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[Q] Radio on my phone?

I've got a Sony Xperia z, and I want to start playing around with what I can do with it. One idea that occurred to me was expanding its radio capabilities. I basically want to turn it into a mobile ham station. I want to be able to scan HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies and transmit on them... I have a basic idea of how to make the hardware for this project to work, but I have no idea what to do on the software side. I know the Z comes with the built in ability to listen to FM radio and it uses your headphones as an antenna, so I'm making two assumptions with that in mind: the input source comes in through the headphone jack, and this source can be expanded to other frequencies depending on what I plug into it. The wall I run into is I suck at java development. It's been years since I've used any programming language, and I know even less about hard ware/software integration on a mobile platform. Can anyone point me in the right direction to pursue this project?

Ok, how about this: I'm willing to pay someone to dev the app for me. I started looking into what it would take for me to program this and it's way beyond the scope of my skills. I was looking at buying a laptop just to work on this project, but I would rather spend the money on a quality product. Here's exactly what I want it to do:
A. Receive
1) Receive radio signals in the medium wave (mw) band all the way up to the VHF band.
2) scan a range of frequencies, with step options (I.e. Start a scan at a user in putted freq and then stop at another inputted freq and have the option to step up in increments as low as 0.001hz as the user desires)
3) store frequencies into a scannable Database or store freqs into a database of freqs to skip over
I'm assuming this would all be done by pulling in a signal from either the headphone jack or micro USB port.
B. Push a signal back out through the same port. So basically a receive or transmit mode. I get that phones don't have a built in transceiver. I can do the hardware as long as I have a signal going in one direction or the other and an app to interpret it.
So with pushing a signal back out I would like the option to either broadcast a stored file or directly from the microphone.
Now as for pay I was looking at spending 300 on a laptop so I could push that cost to a developer instead. Any mods after the initial app is finished would come with additional pay. Add on mods that is, not debugging issues. Any takers?

BranSidhe said:
Here's exactly what I want it to do:
A. Receive
1) Receive radio signals in the medium wave (mw) band all the way up to the VHF band.
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Click to collapse
Have you seen detailed specs on the radio? All I can find is that they identify if as "FM radio", so it is most probably just the VHF commercial broadcast band (88-108MHz). It is very unlikely that they would include a more expensive multi-band radio. A single-band VHF-FM broadcast band receiver would be much smaller than a multi-band receiver.
2) scan a range of frequencies, with step options (I.e. Start a scan at a user in putted freq and then stop at another inputted freq and have the option to step up in increments as low as 0.001hz as the user desires)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this part would be native code -- C language.
3) store frequencies into a scannable Database or store freqs into a database of freqs to skip over
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Click to collapse
And this would probably be handled by an Android application in Java.
I'm assuming this would all be done by pulling in a signal from either the headphone jack or micro USB port.
B. Push a signal back out through the same port. So basically a receive or transmit mode. I get that phones don't have a built in transceiver. I can do the hardware as long as I have a signal going in one direction or the other and an app to interpret it.
So with pushing a signal back out I would like the option to either broadcast a stored file or directly from the microphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think I understand you completely but it is very unlikely that this radio has a transmitter. It is very likely only the VHF-FM single-band receiver, 88-108MHz in the US. With a rooted device you could probably create software which will scan and otherwise select frequencies but it would be useless to make the steps any smaller than 200kHz, unless you wanted to listen for very low power interstitial transmissions. It almost certainly will not transmit.
Again, do you have detailed specs on the radio? This job isn't for me though -- I don't have the device and I no longer have a suitable working environment for this kind of work.
Frank
ADDED:
Also, FM is essentially useless below 6-meters, although there is some rare Ham usage in HF.
Frank

Oh the phone def doesn't have a transmitter native to it. My thought process is to hook the phone up to a transmitter through either the USB port of the headphone jack and have it transmit that way.
I want the phone to be the interface of the system. I was thinking something like this: techlib.com/electronics/allband (it's .htm, I can't post full links yet) inline with the antenna and the phone (I.e. Antenna -> receiver/transceiver -> phone). The biggest problem I run into is I don't know how to make the phone work with whatever I plug into it.
And yeah, I accidentally left the g off of .002ghz so 2000 kHz is completely accurate.

