FAQ

FAQ

Which dongle should I buy?

Any RTL-SDR dongle with an R820T, R820T2 or R828D tuner works, and so do those with an E4000 tuner. A purpose-made receiver (RTL-SDR Blog V3 or V4, Nooelec NESDR SMArt) is the trouble-free choice; a cheap generic stick works too. See Dongles for the ones measured with the plugin.

Do cheap dongles need a PPM correction?

No. The DAB decoder measures the dongle's frequency error and follows it, up to about 140 ppm. Leave the setting at 0. See Gain, Frequency and Loudness.

Do I have to set the gain?

No. It is measured: for FM once per station, for DAB at every tuning. The manual gain fields are there for those who want them.

Why can I not pause the radio?

A broadcast goes on whether you listen or not. Pause stops the station, and play starts it again at what is on air then.

Is FM in stereo?

No, FM is received in mono. The stereo pilot is used to recognise stations in a scan and to measure reception.

Does it receive AM, short wave, or HD Radio?

No. The plugin receives FM broadcast radio and DAB/DAB+.

Is there DAB where I live?

That depends on the country and region. The DAB scan and the Antenna Positioning Tools show what arrives at your antenna. Without DAB the plugin is an FM radio.

Does it work on Volumio 3?

No. It needs Volumio 4, which is installed fresh; a Volumio 3 player cannot be updated to 4 in place.

Does it work on a Raspberry Pi Zero?

Yes. The receiver programs are built for every Raspberry Pi the Volumio image runs on. Scans take longer on the slowest boards.

Can I use two dongles, or listen to two stations?

No. The plugin uses one dongle and receives one station at a time.

Can an active antenna be powered from the dongle?

The plugin does not switch a dongle's bias tee. Use an antenna with its own power supply, or switch the bias tee yourself with the fn-rtl_biast tool that is installed with the plugin.

Why do some FM stations have no name?

A station's name comes over RDS, which needs better reception than listening does. Until a name is known the station is listed as "FM" and its frequency. Give it a name in the Station Manager.

Why does a DAB station show a picture my car radio does not, or the other way round?

Stations send slideshow pictures with their programme; the plugin shows the newest one. Where a station sends none, the plugin looks up the cover of the song the station's text names, which a car radio does not do.

Where does the album artwork come from?

From Last.fm, looked up by the artist and title in the station's text. See Artwork and Metadata.

Where do the station logos come from?

From the broadcasters themselves, through RadioDNS. You can also choose your own. See Station Logos.

Does the radio work without internet?

Reception does. Logos and album artwork need a connection and are simply left out without one.

Can I use a station as an alarm?

Yes, through a Volumio playlist that contains the station. The station needs reception when the alarm starts it.

Can I edit my stations in a spreadsheet?

Yes: CSV Import and Export.

Is the Station Manager protected by a password?

No. It is reachable by anyone on your home network, like the player itself. Do not expose port 3456 to the internet.

How do I get new versions before they reach the plugin store?

Switch on Plugins Test Mode on the player's /dev page and choose the Beta or Preview channel in the Station Manager. See Updating the Plugin.

Where do I report a problem?

In the community thread. The Troubleshooting page says what to include.