1. tangozulu's Avatar
    Ok I have a Z30 which is pretty awesome, as well as a Q5, Q10, Z10.
    The Z10 never got a radio installed by BB but the other phones do indeed have an FM tuner. The only problem is that unless you are within Cell phone coverage and have an active Sim card it will not work under any circumstances. It always wants a list of local stations from the service provider in order to tune in or on. Not even a wiFi connection will sub for this. I dont want an active Sim for all my devises. Is this to keep carriers happy cause it makes a great customer very unhappy. FN radio coverage far exceeds any cell coverage.
    Funny my old BBOS 9320 has no such problem, nor a cheap HTC Android that not only has a radio that works all the time, but will record the FM signal.
    Get real Blackberry, your best all touch phone has a useless FM radio. No better than an iPhone which doesn't even have an FM tuner.
    03-28-15 01:49 PM
  2. to boldly go's Avatar
    You are mistaken. You dont have to have a sim card in your phone for the radio to work. You have to: a) plug in a speaker wire or a headphone through the speaker plug, so it can use it as an antenna, and b) turn on your mobile network so it can find the stations in your area. You do not have to leave the network on after it finds your stations, probably 10 to 20 seconds.

    Works on my Z30, Q5, BB 9720, and my Curve 9360 (although on the Curve the lone speaker wire wont work unless its connected to a speaker or headphones!)

    I have never yet put a sim card in my Z30 or my 9720.
    03-28-15 02:29 PM
  3. tangozulu's Avatar
    OK sorry ur right it will work Sim free if within cell range if Mobile is turned on, but it still will not work if beyond cell coverage which is the point of an FM tuner to begin with.
    You cant test untill you are beyond cell coverage.
    It wont even scan! And will time out if u try to manually input radio frequency.
    03-28-15 02:48 PM
  4. CTU2fan's Avatar
    Sell one of the phones and buy a radio. Then you'll have FM and AM.

    Tried mine on my Q10. Works with all radios off. I will say the reception isn't great but it wasn't on my old 9810 or 9310 either, I suspect because earbuds make a poor antenna.

    Posted via CB10
    03-28-15 04:08 PM
  5. cbvinh's Avatar
    Why does the tuner need assistance? It's nice to see the name of the station and a little blurb about it, but why can't it operate like a car radio?
    03-28-15 04:15 PM
  6. hoonigan99's Avatar
    Why is it such a problem that a feature which is scarcely found on other phones, is not up to your expectations. I understand wanting more, but it is a bonus feature, one that is mostly catered to developing markets where data is expensive.

    Like someone said above, if you really want a portable radio, I'm sure you can find a small one for less than $50

    BB for Life
    03-28-15 04:44 PM
  7. FrankIAm's Avatar
    It works for me with no SIM and no WiFi on Z30STA100-5/10.3.1.2582 .
    03-28-15 05:15 PM
  8. Dave Bourque's Avatar
    Maybe learn how the feature works before complaining lol...

    Posted via CB10
    RoseBud68 likes this.
    03-28-15 05:16 PM
  9. Gus's Avatar
    You can buy a portable am/fm radio for $10. Maybe pick one up?

    Posted via CB10
    03-28-15 05:21 PM
  10. tangozulu's Avatar
    Sell one of the phones and buy a radio. Then you'll have FM and AM.

    Tried mine on my Q10. Works with all radios off. I will say the reception isn't great but it wasn't on my old 9810 or 9310 either, I suspect because earbuds make a poor antenna.

    Maybe I should

    Posted via CB10
    03-28-15 05:30 PM
  11. tangozulu's Avatar
    Maybe learn how the feature works before complaining lol...

    Really, maybe try where there is no Cell coverage before you doubt my assertion.
    Posted via CB10
    03-28-15 05:31 PM
  12. tangozulu's Avatar
    maybe leave the $400 Berry at home and pack the 65 dollar android........
    03-28-15 05:32 PM
  13. tangozulu's Avatar
    It works for me with no SIM and no WiFi on Z30STA100-5/10.3.1.2582 .
    I suspect you are under a cell umbrella then.
    03-28-15 05:34 PM
  14. tangozulu's Avatar
    Why is it such a problem that a feature which is scarcely found on other phones, is not up to your expectations. I understand wanting more, but it is a bonus feature, one that is mostly catered to developing markets where data is expensive.

    Like someone said above, if you really want a portable radio, I'm sure you can find a small one for less than $50

    BB for Life
    Not iPhone maybe but lots and maybe most Androids, not a bonus, its part of the hardware. It would work fine with some sort of soft ware unlock.
    03-28-15 05:38 PM
  15. Dave Bourque's Avatar
    I suspect you are under a cell umbrella then.
    It only requires a radio signal... what are you talking about?

    Posted via CB10
    03-28-15 05:38 PM
  16. RoseBud68's Avatar
    Its advice Ops is clueless about how the radio really works.
    03-28-15 05:42 PM
  17. tangozulu's Avatar
    It only requires a radio signal... what are you talking about?

