# Poll: Radio station pre-sets order **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 9, 2009, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026 "2009-02-09T07:21:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/1 "2009-02-09T07:21:48Z")
Driving around town today, my boyfriend and I discovered that we program our radio station pre-sets differently: one of us sets them in numerical order by frequency, and the other sets them in order of preference. Naturally, neither of us can believe the other does it the wrong way. šŸ˜› Iā€™m turning to you, Dopers, to help us settle our bet. Thereā€™s a shiny quarter on line here, so what say you? ---
**Author:** ![MeDrewNotYou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@MeDrewNotYou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeDrewNotYou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/2 "2009-02-09T07:34:52Z")
Whichever of you orders them by frequency is doing it correctly. I mean, who the hell could even _stand_ it to be any other way? Youā€™ve hurt my faith in humanity to even bring it up. ---
**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/3 "2009-02-09T07:34:59Z")
Well, Iā€™ve got 6 buttons for presets grouped 12 34 56; the first two are for one genre, the second two for another, and the third set for a third genre. Within each button group, theyā€™re ordered by frequency. Then thereā€™s FM2ā€¦ in which 1 is set to whatever my iPod is transmitting on, 2 is my ā€œotherā€ iPod transmitter frequency, 3 and 4 are talk stations, and 5 and 6 areā€¦ unprogrammed. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/4 "2009-02-09T13:35:08Z")
Itā€™s probably been 5 years since I turned on the radio in a car. Iā€™ll occasionally play a CD now, but other than that the best thing about driving is the silence. Back when I did listen to the radio (in the days of 5 mechanical presets. And FM! woot!) they were set up in frequency order. I didnā€™t have any idea of preference between stations. They all played the same genre, and the best one was the one which wasnā€™t playing a commercial at that moment. Iā€™d listen to one until a commercial came on, then start pushing buttons to find music. Lather, rinse, repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/5 "2009-02-09T13:59:50Z")
The only way to do it is by frequency. Lowest is button 1, highest is button 6. The FM2 is set to the stations I get on the 7 hour drive from my house to my folkā€™s place. I can never remember which NPR is in Cooperstown and which is in Albany etc. So I have those set 1 is the first on the journey, 2 is second and so on, just hit the next button when one fades. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/6 "2009-02-09T14:05:01Z")
Only two of the stations I listen to are even remotely similar; the others are totally different genres, and one station is what I listen to 95% of the time. So for me it makes sense to arrange them by genre, in order of preference. The least important fact about a station is its frequency. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/7 "2009-02-09T14:05:24Z")
Whichever way _YOU_ prefer in your car is best. I line them up in order of declining preference. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/8 "2009-02-09T14:58:03Z")
I just put them in pretty much randomly. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/9 "2009-02-09T15:00:57Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > I line them up in order of declining preference. Yupā€¦thatā€™s right way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/10 "2009-02-09T15:07:50Z")
Numerically by frequency, of course. Your results will be skewed in that direction due to the fact that weā€™re a bunch of geeks. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/11 "2009-02-09T15:10:51Z")
> [@IGJoe](#): > > ā€¦ one of us sets them in numerical order by frequency, and the other sets them in order of preference. My SO and I do this, too. His are in order of frequency, and mine are in order of preference. > [@](#): > > Naturally, neither of us can believe the other does it the wrong way. šŸ˜› We have the same conversation every once in a while. Weā€™re both convinced the other one is just _wrong_. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/12 "2009-02-09T16:05:12Z")
FM1 In order of preference. FM2 preset 1 my second fave (same as FM1 #2) the rest of FM2 is set to stations I seldom listen to. AM 1 is set to the only AM station I like. This way I can toggle thru the 3 stations I listen most, just by pressing the band botton. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/13 "2009-02-09T18:39:52Z")
Even-numbered stations get even-numbered buttons and odd-numbered stations get odd-numbered buttons. Seriously though, I just program them in ascending numerical order of frequency just like I thought everyone else did (which is why this thread intrigues me). ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/14 "2009-02-09T18:41:02Z")
Since I canā€™t figure out HOW to pre-set the car stereo, I just listen to the same damn thing all the time. Husband has the AM set to what he likes - and itā€™s in order of frequency. ---
**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/15 "2009-02-09T19:40:57Z")
Wow, weā€™ve got _declining_ order of preference from **VunderBob** and **Kid\_A**? Jeez that never even _occurred_ to me! So far, looks like Iā€™m going to be out that shiny quarter. Iā€™ve always set #1 to my favorite station, #2 to my second favorite, and so on. My Sirius transmitter frequency lives in pre-set #6 on all bands. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/16 "2009-02-09T19:43:01Z")
> [@IGJoe](#): > > Wow, weā€™ve got _declining_ order of preference from **VunderBob** and **Kid\_A**? Jeez that never even _occurred_ to me! > > So far, looks like Iā€™m going to be out that shiny quarter. Iā€™ve always set #1 to my favorite station, #2 to my second favorite, and so on. My Sirius transmitter frequency lives in pre-set #6 on all bands. I might be brain dead on a Monday but arenā€™t you doing yours in a declining order of preference? Anywaysā€¦Iā€™m doing exactly what you are. ---
**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/17 "2009-02-09T20:20:38Z")
Ah yes, brain dead on a Monday indeed. Somehow my brain twisted it around so that you had your least favorite station programmed in the #1 slot. Glad to have at least a couple allies here! ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/18 "2009-02-09T20:40:17Z")
Order of preference. I know what I want to listen to - the rest are just filler for the commercials. Why punch 5 buttons to get to the 6th preferred one? ---
**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/19 "2009-02-09T21:09:30Z")
In order of preference is the only way that makes any sense. It also makes it easy to hit your favorite station without having to look to see which button youā€™re pressing, as the first button is easily identified by touch. My current situation has EVERY FM preset programmed to NPR, but especially on my XM tuner itā€™s in order of decreasing preference. I think my wife is weird because she sets the traffic station to #1, but at least the other stations are in order of preference after that (I set the traffic station to ā€˜0ā€™ā€“the far rightā€“because itā€™s easy to find and it still fits the algorithm in that itā€™s my least preferred to listen to). ---
**Author:** ![Risha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@Risha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Risha)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026/20 "2009-02-09T21:16:08Z")
Order of preference, of course. Why make yourself skip around when checking whatā€™s on? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-radio-station-pre-sets-order/485026.md?page=2)