
TABLE OF CONTENTS

10. FM Radio
10.1 Listening to FM Radio via the internal speakers
10.2 Frequency control
10.3 Adding and navigating presets
10.4 Recording from the FM Radio
10.4.1 Changing record folder
10.5 Additional features
10.6 Hot Keys in the FM Radio

10. FM Radio

To use the "FM Radio" program on the Braille Sense U2, you must connect headphones to the headphone jack on the unit, as the headphone cord serves as the antenna, and without it, radio reception will be poor to nonexistent. 
From the program menu, use the scroll buttons to navigate to "FM Radio" and press "Enter". You can also press "r (dots 1-2-3-5)" to quickly jump to and launch the "FM Radio". When the FM Radio program is launched, your Braille Sense U2 announces the radio frequency. If you have used the FM Radio program previously, the Braille Sense U2 tunes to the frequency that you last listened to.
Note: the frequency range of the FM Radio is 87.5MHz to 108MHz.

10.1 Listening to FM Radio via the internal speakers

When you execute the FM Radio after connecting headphones, sound from the radio is directed through the headphones. As previously explained, it is necessary to connect the headphones to provide an antenna for radio reception. However, there may be times when you wish for the sound from the radio to output through the speakers on the Braille Sense U2. To listen to the radio through the internal speakers, press "Space-X (dots 1-3-4-6)", or just X, to toggle internal speaker output on/off. 

You can also change this option using the menu: 
1) Press Space-m (dots 1-3-4) to open the FM Radio menu, press "Enter" on "File" menu, and press "Enter" on "Settings".
2) Or press "Enter-e (dots 1-5)" to quickly access the "settings" dialog.
3) "Internal speaker: No" is announced, as the speaker setting is the first setting in the dialog.
4) Press "Space" to change the setting to "Yes" and press "Enter" to apply the setting.

The radio sound should now output through both the headphones and the internal speakers.
Note: This setting is available only in the FM Radio program. If you exit the FM Radio program and you wish to hear the audio output of the Braille Sense U2 through the internal speakers, you must disconnect the headphones.
You can adjust the radio volume independent of the general volume of the Braille Sense U2. The radio volume can be adjusted using "Space-down scroll button" to lower the volume and "Space-up scroll button" to raise it. 

10.2 Frequency control

While listening to the radio, to tune to another frequency, press "Space-m (dots 1-3-4)" to open the menu. Navigate to "Frequency" and press "Enter" to open the "Frequency" menu. 
The "Frequency" menu consists of the following items:
1) Previous Frequency
2) Next Frequency
3) Auto Scan Backward
4) Auto Scan Forward
5) Go to Frequency

To navigate between these items, press "Space-1" or "Space-4". Pressing "Enter" activates the selected item. 
You can also use hot keys from within the radio to quickly execute these commands. Press "dot 5" to scan forward for the next radio station. If you press "dot 2", your Braille Sense U2 autoscans backward. Press "dot 6", to increase the frequency by 0.1MHz. Press "dot 3", to decrease the frequency by 0.1MHz.
Press "Space-f (dots-1-2-4)" to input the frequency directly. Type the frequency in numbers in the edit box and press "Enter" to jump to that frequency.
In addition to using the Braille keys on the top panel, you can use the media buttons on the front panel to control the FM Radio. To control the radio using the media buttons, the Media mode switch should be moved to the left-most position, "FM". After setting the Media Mode switch, pressing the "Back" button scans backward, and pressing the "Forward" button scans forward.

10.3 Adding and navigating presets

Use the following steps to add the currently selected frequency as a preset. 

1) Press "Space-m (dots 1-3-4)" to open the menu. Navigate to "Presets" and press "Enter". 
2) Navigate to "Add Preset" and press "Enter". (Use the hot key "Enter-s (dots 2-3-4)" to quickly access this option) 
3) The "add preset" dialog is opened and "Frequency: (current frequency)" is announced.
4) Press "Tab (Space-4-5 or f3)".
5) You are placed in the "Label" edit box. Type the name by which you want to identify the preset.
6) Press "Tab (Space-4-5 or f3)" to move to "Confirm" and press "Enter".