    Posted via CB10
    That's what is so frustrating. If you have no mobile cell coverage the tuner refuses to tune to a station. Nor will it allow you to input manually. It will simply tell you to turn on mobile network. It will not scan unless it gets A LIST.
    Totally a fixable software issue.
    03-28-15 05:59 PM
  18. tangozulu's Avatar
    Its advice Ops is clueless about how the radio really works.
    probably impossible to not have cell coverage in your state. Does not work in Alaska.
    03-28-15 06:00 PM
  19. T.GRAHAMJR's Avatar
    Sir, let me get this straight, you are looking for r quality FM radio service and signal on a cell phone, not streaming or Internet service. Okay, I have a Z30, I have several pairs of quality earphones, headphones which are used as the antenna for a FM signal. But most people listen to FM radio on a car radio or home receiver(north america), not there cellphone, this would be only a bonus of convenience. I am completely perplexed at your complaint, FM signal last maybe fifty miles on a car radio, after that it's garbage. Really sir what is your complaint (first world whining at best) .
    03-28-15 06:03 PM
  20. cbvinh's Avatar
    Here's the situation:

    The FM tuner app needs mobile/wi-fi data access to initially generate a list of preset stations that can be switched between. This works fine the majority of the time since you usually stay within the same radio zone. This setup doesn't work when you're moving between radio zones, like in a car, where stations switch in/out and you need to reinitialize the presets. You'll need mobile/wi-fi data. You can't just have a Z10, Q10, Z30, etc. without a SIM or wi-fi to readjust the stations.

    The preset stations are nicely labeled, which is probably why you need the mobile/wi-fi data to initialize. However, you technically don't need this information. You just need a channel with some signal strength, like a car radio, where you can see the station frequency, but not the name, like KQED, for example.

    How did I figure this out? After getting a fresh Z30 from ShopBlackBerry, where the stations haven't been preset yet, I tried to use it as an FM radio to test out a headset. There were no stations and there was no way to tune in any frequencies. Once I turned on data, it acquired a list of stations.
    03-28-15 06:18 PM
  21. tangozulu's Avatar
    First world is not most of the world. This will not work in India, Africa or Idaho if there is no cell coverage. So most of the planet including the 3rd world. The entire Yukon has FM radio for maybe 10% of the area and less than .01% for cell coverage. If I'm suppose to stream and buy dta don't give me a "free" radio tuner.
    My 9320 works fine. the 400 dollar Z30 wont.
    03-28-15 06:21 PM
  22. tangozulu's Avatar
    Here's the situation:

    The FM tuner app needs mobile/wi-fi data access to initially generate a list of preset stations that can be switched between. This works fine the majority of the time since you usually stay within the same radio zone. This setup doesn't work when you're moving between radio zones, like in a car, where stations switch in/out and you need to reinitialize the presets. You'll need mobile/wi-fi data. You can't just have a Z10, Q10, Z30, etc. without a SIM or wi-fi to readjust the stations.

    The preset stations are nicely labeled, which is probably why you need the mobile/wi-fi data to initialize. However, you technically don't need this information. You just need a channel with some signal strength, like a car radio, where you can see the station frequency, but not the name, like KQED, for example.

    How did I figure this out? After getting a fresh Z30 from ShopBlackBerry, where the stations haven't been preset yet, I tried to use it as an FM radio to test out a headset. There were no stations and there was no way to tune in any frequencies. Once I turned on data, it acquired a list of stations.
    Exactly, I am surrounded by good useable local FM stations but my Z30 refuses to recognize their existence. Worse the scan function wont work like any cheap car radio.
    03-28-15 06:24 PM
  23. Aljean Thein's Avatar
    The sound quality on the BB10 is quite horrible when plugged into a stereo.

    Suffer Now & Live The Rest Of Your Life As A Champion
    03-28-15 06:25 PM
  24. Genghis2k3's Avatar
    *People are generally helpful to those that need assistance, and are not addressing he same issue for the 20th time that week. You don't fall into the latter category, so*I suspect you would've received only helpful tips,if you'd simply asked "how to?"

    Instead your post came off as yet another ill/misinformed rant inspired by the desire to post a sassy, provocative, and eye-catching title - and maybe argue with a few folks to kill some time.*
    03-28-15 07:23 PM
  25. tangozulu's Avatar
    *People are generally helpful to those that need assistance, and are not addressing he same issue for the 20th time that week. You don't fall into the latter category, so*I suspect you would've received only helpful tips,if you'd simply asked "how to?"

    Instead your post came off as yet another ill/misinformed rant inspired by the desire to post a sassy, provocative, and eye-catching title - and maybe argue with a few folks to kill some time.*
    So you cant fix it either.
    If I wanted to argue with people I would have headed to an iCrap site.
    03-28-15 07:45 PM
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