Exercise care
to prevent liquids from spilling into the tuner. Do not expose the tuner to
moisture.
To reduce the risk of electric shock, do not remove cover. There are no user-serviceable
parts inside.
When you first unpack the Melior FM Tuner confirm that the remote control and warranty card are included. Contact your dealer if anything is missing.
In handling the tuner, take care not to scratch or damage the wood side panels or acrylic top. Remove the protective adhesive covering from the acrylic top only after the unit is installed. This will protect the top from damage during installation.
Keep the packing. Be sure to keep the shipping carton complete with the packing materials in the event that the unit must be re-shipped. The tuner cannot be shipped safely without correct packing.
Shipping Damage. It is important that the unit be carefully examined for any shipping damage. If there is any indication of damage, please contact your dealer. It is important that the shipping carton be retained to initiate any claims.
The display screen of the Melior FMT is used to provide status information regarding the current setting of the unit as well as menu options when used with the OPTION button. The general status screen is shown below. This screen is replaced by menu options when the OPTION button is pressed. The general status screen is also used with some of the menu options for changing specific settings.
The FMT provides many more features and options than are normally found on an FM tuner. To permit the user to customize the unit to his or her taste while retaining the clean look of the display and the controls, a menuing system is provided to guide the user through the various choices. Note that after the unit is configured to the user's taste, it will seldom be necessary to use functions other than the presets. The presets are very accessible and sufficiently numerous as to allow virtually any combination of features and options to be saved for later recall.
In the following discussion, all references to keys refer to the keys on the front panel or on the remote control with the exception of the ON/OFF key and the numeric keypad, which only appear on the remote. The unit cannot be turned off from the front panel, but may be turned on by pressing the UP key. The basic rules of the menuing system are as follows:
Hierarchy of menu options:
The following sections will describe in some detail the various options that are available to the user. Each option is described in terms of its effect on the state of the tuner, as well as the method that is to be used to change the option. Note that some options will affect the displayed preset. See the section on presets for an explanation.
Mono/stereo mode: (MONO button)
This option permits the user to select whether the unit will receive program
material in stereo. This is normally only used to suppress stereo reception
from a signal that is insufficient to operate the stereo multiplex decoder.
In the stereo mode, the unit will automatically switch the stereo decoder based
on the presence of a stereo sub-carrier and on the multi-path signal level.
Note that if the received signal level is quite low, the hardware of the stereo
multiplex decoder will blend the stereo signals. At some very low level the
stereo decoder will be completely disabled by the hardware. See the section
on stereo switching level for more information.
Pressing the MONO button will cause the display to indicate the selected mode
by displaying either an "M" or "S" beside the frequency
on the display. Using this option will cause the preset indicator on the display
to be blanked.
Automatically
search for new station: (SEARCH MODE)
The search mode allows the user to "automatically search for new stations
on the currently selected input that have a signal strength above the currently
specified search level. Pressing the UP key will search up and pressing the
DOWN key will search down. The search mode is shown by a flashing cursor on
the decimal point in the frequency display. After pressing the UP or DOWN keys,
the display will show which frequency is being tested for a station. The unit
will keep attempting new frequencies in increments of 200 KHz until a station
meeting tuning criteria is found. If no station can be found, the unit will
re-tune to the starting frequency.
It is also possible to directly enter the desired frequency using the numeric
keypad on the remote. Note that if the first digit is other than "0"
or "1", the frequency is assumed to be less than 100 MHz, and the
entry will start in the tens digit. If the EXIT key is pressed during direct
entry, the direct entry mode is canceled. An invalid frequency entry (one that
is out of range of the FMT) will be ignored. Pressing ENTER after the search
is complete will accept the new station, while EXIT will leave the option, and
re-tune to the station last used in the normal listening mode.
See the section on "search level" for more information
about the search criteria.
Using this option will cause the preset indicator on the display to be blanked.
Manually select
a new station: (SELECT NEW STATION)
This option permits the user to specify a new station, using the currently selected
antenna input. Note that this option is different from the SEARCH MODE option,
the tuning criteria are not checked, except that the frequency is truncated
to agree with 200 KHz increments above the base frequency. This option will
attempt to select a station at every 200 KHz increment regardless of whether
or not there is an acceptable signal at each frequency. Offsets from the 200
KHz increments must be entered using the FINE TUNE option.
