2002 Oldsmobile Alero radio

3-17
Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)
AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and
left speakers, press and release the AUDIO button until
BAL appears on the display. Press the knob above the
AUDIO button to extend it, then turn the knob to adjust
the sound to the left or right speakers. The middle
position balances the sound between the speakers.
To adjust the fade between the front and rear speakers,
press and release the AUDIO button until FAD appears
on the display. Press the knob above the AUDIO button
to extend it, then turn the knob to adjust the sound to the
front or rear speakers. The middle position balances the
sound between the speakers.
Pressing and holding the AUDIO button for at least two
seconds will return all tone settings, including bass and
treble, to flat.Using RDS
Your audio system is equipped with a Radio Data
System (RDS). RDS mode gives you many useful new
features. With RDS, the radio can do the following:

Seek only to stations with the types of programs
you want to listen to,

seek to stations with traffic announcements,

receive announcements concerning local and
national emergencies, and

receive and display messages from radio stations.
RDS features are only available on FM stations that
broadcast RDS information. The RDS features on your
radio rely on receiving specific RDS information from
these stations. These features will only work when the
RDS information is available. In rare cases, a radio
station may broadcast incorrect information that will
cause the radio features to work improperly. If this
happens, contact the radio station.
When you are tuned to an RDS station, the station
name will appear on the display, instead of the
frequency. Most RDS stations provide their station
name, the time of day and a Program Type (PTY) for
their current programming.

3-18
Finding a PTY Preset Station
To find a PTY preset station, perform the
following steps:
1. Press the P
-TYPE button to turn on PTY select. PTY
will be displayed and the light next to the button will
turn on. The last selected PTY will appear on the
display for five seconds.
2. Turn the P
-TYPE knob clockwise or
counterclockwise to select the PTY you want to
listen to. The list is alphabetical. If you select ANY
TYPE your radio will seek to the first PTY available.
3. Press the right SEEK arrow to find radio stations for
that PTY. The radio will seek to the first RDS
broadcaster of the selected program type. If the radio
cannot find the desired program type, NOT FOUND
will appear on the display and the radio will return to
the last station you were listening to. If both P
-TYPE
and TRAF are on, the radio will search for stations
with traffic announcements and the selected PTY.To use the P
-TYPE interrupt feature, press and hold the
P
-TYPE button until you hear a beep on the PTY you
want to interrupt on. An asterisk will appear next to the
PTY name (for example CLASSICAL*). When you are
listening to a cassette or compact disc, the last selected
RDS FM station will interrupt play if that selected PTY
format is broadcast.
BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency
allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the
same program type. Press and hold BAND for two
seconds to turn alternate frequency on. AF ON will
appear on the display. The radio may switch to stronger
stations. Press and hold BAND again for two seconds to
turn alternate frequency off. AF OFF will appear on the
display. The radio will not switch to other stations. When
you turn the ignition off and then on again, the alternate
frequency feature will automatically be turned on.


SEEK
: Press the right arrow to go to a station with
the last selected PTY; TYPE and the last selected PTY
will appear on the display, if it is not already showing.
Press SEEK a second time to seek. If a station with the
selected PTY is not found, the radio will return to the
original station and display NOT FOUND.

3-19
Setting PTY Preset Stations
The six numbered pushbuttons let you return to your
favorite Program Types (PTYs). These pushbuttons have
factory PTY presets. You can set up to 12 PTYs
(six FM1 and six FM2) by performing the following steps:
1. Press BAND to select FM1 or FM2.
2. Press the P
-TYPE button to activate program
type mode.
3. Turn the P
-TYPE knob to select a PTY.
4. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons
until you hear a beep. Whenever you press that
numbered pushbutton, the PTY you set will return.
5. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.
RDS Messages
ALERT!: This message warns of national or local
emergencies. You will not be able to turn off alert
announcements. ALERT! appears on the display when an
alert announcement plays. When an alert announcement
comes on the current radio station, you will hear it, even if
the volume is muted or a cassette tape or compact disc is
playing. If the cassette tape or compact disc player is
playing, play will stop for the announcement and resume
when the announcement is finished.TRAF (Traffic): Press this button to receive traffic
announcements. The traffic announcement brackets will
appear on the display. TRAF will appear on the display
if the current station broadcasts traffic announcements.
If the current station does not broadcast traffic
announcements, the radio will seek to a station that
does. When the radio finds a station that broadcasts
traffic announcements, it will stop. If no station is found,
NO TRAFFIC will appear on the display.
When a traffic announcement comes on the current
radio station or a related network station, you will
hear it, even if the volume is muted or a cassette tape
or compact disc is playing. If the cassette tape or
compact disc player was being used, the tape or compact
disc will stay in the player and resume play at the point
where it stopped.
INFO (Information): If the current station has a
message, INFO will appear on the display. Press this
button to see the message. If the whole message does
not appear on the display, parts of the message will
appear every three seconds until the message is completed.
To see the parts of the message faster than every three
seconds, press this button again. A new group of words
will appear on the display. Once the complete message has
been displayed, INFO will disappear from the display until
another new message is received.

