TEXT button on car radio

[Shawn Mamros]

>Here is the list of categories from my car's TYPE button:
>
>R&B
>CLS/JAZZ
>EASY LIS
>ROCK
>ALERT
>MISC
>RELIGION
>INFORM
>
>No Country.  Is the list specific to the model of radio?

The list of categories is different between European-spec RDS and
the US version (known formally as RBDS).  The Wikipedia page on
RDS (Radio Data System) shows both lists.  Your radio could be
using the European list - or maybe it just has an abbreviated
list?  (Both lists have far more than eight categories.)

Or - maybe your radio only displays the categories it can actually
find on local stations, and for whatever reason it isn't picking
up on 102.5's RDS subcarrier.  Since most car radios give up on
receiving the stereo subcarrier if the signal isn't strong enough,
it seems likely it would do the same with the RDS subcarrier.

-Shawn Mamros
E-mail to: mamros -at- mit dot edu