2003 HONDA ELEMENT audio

Your Honda’s audio system provides
clear reception on both AM and FM
bands, while the preset buttons allow
you to easily select your f avorite
stations.
The anti-thef t f eature will disable the
system if it is disconnected f rom the
vehicle’s battery. To get the system
working again, you must enter a
code number (see page ).152
On EX models
Audio System
AM/FM/CD Player Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures137

The ignition switch must be in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) to
operate the audio system. Turn the
system on by pushing the PWR/
VOL knob or the AM/FM button.
Adjust the volume by turning the
same knob.
The band and f requency that the
radio was last tuned to is displayed.
To change bands, press the AM or
FM button. On the FM band, ST will
be displayed if the station is broad-
castinginstereo.Stereo
reproduction on AM is not available.
You can use any of f ive methods to
f ind radio stations on the selected
band: TUNE, SEEK, SCAN, AUTO
SELECT, and the preset buttons.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Operating the Radio
138
SEEK BUTTONS
SCAN BUTTON PRESET BUTTONS TUNE KNOB
PWR/VOL KNOB
AM BUTTON
FM BUTTON STEREO INDICATOR

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UsetheTUNE,SEEK,orSCAN
function to tune the radio to a
desired station.
Pick the preset button you want
for that station. Press the button
and hold it until you hear a beep.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 to store a total
of six stations on AM and twelve
on FM.
Once a station’s frequency is stored,
simply press and release the proper
preset button to tune to it.
The preset f requencies will be lost if
your vehicle’s battery goes dead, is
disconnected, or the radio f use is
removed.
Use the TUNE knob to
tune the radio to a desired f requency.
Turn the TUNE knob to the right to
tune to a higher f requency, or to the
lef t to tune to a lower f requency.
Stop turning the knob when the dis-
play reaches the desired f requency.
The SEEK f unction
searches the band for a station with
a strong signal. To activate it, press
either SEEK button ( or ),
then release it. Depending on which
SEEK button you press, the system
scans upward or downward f rom the
current f requency. It stops when it
finds a station with a strong signal.
The SCAN f unction
samples all the stations with strong
signals on the selected band. To
activate it, press the SCAN button,
then release it. When the system is
intheSCANmode,SCNshowsin
the display. The system will scan up
the band for a station with a strong signal. When it f inds one, it will stop
and play that station for about five
seconds. If you do nothing, the
system will then scan f or the next
strong station and play that for five
seconds. When it plays a station that
you want to continue listening to,
press the SCAN button again.
You can store the
f requencies of your f avorite radio
stations in the six preset buttons.
Each button will store one f requency
on the AM band, and two
f requencies on the FM band.
To store a f requency:
Select the desired band, AM or
FM. FM1 and FM2 let you store
two f requencies with each preset
button.
1. 4. 3.
2.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
TUNE
SEEK
SCAN
Preset
139

µIf you are
traveling far from home and can no
longer receive the stations you
preset, you can use the Auto Select
feature to find stations in the local
area.
To activate Auto Select, press the
A. SEL button. A. SEL will f lash in
the display, and the system will go
into scan mode f or several seconds.
It automatically scans both bands,
looking f or stations with strong
signals. It stores the f requencies of
six AM stations and twelve FM
stations in the preset buttons. You
can then use the preset buttons to
select those stations.
If you are in a remote area, Auto
Select may not f ind six strong AM
stations or twelve strong FM stations.
If this happens, you will see a ‘‘0’’
displayed when you press any preset
button that does not have a station
stored. If you do not like the stations Auto
Select has stored, you can store
other f requencies in the preset
buttons. Use the TUNE, SEEK, or
SCAN f unction to f ind the desired
f requencies, then store them in the
selected preset buttons as described
previously.
Auto Select does not erase the
f requencies that you preset pre-
viously. When you return home, turn
of f Auto Select by pressing the
A. SEL button. The preset buttons
will then select the f requencies you
originally set.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
AUTO SELECT
140
A.SEL BUTTON
AUTO SELECT INDICATOR

