alt.hn

6/8/2026 at 3:25:40 PM

I replaced Spotify with a homemade FM radio station

 https://old.reddit.com/r/digitalminimalism/comments/1tes8yu/i_replaced_spotify_with_a_homemade_fm_radio/

by dredmorbius

6/8/2026 at 5:23:12 PM

I did something similar about a year ago, when I was unemployed.

I made an Icecast-compatible streaming server in Erlang, and an Icecast-compatible stream in Rust. Between songs, I would phone out to the cheapest GPT model and a local TTS model to get unfunny DJ banter, with an infinite stream.

I thought it would be very funny to call it "KUMM -- Playing all stickiest white-hot hits!" because I have the maturity level of a fourteen year old, only to find out that there actually is a KUMM station [1] in real life.

All the songs were from CD rips from my very large collection, and it was pretty fun to write. It was my primary music solution until I eventually got a job, it broke, and I didn't prioritize fixing it.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KUMM

by tombert

6/8/2026 at 4:01:29 PM

Did something like this for janky whole-venue music at my wedding reception back in '07. We had a low power FM transmitter connected to a laptop playing the music. We borrowed a bunch of old "boom boxes" with FM radios from friends, tuned them to our "station", and arrayed them throughout the event space. We kept the volume fairly low on each radio so we didn't have to worry about echoes.

by EvanAnderson

6/8/2026 at 5:32:04 PM

What I really like about this concept is that it runs a mix of podcasts, news updates, and music, which is something I've been considering for a while. Playing the same mix over a number of tuned-in sets throughout a house or establishment could also work nicely.

TFA uses bluetooth, which may incur different lags on different playback devices. Another option several people have already mentioned is low-power local-only FM (or apparently AM) transmitters. These are sometimes used for in-car playback without Bluetooth from a device (phone, tablet, laptop) over a non-Bluetooth sound system, and could work within a small house. Bands and transmission power are specifically licenced for this in some locations, though of course local regs will vary.

I particularly like the idea of curating my own set of podcasts to play as I want to schedule them, adding in top-of-the-hour news (BBC, CBC, NPR, Deutschlandfunk), or a daily news programme (BBC World, PBS News Hour, The World out of WBUR/Boston), with music filling in between slots either streamed or selected from a (very large, physical media-backed) collection.

Another thought, for a commercial venue which would otherwise be subject to, e.g., ASCAP / Harry Fox performance rights organisation licencing (<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_rights_organisatio...>), would be to use only public-domain / freely-licenced works.

Also very much appreciating others' similar takes on this.

(Submitter, FWIW.)

by dredmorbius

6/8/2026 at 6:11:30 PM

> ... subject to, e.g., ASCAP / Harry Fox performance rights organisation licencing ... to use only public-domain / freely-licenced works.

I know a couple people who dealt with ASCAP and BMI in the context of small businesses. The association reps sounded a lot like stereotypical mafia "enforcers", making "It'd be a shame if something happened to your business..." kinds of veiled threats even when told the venue had strict rules allowing only original or public domain performances. (Their people also kept coming back, over and over again, much like vampires.) This was nearly 20 years ago but I doubt their tactics are much different today.

by EvanAnderson

6/8/2026 at 4:00:40 PM

Shilling for an old employer. This is a neat super simple device that takes incoming headphone and converts to FM.

Whole House FM Transmitter (https://wholehousefmtransmitter.com/)

by jklinger410

6/8/2026 at 4:48:07 PM

It's a little pricey for the hobbyist but for "normies" it looks really good. Neat product idea.

by EvanAnderson

6/8/2026 at 7:08:23 PM

What would you consider more appropriate hobbyist kit?

$140 for a solution that works with existing receivers compares pretty nicely with, say, Bluetooth speakers (starting at about $50 and running well north, per set).

I've a number of FM-capable tuners lying around, and could pick up more quite cheaply. The transmitter's the key kit.

by dredmorbius

6/8/2026 at 10:01:49 PM

I purchased a $40 FM broadcast device from Amazon [0] (two TRS-inputs), five years ago, which has been wonderful (advertised for churches and drive-in theaters); it is simple and powerful (at least 150ft). I have five radios tuned to it (no syncing lo-tech); connected to my SiriusXM it's endless tunes – my neighborhood can also join in (and does).

