jakear 4y ago
> I've definitely picked up radio stations on headphones Not exactly the same, but makes me reminisce the days of the iPod nano. It offered FM radio using the headphone cables as an antenna. I haven’t seen that supported anywhere since, which is a shame because I’d really like to get local stations on my phone.
- csdvrx 4y ago
  Check Chinese phones brands like Xiaomi or Ulephone: https://www.amazon.com/Ulefone-Power-Armor-13-Smartphone/dp/B09B9YRFD2 https://www.amazon.com/Ulefone-Power-Armor-13-Smartphone/dp/... https://crgsoft.com/the-list-of-2019-smartphones-that-have-fm-radio/ https://crgsoft.com/the-list-of-2019-smartphones-that-have-f...
- toast0 4y ago
  FM radio using headphones/headset as antenna is a common feature in phones. I've seen it on feature phones in 200x, and on some Androids as well. Only you can decide if it's important enough to outweigh other must have features though. There are also lots of apps to stream local radio if you have a consistent data connection (doesn't need to be fast, though)
  - SoftTalker 4y ago
    The FM receiver is (or is claimed to be) better for battery life than using data to listen to local radio.
    - elpescado 4y ago
      ...and certainly better for your data plan.
  - p_l 4y ago
    IIRC, USA pushed for some time for inclusion of radio receiver as mandatory, while GP mentions the need to support DAB if selling to France, resulting in weird situation where it might be software "fuse" involved.
- roywiggins 4y ago
  I think some (most?) of the Moto G line still support FM radio this way. https://www.reddit.com/r/MotoG/comments/u2dvvp/any_current_moto_phones_have_a_fm_radio_cant/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MotoG/comments/u2dvvp/any_current_m...
- tn1 4y ago
  As others have said it's very common. You can even filter phones on GSMArena by it, looks like there's 6000+ in their database, including recent releases: https://m.gsmarena.com/results.php3?chkFMradio=selected https://m.gsmarena.com/results.php3?chkFMradio=selected
- pinewurst 4y ago
  Most phone chipsets actually implement this functionality. However the carriers tend not to approve its enablement.
- joshspankit 4y ago
  I actually just built a $4 FM receiver kit that uses the headphones for the antenna. It was very common in previous decades because it was cheaper and allowed more room in the device (the alternative was the metal “pull to extend” antennas).
- TaylorAlexander 4y ago
  My mom's cheap new flip phone has this feature, so they're still shipping it on new devices.
- interestica 4y ago
  I had an android phone about 5 years ago that could pick up over-the-air video broadcasts using the headphones as the antenna.
- sudosysgen 4y ago
  A surprising number of phones have that feature but it's often disabled in software (especially in North America). Sometimes you can force enable it.
- diffeomorphism 4y ago
  > I haven’t seen that supported anywhere since, I had that come with a cheap motorola phone (3 years ago or so) https://www.motorola-support.com/uk-en/?page=topic/applications/fm-radio-app/device/motorola https://www.motorola-support.com/uk-en/?page=topic/applicati... So not ubiquitous but not that rare either.
- ta8903 4y ago
  I know you have a bunch of responses already but I got to say this, every single phone (dumb and smart) that I've used or seen used by my immediate family and friends has had this feature, I'm more susprised by the implication that there are phones that don't!
- Findecanor 4y ago
  Here in the EU, it tends to be disabled in software even if the hardware has it. I blame the French. They introduced a law that forbids radio receivers that don't support DAB radio, as a way to make the newer DAB format take off. But globally, DAB never did so phone hardware don't have it. In the EU, distribution chains often cross borders and it would be too bothersome to have models with special firmware just for France — so instead, nobody gets FM-radio.
  - chmodux 4y ago
    My Xiamoi Redmi Note 8 Pro that I bought from Orange (french telephone provider) here in France in 2020 definitely is currently receiving FM Radio (uses the headphones for reception) and it is even documented on their site https://assistance.orange.fr/mobile-tablette/tous-les-mobiles-et-tablettes/installer-et-utiliser/vous-divertir/musique/xiaomi-redmi-note-8t-ecouter-la-radio-fm_305073-841091 https://assistance.orange.fr/mobile-tablette/tous-les-mobile...
  - Glawen 4y ago
    It's a very recent law introduced because until recently, virtually no radio supported DAB. I bought last year a DAB compatible radio for my car, only to realise that it is worse than FM :)
- 2143 4y ago