If you wish to add a frequency other than the one you're currently listening to, you may type the number of the frequency you wish to add in the "Frequency" edit box of the "add preset" dialog. 
You can navigate your presets by using "dot 1" to move back a preset, and "dot 4" to move forward a preset. 
To delete a preset, navigate to the preset and press "Space-d (dots 1-4-5)". Note: when this command is executed, the preset is deleted instantly without any warning or verification. 
You can also add and delete presets using the Preset Manager dialog. Press "Space-m (dots 1-3-4)" to open the menu, and navigate to "presets" and press "Enter". Navigate to the "Preset Manager" and press "Enter". YOU can also press "Enter-m (dots 1-3-4)" to open the Preset Manager directly.
The Preset Manager dialog contains the "Preset list", an "Add" button, a "Delete" button, a "Modify" button and a "Close" button. You can move through the controls by pressing "tab (Space-4-5 or F3)" and "shift-tab (Space-1-2 or Space-F3)".
Pressing "Enter" on the "add" button opens the "add preset" dialog explained above. If you wish to change the label of a previously added preset, move to the desired preset item in the preset list by pressing "Space-1" or "Space-4". Press "tab (Space-4-5)" to move to the "Modify" button and press "Enter". The "Modify" dialog is opened. The structure of the "Modify dialog" is the same as that of the "Add" dialog. The only difference is that the preset label and frequency are both filled in for the "Modify" dialog. 
If you want to delete a preset from the preset list, select the desired preset and move to the "Delete" button by pressing "tab (Space-4-5)" and press "Enter".
To exit the Preset Manager" dialog navigates to the "Close" button and press "Enter" or press "Space-e (dots 1-5)".

You can also use the media buttons on the front panel to add and move among presets.
To use the media buttons, the Media Mode switch should be set to "FM radio".
Press the "record" button for more than 2 seconds, to open the "add preset" dialog. To move to the previous preset in the Preset List, press the "Back" button for more than 2 seconds. Pressing the "Forward" button for more than 2 seconds moves to the next preset in the preset list.
Pressing the "stop" button for more than 2 seconds deletes the selected preset.

10.4 Recording from the FM Radio 

To record the audio of the radio station to which you are currently listening, press "Space-m (dots 1-3-4)" To open the menu, navigate to "Record (r)" and press "Enter". Or use the hot key, "Enter-r (dots 1-2-3-5)". The "record" dialog is opened and the Braille Sense U2 begins recording.
The record dialog consists of the following controls:
1. "Record status" status bar
2. "Pause/Continue" button
3. "Stop" button 
4. "Cancel" button

You can move among these controls by pressing "tab (Space-4-5 or F3)" or "shift-tab (Space-1-2 or Space-F3)".
While recording the radio, press "Tab (Space-4-5 or F3)" and press "Enter" on the "Pause" button or press "a (dot 1)" to pause recording. The name of this button is changed to "Continue". If you activate the "Continue" button or press "g (dots 1-2-4-5)", recording resumes. 
To stop the recording, press "s (dots 2-3-4). Or press "Tab (Space-4-5 or F3)" and press "Enter" on the "Stop" button.
To check the duration of the current recording while recording, press "Space-4". The unit announces the current recording run time and total possible recording time. 
Recorded files are saved in the "flashdisk/media/radio" folder. The files are named according to the preset label and frequency. If you are recording a radio station that is not in your preset list, the recording is named "radio" followed by the frequency. The first recording of a station is numbered 01, and each subsequent recording of that station is numbered 02, 03, etc. 
If you stop recording, the record dialog is exited automatically. If you press "Enter" on the "Cancel" button or press "c (dots 1-4)", the recorded file is not saved and the dialog is exited. 
Note: while recording, you cannot change the preset or frequency.
While listening to the radio, you can instantly start recording by pressing the "record" button on the front panel. As previously explained, make sure the Media Mode switch is set to FM radio mode. If you press the "record" button, the record dialog is opened and recording begins. 
If you press the "stop" button on the front panel during recording, recording stops and the recorded audio file is saved. If you press the "pause" button during recording, the "pause" button is changed to the "continue" button. Press the "pause" button again, (now the "continue" button) to resume recording. Pressing the "Back" button or the "Forward" button moves among the controls in the "record" dialog. 

