I've been reading a bunch and I'm kinda curious about the radio (baseband) firmware on the MyTouch 4G--or on Android phones in general if they aren't device-specific. Can anyone provide some good resources on the subject? What do they do, how do they work, and so forth?
Additionally, are there other radios that work on the MyTouch 4G? If so, how do they differ and what benefits do some have over others? How does someone flash a new radio to the device?
This should be moved to Q&A if it hasn't already.
Sent from my rooted HTC Glacier using XDA app
i'm under the impression that you came from a WM phone cause i know on my TP1 and VX6800 you could interchangably use verizon and sprint and some other radio roms. though this thought has perplexed me as i havent seen any info on radios on the MT4G. i guess i'll sub this and see what happens
Radios are indeed device specific, in some cases OS specific. Attempting to flash to a random radio off another device will almost certainly net you a brick. You should only use radios made for the MT4G and the version that the rom you have chosen recommends.
I wasn't even aware there was a new radio version out for the MT4G?
A radio is flashed the same way as a rom, just boot into recovery and flash the update.zip.
I'm not sure how to fully explain what the radio firmware actually does, but I know its not something to tinker with.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Sorry, search is temporarily unavailable. Please try again in 10 minutes.
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Its like every freaking time I try to use XDA search to find my own post it fails, WTF. I don't feel like retyping it at 2AM ill edit this post later on when search works again and post it.
UPDATE: For god sake its still out.
Anyways radio normally controls your wireless interface gps, voice, data, wifi, bluetooth ect. Along with power and other memory functions whichs as stated you mingle with you will certainly brick it. Far as radio rom goes I too when first came here was looking for master radio thread as only radio I found is the stock one so not much dev going there.
It seems like, in case of newer HTC phones (such as G2 and MT4G), radio firmware also controls emmc read/write capablities of the chip (don't quote me on that) so most definitely NOT a good idea to tinker with it.
STHNS said:
Far as radio rom goes I too when first came here was looking for master radio thread as only radio I found is the stock one so not much dev going there.
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Errr, has any Android developer ever modified a radio image before? As far back as G1 days I cannot remember any of them touching this. I do know some find leaked new ones or ones from different countries and posting them, but not modified.
Switching radio images is not recommended as it, along with your SPL (bootloader) are the 2 images that can brick your phone. Most people will NOT flash their radio unless its a huge improvement to your phone.
Thanks for the responses fellas. I don't plan to screw around with the radio on my phone, it just seemed like there wasn't much information available about the topic in general, and I'm genuinely interested in knowing how stuff works. Any resources or links on the subject are appreciated.
Related
I've been reading about upgrading my radio version (currently 2.06.51.07), does it really make that much of a difference?
I live in the UK, can anyone recommend a version?
Do I have to use a .51 version? what are the differences if I use a .50?
Thanks.
Send me a plane ticket, come pick me up at your nearest airport, put me up and feed me for a week or two and don't forget to buy me a SIM card for your mobile service provider and I'll happily try out a few radios and tell you what I think of their battery consumption with your provider in your area...
boohoo2u said:
I've been reading about upgrading my radio version (currently 2.06.51.07), does it really make that much of a difference?
I live in the UK, can anyone recommend a version?
Do I have to use a .51 version? what are the differences if I use a .50?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read the threads you'll hear only go for a radio with 50 not 51, all rom makers state this.
I've been using a radio 2.12.50 for a couple of weeks and just upgraded my rom and its perfect-clarity is crystal clear and pages load very quick in comparison to original radio
IIRC, flashing the radio depends both on the device and the base rom.
Radios for stock devices
T-MO USA - .50
Other HD2 variants - .51
Again, this is not cast in concrete... I think the radios (.50 & .51) would vary even for stock devices if the base rom has been upgraded.
Bottomline, if you are sticking to a stock rom, check up on what your operator has to offer and don't cheat. That's my best advice. Lot of chaps here have turned their Leo's into bricks because of experimenting with the wrong radio. As of writing this, there is still no fix for it.
If you are switching to a custom rom, then all this becomes moot because the rom chefs always mention which radio is best for their rom.
Thank you "11calcal" and "leepriestenator" for your responses.