  > It offered FM radio using the headphone cables as an antenna. That was common on phones in general. Headphones acted as antenna. If you open the FM radio app without connecting wired headphones, it'll ask you to connect it. This was common in Android phones as well. My current Android phone does not have headphone jack. And I can't use FM radio (although there are services that play radio over the internet, but that isn't really the same...). ------ About phones which have the capability but which are disabled, I wonder if it's because of security implications. Where I live, the allowed frequencies were from 87 MHz to 108 MHz or something. Consumer FM radios could only be tuned in this range. That's because on frequencies outside this range, other transmissions — for example, police transmissions — might be taking place. The aforementioned allowed range is different in different countries. Also, in my country long long ago (like, ≈50 years ago) you needed to get the permission of the government (via a license or something) to get a radio. You couldn't just go to a store and buy one. That changed later, however. Now that I think about it, it might have something to do with semi-secret transmissions happening on frequencies outside the allowed range. A friend told me it's possible to take apart the radio and tune to non-standard frequencies because in most radios the "dial" to select the allowed range really works by physically jamming the dial with another block. If you remove that block, you could keep turning that dial. Haven't tried this myself, so take that with a pinch of salt.
Godel_unicode 4y ago
This is the reason that balanced headphones are nice, the ability to reject many kinds of noise induced into the wiring.
phaedrus 4y ago
Got any tips for eliminating or mitigating the interference? Recently some retiree in my area got himself a new, illegally-high-powered CB radio so he can talk to truckers from his house. It comes through on the wired headphones I wear while working from home.
- ungamedplayer 4y ago
  If its not massively out of spec, get a ferrite ring for your cable.
- sentientslug 4y ago
  Contact the FCC
- znpy 4y ago
  Get law enforcement involved. That retiree might be transmitting way above the allowed transmission power.
- CobaltFire 4y ago
  Find a HAM in your area and ask them to do a "Fox Hunt". Many enjoy hunting people violating the laws and giving a detailed report the the FCC, which has some rather impressive fines that they DO levy.
  - wrycoder 4y ago
    First, HAM is not an acronym. It’s ham, a friendly joke referring to amateur radio operator. Second, hams are not vindictive people, and most interference issues are sorted out locally, possibly with support from the ARRL. Some sources of interference can be very hard to find. The FCC only levies massive fines when their instructions are being ignored. They don’t play games, that’s true.
ungamedplayer 4y ago
Get a ferrite ring for your cable, solves more of these issues than you'd imagine. Or a clip on, something like this : https://www.cablechick.com.au/cables/ferrite-core-rfi-and-emi-noise-suppressor-cable-clip-5mm.html https://www.cablechick.com.au/cables/ferrite-core-rfi-and-em...
- dmix 4y ago
  I had no idea these existed. This is going to moving make my tube amp so much less annoying. Thank you. https://resources.altium.com/p/how-do-ferrite-beads-work-and-how-do-you-choose-right-one https://resources.altium.com/p/how-do-ferrite-beads-work-and...
  - projektfu 4y ago
    An isolation transformer might also help.
- fifteenforty 4y ago
  They used to be common on USB cables, especially USB A to B cables for printers. Not sure why they disappeared.
  - neurostimulant 4y ago
    Those are ferrite cores? I thought it was covered solder joint or something.
    - stoobs 4y ago
      Nope, clipped or glued ferrite, you used to also get them on power cables for certain devices
  - q-big 4y ago
    > Not sure why they disappeared. Likely cost savings combined with design considerations ("these knobs look ugly").
SECProto 4y ago
The only incidence of wired interference I have personally experienced was a ground loop in a car (car cigarette lighter-usb adaptor-usb cable-phone-aux cable-aux input on car stereo). I seem to recall fixing it with a <$5 component that isolated the signal, this was about 10 years ago and other vehicles I've owned haven't had the same issue.
macNchz 4y ago
It’s been almost 15 years but I do remember always knowing when my pre-smartphone cell phone was about to ring. It’d make my stereo system buzz loudly moments beforehand.
- NikolaNovak 4y ago
  I remember that! I wonder what it was - the actual signal sent or something in phone's reaction?
  - runnerup 4y ago
    Obviously the phone caused it. The signal from the tower wouldn’t be any different from all the other calls going to all the other phones on your block. They didn’t have beamforming that narrow.
    - neurostimulant 4y ago
      There were even led accessories you can attach to your phone that will light up when the phone is transmitting a signal. Basically just some leds attached to some coils to harvest energy transmitted by the phone.
eropple 4y ago
A bad ground in a USB power brick made Spanish talk radio leak into my video mixer's audio interface. Through the chassis, the BlackMagic SDI card, the SDI card, and the BlackMagic HDMI->SDI converter being powered by the cursed USB brick. That was a bad time.
aspyct 4y ago
My personal best is receiving German radio (I'm from Belgium) through my Logitech 5.1 sounds system. Only when the volume was at minimum or maximum. So odd.