BranSidhe said:
Oh the phone def doesn't have a transmitter native to it. My thought process is to hook the phone up to a transmitter through either the USB port of the headphone jack and have it transmit that way.
I want the phone to be the interface of the system.
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Click to collapse
That is reasonable. You could even use the device to work some of the data modes on a suitable tranceiver. I think I've seen this done with the Palm, so the Palm might be a source for some of the code.
The biggest problem I run into is I don't know how to make the phone work with whatever I plug into it.
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I have not looked at the USB interface yet -- my last serial work was RS-232 -- so I don't know what these things will let us do.
These Linux/Android devices have been out for several years and there might already be some software for this -- have you looked?
Seven more posts.
Frank

I have been looking around for quite a while now. There is a ton of software for turning a computer into a controller station(SDR), but not a lot for mobile devices. Wolphi .com is the best I've seen so far, but their device isn't what I'm looking for. I don't want to have a full separate radio, just an inline receiver/transceiver and have all other "radio" functions controlled by the phone. I dunno maybe I'm reaching here.
Thanks for all the input so far btw

BranSidhe said:
There is a ton of software for turning a computer into a controller station(SDR), but not a lot for mobile devices. Wolphi .com is the best I've seen so far, but their device isn't what I'm looking for. I don't want to have a full separate radio, just an inline receiver/transceiver and have all other "radio" functions controlled by the phone. I dunno maybe I'm reaching here.
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Click to collapse
Back in 2003 and 2004 I wrote a controller on Windows NT for my FT-897, and that was not a difficult task because I wrote it as a command line program -- no GUI. Are you intending to build your own radio, or just an interface for the phone/radio connection?
I looked at a few of the applications at wolphi.com and they all use only audio input and decode the audio signal. To control the device you would need USB, as you said. If no one has done this yet for any radio then maybe there is something in the USB implementation which limits it. I would probably have tried it by now if I were still licensed and had a radio to try it with, so I'm really surprised that a controller hasn't already been written.
I'm pretty sure I saw a controller written for a Palm PDA to control the Yaesu portable low power HF radio. I don't recall if it actually did any keying and transmitting though.
I don't think you are reaching too far. It seems to me that this can be done and it would be very useful if you do accomplish it.
Frank
ADDED 07:42:
After thinking back I recall that I had two or three connections between my radio and computer. An RS-232 serial cable connection was used to send commands to the radio and to receive replies from it. There was also one or two connections to send and receive audio; this was through two ports on the computer but I can't recall if it was separate connections or a combined connection on the radio.
The program I wrote had several options and one of them was to function as an echo repeater: it recorded a signal when the squelch broke and then retransmitted that recording when the transmitting station's carrier ceased. It was handy for other hams to hear what their station sounded like. An Android controller would probably use the same dual connection; for example, a command is sent through USB from Android to radio to key the transmitter then outgoing audio is sent through the headphone port; then the radio is unkeyed through the USB port.
The Android application will be a fairly typical Android application, except that is would communicate with a native Linux application that communicates with the USB port. This does not seem difficult to me and I'm really surprised it hasn't been done.
SGH-I717(AoCP6.4), SM-N900V/MI9(dlV), XDA Premium

[Q] Is there a utility for checking system health via MicroUSB for Android devices?

The ideal tool would allow the following process:
Plug Android phone into a computer via MicroUSB
Run a utility on the computer
User receives a readout of the health of the various internal systems and software (including processor, RAM, storage space, antennas, sensors, screen, as well as root/unlocked and customer ROM/recovery)
I'm envisioning something like the diagnostic tool used at Apple Genius Bars but for Android phones (and possibly iPhone and WP as well).
Does this exist? If not, what do you think it would take to make it?
Thanks!

Sensor transmission from one phone to another possible?

Can i get the sensor data from one phone connected to my main phone??
And can it be accessible in ide or game engine??
I do not want sensor data from my main phone but rather the data from the other phone connected to it via Bluetooth/Wifi.
Can this also be true from fitness band?
I.E gain acceas to fitness band's sensor data to develop a app/game?

chintu1234 said:
Can i get the sensor data from one phone connected to my main phone??
And can it be accessible in ide or game engine??
I do not want sensor data from my main phone but rather the data from the other phone connected to it via Bluetooth/Wifi.
Can this also be true from fitness band?
I.E gain acceas to fitness band's sensor data to develop a app/game?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think its possible because I have connected Arduino with Android phone via Bluetooth and send the sensor information to arduino which I could save to my PC. SO I think connecting via bluetooth you can send the sensor data but you need to find out some app regarding that.

