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Chapter 9, Create Time-Shifted FM Radio

FM radio to listen to on your portable audio player, work through Phase

1, Phase 2, and Phase 6. If you think the way I implemented whole-house

control distribution is stupid, and you probably will, you can do it your own

way—as long as it interacts with the layers above and below it in a similar

way.

Shortcut: Just listening to radio on the go? Grab a Radio YourWay from PoGo!

Products.

This project needs a better name than “Whole-House Time-Shifted FM

Radio,” so we’ll call the project Frank. Why Frank? It's a nice name. Richard

Nixon had a hedgehog called Frank.

FM Receiver

There are a couple of different ways to capture FM transmissions. The first

is to connect your stereo to your sound card’s line-in port. This doesn’t

require the purchase of a radio card, and can be used with FM, AM, or

satellite radio, or with any other kind of audio that your stereo can output.

You’ll get the best sound quality possible, as standalone stereo equipment is

optimized for sound quality. On the downside, this method is very complex

because you have to create a way for the computer to control the stereo.

Unless you want to leave the stereo turned on and set to the same station at

all times, the computer will need to be able to turn the radio on and tune

it to a particular station. You could accomplish this ...