jakear 4y ago

> I've definitely picked up radio stations on headphones Not exactly the same, but makes me reminisce the days of the iPod nano. It offered FM radio using the headphone cables as an antenna. I haven’t seen that supported anywhere since, which is a shame because I’d really like to get local stations on my phone.

csdvrx 4y ago
Check Chinese phones brands like Xiaomi or Ulephone: https://www.amazon.com/Ulefone-Power-Armor-13-Smartphone/dp/B09B9YRFD2 https://www.amazon.com/Ulefone-Power-Armor-13-Smartphone/dp/... https://crgsoft.com/the-list-of-2019-smartphones-that-have-fm-radio/ https://crgsoft.com/the-list-of-2019-smartphones-that-have-f...
toast0 4y ago
FM radio using headphones/headset as antenna is a common feature in phones. I've seen it on feature phones in 200x, and on some Androids as well. Only you can decide if it's important enough to outweigh other must have features though. There are also lots of apps to stream local radio if you have a consistent data connection (doesn't need to be fast, though)
- SoftTalker 4y ago
  The FM receiver is (or is claimed to be) better for battery life than using data to listen to local radio.
  - elpescado 4y ago
    ...and certainly better for your data plan.
- p_l 4y ago
  IIRC, USA pushed for some time for inclusion of radio receiver as mandatory, while GP mentions the need to support DAB if selling to France, resulting in weird situation where it might be software "fuse" involved.
roywiggins 4y ago
I think some (most?) of the Moto G line still support FM radio this way. https://www.reddit.com/r/MotoG/comments/u2dvvp/any_current_moto_phones_have_a_fm_radio_cant/ https://www.reddit.com/r/MotoG/comments/u2dvvp/any_current_m...
tn1 4y ago
As others have said it's very common. You can even filter phones on GSMArena by it, looks like there's 6000+ in their database, including recent releases: https://m.gsmarena.com/results.php3?chkFMradio=selected https://m.gsmarena.com/results.php3?chkFMradio=selected
pinewurst 4y ago
Most phone chipsets actually implement this functionality. However the carriers tend not to approve its enablement.
joshspankit 4y ago
I actually just built a $4 FM receiver kit that uses the headphones for the antenna. It was very common in previous decades because it was cheaper and allowed more room in the device (the alternative was the metal “pull to extend” antennas).
TaylorAlexander 4y ago
My mom's cheap new flip phone has this feature, so they're still shipping it on new devices.
interestica 4y ago
I had an android phone about 5 years ago that could pick up over-the-air video broadcasts using the headphones as the antenna.
sudosysgen 4y ago
A surprising number of phones have that feature but it's often disabled in software (especially in North America). Sometimes you can force enable it.
diffeomorphism 4y ago
> I haven’t seen that supported anywhere since, I had that come with a cheap motorola phone (3 years ago or so) https://www.motorola-support.com/uk-en/?page=topic/applications/fm-radio-app/device/motorola https://www.motorola-support.com/uk-en/?page=topic/applicati... So not ubiquitous but not that rare either.
ta8903 4y ago
I know you have a bunch of responses already but I got to say this, every single phone (dumb and smart) that I've used or seen used by my immediate family and friends has had this feature, I'm more susprised by the implication that there are phones that don't!
Findecanor 4y ago
Here in the EU, it tends to be disabled in software even if the hardware has it. I blame the French. They introduced a law that forbids radio receivers that don't support DAB radio, as a way to make the newer DAB format take off. But globally, DAB never did so phone hardware don't have it. In the EU, distribution chains often cross borders and it would be too bothersome to have models with special firmware just for France — so instead, nobody gets FM-radio.
- chmodux 4y ago
  My Xiamoi Redmi Note 8 Pro that I bought from Orange (french telephone provider) here in France in 2020 definitely is currently receiving FM Radio (uses the headphones for reception) and it is even documented on their site https://assistance.orange.fr/mobile-tablette/tous-les-mobiles-et-tablettes/installer-et-utiliser/vous-divertir/musique/xiaomi-redmi-note-8t-ecouter-la-radio-fm_305073-841091 https://assistance.orange.fr/mobile-tablette/tous-les-mobile...
- Glawen 4y ago
  It's a very recent law introduced because until recently, virtually no radio supported DAB. I bought last year a DAB compatible radio for my car, only to realise that it is worse than FM :)
2143 4y ago
> It offered FM radio using the headphone cables as an antenna. That was common on phones in general. Headphones acted as antenna. If you open the FM radio app without connecting wired headphones, it'll ask you to connect it. This was common in Android phones as well. My current Android phone does not have headphone jack. And I can't use FM radio (although there are services that play radio over the internet, but that isn't really the same...). ------ About phones which have the capability but which are disabled, I wonder if it's because of security implications. Where I live, the allowed frequencies were from 87 MHz to 108 MHz or something. Consumer FM radios could only be tuned in this range. That's because on frequencies outside this range, other transmissions — for example, police transmissions — might be taking place. The aforementioned allowed range is different in different countries. Also, in my country long long ago (like, ≈50 years ago) you needed to get the permission of the government (via a license or something) to get a radio. You couldn't just go to a store and buy one. That changed later, however. Now that I think about it, it might have something to do with semi-secret transmissions happening on frequencies outside the allowed range. A friend told me it's possible to take apart the radio and tune to non-standard frequencies because in most radios the "dial" to select the allowed range really works by physically jamming the dial with another block. If you remove that block, you could keep turning that dial. Haven't tried this myself, so take that with a pinch of salt.

