by Kenneth O'Mally

Created on: February 12, 2008   Last Updated: November 13, 2011

HOW TO TUNE YOUR RADIO DIAL

If you use a clock radio or one of those radios with a dial chances are you have jumped right past your favorite station before because the fingers moved the tuner too fast. With practice you can certainly be on point with tuning to your designated station.

However, for those of us who are completely non-tuners of the radio here are a few rules to go by to catch that station.

When you first successfully tune to one of your favorite stations visually look at your radio dial the first time you tune to the station, that way you know where the dial is for each station.  When moving the knob, press down on it firmly so your movements are not jerky.

Be sure that you watch for your FM indicator. It's an LED that activates when you tune to an FM station. If your favorite station is a major one that is also a great way to tell if you have reached the right spot.

You would need to have the volume turned up preferably to the medium level. Having it too low or too high would dwarf the voices of the radio personalities making more difficult to identify your station.

If your radio has preset buttons set your selection of stations in ascending order. For instance, if you listen to stations 103.5, 102.7, and 105.3, you want to preset 102.5 first, then 103.5, and then 105.3. This should organize your presets to a way you can memorize them where you can punch up the stations without looking. This ability helps tremendously when you are driving. In case you forget your presets it also makes it easier to re-key them back into your stereo, whether at home or in your car.

Always make sure that the radio is in an area of no interference. If it is try and touch metallic material on the antennae to boost signal reception strength. If you have miscellaneous metal-based items such as spare hangers attach them to the existing antenna. Of course, you have to do this in a way that does not make the stereos general appearance look unsightly.

Getting a good tune on your stereo would help if you also had a stereo with a knob that can be easily handled with fingers.

Sounds like common sense? As technology advances we are getting less used to dial radios. Keeping these steps in mind when tuning your radio should minimize the time it takes to lock on to your favorite station, whether you have the knob tuner, or a button tuner.

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