This option is shown by a flashing cursor on the hundreds digit of the frequency
display. Using the UP and DOWN keys will tune the next higher or lower frequency
in increments of 200 KHz. It is also possible to directly enter the desired
frequency using the numeric keypad on the remote. Note that if the first digit
is other than "0" or "1" the frequency is assumed to be
less than 100 MHz, and the entry will start in the tens digit. If the EXIT key
is pressed during direct entry, the direct entry mode is canceled. An invalid
frequency entry (one that is out of range of the FMT) will be ignored. If a
new station is selected, the user may accept the new station with the ENTER
key or cancel the option with the EXIT key.
Using this option will cause the preset indicator on the display to be blanked.
Set station call sign: (SET CALL SIGNS)
The FMT maintains an array of memory locations for associating stations and call signs for each of the two inputs. This memory is searched any time that a station is selected to see if a call sign or other identifying message has been stored by the user for that station. If this information is found, it is displayed along with the tuned frequency to assist in the identification of the currently tuned station. Each station may have a call sign or other identifying message associated with it.
When this option is first entered, the cursor will flash over the first character position of the call sign area to the right of the frequency area on the display. If a call sign has already been set for the current station, it will be displayed for editing. Pressing the UP or DOWN keys will select the next higher or lower character from the allowed character list, and pressing ENTER will accept the current character and advance the cursor to the next position. When five characters have been entered, the call sign will be recorded with the current station and input.
The lowest character of the character list is a blank, so to clear a character position, hold down the DOWN key until the current position is cleared. It is permitted to have blanks within a call sign. Also, to edit an existing call sign, just press ENTER until the cursor flashes over the character that you wish to change, and then proceed as above.
Select antenna input: (SELECT ANTENNA INPUT)
There are two
antenna inputs provided on the FMT. The first input would normally be connected
to a conventional antenna, while the other input would normally be connected
to a cable distribution network.
The user may use this option to choose either input using the UP and DOWN keys.
The display will show which input is selected. As usual, pressing the ENTER
key will accept the new setting, while pressing the EXIT key will cancel any
changes. During the normal operating mode of the tuner, selection of the cable
input (INPUT 2) is shown by an asterisk in the character position immediately
following the frequency display.
Note that changing the currently selected input will set the tuned frequency
to the minimum value for the input.
There are some other uses for the cable input (input 2) of the tuner if a cable
source is not used. Where the receiving location is very close to the transmitter,
it is possible to overload the front end of the FMT. In this case, an external
pad could be used to reduce the signal level to one of the inputs.
Using this option will cause the preset indicator to be blanked.
Save current configuration in preset: (STORE PRESET)
This is the option
that allows the user to save the combination of currently set stations, mono/stereo
mode, IF bandwidth, fine tune offset and input select in a preset for later
recall.
In this option, the cursor will initially blink on the units digit of the preset
area at the top right of the display. Pressing any key but "0" on
the numeric keypad will cause the current configuration to be stored in that
preset. For preset above 9, prefix the entry with "0" and the cursor
will blink on the tens digit of the preset display. You may now enter a two
digit preset number. At the end of the entry, the unit will return to the previous
mode. As in the other option, pressing EXIT will return to the previous mode
and cancel the entry. Note that once an initial "0" has been entered,
pressing EXIT will return you to the single digit entry mode. Although the front
panel does not have a numeric keypad, the UP and DOWN keys may be used to increment
and decrement the preset number. When the desired preset number has been reached,
press ENTER to accept the preset number for storing.
Clear preset from memory: (CLEAR CURRENT PRESET)
If it is desired
to leave "holes" in the preset memory, this option provides a means
to delete a preset that was previously set.
After entering this option, the display will show the current preset of the
unit, and the cursor will blink over the tens digit of the preset number. Pressing
ENTER will display a message asking the user to confirm the option. Moving the
blinking cursor over the "Y" response with the UP or DOWN keys and
pressing ENTER once again will remove the preset from memory. Note that the
settings of the unit will not change, but the preset display will now be cleared,
showing that the unit is not in preset. As with other options, pressing EXIT
at any time will cancel the deletion of the current preset.
Select intermediate frequency bandwidth: (SELECT IF BANDWIDTH)
This option allows
the user to select either the normal wide mode of the IF filters for highest
fidelity, or a narrow band mode to improve reception under difficult signal
conditions. Either the UP or DOWN keys will change from one filter bandwidth
to the other. The display will show which bandwidth has been chosen. As usual,
pressing the ENTER key will accept the new setting, while pressing the EXIT
key will cancel any changes. During normal operation of the tuner, the narrow
band mode is indicated by an "N" on the top line of the display.
Using this option will cause the preset indicator to be blanked.
Fine tuning: (FINE TUNE)
It will sometimes happen that the user wishes to tune a distant or weak station that is close to a strong local station. In the days of analog tuners, one could slightly de-tune away from the strong station to permit acceptable reception. This is generally not possible with modern digitally tuned tuners. In the case of the FMT, however, the user can actually fine tune in increments of 10 KHz up to a maximum of 50 KHz to either side of a station.