3-20
Playing a Cassette Tape
Your tape player is built to work best with tapes that are
up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer
than that are so thin they may not work well in this
player. The longer side with the tape visible should face
to the right. If the ignition is on, but the radio is off, the
tape can be inserted and will begin playing. If you hear
nothing but a garbled sound, the tape may not be in
squarely. Press the eject button, located next to the
cassette tape slot, to remove the tape and start over.
While the tape is playing, use the VOLUME, POWER,
AUDIO, AUTO EQ, and the SEEK controls just as you
do for the radio. The display will show TAPE and an
arrow showing which side of the tape is playing. The
tape player automatically begins playing the other side
when it reaches the end of the tape.
Your tape bias is set automatically when a metal or
chrome tape is inserted. If you want to insert a tape
when the ignition is off, first press the button with the
eject symbol on it or the RCL knob.
If an error appears on the radio display, the tape won't
play because of an error. See ªCassette Tape Messagesº
later in this section.1 REV (Reverse): Press this pushbutton to reverse the
tape rapidly. Press it again to return to playing speed.
The radio will play the last selected station while the
tape reverses. You may select stations during reverse
operation by using the TUNE knob.
2 FWD (Forward): Press this pushbutton to advance
quickly to another part of the tape. Press this pushbutton
again to return to playing speed. The radio will play the
last selected station while the tape advances. You may
select stations during forward operation by using the
TUNE knob.
3
(Dolby): Press this pushbutton to reduce
background noise. DOLBY ON will appear on the
display with the Dolby symbol. Press it again to turn
Dolby off.
Dolby Noise Reduction is manufactured under a license
from Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Dolby
and the double
-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby
Laboratories Licensing Corporation.
5 SIDE: Press this pushbutton to play the other side
of the tape.

3-21
AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalizer): Press AUTO EQ
to select the desired preset equalization setting while
playing a cassette tape. The equalization will be
automatically set whenever you play a cassette tape. See
ªAUTO EQº listed previously for more information.


SEEK
: Press the right or left arrow to search for
the next or previous selection on the tape. Your tape
must have at least three seconds of silence between each
selection for seek to work. You can skip nine selections
forward or backward on the tape. Choose how many
selections you want to skip. Press the right or left SEEK
arrows that many times. The number of selections to be
skipped will appear on the display.


SCAN
: Press and hold either arrow for more than
two seconds until you hear a beep and SCAN appears
on the display. The tape will go to the next selection,
play for a few seconds, then go on to the next selection.
Press this button again to stop scanning.BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a
cassette tape is playing. The tape will stop but remain in
the player.
TP CD (TAPE): Press this button to play to play a
cassette tape or a CD when listening to the radio. Press
TP CD to switch between the tape and compact disc if
both are loaded. The inactive tape or CD will remain
safely inside the radio for future listening. The display
will show the TAPE and CD symbols.
(Eject): Press this button, located next to the
cassette tape slot, to eject a tape. Eject may be activated
with either the ignition or radio off. Cassettes may be
loaded with the radio and ignition off if this button is
pressed first.

