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131 Controls in detail
Control system
TEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.
Switch on the telephone and
COMAND*.
Press button
ÿ
or
è
on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the display.Which messages will appear in the display
field depends on whether your telephone is
switched on or off:
If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
TEL OFF
.
If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the display is
empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
is indicated in the dis-
play.
1Signal strength
This standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can op-
erate it using the control system.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
o m m e n d t h a t y o u p u l l o v e r t o a s a f e l o c a t i o n
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road and traffic condi-
tions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every sec-
ond.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 131 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 155 of 370

161 Controls in detail
Audio system
Audio system
Audio and telephone, operation
These instructions are intended to help
you become acquainted with your
Mercedes-Benz car radio. They contain
useful tips and a detailed description of the
user functions.
Operating safety
Warning!
G
In order to avoid distraction which could
lead to an accident, system settings should
be entered with the vehicle at standstill and
systems should be operated by the driver
only when traffic conditions permit. Always
pay full attention to traffic conditions first
before operating system controls while driv-
ing.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your car is cover-
ing a distance of approximately 44 feet (ap-
proximately 13.5 m) every second.
1
1The right to correct errors and make technical
amendments is reserved.
Warning!
G
Any alterations made to electronic compo-
nents can cause malfunctions.
The radio, cassette deck, CD changer*, and
telephone* and voice control system* are
interconnected. When one of the compo-
nents is not operational or has not been
removed / replaced properly, the function of
other components may be impaired.
This condition might seriously impair the op-
erating safety of your vehicle.
We recommend that you have any service
work on electronic components carried out
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 161 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 157 of 370
163 Controls in detail
Audio system
Item
Page
1
CD mode selector
174
2
Manual tuning
(radio)
168
Fast forward/reverse
(cassette, CD)
172,
176
Speed dialing memory
(telephone*)
181
3
Radio mode selector
167
4
Display
Item
Page
5
Alpha-numeric keypadBand selection,
station buttons (radio)
167
CD selection (CD)
175
Telephone number entry,
retrieving speed dialing
memory (telephone*)
178
6
Scanning (radio, cas-
sette, CD)
169,
172,
176
7
Function button
168
8
Soft keys
164
Item
Page
9
Cassette eject
171
10
Cassette mode selector
170
11
Telephone* mode selec-
tor
178
12
Seek tuning (radio)
168
Track search (cassette,
CD)
171,
176
Speed dialing memory
(telephone*)
181
13
On /off
164
Volume
164
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Page 158 of 370

164 Controls in detailAudio systemButton and soft key operation
In these instructions, the alpha-numeric
keypad (right side of radio face) and the
function buttons (left side of the radio
face) are referred to as “buttons” and the
four keys under the display are referred to
as “soft keys”.Operation
Switching on/off
Switching on:
Turn the key to position 1 or 2 in the
starter switch.
or
Turn control knob
a
.Switching off:
Remove the key from the starter
switch.
or
Turn control knob
a
.
Adjusting the volume
Turn control knob
a
.
The volume will increase or decrease
according to the direction turned.Adjusting audio functions
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press the
AUD key to call up the bass, treble, bal-
ance and fader functions.
Settings for bass and treble are stored sep-
arately for the AM (medium wave, long
wave, short wave) and FM (ultra-short
wave) frequency bands, cassette mode
and CD mode.
iDo not press directly on the radio dis-
play face.
iIf the radio is turned on without the key
in the ignition, it will automatically turn
off again after approx. 30 minutes.
iIf your vehicle was equipped with a
telephone* and voice control system*,
and both are connected to the car ra-
dio, their volume can be adjusted sepa-
rately while the telephone* is being
used or voice control system* is acti-
vated.
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Page 159 of 370

165 Controls in detail
Audio system
Bass
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BASS
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
+ or
- key to increase or de-
crease the tone level accordingly.
or
Press both the
+ and
- keys simulta-
neously to reset the bass tones to the
center (flat) level.Treble
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
TREBLE
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
+ or
- key to increase or de-
crease the tone level accordingly.
or
Press both the
+ and
- keys simulta-
neously to reset the treble tones to
their center (flat) level.Fader
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
FADER
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
F or
R key to shift the sound
accordingly.
or
Press both the
F and
R keys simulta-
neously to reset the fader to its center
level.
iYour vehicle may or may not have the
fader function, depending on the vehi-
cle equipment and model.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 165 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 160 of 370
166 Controls in detailAudio systemBalance
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BALANCE
appears on the display.
Press the
L or
R key to shift the sound
accordingly.
or
Press both the
L and
R keys simulta-
neously to reset the balance to its cen-
ter level.Returning audio functions to factory set-
tings
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
and hold the
AUD
key longer than 2 sec-
onds.
RESET
will appear on the display.
All settings for bass, treble and balance
are returned to center and the volume
is set to a predefined level.Audio system sound selection (EXT)*
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key.
The sound settings menu appears on
the display.
Press the
EXT
key.
Press one of the function keys.
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Page 161 of 370

167 Controls in detail
Audio system
You can select from among the follow-
ing settings:
DRV
: The tone level is set to the
“Driver” position, sound is directed
toward the passengers.
SP: The tone level is set for
“Speech”, optimizing the sound for
spoken language.
AMB
: The tone level is set for “Ambi-
ence”, producing a three-dimen-
sional sound.
OFF
: The audio system sound selec-
tion is turned off.
Telephone* muting
If a telephone has been installed in the ve-
hicle, the radio will switch to telephone
mode when a call is received. The current
audio source is muted.
Radio mode
Selecting radio mode
Press the
b
button.
Selecting the band
You can select from among FM, AM or WB
frequency bands.
FM frequency band:
FM (ultra-short wave) 87.9......107.9 MHz
AM frequency bands:
MW (medium wave) 530......1710 KHz
WB (long wave) approx. 162 KHzSelecting FM band
Press the
FM function button.
FM appears in the upper right-hand cor-
ner of the display.
Selecting AM band
Press the
AM function button.
AM appears in the upper right-hand cor-
ner of the display.
Selecting a station
The following options are available for se-
lecting a station:
Direct frequency band input
Manual tuning
Automatic seek tuning
Scan tuning
Station buttons
Automatic station memory (Autostore)
S203 MY03_A.book Page 167 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 162 of 370
168 Controls in detailAudio systemDirect frequency input (AM and FM only)
Select the desired frequency band.
Press the
“
button.
Enter the desired frequency with the
buttons 1 to 0.Manual tuning
Select the desired band.
Press and hold either the
d
or
c
button until the desired frequency is
reached.
Step-by-step station tuning takes place
in ascending or descending order of
frequency. The first three tuning steps
will take place without muting. After-
ward, the radio will be muted and
high-speed tuning will take place until
the button is released.Automatic seek tuning
Select the desired frequency band.
Press either the
f
or
e
button.
The radio will tune to the next receiv-
able station at a higher or lower fre-
quency.
iYou can only enter frequencies within
the respective waveband.
If a button is not pressed within
4 seconds, the radio will return to the
last tuned station.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 168 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM