I've noticed the following things on my tuner. Some have been reported, but some I think are new.

1. When I first boot up and switch to the tuner, there is a very bass-y "hum" that happens as the tuner is trying to hone in on the signal. It's rather loud and obnoxious. If it takes a second or two for it to tune properly, I'd rather it were silent while doing this. However, when switching to other stations, this doesn't happen, only when I first switch to the tuner. This is on FM.

2. I noticed sometimes a clock appears in the lower right hand corner. I'm guessing this based on RDS data? Well it seems some of the stations around here have VERY inaccurate RDS clocks. I think the clock should be the Empeg's own clock, and not something 20 or 30 minutes off at some radio station. Can someone clarify what the deal is with that clock?

3. This is more along the lines of a suggestion. There are 3 tuner banks. Would it be possible to allow the next and previous preset buttons continue on to the next bank, as if they were all one bank? In this area there are no less than 15 radio stations that are occasionally worth listening to, and it'd be nice to be able to go through them all. Like if I hit "next preset" when I'm on A10, I'd like to go to B1. I realize this isn't for everyone so maybe it should be configurable.

4. I understand visuals for the tuner are coming in 2.0. Any chance it will allow separate settings for Tuner visualization and MP3 visualization?

5. It looks like preset names are stored in the upper left. However, with an RDS station, the preset name is ignored once RDS is picked up, and it's replaced with their own station name string. I'd rather keep mine. This is kinda picky, but I'd like to have that option.

Otherwise I'm quite satisfied with my tuner. Reception is about the same as my head unit, but the Empeg is MUCH quicker at switching stations. Kudos on the excellent work getting the tuner module out, guys.

-Tony
MkII #554

When I first boot up and switch to the tuner, there is a very bass-y "hum" that happens as the tuner is trying to hone in on the signal. It's rather loud and obnoxious.

This has been reported by some other users. There has not yet been a clear answer on what causes it, but Hugo seemed to indicate it might be a software bug that will be fixed on the next release.

I noticed sometimes a clock appears in the lower right hand corner. I'm guessing this based on RDS data?

Correct. If the radio station's RDS clock is wrong, you have a few options. You can:

- Ignore it, knowing it's wrong.
- Call the station engineer and tell him about the problem.
- Switch to a full-screen visual so it doesn't bother you (2.0 only).

Would it be possible to allow the next and previous preset buttons continue on to the next bank, as if they were all one bank?

Yuck. I often use the "wrap around" feature within a bank, because I know it only takes three clicks to reach A1 from A8 and your suggestion would negate that functionality.

You are aware that there's a "bank" button on the Rio remote?

I understand visuals for the tuner are coming in 2.0. Any chance it will allow separate settings for Tuner visualization and MP3 visualization?

Hmm, maybe you'll have to wait for 2.0 and find out for yourself, hmm?

However, with an RDS station, the preset name is ignored once RDS is picked up, and it's replaced with their own station name string. I'd rather keep mine.

This happens to me, as well. But it's only with one station, and their replacement isn't much different from my preset name. To me, it's no big dea. The important thing is that I can see my preset name when I switch stations, and that's really all I care about.

___________
Tony Fabris

[Re: Clock]

Well ignoring a clock sounds feasible except that it'll take some getting used to. Why can't the Empeg just show it's OWN clock (set by the user and backed up by a capacitor) instead of using the RDS clock? This should at least be an option but from what you're saying that doesn't sound like an option. Full-screen visuals are great except I *WANT* to know the station name, frequency, etc. What is the likelihood that the five or six RDS stations in my area are going to have the same time? I think the tuner info screen needs an option to disable just the clock, or use your own clock. Otherwise what is the point of having your own clock time?

[re: tuner banks]
Yes, this would be a downside for some, which is why it'd be nice to have it configurable. Maybe as an option in "player config" like the Sony Stalk and US/Euro tuner settings.

[re: separate tuner/empeg visualizations]
I guess it's in 2.0 then. Hooray!



-Tony
MkII #554