Toyota 2012 RAV4 EV infotainment system Quick Reference Manual page 231

1. AUDIO SYSTEM OPERATION
11. AUDIO SYSTEM OPERATING HINTS
NOTICE
●
To avoid damage to the audio system:
• Be careful not to spill beverages over
the audio system.
INFORMATION
●
The use of a cellular phone inside or
near the vehicle may cause a noise from
the speakers of the audio system which
you are listening to. However, this does
not indicate a malfunction.
RADIO RECEPTION
Usually, a problem with radio reception
does not mean there is a problem with
the radio — it is just the normal result
of conditions outside the vehicle.
For example, nearby buildings and ter-
rain can interfere with FM reception.
Power lines or phone wires can inter-
fere with AM signals. And of course, ra-
dio signals have a limited range. The
farther the vehicle is from a station, the
weaker its signal will be. In addition, re-
ception conditions change constantly
as the vehicle moves.
Here, some common reception prob-
lems that probably do not indicate a
problem with the radio are described.
FM
Fading and drifting stations: Generally, the
effective range of FM is about 25 miles (40
km). 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.
214
Multi-path: FM signals are reflective, mak-
ing it possible for two signals to reach the
vehicle's antenna at the same time. If this
happens, the signals will cancel each other
out, causing a momentary flutter or loss of
reception.
Static and fluttering: These occur when
signals are blocked by buildings, trees or
other large objects. Increasing the bass
level may reduce static and fluttering.
Station swapping: If the FM signal being
listened to is interrupted or weakened, and
there is another strong station nearby on
the FM band, the 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 ra-
dio station are very nearly the same
frequency, they can interfere with each
other, making it difficult to hear the broad-
cast.
Static: AM is easily affected by external
sources of electrical noise, such as high
tension power lines, lightening or electrical
motors. This results in static.
XM
Cargo loaded on the roof luggage carrier,
especially metal objects, may adversely
affect the reception of XM Satellite Radio.
Alternation or modifications carried out
without appropriate authorization may
invalidate the user's right to operate the
equipment.