Clip+ FM Radio volume problem

Hey there,

My new Sansa Clip+ 8GB seems to have a problem with fluctuating volume levels especially when I’ve got stronger stereo reception. If I’m moving while listening to the radio, it becomes uncomfortably loud for a second or so and then settles down to a somewhat quiet level. I thought at first that it was a reception issue but I tried it out walking through a field in full view of a local radio mast some 5 kilometres away. The problem persisted but the fluctuations were less severe.

The problem doesn’t seem to be there when I’ve got weaker reception. It’s easier to listen to slightly crackly radio than music that goes from quiet to loud within a second. As I live in an area with pretty strong radio coverage, it’s a real pain in the behind!

Can anyone help me out? I installed the latest firmware as soon as I got it, and it’s set to english and “Rest of World”. Radio is on “rest of world” mode. Setting radio to mono only doesn’t make any difference.

This is speculation, but it sounds like some sort of Automatic Gain Control is out of whack. It shouldn’t make much difference with FM radios though…

Thanks!

It looks like other people have had different radio problems… Is it worthwhile to sort out an RMA (I’m in europe)? I’m worried that I’ll just be told that there’s nothing wrong with it and it must be your reception etc. Now everyone I’ve tried to show the problem to has spotted it but that doesn’t mean some random techie will!

Any help would be nice!

I’d say it’s defective, but then I’m not in charge of RMA’s. :stuck_out_tongue:

Good luck.

I have exactly the same problem - I had my Clip+ replaced because the clip broke off and the entire player had to be replaced as the clips don’t come off!  While I was waiting for the replacement, I was using my older Clip, and when I used the replacement Clip+ today for the first time and was listening to the radio, I noticed the volume fluctuations you described - these are NOT present on the older Clip.

@55brianb wrote:

I have exactly the same problem - I had my Clip+ replaced because the clip broke off and the entire player had to be replaced as the clips don’t come off!  While I was waiting for the replacement, I was using my older Clip, and when I used the replacement Clip+ today for the first time and was listening to the radio, I noticed the volume fluctuations you described - these are NOT present on the older Clip.

Call’em up and get it taken care of.

I’ve had my Sansa 2 weeks now, and I have the exact same problem. I bought the Clip+ specifically for hte FM feature so I’m really disappointed in this!

The FM works better on the new Clip Zip than on it’s predecessor, the Clip+. The lack of shielding in this model makes for some nasty RF interference unitl the backlight goes off. The Clip+ is still my favorite of the 2, but if FM is what you mainly listen too, I’d recommend the Zip.

Maybe you can return it and get the newer model?

I haven’t had an issue with the FM tuner of my Clips, but certainly, if you are still within the first month of purchase, go back to the seller and seek to return/exchange the player. If that doesn’t work or is not convenient, telephone SanDisk Customer Support (phoning is better than emailing) and get a warranty replacement. Or, as Tapeworm mentions above, consider returning the Clip+ and replacing it with a Clip Zip, the newest (within the last week) Clip model–and consider getting it from the SanDisk online store, where, thru Sept. 6, SanDisk will ship it for free and throw in a free carry case (retail price $15) for it. Be sure to register with SanDisk first, and also get 10% off your first purchase! :slight_smile: http://shop.sandisk.com/store?Action=DisplayHomePage&Env=BASE&Locale=en_US&SiteID=sdiskus

Tapeworm, why do you like like the Clip+ better than the Clip Zip? I haven’t bought the Clip Zip yet, however the Clip Zip seems to me to be a very slight improvement over the Clip+. The only reason I could see for buying the Clip+ rather than the Clip Zip is that the Clip+ is being discounted and is as low as $35 for the 4GB player, while it is hard to find the Clip Zip at  a discount, especially if someone wants it very soon and doesn’t want to preorder it. 

Clip Zip reviews:  http://forums.sandisk.com/t5/Clip-Zip/Clip-Zip-Reviews/td-p/242614

When I checked at Amazon.com yesterday, it had the full offering of Clip ZIps available.  The 8GBs were going for the full retail price ($70); some 4GB colors were going for below full retail (around $42) while others were at the full retail ($50).

Note that the SanDisk store has the full range of Clip Zips for sale, and through Sept. 6, is throwing in a free, nice, black storage case (retail value $15) and free ship.  Plus register with SanDisk before ordering and get 10% off your first purchase.  All in all, a nice deal.

I recently bought an 8Gb Clip+ after the clip broke on my 4Gb model. I have upgraded in terms of storage capacity, but it seems I have downgraded when it comes to the radio. The reception on the 8Gb device is really rather poor, compared with that of the older device I owned. The question is whether this is a defect inherent in all new (8Gb) devices or just a problem with my device? I could return it to the store, but I may just end up with another Clip+ with poor reception. Does anyone know if this is the case?

Personally, I’ve never noticed any FM quality differences between the Clips. But perhaps that reflects my geographic/urban area?

Does it produce static (like the station is not tuned in correctly) until the backlight goes off, and then sound OK? Some (if not all) of the Clip+'s do not have the shielding that the original Clip had or had a different tuner chip, resulting in RF interference until the backlight goes out.

I don’t want to suggest returning it and getting the newer Clip Zip instead, but the Zip does not have this issue. Besides it has RDS on the FM radio that displays the call letters and track info on the screen as well. There’s nothing you can do to get the Clip+ you have to sound any better.

Yes, there is static at times when the fading occurs, but it does not correlate with the backlight being on. The poor reception is ongoing, whether the backlight is on or not. I’d consider getting the Zip, but the larger display is not important to me and I like the much smaller size of the Clip+.

@stuwat wrote:
Yes, there is static at times when the fading occurs, but it does not correlate with the backlight being on. The poor reception is ongoing, whether the backlight is on or not. I’d consider getting the Zip, but the larger display is not important to me and I like the much smaller size of the Clip+.

They are actually pretty close in size.

Essentially, the same in size.

Regardless of whether you would use the larger screen to view album art or not, there are other features included in the Zip that are improvements over the Plus model, like RDS on the FM Radio, no RF interference, customizable menus, AAC support, plays gapless tracks much better, etc  . . . and the fact that the Zip will be supported with firmware updates to work out any bugs and maybe enhance or add features going forward. The Clip+ will not see any further updates.

And yes, they are virtually the same size. The Zip is a few millimenters taller is all, width and thickness (including clip) is the same.

@marvin_martian wrote:


@stuwat wrote:
Yes, there is static at times when the fading occurs, but it does not correlate with the backlight being on. The poor reception is ongoing, whether the backlight is on or not. I’d consider getting the Zip, but the larger display is not important to me and I like the much smaller size of the Clip+.


They are actually pretty close in size.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words….:wink:

@marvin_martian wrote:

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words….:wink:

 

Or in this case 3,000 words. :stuck_out_tongue:

I will definitely consider the Zip now. I must have been given some incorrect measurements, but I see from the photos that there is very little difference between the two models. Thank you.