10.4.1 Changing record folder

To change the folder where recorded files are saved, follow these steps:

1) Press "Space-m (dots 1-3-4)" to open the menu and press "Enter" on "File".
2) Navigate to "Record Settings" and press "Enter". Or use the hot key, "Backspace-s (dots 2-3-4)" to open the "Record Settings" dialog. 
3) You are placed on the first item, "Recording type: mp3". 
4) Press Space-4-5 to move to the "Record folder" setting.
5) "Record folder: /flashdisk/media/radio" is displayed. Press "Enter".
6) The list of folders and files in the "Media" folder is displayed. Press "Backspace" to move back a level in the folder structure, and press "Space-1" or "Space-4" to move to your desired folder.
7) Press "Space" on the folder in which you wish to store recordings and press "Enter".
8) "Record folder: (Changed folder)" is announced.
9) Press "Tab (Space-4-5)" to move to the "Confirm" button and press "Enter".

When the recording type is set to "MP3", the available "Sample rate" values range from 16000Hz to 48000Hz and available "Bitrate" values range from 64K to 320K.   
When the recording type is set to "WAV",  the available "Sample rate" values range from "8000Hz" to "44100Hz" and you can set the "Bits per channel" to 8 bits or 16 bits. 

 To change the sample rate and bit rate, press "Space-1" or "Space-4" to move to the desired item to be changed. Press "Space" to change the value. When you have finished setting your preferences, press "Space-4-5" to move to the "Confirm" button and press "Enter".

Raising the values of the sample rate and bit rate produces a higher quality recording. However, higher quality recordings, though they have better sound, take up greater amounts of storage space. Be sure to set your recording values according to your specific quality and space requirements.


10.5 Additional features

1. Sensitivity adjustment
If the Braille Sense U2 cannot tune to the broadcast frequency you desire, adjust the scanning sensitivity. To adjust the sensitivity, open the "Settings" dialog as described in Section 10.1. Press "Space-4" to navigate to "Sensitivity" and press "Space" or "Backspace" to adjust the sensitivity. Higher values increase the scanning sensitivity of the radio. If the sensitivity is increased, you can fine tune to more frequencies.

2. Mute
While listening to the radio, press "Space" to mute the audio. Pressing "Space" once again unmutes the radio. You can also mute the radio by pressing the "stop" button on the front panel, and unmute by pressing the "play" button. If mute is activated, the radio is silent, but TTS (text to speech) and all other system sounds are heard.

10.6 Hot Keys in the FM Radio

Open the settings dialog: Enter-e (dots 1-5)
Open the menu: Space-m (dots 1-3-4) or F2
Internal speakers on/off: Space-x (dots 1-3-4-6) or X (dots 1-3-4-6)
Move to next frequency: dot 6
Move to previous frequency: dot 3
Autoscan backward: dot 2 or short press back button
Autoscan forward: dot 5 or short press forward button
Go to frequency: Space-f (dots 1-2-4)
Move to previous preset: dot 1 or long press back button
Move to next preset: dot 4 or long press forward button
Add preset: Enter-s (dots 2-3-4) or long press record button
Delete preset: Space-d (dots 1-4-5) or long press stop button
Open the record dialog: Enter-r (dots 1-2-3-5)
Record start/pause: short press record button
Record stop: short press stop button
Mute on: short press stop button or Space
Mute off: short press play button or Space
Volume up: Space-up scroll button
Volume down: Space-down scroll button


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