Technical The radio is quite a mystery.

[Jimby]

Well folks before I dared unplug the radio I paid for a code here as I thought it was my way to not feel like I'm a total freeloader, anyway my new to me Panda has an AUX and USB port on the console and the radio has a media button that points to it but I've plugged in a stick with MP3 songs in it and "Penny" doesn't want to know about it. Now finding information is a difficult task but I'd seriously like to do as I've done for years for a long road trip and put some nice songs onto a USB stick and just plug and play. Any hints or pointers to a suitable bit of equipment will help, I'm even eyeing some nice radio/GPS units on Aliexpress but the stock unit looks nice despite apparently having an archaic security code and CD player. Radio in Australia no longer gives me any pleasure with modern music just a identical droning which the commercial stations invariably play, and the former reliable ABC not so reliable now but regional areas always suffer a lack of choice, and regional is about the only places I go.

Whoops, I wrote too soon, I just went downstairs and plugged my USB stick in again and was surprised to hear Hank Williams warbling away with even his name and song shown on Penny's screen, so please ignore my moaning while I spend more time trying to find out what the fancy buttons do. I'm afraid I'm getting left behind in this age of fancy gadgets, gadgets that I used to adore years ago but am now failing to keep up with.

 

[JayAre]

Hi Jimby

If you keep pressing the ‘Media’ button (not too quickly!) it will keep scrolling through ‘CD’ and ‘Aux’ and eventually will display Blue&Me Media - at which point it should start playing a track on the USB stick and display the track name.

You can control the volume using the left steering wheel up/down knob (pressing the knob will mute the sound) and change track up/down using the right steering wheel knob (pressing this knob changes media to CD, or FM radio, or MW radio etc)

You may need to have the ignition on/engine running for all of these functions to operate (but the radio + CD unit will work with engine/ignition switched off)

 

[The Panda Nut]

Panda radios tend to be attention seekers. Once you break in they seem to work OK afterwards!

 

[Jimby]

Panda radios tend to be attention seekers. Once you break in they seem to work OK afterwards!

Eventually I'll learn things, it must be a Euro thing as the previous owner never figured out how to set the clock. It also reminds me of a Telefunken TV I bought 30+ years ago, a proper pig to set up and made me a proper fan of Asian equipment as things they make all seem to intuitively work as soon as you plug them in. Happily for me Penny lacks many of the modern extra features that I'd never use anyway but still has more than I need.