Question ANT+ support missing?!

Hello,
I just received my new S21+ and transferred all data and applications to it. All good, but when I tried to start ANT+ connectivity... to my dismalness, I noticed that support seems to be missing:
ANT Tester reports that built-in ANT was NOT detected, so it's missing built-in firmware or ANT HAL service (!!!) And yes, I do have installed ANT Radio service and ANT+ plugins.
Anyone else can see that? This is a complete deal braker for me, as I use my phone often to connect to cycling sensors.

Hola
You are not alone. Sammy removed Ant+ support on the S21 series. I am into home cycling as well and I am now forced to change a few of my monitors to Bluetooth. Luckily my Tacx smart trainer supports Bluetooth and Ant+, if that wasn't the case I too would have been mad.
It took me a while to find out about this as it is not clearly articulated online about this missing feature.

Damn, that's pretty disappointing. Yes, I have sensors with Bluetooth support, but it's finicky when I switch between PC (for Zwift) BT and my phone BT. It works better when I'm able to use PC BT and phone ANT+. Oh well.

catastrat said:
Hello,
I just received my new S21+ and transferred all data and applications to it. All good, but when I tried to start ANT+ connectivity... to my dismalness, I noticed that support seems to be missing:
ANT Tester reports that built-in ANT was NOT detected, so it's missing built-in firmware or ANT HAL service (!!!) And yes, I do have installed ANT Radio service and ANT+ plugins.
Anyone else can see that? This is a complete deal braker for me, as I use my phone often to connect to cycling sensors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
I have an S20 FE and there's no ANT + here either.
From what I've read because there is no HAL service.
however the phone is listed on the ANT website as being compatible.
I've tweeted and messaged Samsung , Google and Android developers but had no reply.
Same as you I use my phone with Cycling apps so it's really annoying.

I was planning to add custom rom support for S21 devices and while looking into firmware, I found, all stuff related to ANT was removed.(I was looking s21 ultra firmware specifically) So probably it's been removed from s21 devices

You *should* be able to use your Ant+ devices *IF* you plug an OTG USB dongle into your phone, and then plug an Ant+ dongle in it.
I used to use my Poco F1 for my rides outdoor, with my Ant+ devices (powemeter, cadence, HR monitor) when it was under Android 8.x. Since I upgraded it to Android 9.x, then Android 10.x, Ant+ is not enabled anymore. The trick with OTG/Ant+, works.

kennygwood said:
Hi
I have an S20 FE and there's no ANT + here either.
From what I've read because there is no HAL service.
however the phone is listed on the ANT website as being compatible.
I've tweeted and messaged Samsung , Google and Android developers but had no reply.
Same as you I use my phone with Cycling apps so it's really annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
New S20FE owner here.
One of the reasons (but not the only reason!) I picked the S20FE was most mobile phone spec websites (GSM arena etc..) list the S20FE as including ANT+!
Checking again the ANT certified list they ONLY mention certified:
"Meet Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra."
Not the FE!!
And also checking samsung.com for the specs; under Connectivity; S20 clearly states ANT+ YES - BUT this is missing in the S20FE and all the later S21 series phones!
I imagine of the millions of phones sold - actual ANT+ users are a small %! shame.

Samsung appear to have dropped Ant+
I now have a newer S21 plus 5g (so not an FE version) and Ant+ doesn't appear.
I can now do wahat I need, use a cycling smart trainer and HR monitor, using bluetooth.

Samsung A30 broken screen transfer files USB debugging disabled

My Samsung A30 has a broken screen, I’m attempting to transfer all my files unfortunately the phone does not have the file transfer mode enabled so when I plug it in to my PC it’s recognised as a modem.
I’ve attempted to use https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy to display my phone so I can perform transfer operations unfortunately it requires USB debugging enabled which I don’t have.
I’ve also attempted connecting my phone to my TV via a USB hub though the phone model does not support HDMI output.
The phone is running as it is receiving calls with it vibrating.
Any thoughts on anything else I can attempt? I’ve already bought a new phone so not too keen on getting the screen replaced especially given there could be other issues.