----

Wouldn't surprise me if it was $140, now // [looked-up: it's $80]

[0] <https://www.amazon.com/BaseWish-Range-Transmitter-3-5mm-Driv...>

by ProllyInfamous

6/8/2026 at 11:14:53 PM

Firstly, I think that unit, for what it is and who it's for is priced exactly right. It's for a non-technical end user who wants an easy to use off the shelf product. I think it's pretty cool.

I'd be more in the market for a bare PCB rather than the nice case. I don't need the LCD, either. I'm looking for a fundamentally different product and more in the $50 to $75 range.

by EvanAnderson

6/8/2026 at 5:01:50 PM

That solves the problem of keeping all the speakers in sync.

I did something similar with IP tech. I put all my MP3s on a SSD connected to a 3 W ARM SoC at home. The software stack is deefuzzer + icecast + a number of different players according to the device I'm using. A web UI to skip to the next song or to search a string and create a playlist with the result. I setup a few channels by genre. I'm listening to my radio right now. The advantage compared to a FM station is that I don't have to care about interference (I would be the bad guy) and I can listen to it wherever I am.

by pmontra

6/8/2026 at 3:45:00 PM

You don't even need a Raspberry PI.

You can simplify it even further. List of things you need.

1. Smartphone or DAP.

2. Car Bluetooth FM Transmitter (~$20)

3. USB to 12 V car adapter(~$10)

4. Existing FM radio.

You can set this up in 5 minutes. Connect the smartphone/DAP using BT or AUX cable. Select a free FM channel and you are ready to go.

Also, in the photos, the FM antenna is fully extended which is unnecessary as these FM transmitters put out plenty of RF power.

P.S. On AliExpress, you can buy both for < $15 while on Amazon it is around $30.

P.P.S. Just the USB FM transmitter is only $5 on AE. For the cost of a cup of Coffee!

by kanbankaren

6/8/2026 at 5:13:01 PM

This isn't an item to cheap out on. Find one with aptX HD support and decent reviews if you have any room in your budget. I use the bluetooth to FM all the time. I have a pair, one in my car and another in my travel kit for rental cars. The key is to find one with aptX HD and other newer hi-fi codecs as there are older chips still being sold with lower specs as BT has been a thing for awhile now. I just did a search are there are ones that are usb powered or wall powered. Another better method might be a real FCC certified FM transmitter that are marketed for Drive Ins and "church parking lots" and use a bluetooth receiver or a usb-dac as the input.

by Projectiboga

6/8/2026 at 5:30:27 PM

You drank the aptX kool aid and forgot the fidelity loss along the signal path.

FM broadcasts do a high pass at 50 Hz and stop at 15 kHz. The best SNR is only ~50 dB which is already achieved by plain old SBC. There is no need for higher fidelity audio codecs like AAC/aptX/aptX HD/LDAC besides the fact that most smartphones don't support aptX or aptX HD.

by kanbankaren

6/8/2026 at 8:29:55 PM

OK, I will hope it is a marker for better tech in the entire product.

by Projectiboga

6/8/2026 at 6:44:52 PM

you can make it as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. A big expensive one I'm sure would be better, but you can still be well-served by a £2 usb dongle off wish.com

by 1317

6/8/2026 at 3:54:59 PM

Yea, I did this using a raps-pi as well. Rasp-pi is nice in the sense that it can run a web server to select/enqueue/blacklist/ and what not. I can also ssh to it to download songs and automatically add to the playlist...

Along with the ability to blacklist and add new songs, I hope that I will eventually end up with a huge collection of only the best songs (for my taste)

by qsera

6/8/2026 at 7:16:31 PM

I'm a big fan of streaming radio, and been using apps for decades, so decided to make a modern version. Also, wanted to try AI coding out, and it worked out really well. Been having a blast.

https://github.com/IronWolve/StreamTuner-ng

by IronWolve

6/8/2026 at 3:53:30 PM

Here in Germany you have to be careful when setting up a homemade radio signal - it might be illegal depending on frequency and transmit power.

I personally prefer a combination of

  duckdns.org
  Beets
  Navidrome
  Audiobookshelf
  Substreamer / DSub 
  PaulWoitaschek/Voice / Audiobookshelf
  Wireguard
You can even make a script do download smart playlists to usb-sticks for kitchen radios without wifi or old car USB.

by sandreas

6/8/2026 at 4:28:19 PM

> Here in Germany you have to be careful when setting up a homemade radio signal - it might be illegal depending on frequency and transmit power.

In Germany and everywhere else. The difference is how much it's enforced.

