GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Object Number: 861302  Size: B2

Radio Data System (RDS)

The audio system has a Radio Data System (RDS). RDS features are available for use only on FM stations that broadcast RDS information.

With RDS, the radio can do the following:

    • Seek to stations broadcasting the selected type of programming
    • Receive announcements concerning local and national emergencies
    • Display messages from radio stations
    • Seek to stations with traffic announcements

This system relies upon receiving specific information from these stations and will only work when the information is available. In rare cases, a radio station may broadcast incorrect information that will cause the radio features to work improperly. If this happens, contact the radio station.

While the radio is tuned to an RDS station, the station name or call letters will appear on the display instead of the frequency. RDS stations may also provide the time of day, a program type (PTY) for current programming, and the name of the program being broadcast.

XM™ Satellite Radio Service

XM™ is a satellite radio service that is based in the 48 contiguous United States. XM™ offers 100 coast to coast channels including music, news, sports, talk, and children's programming. XM™ provides digital quality audio and text information that includes song title and artist name. A service fee is required in order to receive the XM™ service. For more information, contact XM™ at www.xmradio.com or call 1-800-852-XMXM (9696).

Playing the Radio

PWR (Power): Press this knob to turn the system on and off.

VOL (Volume): Turn this knob to increase or to decrease the volume.

DISPL (Display): Press this knob to switch the display between the radio station frequency and the time. When the ignition is off, press this knob to display the time. For RDS, press the DISPL knob to change what appears on the display while using RDS. The display options are station name, RDS station frequency, PTY, and the name of the program (if available). For XM™ (if equipped), press the DISPL knob while in XM mode to retrieve four different categories of information related to the current song or channel: Artist, Song Title, Category or PTY, Channel Number/Channel Name. To change the default on the display, press the DISPL knob until you see the display you want, then hold the knob for two seconds. The radio will produce one beep and the selected display will now be the default.

AUTO VOL (Automatic Volume): With automatic volume, the audio system adjusts automatically to make up for road and wind noise as you drive. Set the volume at the desired level. Press this button to select LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH. AVOL will appear on the display. Each higher setting will allow for more volume compensation at faster vehicle speeds. Then as you drive, automatic volume increases the volume, as necessary, to overcome noise at any speed. The volume level should always sound the same to you as you drive. NONE will appear on the display if the radio cannot determine the vehicle speed. To turn automatic volume off, press this button until OFF appears on the display.

Finding a Station

BAND: Press this button to switch between FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2 (if equipped). The display will show the selection.

TUNE: Turn this knob to select radio stations.

SEEK : Press the right or the left arrow to go to the next or to the previous station and stay there. The radio will only seek stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band.

PSCAN (Preset Scan): Press and hold either arrow for more than two seconds until SCAN appears on the display and you hear a beep. The radio will go to the first preset station stored on the pushbuttons, play for a few seconds, then go on to the next preset station. Press either arrow again or one of the pushbuttons to stop scanning presets. The radio will only scan the preset stations with a strong signal that are in the selected band.

Setting Preset Stations

Up to 30 stations (six FM1, six FM2, and six AM, six XM1 and six XM2 (if equipped)), can be programmed on the six numbered pushbuttons, by performing the following steps:

  1. Turn the radio on.
  2. Press BAND to select FM1, FM2, AM, or XM1 or XM2.
  3. Tune in the desired station.
  4. Press AUTO TONE to select the equalization.
  5. Press and hold one of the six numbered pushbuttons until you hear a beep. Whenever that numbered pushbutton is pressed, the station that was set will return and the equalization that was selected will be stored for that pushbutton.
  6. Repeat the steps for each pushbutton.

Setting the Tone (Bass/Treble)

AUDIO: Push and release the AUDIO knob until BASS or TREB appears on the display. Then turn the knob to increase or to decrease. The display will show the bass or the treble level. If a station is weak or noisy, decrease the treble. To adjust the bass and the treble to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob. The radio will produce one beep and adjust the display level to the middle position. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. ALL will appear on the display and you will hear a beep.

AUTO TONE (Automatic Tone): Press this button to select customized equalization settings designed for country/western, jazz, talk, pop, rock, and classical. To return the bass and treble to the manual mode, push and release the AUDIO knob until MANUAL appears on the display.

Adjusting the Speakers (Balance/Fade)

AUDIO: To adjust the balance between the right and the left speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until BAL appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the right or the left speakers. To adjust the fade between the front and the rear speakers, push and release the AUDIO knob until FADE appears on the display. Turn the knob to move the sound toward the front or the rear speakers. To adjust the balance and the fade to the middle position, push the AUDIO knob, then push it again and hold it until you hear one beep. The balance and the fade will be adjusted to the middle position and the display will show the speaker balance. To adjust all tone and speaker controls to the middle position, push and hold the AUDIO knob when no tone or speaker control is displayed. ALL will appear on the display and you will hear a beep.

Finding a Program Type (PTY) Station (RDS and XM™)

To select and find a desired PTY perform the following:

  1. Press the P-TYPE knob to activate program type select mode. TYPE and a PTY will appear on the display.
  2. Turn the P-TYPE knob to select a PTY.
  3. Once the desired PTY is displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button to take you to the PTY's first station.
  4. To go to another station within that PTY and the PTY is displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button once. If the PTY is not displayed, press the SEEK TYPE button twice to display the PTY and go to another station.
  5. Press the P-TYPE knob to exit program type select mode.
  6. If PTY times out and is no longer on the display, go back to Step 1.

If both PTY and TRAF are on, the radio will search for stations with the selected PTY and traffic announcements.

If the radio cannot find the desired program type, NONE will appear on the display and the radio will return to the last tuned station.

BAND (Alternate Frequency): Alternate frequency allows the radio to switch to a stronger station with the same program type. To turn alternate frequency on, press and hold BAND for two seconds. AF ON will appear on the display. The radio may switch to stations with a stronger frequency. To turn alternate frequency off, press and hold BAND again for two seconds. AF OFF will appear on the display. The radio will not switch to other stations. This function does not apply to XM™ Satellite Radio Service.

RDS Messages

ALERT!: Alert warns of local or national emergencies. When an alert announcement comes on the current radio station, ALERT! will appear on the display. You will hear the announcement, even if the volume is low or a cassette tape is playing. If a cassette tape is playing, play will stop during the announcement. Alert announcements cannot be turned off. ALERT! will not be affected by tests of the emergency broadcast system. This feature is not supported by all RDS stations.

INFO (Information): If the current station has a message, INFO will appear on the display. Press this button to see the message. The message may display the artist, song title, call in phone numbers, etc. If the entire message is not displayed, parts of the message will appear every three seconds. To scroll through the message, press and release the INFO button. A new group of words will appear on the display after every press of this button. Once the complete message has been displayed, INFO will disappear from the display until another new message is received. The last message can be displayed by pressing the INFO button. The last message can be viewed until a new message is received or the station is changed. When a message is not available from a station, NO INFO will appear on the display.

TRAF (Traffic): If TRAF appears on the display, the tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements and when a traffic announcement comes on the tuned radio station you will hear it. If the station does not broadcast traffic announcements, press the TRAF button and the radio will seek to a station that does. When a station that broadcasts traffic announcements is found, the radio will stop seeking and TRAF will appear on the display. If no station is found that broadcasts traffic announcements, NO TRAF will appear on the display. If TRAF is on the display, press the TRAF button to turn off the traffic announcements. The radio will play the traffic announcement even if the volume is low. The radio will interrupt the play of a cassette tape if the last tuned station broadcasts traffic announcements. This function does not apply to XM™ Satellite Radio Service.

Radio Messages

CAL ERR (Calibration Error): The audio system has been calibrated for your vehicle from the factory. If CAL ERR appears on the display it means that the radio has not been configured properly for the vehicle and must be returned to your GM dealer for service.

LOCKED: This message is displayed when the THEFTLOCK® system has locked up. Take the vehicle to your GM dealer for service.

If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your GM dealer.

XM™ Radio Messages

Radio Display Message

Condition

Action Required

XL (Explicit Language Channels)

XL on the radio display, after the channel name, indicates content with explicit language.

These channels, or any others, can be blocked at a customer's request, by calling 1-800-852-XMXM (9696).

Updating

Updating encryption code

The encryption code in the receiver is being updated, and no action is required. This process should take no longer than 30 seconds.

No Signl

Loss of signal

The system is functioning correctly, but the vehicle is in a location that is blocking the XM signal. When the vehicle is moved into an open area, the signal should return.

Loading

Acquiring channel audio (after 4 second delay)

The system is acquiring and processing audio and text data. No action is needed. This message should disappear shortly.

Off Air

Channel not in service

This channel is not currently in service. Tune to another channel.

CH Unavl

Channel no longer available

This previously assigned channel is no longer assigned. Tune to another station. If this station was one of the presets, choose another station for that preset button.

No Info

Artist Name/Feature not available

No artist information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly.

No Info

Song/Program Title not available

No song title information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly.

No Info

Category Name not available

No category information is available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly.

No Info

No Text/Informational message available

No text or informational messages are available at this time on this channel. The system is working properly.

Not Found

No channel available for the chosen category

There are no channels available for the selected category. The system is working properly.

XM Lock

Theft lock active

The XM receiver in your vehicle may have previously been in another vehicle. For security purposes, XM receivers cannot be swapped between vehicles. If this message is received after having your vehicle serviced, check with your GM dealer.

