For those of us that still listen to earth-bound radio (not satellite radio or CDs), how about some help finding radio stations on long trips?
Drive a long distance and radio stations come and go. Sometimes you find one you like but then it fades and a new search is begun. Listen to bits of a station ... no, not that, next ... nope, next ... arrgg, quick next!! ... hmm, this sounds ok ... no, just the one tune, next ...
As I'm cruising along, Waze could display one or two stations that match my preferences, that I could listen to for quite some time, just as my current station is starting to fade out.
Look at radio-locator.com as an example. Enter a location and it displays a list of radio stations that can be received at that location. I suspect they use the distance and transmitter power to calculate the signal strength at the entered location.
Waze already knows where I am, add a database of radio stations, some code, user preferences, etc.. Not trivial, but should be doable. The database could come from the FCC or maybe radio-locator.com might be interested in sharing.
Waze should recommend stations that are getting stronger, not stations that are about to drop out of range. To get some idea of the sensitivity of a particular user's radio, when stopped, Waze could request the user to tune to a specific radio station and ask about the signal quality. Initially check several stations, some on the edge of reception. Later make the occasional check of a couple of stations to see if things change. Maybe Google Maps or Earth could be used for terrain information. That could be used to figure signal blocking.
One of the preferences could be my "home" radio station (some users may want to enter several "home" stations). As long as I'm in range of my home station (driving locally), don't offer a new station, unless requested.
Could sometimes ask what frequency the radio is currently on, sort of like asking about a stopped vehicle. Use the information to "fine tune" the user preference and the station format.
Anonymous
For those of us that still listen to earth-bound radio (not satellite radio or CDs), how about some help finding radio stations on long trips?
Drive a long distance and radio stations come and go. Sometimes you find one you like but then it fades and a new search is begun. Listen to bits of a station ... no, not that, next ... nope, next ... arrgg, quick next!! ... hmm, this sounds ok ... no, just the one tune, next ...
As I'm cruising along, Waze could display one or two stations that match my preferences, that I could listen to for quite some time, just as my current station is starting to fade out.
Look at radio-locator.com as an example. Enter a location and it displays a list of radio stations that can be received at that location. I suspect they use the distance and transmitter power to calculate the signal strength at the entered location.
Waze already knows where I am, add a database of radio stations, some code, user preferences, etc.. Not trivial, but should be doable. The database could come from the FCC or maybe radio-locator.com might be interested in sharing.
Waze should recommend stations that are getting stronger, not stations that are about to drop out of range. To get some idea of the sensitivity of a particular user's radio, when stopped, Waze could request the user to tune to a specific radio station and ask about the signal quality. Initially check several stations, some on the edge of reception. Later make the occasional check of a couple of stations to see if things change. Maybe Google Maps or Earth could be used for terrain information. That could be used to figure signal blocking.
One of the preferences could be my "home" radio station (some users may want to enter several "home" stations). As long as I'm in range of my home station (driving locally), don't offer a new station, unless requested.
Could sometimes ask what frequency the radio is currently on, sort of like asking about a stopped vehicle. Use the information to "fine tune" the user preference and the station format.