Well, I'm sure that I once had an HTC mobile (I think it was) that did have an FM radio built in! That WOULD be the answer!
Podcasts are my go to. And audiobooks. That way you only get what you want and you can download it at home.
I still have 'HTC One M8' with the built in FM radio - pretty sure you can get a refurbished on on E bay for much cheapness
Short answer is that some phones are more sensitive to network signal strength than others, some radio network bands are more sensitive to distance from the cell-tower / interference / indoors-outdoors location than others, the operating system and app interaction with the network also play a part. There isn't a single "right" answer. IMO iPhones are worse than good quality Android handsets for finding / keeping network connections and fairly representing signal strength. Most of the major Android handset OEMs are decent nowadays. If you don't want to spend crazy money then the Mi range are not half bad value IMO. Check your coverage on 3. All of the major operators are overhauling their networks ready for 5G. O2 are only now upgrading for the first time in the last few years until now as Telefonica were planning on selling it to 3 but OFCOM blocked the deal. 3 were planning to integrate 3 and O2 networks on a single 5G platform but are now upgrading their network to 5G. EE have pretty decent coverage and are now part of the BT empire and getting some good investment. Vodafone is the laggard and the worst network generally. If you want a (reasonably) objective view, the P3 report for UK is here. If you want a slightly more partisan (marketing) view then use the "check my coverage" function on the respective provider's website.
That looks promising but I take it that you can't get DAB as it's an FM radio? Going to have a think. Thanks for all comments. It does make me laugh that the race is on for 5G whilst some cannot get 3G even! It is very citycentric and people who live in the wild don't number enough.
It's totally different, the spectrum use is different and the network characteristics of 5G LTE make it very suitable for rural areas compared to 3G or even 4G LTE. With the older networks the architecture made it very expensive to deploy high-speed to rural areas (compounded by Openreach charging through the nose for the connectivity from the cell towers back to the core network), and cell-tower sharing agreements are a lot more conducive to rural roll-out than they used to be (and as I mentioned - O2 and 3 had been hoping to merge, EE was being integrated to BT and Vodafone are just hopeless - all the others like GiffGaff / Virgin / Tesco are so-called MVNO, mobile virtual network operators who typically use an underlying network provider like O2, 3, EE or Vodafone). Keep in mind too that having private companies operating the country's infrastructure (telecom but also road, rail etc too) means that companies will only make investments that will deliver a return within a given period (5 years typically) that can fulfil their only mission, which is to provide shareholders with value. Anyone expecting anything different from private companies doesn't understand private companies. Philanthropy isn't a thing. Government subsidies or regulator obligations are the only things that change this behaviour typically.
It’s more to do with the internal antenna than the devices radio chipset (which are off the shelf items). The internal antennas are multi band and a compromise to accommodate all frequencies, reduce conflict and minimise space requirements. You’ll find that most similarly sized mobiles will perform in a relatively similar manor.
Yep, I realise that providers are not likely to get much return on investing out here. I just like ranting about it And it does entertain me like the Titanic ad where the ship is saved by the sterling 3 signal in the middle of the Atlantic or the EE advert in the Safari park and thew kids aren't ranting about no signal - which would be more than likely rather than worrying about fantasy football Still, it is Christmas now and I can be entertained by the ads for a 'perfect' Christmas!
Hasn’t the UK Gov given Open Reach millions++ to improve the commercially unviable rural areas high speed telecoms infrastructure?
I've got fast, reliable internet through my landline - well with EE I have. When I moved here, I was with BT but discovered that they were double charging me every month. When I complained, rather than stop doing it, they kept it up whilst they thought about it. I told them that I would leave but they still needed more time to think. They owed me hundreds and when I cancelled the DD they 'rewarded' me by raising my subscription as I wasn't paying double by DD. I left and went to Vodafone. BT then refunded me the hundreds that they owed me. Vodafone were shit - giving me no internet every Sunday morning. I accused them of having somebody doing Sunday overtime every week and preventing internet access. Their response was that it was nothing to do with them and must be my equipment. I explained that nothing I had knew that it was Sunday morning and so the Internet could come down. So then I switched to O2 and cancelled withing the first month (as you can) because they didn't think that I needed a connection faster than 2400 baud, Tried to go to PlusNet but they said that there were no ports available at the Exchange. The fact that I was already using one mattered not. So, went to EE who have been fine, so far. What I was trying to do originally was to have the same supplier for my mobile, landline and internet connection, At the moment that is the case with EE, but in future, not going to bother I'll use whoever gives me the best service.
Ish, but not... when fibre costs can run up to £100 a metre to lay and wayleaves are a minefield "millions" doesn't go as far as you'd think (about 6.5 miles in some cases). Yet still the goons in regional assemblies (hello Swansea and Belfast) routinely throw bajillions into crazy digital economy projects... gah.
Remember Blackberry? The Priv was a £650 phone about 2&1/2 years ago. It's big, solid durable, no-one will nick it, huge battery life AND good reception compared to most other phones, screen is good and keypad even flips out. Yes it runs Android. You can pick them up cheap. Downside; it's now a bit slow and camera is way behind the S8 that I now use. https://www.techradar.com/uk/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/blackberry-priv-1308303/review
My Mother has a doro 612 old school flip-up mobile. I have it at the moment because O2 cancelled the SIM due to lack of use. Anyway, it's all sorted now and has an FM radio. A dumb phone but the battery will last for over a week and I've forgotten how small and light dumb pones are. Having to think if smart phones are really worth it...
UPDATE: After taking a severe fright at the price of unlocked mobiles, I even considered getting a contract phone. Then I woke up. I bought a new Nokia 7.1 for less than £200. Set it up eventually and tried the BBC Sounds (on Radio 6) and I never lost signal. Intrigued by this, I have switched off my home booster and I still have a 2 out of 4 bar signal. One thing that has kept me with EE is that I have to buy a device to put my mobile signal through my internet connection. These boxes are specific to the operator then you have to obtain a new box, if you change provider. But with this phone it seems that I can do without a broadband signal booster. I find that I could go to another provider (Virgin) and half my monthly SIM only charge. So I call up EE and say that I am thinking of leaving for the reasons above. They match the deal that I could have with Virgin but give me unlimited minutes and 2 Gb of data. Coz I have my broadband with EE, they give me an extra 5 Gb of data per month, so now I have 7 whereas before, just 5.5 Gb with the uplift. The phone will pay for itself in less than two and a half years! I just need to lose, or break, it to wipe out the 'saving'!
