New MMI problem, Radio Alert
#1
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
New MMI problem, Radio Alert
A new MMI problem has recently developed. Suddenly an alert pops up on the screen (see picture) and the sound switches to the radio station listed on the alert for about 3 seconds. This will happen whether I am listening to the radio (both FM and Sirius), my iPod, or a CD. It sometimes will happen every few minutes or it will go weeks without happening at all. It is incredibly annoying (especially because I sing along to the radio pretty loud and a sudden change of station is a bit jarring)
Has anyone else experienced this? I have looked everywhere for a setting that would stop this but I can't find anything. I bought my Q new (ordered and waited 100 days for it to arrive) and have put 109,000 miles on it. This problem showed up just a few months ago.
Has anyone else experienced this? I have looked everywhere for a setting that would stop this but I can't find anything. I bought my Q new (ordered and waited 100 days for it to arrive) and have put 109,000 miles on it. This problem showed up just a few months ago.
#2
AudiWorld Senior Member
Does this happen frequently or only on a handful of occasions? I ask because the radio station FM97.1 might be testing their Emergency Alert System. It is a requirement for HD radio stations to conduct weekly and monthly tests of their Emergency Alert System. The standard for HD radio includes automatically changing the radio stations from whatever source or station you are tuned into whenever the Emergency Alert System is activated.
This feature cannot be turned off. You'll have to live with it. It might save you one day. In case of an alien invasion ala Independence Day with the White House blown to bits, there is a way for the POTUS to inform you what's going on and not to panic.
You can read all about it here: Emergency Alert Improvements In Works For HD Radio Standard | Twice
June 17, 2009:
This feature cannot be turned off. You'll have to live with it. It might save you one day. In case of an alien invasion ala Independence Day with the White House blown to bits, there is a way for the POTUS to inform you what's going on and not to panic.
You can read all about it here: Emergency Alert Improvements In Works For HD Radio Standard | Twice
June 17, 2009:
New York — HD Radio developer iBiquity Digital will work with two communications-infrastructure providers to expand the capabilities of the nation’s Emergency Alerting System for digital AM and FM stations.
One planned enhancement would automatically turn on an HD Radio tuner and tune it to an Emergency Alert station when an emergency signal is broadcast. The group also plans to implement Emergency Alert text displays, said Howard Price, president of Sage Alerting Systems, one of the three companies involved in the effort. The features would be available for inclusion in home, car and portable HD Radio tuners, including tuners embedded in portable media players (PMPs).
Both features were part of the Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) standard developed in the 1980s to send low-bit-rate text over FM radio to receivers, but neither feature appeared in RBDS radios, nor were they implemented by FM stations, Price said. The HD Radio standard, in contrast, will deliver more emergency text information at a faster rate than 16-characters-per-second RBDS, he said, and it will deliver alerts over AM and FM stations, not just FM stations.
Today, automatic wake-up is already available in portable AM/FM Public Alert radios that incorporate tuners to receive weather and other emergency alerts from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Text displays are an option under the Consumer Electronics Association’s Public Alert certification standard.
Under the current Emergency Alert System, analog and digital AM and FM stations, TV stations and cable operators must be equipped to receive emergency messages from the president and automatically interrupt their regular broadcasts to transmit the president's message, Sage’s Price said. The stations must also conduct weekly and monthly tests of the system. Transmissions of weather alerts, local or regional emergencies, and even Amber alerts are voluntary, Prince said.
One planned enhancement would automatically turn on an HD Radio tuner and tune it to an Emergency Alert station when an emergency signal is broadcast. The group also plans to implement Emergency Alert text displays, said Howard Price, president of Sage Alerting Systems, one of the three companies involved in the effort. The features would be available for inclusion in home, car and portable HD Radio tuners, including tuners embedded in portable media players (PMPs).
Both features were part of the Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) standard developed in the 1980s to send low-bit-rate text over FM radio to receivers, but neither feature appeared in RBDS radios, nor were they implemented by FM stations, Price said. The HD Radio standard, in contrast, will deliver more emergency text information at a faster rate than 16-characters-per-second RBDS, he said, and it will deliver alerts over AM and FM stations, not just FM stations.
Today, automatic wake-up is already available in portable AM/FM Public Alert radios that incorporate tuners to receive weather and other emergency alerts from NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Text displays are an option under the Consumer Electronics Association’s Public Alert certification standard.
Under the current Emergency Alert System, analog and digital AM and FM stations, TV stations and cable operators must be equipped to receive emergency messages from the president and automatically interrupt their regular broadcasts to transmit the president's message, Sage’s Price said. The stations must also conduct weekly and monthly tests of the system. Transmissions of weather alerts, local or regional emergencies, and even Amber alerts are voluntary, Prince said.
Last edited by plat27265; 02-21-2017 at 09:05 PM.
#3
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
Sometimes (like today) it will happen every few minutes for a couple of hours. Other times it will be weeks before I notice it. When it switches over to the station listed it is not an alert of any kind, just whatever happens to be playing on the station (a song, a commercial, commentary). It also only lasts for a few seconds.
#4
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I would imagine they use it for Amber Alerts as well. My phones get those and it's the same thing. Can't be disabled and really annoying sound on an iPhone. But because of the reason I accept it.
#5
AudiWorld Senior Member
Sometimes (like today) it will happen every few minutes for a couple of hours. Other times it will be weeks before I notice it. When it switches over to the station listed it is not an alert of any kind, just whatever happens to be playing on the station (a song, a commercial, commentary). It also only lasts for a few seconds.
I suggest that you try and contact 97.1 FM and let them know what their system is doing to your car's radio. It may be that their station techs are unknowingly activating this feature by accident or on purpose.
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