Car Audio System Operating Hints; Radio Reception - Lexus ES 300 Owner's Manual

Audio System
Car audio system operating
hints
NOTICE
To ensure correct audio system opera-
tions:
D Be careful not to spill beverages
over the audio system.
D Do not put anything other than a cas-
sette tape or Compact Disc into the
slot.
D The use of a cellular phone inside or
near the vehicle may cause a noise
from the speakers of the audio sys-
tem which you are listening to. How-
ever, this does not indicate a mal-
function.

RADIO RECEPTION

Usually, a problem with radio reception does
not mean there is a problem with your ra-
dio—it is just the normal result of conditions
outside the vehicle.
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ES300_Navi_U (L/O 0208)
For example, nearby buildings and terrain
can interfere with FM reception. Power lines
or telephone wires can interfere with AM sig-
nals. And of course, radio signals have a lim-
ited range. The farther you are from a sta-
tion, the weaker its signal will be. In addition,
reception conditions change constantly as
your vehicle moves.
Here are some common reception problems
that probably do not indicate a problem with
your radio:
FM
Fading and drifting stations—Generally, the
effective range of FM is about 40 km (25
miles). Once outside this range, you may no-
tice fading and drifting, which increase with
the distance from the radio transmitter. They
are often accompanied by distortion.
Multi–path—FM signals are reflective, mak-
ing it possible for two signals to reach your
antenna at the same time. If this happens,
the signals will cancel each other out, caus-
ing a momentary flutter or loss of reception.
Static and fluttering—These occur when sig-
nals are blocked by buildings, trees, or other
large objects. Increasing the bass level may
reduce static and fluttering.
2003 ES300 Navigation from Aug. '02 Prod. (OM33592U)
Station swapping—If the FM signal you are
listening to is interrupted or weakened, and
there is another strong station nearby on the
FM band, your radio may tune in the second
station until the original signal can be picked
up again.
AM
Fading—AM broadcasts are reflected by the
upper atmosphere—especially at night.
These reflected signals can interfere with
those received directly from the radio station,
causing the radio station to sound alternately
strong and weak.
Station interference—When a reflected sig-
nal and a signal received directly from a radio
station are very nearly the same frequency,
they can interfere with each other, making it
difficult to hear the broadcast.
Static—AM is easily affected by external
sources of electrical noise, such as high ten-
sion power lines, lightening, or electrical mo-
tors. This results in static.