"NeoGreendawg" some of us are new to this and I feel your response is not very helpful. Yes I use the search button, yes I read hundreds and hundreds of threads but sometimes you cannot see the wood for the trees, so asking a question is what I thought these forums are for, to help not to slander.
using radio 2.12.50.02_2 and living in the uk also.
this is by far the most energy efficient radio i used in the uk.
i'm not a heavy user and able to use the phone for 3+ days. though it is mentioned that the battery drain is higher than with 2.10 or 2.11 radio's when calling or playing with the phone.
call quality is good and data also good. it is definitely better to upgrade the radio from the stock radio you are using.
hope this helps you.
boohoo2u said:
Thank you "11calcal" and "leepriestenator" for your responses.
"NeoGreendawg" some of us are new to this and I feel your response is not very helpful. Yes I use the search button, yes I read hundreds and hundreds of threads but sometimes you cannot see the wood for the trees, so asking a question is what I thought these forums are for, to help not to slander.
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well, if you watch Nadal when he plays at the Roland Garos, you know how it is. He wins, though.
boohoo2u said:
Thank you "11calcal" and "leepriestenator" for your responses.
"NeoGreendawg" some of us are new to this and I feel your response is not very helpful. Yes I use the search button, yes I read hundreds and hundreds of threads but sometimes you cannot see the wood for the trees, so asking a question is what I thought these forums are for, to help not to slander.
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Calm down... I may have done it with a sarcastic tone, but I was trying to make a point : only someone in your area who's using the same network as you can really tell you whcih radio would suit you best, so you've just got to try a few for yourself and make up your own mind...
Secondly, the Q&A forum is for questions, not this one...
And last but not least, go and look up slander for me and then tell me what was slanderous about my post .
What NeoGreendawg has just said is exactly true, the Radio is personal preference and depends where you live, no advice can be given on which Radio to use, which it does state on the Radio thread, If you not experiencing any trouble there is no need to change.
Demon_man said:
What NeoGreendawg has just said is exactly true, the Radio is personal preference and depends where you live, no advice can be given on which Radio to use, which it does state on the Radio thread, If you not experiencing any trouble there is no need to change.
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Yup yup, I have flashed from radio to radio and only really seen little to no difference. I am on 2.11.50.20 and there is really no different to any of the other 5 or so I have tried.
Radio not working at all
On T-mobile*, radio version 2.5 1919.4027, using supplied headphones as antenna.
Thing simply doesn't work. I get the spinning colours for about ten seconds, then it closes. Am I missing something?
*EDIT: Sorry should have said T-mobile in UK.
Hey guys,
I can't find a way to update my radio or wimax. I have no idea where to find the files or anything. I'm running Baked Snack 9.6 and the battery life is being sucked away like a milkshake (like, say...17 minutes unplugged, down to 87% battery life).
Is this due to an outdated radio? Or "Wimax"? (whatever that is)
How does one find the newest radio for their device/ROM? I have searched on here and Google and have come up with nothing.
Thanks.
Noob question, but when people post in their signatures they are on this radio version or that radio version.. what exactly does that mean? What is changing in these radio versions? What makes the other radios better? Is my radio version (using stock, unrooted other than unrevoked3) not as good?
Read the stickies at the top of the development section.
Radio updates/flashes can improve a lot of things. Think of it like updating device drivers in windows. Some of the advantages of updating are:
Improved performance
Fixing bugs
Adding new features
Better power management
Improve efficiency
Streamline code
Yeah it may seem like a stupid or trivial question from someone that is new or still learning, so what. If this irritates a person, then go to the next thing. If someone wants to try and be patient and help them, then that is fine.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
u need to head on over to the android development section, i knew about none of this stuff coming from windows mobile, but i understand it all now, took a few days of reading thru posts and using google, but one u get a hold on it its almost a piece of cake, im just trying to save you some headache because people can be pretty harsh around here if you dont try to learn it first and just ask questions that have been answered over and over
jrun said:
Noob question, but when people post in their signatures they are on this radio version or that radio version.. what exactly does that mean? What is changing in these radio versions? What makes the other radios better? Is my radio version (using stock, unrooted other than unrevoked3) not as good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody really knows. It's a mystery.
The mystery is the PRI cant fix yet to 140.003 after unroot. damm, hope someone find a soon solution, unless wait until a new OTA update and change everything.
Success! Flashed my 1st ROM and 1st Radio. I know that to the guru's here that's no big deal but it took a lot of nerve to risk my $500 investment to the mercy of my newbieness and potential to brick it.
Now I have a few more in-depth questions for the very helpful staff around here.
I flashed Radio Leo RADIO 2.07.50.27_2 on a suggestion I saw in a thread here that stated it was the best to use on AT&T in the US. I had the stock Radio at first. I am running Artemis v331_0409_WWE which seems very well behaved and has just about all I need less the typical bloatware.
My question(s)...
What is the difference in features/performance between the stock Telstra Radio, the generic OEM radio from HTC, and the radio I have flashed? Should I be seeing any sort of improvements?
I ask this because I see all the radios published for downloading but not much on specifics as to features or benefits.
I am also interested in forcing my HD2 to stay (forced) on 3G and stop dancing back and forth between 3G and EDGE. Is that possible?
I have good signals for both 3G and EDGE but sometimes the EDGE is stronger and it drops down to it and screwing up my connection speed to a crawl.
I know that in the TMO ROM on a TMO HD2 it had the ability to select the bands (at least that's what I recall). Do any of the Radio Gods around here know how to do this or any Cooks know if this is even possible?
Any answers on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Answered my own question
After some creative searching I found an answer to the "forcing 3G" question.
Why HTC buried the band settings in a phone menu beats me. But, I found the answer. I was hoping it would have been in a more logical place like wireless connections, but hey... what do I know.
I'd still appreciate some specifics on my radio questions as I'm not looking forward to flashing every conceivable radio to see which one works if I can at least narrow it down by getting some recommendations for the best one to use on AT&T.
there are no differences between those three radios except for version.when you are trying radios you need to run them au least a day if not two to get any idea for comparison.
Wait, you're getting 3G on ATT with the TMOUS? How are you forcing it to 3G? I thought we were stuck using Edge!
apallohadas said:
Wait, you're getting 3G on ATT with the TMOUS? How are you forcing it to 3G? I thought we were stuck using Edge!
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I did not say anything about 3G on TMO, the thread is regarding the T9193 (Telstra), not TMO branded.
Yes, I am getting 3G on AT&T, but its with a T9193. TMO's version has different hardware with a different Radio Chip frequency. Flashing does not change that since it is hard coded in the Radio chip.
Sorry.
samsamuel said:
there are no differences between those three radios except for version.when you are trying radios you need to run them au least a day if not two to get any idea for comparison.
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If there are no differences then why are there different versions? Doesn't make sense to me. I'm not arguing your point but I am curious as to why a new version Radio is released if there are no differences. That would be like Microsoft releasing Windows 7 version xxxx12345.0 and then releasing version xxxx12345.678.1 and doing so for no apparent reason.
From what I've read, there must be a difference if the performance is different so it would indicate to me that there must be some tweaks on some parameters. I'm trying to find out what those parameters are and what they affect.
Oh well! That'll teach me to read more closely!
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
I am hoping to buy a HTC HD2 Tmobile tomorrow and I was wondering what does TMOUS mean and will a run of the mill HD2 be able to run Android or do I need a unbranded version or something?
Thanks!
the tmo HD2 is better than EU version, it has 1024ROM
you will most likely need to HSPL, change radio and ROM. (winmo)
then pick your android ROM, HTCCLay has a rom on HD2 as well. you should like it.
just look around, and search you will find all the answers you need....
and thank you for posting this in general.
hey
tmous...is (t mo)bile...(us)
i have a tmobile hd2. I am now running the darkstone 3. Loaded it today. YOU NEED TO ENTER A CELL CARRIER for mobile data. APN is epic.tmobile.com. This one the flash is off on the camera, weird delay, but BT works, in car so far and headphones. Haven't tried the tethering and usb tethering.
i ran a darkstone 2.6 i think for two weeks. Locked up ALOT on 3g/edge changes and no power/charge led light. It would seriously lock up with changing towers. Also very very slow with satellites. You need a fair amount of software patches work around, and its only pretty good. Usb tether worked. Bluetooth worked for music/car and phone. Charge lights did not. Camera worked with flash. Still loved it, just the app choices alone make it the lock ups worth it in my opinion.
Just testing the darkstone 3, and seems fine. Rapid Location/gps/sattelites. Phone does not seem to hang or lock up with preliminary testing from 3g to edge. Will test it more tomorrow as i drive thru about multiple towers and will bt music to car, call someone, and text at same time. the 3g speed is much quicker than the 2.6 darkstone.
just check which android you are using. Its hard to find HTC sync to sync with outlook, but you can find it on the web.
Be warned....android changes contacts from last name first to first name last, and stuff......there will be major changes once you do change to android if you are seriously connected to outlook. But livable, taking time to adjust, android does not have all the categories and recurrances and stuff.
edit: yep i downloaded a stripped Winmo, and am running android off the sd card. Look for one with radio upgrade.
malaeus said:
the tmo HD2 is better than EU version, it has 1024ROM
you will most likely need to HSPL, change radio and ROM. (winmo)
then pick your android ROM, HTCCLay has a rom on HD2 as well. you should like it.
just look around, and search you will find all the answers you need....
and thank you for posting this in general.
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I was able with Tmobile HD2 and completely STOCK OS, Radio, and all that - to get most of the builds to work on it easily. I currently have FRG83 on it - scores over 1830 on Quadrant...
eenbox said:
I was able with Tmobile HD2 and completely STOCK OS, Radio, and all that - to get most of the builds to work on it easily. I currently have FRG83 on it - scores over 1830 on Quadrant...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys glad to hear it will run it would hate to buy it to run Android and then not be able to.
TTboy404 said:
APN is epic.tmobile.com.
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i think the correct apn is epc.tmobile.com although epic would be nice
i've been using android on my tmous hd2 for about 3 months, and it's incredible. i was ready to toss the hd2 before trying android. i've only tried the one android build, but since i havn't had ANY problems with it, i figured why change it over and over? i've never had any problems with constant freezes or anything, im happier than a pig in ****. i've only had to remove the battery because of a freeze up maybe 5 times since i've had it, with winmo i'd do that up to 5 times a day.
just read up and educate yourself about what you're doing. don't rush into flashing and etc if you have never done it. read everything posted about it in the stickies and you'll be a happy man.
i'm using:
schubcraft 1.5 android (only complaint is data drops for a min or two here or there)
core cell evo 3.0 windows rom (only winmo rom i've used, but i'd imagine it's one of the best, and it doesn't give me trouble with android like other builds)
radio 2.14.50
seriously, just read up on these forums, xda is an incredible place for our phones
Im new to modding of my tmobile G2, but Im seeing things about updating the radio. What exactly is the radio? Do you mean as in a normal FM radio? Or does radio have something to do with the way the G2 receives cell phone signals?
Also if there is a updated "radio" which one is the most stable and provides best quality? I am running CM-7.1.0-RC1-vision. with Nightly v. 1.86...
The best way to describe it would be the software that interfaces with the hardware radio that allows you to send/receive data on the device.
Updating to a different radio CAN improve signal/speeds, but it can also reduce signal. Unless you're confident in switching radios often and doing testing, its best to flash the radio recommended for T-mobile USA's 2.3 release. I'm using this one and it works just fine for me.
Different people have different results, and really it depends on your location and use case which radio works for you. There's no "perfect" radio for everyone.
If your phone is working as it should don't mess with the radio please.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
Spastic909 said:
If your phone is working as it should don't mess with the radio please.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
I'm all for what Spastic909 said. Messing with the radio without knowing what it does WILL brick your phone. However if you wish to research and ask more questions then please do as I do not want to discourage you from modifying your phone, after all this is how you will learn. The Android Development sub-thread is a wealth of knowledge for those who wish to learn.
Please read through the following thread to get a better understanding of the radio and what it does.
HTC VISION RADIO's (PC10IMG.zip Update Files & .img files)
[REF] The HTC Vision (Desire Z & G2) Radio ROM & Official BLs Thread