Audio (Radio Receiver)
Listen to AM/FM/SSB radio
What it does
SimpleRadio stations send out invisible waves in the air, a bit like ripples spreading across a pond when you drop in a stone. Your ears can't feel those ripples, but this app can. It acts like a special ear that catches the ripples and turns them back into sound you can actually hear.
You pick a number — that number is called the frequency, and it's like the address of a station. If a station is 'living' at that address, you'll hear its music or talking come out of the speaker. Slide the number up or down a little and you'll land on different stations, each with its own sound.
How it works
SimpleThe radio wave wiggles in a pattern. For FM stations the wiggle changes how *fast* the wave shakes; for AM it changes how *big* the wave is. The app measures those wiggles thousands of times a second and copies them straight onto the speaker, so the exact same wiggle that left the radio tower becomes the sound in your ears.
How to use it, step by step
Simple- Open the 'Audio' app from the menu.
- Plug in headphones or turn the volume up.
- Type a station number, like 100.3 for an FM music station.
- Choose 'WFM' for music radio.
- If it sounds hissy, turn the gain up a little until it's clear.
- Slide the number up or down to hunt for more stations.
Examples
Tune 88–108 MHz in WFM to hear commercial broadcast radio in crisp stereo.
Tune 118–137 MHz in AM to hear air-traffic control talking to pilots — a great way to hear how aviation uses plain AM voice.
Tune the marine band (156–162 MHz) in NFM near a coast or harbour to hear ship-to-shore and coastguard calls.
On the 20 m amateur band (~14.2 MHz) in USB you can hear operators chatting, sometimes from other continents.
Tips & things to try
- If a signal is distorted, you probably picked the wrong modulation — try switching AM↔FM or USB↔LSB.
- Too much gain adds a 'crunchy' overload sound; back it off until it's clean.
- The waterfall display is your friend — a bright vertical line means an active channel worth tuning to.
- Airband is AM, not FM — a common beginner mistake is leaving it on FM and hearing nothing.