Your post doesn't add up, so maybe it's a terminology problem. Most commonly, the stupid term "tether" is used to mean using your phone as an internet wifi hotspot. It provides internet to other devices. If you do this, you do NOT need Connect+. The whole point of that is to provide a connection. You also don't get ALL of the C+ services, but some such as streaming should work.
My post clearly says USB-C. Connect+ is not just a WIFI hotspot. And this discussion is about how the OP wants to get FM and AM when you have no cellular connection.
Yes, it's idiotic they can't just have a 1 buck receiver. I don't subscribe to all those music services (I had Alexa/prime music but they removed that), I like listening to NPR and the software, on-board cellphone connection (I do subscribe) are extremely unreliable.
Did you train Alexa to your voice?If that is the case Amazon needs to fire their AI team. I still can't get Alexa to add grocery items correct half the time.
Hey Alexa, add garbage bags to the shopping list...cabbage added to the shopping list! Or, Hey Alexa, cancel my second timer...Okay, which timer do you want cancelled. Is it the timer with one hour, seven mintues, thirty four seconds or is it....yes, it is that timer, I'm not showing a timer with one hour, seven minutes.... lol
"At the factory level, the actual hardware cost to build an FM/AM tuner and a SiriusXM receiver into a car’s infotainment system is very low—typically adding only $30 to $75 only to the automaker's total bill of materials (BOM)."
You cannot use usb-c to playback audio.
And I'm kinda surprised at this comment, considering you are a ham. As a ham, you certainly know that the vast majority of average people have little to no interest in making the effort to pass an exam or learn how to use two way radios (no matter how simple GMRS is) but still go hiking, camping, fishing, boating, bird watching, etc. in areas with little or no cell service. Many don't even know GMRS exists. Hard core outbackers know that GMRS, amateur, etc. are mostly useless in mountainous territory unless a repeater is on a nearby peak, and use a satellite emergnecy device.
There is zero capability of playing ANY media over USB from your phone. No audio, no video.
Not 100% accurate "not a single tune" - you can stream media apps via Bluetooth, selecting the audio source from the phone without using Connect +
Yes, that is through the streaming service. Either iHeart or TuneIn. If you get a chance to sit in an R2 again, turn on the radio so that you see the FM dial. You will see a number of vertical gray bars. Tap your finger on the frequency of an FM station you know of in the area that is not already under one of the bars. IT WILL NOT TUNE IN. Rather, it will jump to the closest gray bars from where you tapped. Those gray bars represent the frequencies of the various stations that have already been set in iHeart or TuneIn, and those are the ONLY stations it will tune into unless more are added in one of those two apps. The only way to tune in an FM (or AM) station is to first search for it in one of these two apps to add it to the car's FM dial from the streaming app.I was in an R2 this week for a demo drive while having service done on my T; there was FM radio just fine not through a stream service… Not sure what the OP is referencing…