Godel_unicode 4y ago

This is the reason that balanced headphones are nice, the ability to reject many kinds of noise induced into the wiring.

phaedrus 4y ago

Got any tips for eliminating or mitigating the interference? Recently some retiree in my area got himself a new, illegally-high-powered CB radio so he can talk to truckers from his house. It comes through on the wired headphones I wear while working from home.

ungamedplayer 4y ago
If its not massively out of spec, get a ferrite ring for your cable.
sentientslug 4y ago
Contact the FCC
znpy 4y ago
Get law enforcement involved. That retiree might be transmitting way above the allowed transmission power.
CobaltFire 4y ago
Find a HAM in your area and ask them to do a "Fox Hunt". Many enjoy hunting people violating the laws and giving a detailed report the the FCC, which has some rather impressive fines that they DO levy.
- wrycoder 4y ago
  First, HAM is not an acronym. It’s ham, a friendly joke referring to amateur radio operator. Second, hams are not vindictive people, and most interference issues are sorted out locally, possibly with support from the ARRL. Some sources of interference can be very hard to find. The FCC only levies massive fines when their instructions are being ignored. They don’t play games, that’s true.

ungamedplayer 4y ago

Get a ferrite ring for your cable, solves more of these issues than you'd imagine. Or a clip on, something like this : https://www.cablechick.com.au/cables/ferrite-core-rfi-and-emi-noise-suppressor-cable-clip-5mm.html https://www.cablechick.com.au/cables/ferrite-core-rfi-and-em...

dmix 4y ago
I had no idea these existed. This is going to moving make my tube amp so much less annoying. Thank you. https://resources.altium.com/p/how-do-ferrite-beads-work-and-how-do-you-choose-right-one https://resources.altium.com/p/how-do-ferrite-beads-work-and...
- projektfu 4y ago
  An isolation transformer might also help.
fifteenforty 4y ago
They used to be common on USB cables, especially USB A to B cables for printers. Not sure why they disappeared.
- neurostimulant 4y ago
  Those are ferrite cores? I thought it was covered solder joint or something.
  - stoobs 4y ago
    Nope, clipped or glued ferrite, you used to also get them on power cables for certain devices
- q-big 4y ago
  > Not sure why they disappeared. Likely cost savings combined with design considerations ("these knobs look ugly").

SECProto 4y ago

The only incidence of wired interference I have personally experienced was a ground loop in a car (car cigarette lighter-usb adaptor-usb cable-phone-aux cable-aux input on car stereo). I seem to recall fixing it with a <$5 component that isolated the signal, this was about 10 years ago and other vehicles I've owned haven't had the same issue.

macNchz 4y ago

It’s been almost 15 years but I do remember always knowing when my pre-smartphone cell phone was about to ring. It’d make my stereo system buzz loudly moments beforehand.

NikolaNovak 4y ago
I remember that! I wonder what it was - the actual signal sent or something in phone's reaction?
- runnerup 4y ago
  Obviously the phone caused it. The signal from the tower wouldn’t be any different from all the other calls going to all the other phones on your block. They didn’t have beamforming that narrow.
  - neurostimulant 4y ago
    There were even led accessories you can attach to your phone that will light up when the phone is transmitting a signal. Basically just some leds attached to some coils to harvest energy transmitted by the phone.

eropple 4y ago

A bad ground in a USB power brick made Spanish talk radio leak into my video mixer's audio interface. Through the chassis, the BlackMagic SDI card, the SDI card, and the BlackMagic HDMI->SDI converter being powered by the cursed USB brick. That was a bad time.

aspyct 4y ago

My personal best is receiving German radio (I'm from Belgium) through my Logitech 5.1 sounds system. Only when the volume was at minimum or maximum. So odd.