After selecting
the fine tune option, using the UP and DOWN keys will fine tune the frequency
up or down, respectively. The fine tune mode is shown by a flashing cursor on
the last or tens of kilohertz digit of the frequency display. As usual, pressing
the ENTER key will accept the new setting while pressing the EXIT key will cancel
any changes. During normal operation of the tuner, the actual tuned frequency,
including the fine tune offset, will be displayed.
Using this option will cause the preset indicator to be blanked.
Select advanced options: (ADVANCED OPTIONS)
This sub-menu is not itself an option, but gives the user access to some of the more advanced features of the FMT. Pressing ENTER when this message is displayed will allow the use of the UP and DOWN keys to scroll through the list of advanced options. As usual, pressing ENTER will allow the user to select the displayed option, while EXIT will return to the normal operating mode.
Set stereo switching level: (STEREO SWITCHING LEVEL)
In the normal
listening mode of the tuner, the multi-path signal level is continuously being
measured. If the level rises above a certain threshold, the stereo decoder will
be disabled to avoid sudden shifts in the stereo image and to improve the signal
to noise ratio. The level at which this occurs can be set using this option.
The multi-path display will show a bar graph that indicates the current level
at which switching occurs. Pressing the UP or DOWN keys will raise or lower
this level. Pressing ENTER accepts the new value, while EXIT will cancel the
option.
During the normal listening mode of the tuner, the status of the stereo decoder
is indicated by the character immediately following the antenna input indicator.
In the auto-stereo mode the letter "S" will be displayed if the station
is broadcasting in stereo, and the multi-path signal is below the stereo switching
threshold. If the multi-path level is too high or the stereo decoder does not
receive sufficient pilot to operate, the stereo decoder will be disabled and
no letter will be displayed. If the user has chosen to force the tuner into
the mono mode by using the MONO button, the letter "M" will be displayed.
See the section on mono/stereo selection for more information.
Set search level: (SEARCH SIGNAL LEVEL)
While using the search mode of the tuner (see section on search mode for more information), the value set by this option is used to decide whether a signal is strong enough to be considered as a valid station. The signal strength display will show a bar graph that indicates the current level at which a station is accepted during search. Pressing the UP or DOWN keys will raise or lower this level. Pressing ENTER accepts the new value, while EXIT will cancel the option. Note that the search level is used for both inputs, so if the level varies greatly from one input to the other, reset this value before searching for stations on the alternate input. This value is also used during the "LEARN STATIONS" option, but the user cannot reset the value between scans of the two inputs.
Automatically learn new stations: (LEARN STATIONS)
Pressing ENTER
on this menu item will cause the tuner to search both inputs for signals that
are stronger than the search level (see section on setting search level). If
any are found, they will automatically be entered sequentially into the first
presets. When the search mode has finished, the unit will tune to the first
frequency found and exit the option mode. Note that this process may take some
time and may not be interrupted by the user.
Note that this option will cause all existing presets and call signs to be lost,
so the software will require user confirmation before proceeding.
Set display back-light level: (SET BACKLITE LEVEL)
If the user desires
the display back-light to be brighter or dimmer than the default value set at
the factory, this option permits such an adjustment.
Holding down the UP or DOWN keys will cause the display screen to become brighter
or dimmer as desired. ENTER will accept the new value while EXIT will cancel
the operation.
Set language for menus: (SELECT LANGUAGE)
This option permits the user to select one of several languages to be used by the menuing system. Enter the option and press the UP or DOWN key until you see the desired language on the display. Then press ENTER to accept or EXIT to cancel.
Set tuning base frequency: (SET BASE FREQUENCY)
This option is
provided to allow the use of the tuner in broadcasting environments that do
not conform to the North American specification for FM broadcasting frequencies.
It may also be possible that certain cable networks will use unusual frequencies
for their services. This option permits the user to select a base frequency
for the currently selected input. There is a separate base frequency for each
input.
Pressing the UP or DOWN keys will select the next higher or lower base frequency,
which will be shown on the frequency display. The user will be asked to confirm
the new value twice by positioning the cursor over the "y" response
with the UP or DOWN keys and pressing ENTER. The confirmation is required as
changing the base frequency will clear all references to frequencies on this
input from both the station memory and from the preset memory.
Note that choosing an incorrect base frequency will prevent the tuner from properly
receiving stations in your listening area. It will be very unusual that the
user should ever have to change this option.
Using this option will cause the preset indicator to be blanked.