Radio Software

[nffc]

Anyone know any free software you can use to listen to analogue radio through a TV tuner card?

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by nffc

Anyone know any free software you can use to listen to analogue radio through a TV tuner card?

Is it actually possible? Radio and TV are on totally different frequency ranges, and I suspect a TV card would not be able to deal with FM at all.

Unless it also has onboard hardware to recieve Radio, in which case the Manfacturer's site will have software.

[Graham M]

I could be wrong but aren't most TV Cards simple TWAIN devices that just pass an image to the system. They usually have a pass through to plug into the line in of your sound card, sometimes, if they are internal they can plug in to the "AUX" line on your sound card. If there is a way to tune them outside their normal frequency surely this would be against some law or something?? Just a few thoughs.

[ian@huth]

There are a fair number of radio stations broadcasting on the net

http://www.radiofeeds.co.uk/

http://www.radio-now.co.uk/web.htm#WEB

[Jon_]

my leadtek tvexpert 2000 xp (think thats the correct product name!) has both radio and tv tuners on it, the radio tuner is a extra option though. The software that came with the card does the tv and radio tuning.

[nffc]

Originally Posted by scastle

Is it actually possible? Radio and TV are on totally different frequency ranges, and I suspect a TV card would not be able to deal with FM at all.

Not really, Radio 88-108 MHz, TV is only a tad higher.

I can put a frequency into DScaler- but because it thinks it's a TV freq, it will decode two frequencies instead of one.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by nffc

Not really, Radio 88-108 MHz, TV is only a tad higher.

I can put a frequency into DScaler- but because it thinks it's a TV freq, it will decode two frequencies instead of one.

TV since about 1986 has used UHF frequencies which tend to be between 300 MHz and 3.0 GHz which is quite away from radio frequencies.

Edit. For UK frequencies used look at http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/terrestrial/tuning/

[MikeyB]

Unless your TV card has a radio tuner built in, it wont be possible to pick up radio stations

[nffc]

Originally Posted by MikeyB

Unless your TV card has a radio tuner built in, it wont be possible to pick up radio stations

it does work, but it picks up two frequencies as it thinks it's a TV so it uses PAL-I and picks up the video and audio frequencies...

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by nffc

it does work, but it picks up two frequencies as it thinks it's a TV so it uses PAL-I and picks up the video and audio frequencies...

If you look at the link I posted (post #7) it gives both the vision and sound frequencies used in the UK and they are all a very long distance from radio frequencies.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by nffc

it does work, but it picks up two frequencies as it thinks it's a TV so it uses PAL-I and picks up the video and audio frequencies...

Assuming you are using the program DScaler, referenced here and here then it is highly unlikely that DScaler would be able to pick up the radio frequencies, being a program designed to de-interlace a live video/audio input.

Assuming it's not the program I referenced above, surely if it could pick up radio frequencies, it would let you listen to them?

I still think it doubtful your TV card can recieve radio stations. As Ianauth says, there is a huge gap between the frequences used, and I doubt the recievers set up to recieve TV frequencies would be able to go low enough to recieve standard FM radio frequency. Even if they could, they would not know how to handle the Frequency Modulation used at these frequencies.

If your card had the relevant hardware for recieving FM broadcasts onboard, surely the manufacturer would provide software (both on CD and for download) for recieving it?

[MikeyB]

Originally Posted by nffc

it does work, but it picks up two frequencies as it thinks it's a TV so it uses PAL-I and picks up the video and audio frequencies...

Exactly, your TV card is trying to decypher a TV signal at the frequency you tell it, it has no idea what an FM radio signal looks like. Your card is designed to read PAL (and possibly NTSC) signals.
It needs a different tuner to decypher a radio signal, and unless it says on the box, I see no way of you picking up FM radio with it.
Software alone cannot do this.

My Mums TV has a radio, it's a button on the remote, and switches to Radio mode, it even has a separate aerial socket on the back for the radio, which indicates it's going to a different tuner.

[Graham M]

Originally Posted by MikeyB

Exactly, your TV card is trying to decypher a TV signal at the frequency you tell it, it has no idea what an FM radio signal looks like. Your card is designed to read PAL (and possibly NTSC) signals.
It needs a different tuner to decypher a radio signal, and unless it says on the box, I see no way of you picking up FM radio with it.
Software alone cannot do this.

My Mums TV has a radio, it's a button on the remote, and switches to Radio mode, it even has a separate aerial socket on the back for the radio, which indicates it's going to a different tuner.

We have a phillips TV like that here.

[MikeyB]

Yeah, my Mums is a Philips, and it actually picks up the local radio station without an aerial plugged in the radio socket.