Note that this project isn't using that horrible Raspberry Pi GPIO PWM hack that shits all over RF but an off-the-shelf low power car FM transmitter product. I guess if someone knocks on your door you can point your finger to whoever in Germany sold you that.

by avian

6/8/2026 at 5:20:18 PM

At least in the U.S., it's a complete non-issue for an output power that can easily cover the size of a wedding reception as long as you're not using a wide-band transceiver.

You'll want to be "kind" to the extant spectrum and do a responsible frequency sweep to select the "quietest band" prior to broadcasting. And you'll only want to broadcast during the event itself.

The FCC has better things to do than to try and track down an ephemeral milliwatt infringer.

by calmbonsai

6/8/2026 at 5:25:27 PM

It’s a complete non-issue in all western countries unless you’re going out of your way to cause trouble.

by joxdosba

6/8/2026 at 6:25:28 PM

It's the tragedy of the commons. It's a complete non-issue for the offender because it's very unlikely they will face any consequences and less of a non-issue for their neighbor who suddenly can only receive this guy's Spotify on every channel instead of the public broadcast they wanted to listen (maybe exaggerating a bit, depending on the FM transmitter gizmo used, but maybe now it's all buried in noise when it was clear previously). Even the "size of a wedding reception" can cover several homes in a dense apartment block.

But don't underestimate the stubbornness and time some people can dedicate to complaining to authorities. You might have a neighbor that will send letters about how they have to pay mandatory monthly bills for the national public broadcast they now can't listen to. They will complain and complain enough that eventually the broadcaster will send someone over with a spectrum analyzer and then the ball starts rolling. There have been court cases over stuff like that in this corner of Europe.

But I agree, you can argue those offenders went out of their way to cause trouble. In the cases I read people kept doing stupid things even after several warnings and apparently only got their lesson only when dragged into court.

by avian

6/8/2026 at 6:29:58 PM

Yes, if you are careless it is possible for you to inconvenience your neighbours, you might even place them in actual danger if you mess with the right frequencies.

Don’t mess with radios if you’re not going to be mindful of your surroundings. But hey, we let people drive cars, those are vastly more dangerous.

by joxdosba

6/8/2026 at 4:22:45 PM

there are similar concerns in the US but you can legally send a signal a couple hundred feet in most cases

by spogbiper

6/8/2026 at 6:58:51 PM

While I don't do the radio part of radio, I actually have a proper radio automation setup at home running into an icecast server for my own in-house use. And if you really want it to feel right, spend some money getting some imaging done or buy some sweeper sound effects libraries and have fun with it.

by bigbuppo

6/8/2026 at 5:42:25 PM

As an avid user of a handful of Chromecast audio devices, I endorse this solution. I also advocate adding "swearing at your Chromecast devices" to the definition of the word "castigate."

by Zigurd

6/8/2026 at 6:09:20 PM

You could take it to the next level and build a part 15 compliant FM transmitter kit.

by solomonb

6/8/2026 at 7:18:12 PM

For those curious, the relevant FCC regs. Generally:

Unlicensed operation on the AM and FM radio broadcast bands is permitted for some extremely low powered devices covered under Part 15 of the FCC's rules. On FM frequencies, these devices are limited to an effective service range of approximately 200 feet (61 meters). See 47 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Section 15.239, and the July 24, 1991 Public Notice (still in effect). On the AM broadcast band, these devices are limited to an effective service range of approximately 200 feet (61 meters). See 47 CFR Sections 15.207, 15.209, 15.219, and 15.221. These devices must accept any interference caused by any other operation, which may further limit the effective service range.

<https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/low-power-radio-general-info...>

More on the regs: <https://www.fcc.gov/general/oet-bulletins-line#63>

Another option, addressed at the first link, is "carrier current" broadcasts, which transmit through (building) power lines.

There is also the option of a (licensed) low-power FM transmitter (LPFM), "available to noncommercial educational entities and public safety/travelers' information entities, but not individuals or commercial operations".

LPFM is not to be confused with microbroadcasting, though I'm not clear on just what that entails myself. I'm vaguely aware of some efforts to enable lawful very-low-power broadcasts at the community level, though that's had strong pushback from traditional broadcasters, including NPR in the US.

There are some Part 15 compliant transmitters and information listed here:

<https://www.hobbybroadcaster.net/resources/Part-15-transmitt...>

by dredmorbius

6/8/2026 at 7:47:50 PM

To my knowledge there is no legal way to do unlicensed carrier current transmission. Do you have information otherwise? I've always wanted to try it..

