It turns out that this variable can have different values in the Root shell and the non-Root shell. I was root when it echoed an empty value. In the non-Root shell, it echoes 'FCC/US' until I change it manually.

A value set manually in the Root shell persists until I exit, and then it reverts to empty.

A value set manually in the non-Root shell persists until I close the Terminal window, even if I switch between Root and non-Root shells in the mean time.

If I open a second Terminal window, it does not echo the value set manually in the first one, but echoes 'FCC/US' in the non-Root shell (whether or not the first window is still open).


Run as root, the output includes the following line:
This does not change if the environmental variable OSSO_PRODUCT_WLAN_CHANNEL is given a different value, or if CALOSSO_PRODUCT_WLAN_CHANNEL is given a different value (in either shell).

(The reason for trying CALOSSO_etc is that the osso-product-info output includes the following line when the executable is run as non-root:
and the output does not mention OSSO_PRODUCT_WLAN_CHANNEL without the "CAL".)

If OSSO_PRODUCT_WLAN_CHANNEL is important for this problem, it looks as though the WLAN connection will have to be made via command line, in the non-Root shell. Maybe it won't be important, and the problem will be solved by changing /sys/devices/platform/wlan-omap/default_country, perhaps also restarting wlancond.

(I am a bit suspicious of waking up wlancond. There is a long thread of N900 users complaining that their wlancond causes the available channels to default from time to time, blocking off the channels we are trying to open up.)

@LinuxStation - Glad to see that you are still around. Are you willing to try the effect of coding (as root):
echo 0x30 > /sys/devices/platform/wlan-omap/default_country

and, if that doesn't help on its own, following it up with:
? (Sorry I didn't put the first command in a "Code" box. It looks better when it is all on one line, and the "Code" box puts it on two.)

The old thread had a number of hopeful suggestions, but nobody ever reported whether or not any of them worked.