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Subwoof er, Treble, Bass, Fader, and
Balance are each adjustable. You
select which of these you want to
adjust by pressing the TUNE knob.
ThemodechangesfromSUB-Wto
BAStoTREtoFADtoBAL,and
then back to the selected audio
mode, each time you press the
TUNE knob.
The system will automatically return
the display to the selected audio
mode about f ive seconds af ter you
stop adjusting a mode with the
TUNE knob.
Use
these modes to adjust the tone to
your liking. Select SUB-W, TRE, or
BAS by pressing the TUNE knob.
Adjust the desired mode by turning
the TUNE knob. The displayed
number show you the current setting.
When the adjustment level reaches
the center, you will see ‘‘ ’’.
These two
modes adjust the strength of the
sound coming f rom each speaker.
BAL adjusts the side-to-side strength,
while FAD adjusts the f ront-to-back strength.
Select BAL or FAD by pressing the
TUNE knob. Adjust the Balance or
Fader to your liking by turning the
TUNE knob. The displayed number
shows you the current setting. When
the adjustment level reaches the
center, you will see ‘‘ ’’.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Adjusting the Sound
Sub-woof er/Treble/Bass
Balance/Fader
141
TUNE KNOB

The audio system display shows the
time when the ignition switch is in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II).For example:1:06 would RESET to 1:00.
1:52 would RESET to 2:00.
When you are f inished, press the
CLOCK (TUNE) button again.
To set the clock, press and hold the
CLOCK (TUNE) button until the
numbers f lash. Change the hour by
pressing the H button until the
numbers advance to the desired time.
Change the minute by pressing the
M button until the numbers advance
to the desired time.
You can use the R button to quickly
set the time to the nearest hour. If
the displayed time is before the half
hour, pressing R sets the clock back
to the previous hour. If the displayed
time is af ter the half hour, pressing
R sets the clock f orward to the begin-
ning of the next hour.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Digital Clock
142
H BUTTON
CLOCK
BUTTON
M BUTTON R BUTTON

CONT INUED
You can use the instrument panel
brightness control knob to adjust the
illumination of the audio system (see
page ). The audio system
illuminates when the parking lights
are on, even if the radio is turned of f .
Your Honda’s radio can receive the
complete AM and FM bands.
Those bands cover these f requen-
cies:
AM band:
530 to 1,710 kilohertz
FM band:
87.7 to 107.9 megahertz
Radio stations on the AM band are
assigned f requencies at least ten
kilohertz apart (530, 540, 550).
Stations on the FM band are
assigned f requencies at least 0.2
megahertz apart (87.9, 88.1, 88.3).Stations must use these exact
f requencies. It is f airly common f or
stations to round-of f the f requency in
their advertising, so your radio could
display a f requency of 100.9 even
though the announcer may identif y
the station as ‘‘FM101.’’
How well your Honda’s radio
receives stations is dependent on
many f actors, such as the distance
from the station’s transmitter,
nearby large objects, and atmos-
pheric conditions.
A radio station’s signal gets weaker
as you get f arther away f rom its
transmitter. If you are listening to an
AM station, you will notice the sound
volume becoming weaker, and the
stationdriftinginandout.If youare
listening to an FM station, you will
see the stereo indicator f lickering of f
and on as the signal weakens.
Eventually, the stereo indicator willgo of f and the sound will f ade
completely as you get out of range of
the station’s signal.
Driving very near the transmitter of
a station that is broadcasting on a
f requency close to the f requency of
the station you are listening to can
also af f ect your radio’s reception.
You may temporarily hear both
stations,orhearonlythestationyou
are close to.
77
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
A udio System L ighting
Radio Frequencies
Radio Reception
143

Radio signals, especially on the FM
band, are def lected by large objects
such as buildings and hills. Your
radio then receives both the direct
signal f rom the station’s transmitter,
and the def lected signal. This causes
the sound to distort or flutter. This is
a main cause of poor radio reception
in city driving.Radio reception can be af f ected by
atmospheric conditions such as
thunderstorms, high humidity, and
even sunspots. You may be able to
receive a distant radio station one
day and not receive it the next day
because of a change in conditions.
Electrical interf erence f rom passing
vehicles and stationary sources can
cause temporary reception problems.
As required by the FCC:
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
Audio System
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