AHuss123 said:
My Samsung A30 has a broken screen, I’m attempting to transfer all my files unfortunately the phone does not have the file transfer mode enabled so when I plug it in to my PC it’s recognised as a modem.
I’ve attempted to use https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy to display my phone so I can perform transfer operations unfortunately it requires USB debugging enabled which I don’t have.
I’ve also attempted connecting my phone to my TV via a USB hub though the phone model does not support HDMI output.
The phone is running as it is receiving calls with it vibrating.
Any thoughts on anything else I can attempt? I’ve already bought a new phone so not too keen on getting the screen replaced especially given there could be other issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the screen is broken and you did not have USB debugging enabled before it was broken, there is nothing you can do to retrieve your data except repair the screen or find a tech shop that has the tools and the knowledge to pull your data directly from the hardware chip itself.
You will not solve this yourself using only software.

Use a USB Type C to HDMI cable to your TV.
The Samsung A30 apparently supports it.
HDMI Alt Mode doesn't go through a hub.
Enable ADB and download.

@Droidriven thanks, fair enough, I've ordered a screen and will attempt to replace it myself.
@Renate To enable ADB I need to enable USB debugging. Also doesn't seem like Samsung A30 supports HDMI output https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/connect-samsung-device-to-tv-via-hdmi/

Oh, sorry, my bad. The internet will give you an answer to any question, usually wrong.
Is there any chance that you can find the hardware serial console on internal test points?
Then you just need to:
Code:
# settings put global adb_enabled 1
If your ADB was previously enabled, then you won't have to deal with the invisible acceptance screen.
If not you'll have to echo the public key into /data/misc/adb/adb_keys
(I just did this on my B&N Glow '21 when it factory reset and it blocked me with a mandatory OOBE setup.)

Renate said:
Oh, sorry, my bad. The internet will give you an answer to any question, usually wrong.
Is there any chance that you can find the hardware serial console on internal test points?
Then you just need to:
Code:
# settings put global adb_enabled 1
If your ADB was previously enabled, then you won't have to deal with the invisible acceptance screen.
If not you'll have to echo the public key into /data/misc/adb/adb_keys
(I just did this on my B&N Glow '21 when it factory reset and it blocked me with a mandatory OOBE setup.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For one, your solution is not a software solution, which is what I said, that they would not solve this with software alone. That is true and that is all I was saying.
Second, this solution is a hardware approach that the typical user has no experience with, which is why I didn't present them with an option that I am certain they are not comfortable with or experienced enough to attempt, as demonstrated by their attempts with software and unsupported HDMI and then stopping there to ask for help. An answer that more than likely seems more like a risk to them than a solution, isn't really helpful to them. I've helped with users dealing with this issue for years, I've learned that the vast majority of them are not comfortable with resorting to solutions that people like you and I would. With most of them, you may as well be telling them that they can solve their issue by biting a tiger on his ear, they are afraid of the solution. But, I understand, you have a proven, working solution, so you posted it, that is actually good, thank you.
That is why I said to repair the screen or take the device to a tech shop that has the experience and the tools(which requires opening the device to implement a hardware solution, as your posted solution also requires opening the device to implement a hardware solution) to retrieve the data for them(if repairing the screen is not their preferred solution, which obviously isn't). Also, Samsung isn't as simple as B&N hardware, Samsung has some tricky stuff when it comes to hardware, especially their Qcom versions, such as Qfuse(on some nodeld)and other tricky hardware designed to make tampering a real pain or even kill the device with built in components intended to kill the device if triggered. Their bootloader is pretty hard to get past without breaking into the hardware itself also.

Yeah, I know about Samsung, which is why I don't buy it.
In any case, if it's booted to Android, then Android generic solutions will work.
I don't have any idea if a serial port is accessible, but if it were, that would be an easy option.

thanks for the advice guys, @Renate your solution is probably probably beyond my expertise though thanks for your comment, hopefully I can understand it better in future. I'm hoping to use this screen replacement as an entry point into mobile phone repair.