The Part15 regulations for AM and FM are more subtle then what you present here. On FM it is based on field strength readings, the exact values of which escape me, but yielding roughly the range you describe.

For AM the rules are more interesting. You can have up to a 3m antenna length and 100mW of DC power input to the final stage of amplification. The optimal setup is a class E amplifier with ~95-99% efficiency into a properly grounded 3m base loaded vertical antenna. The antenna will be grossly undersized but you try to compensate with a huge loading coil. In ideal conditions this setup can get you about 0.5km range.

LPFM is a much more significant undertaking and it is not trivial to get an LPFM license. I know because I have one :)

by solomonb

6/8/2026 at 8:12:52 PM

Quoting the FCC link above:

"Carrier Current stations and Campus Radio stations do not require a license to set up and operate."

(Emphasis added.)

<https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/low-power-radio-general-info...>

by dredmorbius

6/8/2026 at 8:20:52 PM

Interesting! The rules for AM carrier current appear to be more similar to the FM rules, that is they are based on field strength readings that result in a roughly 200ft range.

There is probably a bunch of subtlety about where you measure from as your antenna could be quite large.

by solomonb

6/8/2026 at 4:33:17 PM

I have something similar, but cleaner setup, an old iPhone connected to a speaker through lightning, and it had FM radio app and also connected to my navidrome server, works very well. If I want local FM radio however, I have an FM receiver that can be plugged into that speaker too.

by tamimio

6/8/2026 at 3:38:36 PM

This is rad.

by josefritzishere

6/8/2026 at 4:30:21 PM

They make low power AM transmitters as well. I bought one for my dad so he could "stream" old music from the Internet to his old tube radios.

by gosub100

6/8/2026 at 5:21:41 PM

What's the audio quality of AM transmission?

I've used an FM dongle to play a tablet through car speakers, which works pretty well.

by dredmorbius

6/8/2026 at 8:40:35 PM

Terrible in one word.

The bandwidth for AM transmissions in North America is only 20 kHz and radio emissions has to STRICTLY fall within that bandwidth. Technically, it allows an audio BW of 10 kHz, but in practice it is close to 4 kHz which is telephone quality.

Not suitable for Music.

by kanbankaren

6/8/2026 at 3:32:15 PM

https://web.archive.org/web/20260608153435/https://old.reddi...

by toomuchtodo

6/8/2026 at 3:39:51 PM

> Built as part of an attempt at [...] having overseas content on the radio dial

Old radios have the station locations (cities all over the world) as labels for the tuner: https://www.radioheritage.com/story354/

Or: https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/european-cities-rad...?

A further (well, different) hack would be to combine this hardware dial with stream URLs e.g. from https://radio.garden/ ...

by netsharc

6/8/2026 at 3:56:55 PM

I miss the experience of having career professionals 100% dedicated to the music world curating a list of what I would hear. Of course, it was not perfect, there were ads, most stations played pop slop, but most of the time there was a few stations for your taste, your knew your preferred DJs times and there was a certain sense of community in being a regular fan of a show.

by elzbardico

6/8/2026 at 5:26:13 PM

There is Internet Radio --- livestreams of radio stations broadcast over the Internet. Many of these are terrestrial broadcasts, and many of them play music. There are also dedicated online-only Internet stations.

This means you have access to the best terrestrial stations, as well as some (often quite niche) Internet-only options.

I find BBC (1-4 + world), Deutschlandfunk (numerous stations), Radio Swiss Classic (available in German, French, and Italian), France Inter / France Culture, and a number of other broadcasters (usually public, and hence with little or no advertising) generally appealing, and preferable to most of what I can tune in locally (OTA AM and FM are all but dead). Tastes run to classical, jazz, and blues, though you can find other options as well.

by dredmorbius

6/8/2026 at 4:21:36 PM

How much of that do you think is rose tinted glasses and nostalgia? On paper that doesn't sound too different than Apple Music Radio for example where there's radio shows with local DJs or hosts that talk, play music and have curated play lists by a human editor.

I'm sure other streaming services have the same and curators can pick from a much larger set of music, from any part of the world. More than they ever could at a radio station where they had to order and ship CDs around.

There's also many independent internet radio stations or music podcasts these days which can be launched for little money, don't require a broadcasting license and can be listened to from any place in the world.

I understand the nostalgia angle, but objectively it seems like what we currently have is better and more open on all counts.

by dewey

6/8/2026 at 7:58:20 PM

It was different as we might listen together to the same station across town. There were TV shows too. Many stations had sort of countdowns of the week's top songs. It was just a different vibe.

