Can the Sansa Clip Radio Frequency Range be extended?

MP3 players Sansa Clip | Clip+
1

Hi,

The radio frequency range on my SANSA Clip is 87.5 - 108 Mhz.

Can this range be extended in anyway - for example to pick up 85 Mhz or 110 Mhz?

This could then be used to pick up 2-way radios, etc

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Ash

2

@element1 wrote:

Hi,

 

The radio frequency range on my SANSA Clip is 87.5 - 108 Mhz.

 

Can this range be extended in anyway - for example to pick up 85 Mhz or 110 Mhz?

This could then be used to pick up 2-way radios, etc

 

 

Firmware or settings for other countries may extend the range.  I believe Japan’s FM band goes a few MHz lower. 

 

Edit: the FM chip in the clip has a listed range 76-108 MHz. 

Message Edited by donp on 04-16-2009 11:08 AM

3

Hi donp,

How would i go about changing the firmware or settings?

My firmware is already updated to the latest version.

I’ve tried changing the radio region to US and World but it made no difference.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

4

You won’t change the firmware.  That’s something SanDisk would have to do, and I doubt they will.  There may be other limitations, too.

I would suggest getting a purpose-built receiver for the frequencies you want, as the Clip probably won’t ever do what you desire.

You could go ask at the Rockbox forums, maybe they can do something for you when they get their firmware running on the Clip.

5

@element1 wrote:

Hi donp,

 

How would i go about changing the firmware or settings?

My firmware is already updated to the latest version.

I’ve tried changing the radio region to US and World but it made no difference.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks.

 I don’t have my clip handy so can’t try it… I’d guess “World” enables tuning on even hundreds of KHz, as used in Europe (ie 90.2, 90.4, 90.6)  US stations are all on odd hundreds ( 90.3, 90.5, 90.7)

 Japan is the country I know that has a lower band.  You’d have to find Clip firmware intended for the Japanese market, but then probably couldn’t access the whole US band.  INstallation is pretty much just copying it over the old firmware.

Rockbox on my Sansa E200 has a Japan radio setting that goes from 76 to 90 mhz.  I haven’t dug into it, but it is probably a configuration file somewhere you could set to whatever you want, within the limits of the FM chip.  Of course, that’s pending a Rockbox release for Clip.  In the US that would get you TV sound signals for low-VHF, probably channels 4,5, and 6.  Only until they eliminate analog TV in June.  I don’t know what future plans are for that band.

 On the high end, above 108, I think the next thing is aircraft band.  You’d either get navigation beacons, or voice channels in AM, which wouldn’t sound like much on an FM receiver.  So don’t even worry about going there.

 

 

Message Edited by donp on 04-17-2009 12:41 PM

6

Hi,

Thanks for the informationso far.

I definetly dont have Japan under my FM settings - Just USA and World.

So I guess copying the firmware files should do the trick - are the firmware files:

DID.bin

MTABLE.sys

RES_INFO.sys

SYS_CONF.sys

and version.sdk ?

Now i just need to find a Japanese clip owner…

Thanks again… 

7

Firmware is downloaded as a ZIP archive which expands to a single file.

You copy that 1 file to the player.   On reboot, the player finds that file and extracts & installs everything it needs.  This is covered in the firmware stickey thread for non-windows computers that don’t run the updater program.

8

Hi,

So I’ve tried the manual firware upgrade (using the instructions in the sticky).

Once it’s completed I choose my language (english) and then the region selection only lists: USA, Europe and Rest of World.

So there is still no Japan.

Maybe one needs to select a Japanese language to the the Japan country selection? That’s going to be a bit tough with a Japanese-English dictionary handy…

Ash

10

@element1 wrote:

Hi,

 

So I’ve tried the manual firware upgrade (using the instructions in the sticky).

Once it’s completed I choose my language (english) and then the region selection only lists: USA, Europe and Rest of World.

So there is still no Japan.

Maybe one needs to select a Japanese language to the the Japan country selection? That’s going to be a bit tough with a Japanese-English dictionary handy…

 

Ash

I suspect it would be different a firmware file, like maybe somewhere on http://www.sandisk.co.jp

11

If you install the .32 firmware, you will disable the Japanese FM band range. You can flash it back by putting an older .BIN, but you can’t do it unless you have the existing firmware in a BIN file.

Message Edited by Theodolite on 06-09-2009 05:53 AM