Radio ID

Radio ID label (channel 0)

If tuned to channel 0, this message will alternate with the XM Radio eight digit radio ID label. This label is needed to activate the service.

Unknown

Radio ID not known (should only be if hardware failure)

If this message is received when tuned to channel 0, there may be a receiver fault. Consult with your GM dealer.

Check XM

Hardware failure

If this message does not clear within a short period of time, the receiver may have a fault. Consult with your GM dealer.

Playing a Cassette Tape

The tape player is built to work best with tapes that are up to 30 to 45 minutes long on each side. Tapes longer than that are so thin they may not work well in this player. The longer side with the tape visible should face to the right. If you hear nothing or hear a garbled sound, the tape may not be in squarely. Press the EJT button to remove the tape and start over.

If the ignition and radio are off, press the EJT button or the DISPL knob to insert and to begin play of a tape. If the ignition is on and the radio is off, the tape can be inserted and will begin playing. A tape symbol will appear on the display when a tape is inserted.

While the tape is playing, use VOL, TUNE, SEEK, and PSCAN controls just as you do for the radio. The tape symbol and an arrow showing which side of the tape is playing will appear on the display.

Cassette tape adapter kits for portable CD players will work in the cassette tape player. See "CD Adapter Kits" later for more information.

Your tape bias is set automatically when a metal or chrome tape is inserted.

If an error appears on the display, see "Cassette Tape Messages" later in this section.

1 PREV (Previous): The tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for previous to work. Press this pushbutton to go to the previous selection on the tape if the current selection has been playing for less than three seconds. If pressed when the current selection has been playing from three to 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the previous selection or the beginning of the current selection, depending on the position on the tape. If pressed when the current selection has been playing for more than 13 seconds, it will go to the beginning of the current selection. SEEK and a negative number will appear on the display while the cassette player is in the previous mode. Pressing this pushbutton multiple times will increase the number of selections to be searched back, up to -9.

2 NEXT: The tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for next to work. Press this pushbutton to go to the next selection on the tape. If you press this pushbutton more than once, the player will continue moving forward through the tape. SEEK and a positive number will appear on the display.

3 REV (Reverse): Press this pushbutton to quickly reverse the tape. The station frequency and REV will appear on the display. Press it again to return to playing speed. The radio will play while the tape reverses. Select stations during reverse operation using TUNE and the SEEK arrows.

4 FWD (Forward): Press this pushbutton to quickly advance the tape. The station frequency and FWD will appear on the display. Press the pushbutton again to return to playing speed. The radio will play while the tape advances. Select stations during forward operation using TUNE and the SEEK arrows.

5 SIDE: Press this pushbutton to play the other side of the tape.

SEEK : The tape must have at least three seconds of silence between each selection for seek to work. The left arrow is the same as the PREV pushbutton and the right arrow is the same as the NEXT pushbutton. If either arrow is held or pressed more than once, the player will continue moving backward or forward through the tape.

BAND: Press this button to listen to the radio when a tape is playing. The inactive tape will remain safely inside the radio for future listening.

TAPE AUX (Auxiliary): Press this button to play a cassette tape when listening to the radio. The tape symbol will appear on the display when a tape is loaded.

EJT (Eject): Press this button to eject a tape. Eject may be activated with the radio off. Cassette tapes may be loaded with the ignition and radio off if this button is pressed first.

Cassette Tape Messages

CHK TAPE (Check Tape): If this message appears on the display, it could be for one of the following reasons:

    • The tape is tight and the player cannot turn the tape hubs. Remove the tape. Hold the tape with the open end down and try to turn the right hub counterclockwise with a pencil. Turn the tape over and repeat. If the hubs do not turn easily, the tape may be damaged and should not be used in the player. Try a new tape to make sure the player is working properly.
    • The tape is broken. Try a new tape.
    • The tape is wrapped around the tape head. Attempt to get the cassette out. Try a new tape.
CLEAN: If this message appears on the display, the cassette tape player needs to be cleaned. It will still play tapes, but it should be cleaned as soon as possible to prevent damage to the tapes and player. See Care of the Cassette Tape Player . If the cassette is not playing correctly, for any other reason, try a known good cassette. If any error occurs repeatedly or if an error cannot be corrected, contact your GM dealer. If the radio displays an error message, write it down and provide it to your GM dealer when reporting the problem.

CD Adapter Kits

It is possible to use a portable CD player adapter kit with the cassette tape player after activating the bypass feature on the tape player.

To activate the bypass feature, use the following steps:

  1. Turn the radio off.
  2. Press and hold the TAPE AUX button for five seconds. READY will appear on the display, indicating the feature is active.
  3. Insert the adapter into the cassette slot. It will power up the radio and begin playing.

The override feature will remain active until the EJT button is pressed.