The Ed Sullivan Show American Bandstand Soul Train

Top of the Pops BBC

One of the guys from Nirvana wrote a good essay on how Billboard destroyed music in the 1980s by consolidating the number of radio markets feeding the chart and allowing ways to trick the top seller lists. Before the MTV modern billboard era there used to be local artists on local radio and eventually one might break out onto other markets and eventually break nationally. Then artists became famous simply due to being good looking, having a catchy producer driven sound and a corporate machine getting them into everyone's ears. Things were a little different from the late 60s to the early 90 and some artists broke out organically.

Here is an example of a station that was independent an influenced early MTV programming during their first couple of years. WLIR documentary, 'New Wave: Dare to Be Different,' chronicles the rise and fall of one of the coolest '80s radio stations.

A funny example of a non-corporate act was the group KLF who hacked the Top of The Pops formula and got onto TV with absurdity. A documentary about them is called "Who Killed the KLF".

by Projectiboga

6/8/2026 at 4:45:40 PM

Yep. It is mostly nostalgia as there isn't anything better than an AI curating a million songs based on our like/dislikes, but on a macro level, we are at the mercy of people who tune these algorithms.

Are we being 'nudged' to like certain genres or musicians because they are being promoted? Of course, this could happen with a DJ or traditional FM station too, but with centralized AI, you impart that 'nudging' on literally millions of people.

by kanbankaren

6/8/2026 at 4:44:14 PM

> There's also many independent internet radio stations or music podcasts these days which can be launched for little money, don't require a broadcasting license and can be listened to from any place in the world.

Indeed - radioparadise.com is a quite nice Internet Radio

by doublepg23

6/8/2026 at 4:56:24 PM

Eh. I still listen this way. I subscribe to a streaming radio provider in my genre, and there's also a local high school station that plays my genre of music most of the time.

It's much better than what I've experienced with spotify and similar and it's way less effort. I had built a pretty big launchcast preference profile, but it took years of active listening, and in my genre remixes are preferred over original recordings but radio on demand doesn't have them ... you need currated collections, and I'd rather not be the curator.

I do worry about the longevity of the subscription service though... at least some of the channels are very repetitive, it feels like someone set up a currated rotation a while ago that just continues to repeat. They did the sec crowdfunding several years ago and there was a lot of related party transactions that looked too squishy for me, and after the offering expired they did the required years of reporting and its a blackbox again.

by toast0

6/8/2026 at 6:10:11 PM

I run a LPFM radio station here in Los Angeles.

https://www.kpbj.fm/

There are many more LFPMs out there too!

by solomonb

6/8/2026 at 8:52:40 PM

I harvest the playlists from a variety of music shows hosted on public radio stations around the country and create Spotify playlists from them. Code is on GitHub: https://github.com/lawlesst/spotify-bot. This allows me to listen on demand and still get the curated content.

I also added a script to put the hourly NPR news update into my queue while I'm listening, which makes it seem like a radio station in a way.

by lawlesst

6/8/2026 at 5:22:19 PM

https://cfcr.ca/

Lots of community radio still out there! I assume bigger cities would have a solid live music and radio community too.

by rikthevik

6/8/2026 at 4:16:33 PM

I miss that as well but more than likely (at least in the US) that "curated" channel you use to listen to was probably owned by Clear Channel and probably the same exact content played in every other city where everyone else felt like it was for them as well.

by sockaddr

6/9/2026 at 2:21:37 AM

Timing and audience age matter here.

Clear Channel didn't really expand in a major way until about the mid-1990s, owning 43 radio stations in 1995, following legislation relaxing station ownership limits (for both radio and television) in 1992.

For those recalling 1980s or earlier radio in the US, the situation was rather more diverse, particularly in ownership, though fairly narrow segment programming was becoming the norm as professional "programmers" entered the field.

More largely, the history of popular music has run through multiple phases of diversification and consolidation as new performance, recording, and distribution technologies emerged. I covered this referencing the work of Charles Perrow some years ago: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24930562>.

by dredmorbius

6/8/2026 at 4:45:20 PM

I never experienced but I've heard universities used to have the best curated radio stations.

by doublepg23

6/8/2026 at 8:28:13 PM

Around NJ and the adjoining cities we have many College stations.

A curious one is truly independent as it's parent University closed WFMU https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WFMU

WSOU Pirate Radio a heavy metal and hair metal focused station at Seton Hall U.

by Projectiboga