3-22
Cassette Tape Messages
If an error occurs while trying to play a cassette tape,
it could be for one of the following reasons:
TIGHT TAPE: When this message is displayed, the
tape is tight and the player can't turn the tape hubs.
Remove the tape. Hold the tape with the open end down
and try to turn the right hub counterclockwise with a
pencil. Turn the tape over and repeat. If the hubs do not
turn easily, your tape may be damaged and should not be
used in the player. Try a new tape to make sure your
player is working properly.
BROKEN TAPE: If this message is displayed, the tape
is broken. Try a new tape.
WRAPPED: When this message is displayed, the tape
is wrapped around the tape head. Attempt to get the
cassette out. Try a new tape.
CLEAN PLAYR (Clean Player): This message may
also appear on the radio display to indicate that the
cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play
tapes, but you should clean it as soon as possible to
prevent damage to the tapes and player. For additional
information see ªCare of Your Cassette Tape Playerº
in the Index.If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error message, write it down and provide it to your
dealer when reporting the problem.
Playing a Compact Disc
With the ignition on, insert a disc partway into the slot,
label side up. The player will pull it in and the disc
should begin playing. If you want to insert a CD when
the ignition is off, first press the eject button or the
RCL knob.
When the disc is inserted, the CD symbol will be
displayed. If you select an EQ setting for your CD,
it will be activated each time you play a CD.
As each new track starts to play, the track number will
appear on the display.
If an error appears on the display, see ªCompact Disc
Messagesº later in this section.
1 REV (Reverse): Press and hold this pushbutton to
reverse quickly within a track. You will hear sound at a
reduced volume. Release it to play the passage. The
display will show elapsed time.

3-23
2 FWD (Forward): Press and hold this pushbutton to
advance quickly within a track. You will hear sound at
a reduced volume. Release it to play the passage. The
display will show elapsed time.
4 RDM (Random): Press this pushbutton to hear the
tracks in random, rather than sequential, order. RDM
and the track number will appear on the display. Press
this pushbutton again to turn off random mode.
AUTO EQ (Automatic Equalizer): Press this button
to select the desired preset equalization setting while
playing a compact disc. The equalization will be
automatically set whenever you play a compact disc.
See ªAUTO EQº listed previously for more information.


SEEK
: Press the left arrow to go to the start of the
current track if more than eight seconds have played.
Press the right arrow to go to the next track. If you hold
this button or press it more than once, the player will
continue moving backward or forward through the disc.


SCAN
: Press and hold either arrow for more than
two seconds until you hear a beep and SCAN appears
on the display. The disc will go to the next track, play
for a few seconds, then go on to the next track. Press this
button again to stop scanning. The sound will mute
while scanning. SCAN and the track number will appear
on the display.RCL (Recall): Press this knob to see how long the
current track has been playing. To change what is
normally shown on the display (track or elapsed time),
press the knob until you see the display you want, then
hold the knob until the display flashes. While elapsed
time is showing, EL TM will appear on the display.
BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when
a CD is playing.
TP CD (Tape): Press this button to play to play a
cassette tape or a CD when listening to the radio. Press
TP CD to switch between the tape and compact disc if
both are loaded. The inactive tape or CD will remain
safely inside the radio for future listening. The display
will show the TAPE and CD symbols.
(Eject): Press this button to eject a CD. Eject
may be activated with either the ignition or radio off.
CDs may be loaded with the radio and ignition off if
this button is pressed first.

3-24
Compact Disc Messages
CHECK CD: If this message appears on the radio
display and the disc comes out, it could be for one of the
following reasons:

The road is too rough. The disc should play when the
road is smoother.

The disc is dirty, scratched, wet or upside down.

The air is very humid. If so, wait about an hour and
try again.
If the CD is not playing correctly, for any other reason,
try a known good CD.
If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error can't be
corrected, contact your dealer. If your radio displays an
error message, write it down and provide it to your
dealer when reporting the problem.Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK is designed to discourage theft of
your radio. The feature works automatically by learning
a portion of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not
operate and LOCKED will be displayed.
When the radio and vehicle are turned off, the blinking
red light indicates that THEFTLOCK is armed.
With THEFTLOCK activated, your radio will not
operate if stolen.
Understanding Radio Reception
AM
The range for most AM stations is greater than for FM,
especially at night. The longer range, however, can
cause stations to interfere with each other. AM can pick
up noise from things like storms and power lines. Try
reducing the treble to reduce this noise if you ever get it.