If you are reading this article chances are you are the proud owner of a Nokia 5300 Xpress Music phone. Nice to meet you, and by this point I’m sure you’re enjoying the phone as much as I do. I’ve had mine for almost 2 years and I will be happy to explain the ins and outs of the phone and how to get the most usage out of it. I will also explain the extra equipment you may need to get in order to get certain features to work.
Hopefully this will help others who, like me, were confused when they first started playing with the phone. Following this may help you figure the phone out faster then I did.
Starting the Radio –
To start the Radio, select menu > media > radio
The Radio is one of the coolest features with the Xpress phone. I love it and it gets crystal clear reception when I use it on certain radio stations. The Radio requires a customized 5300 ear bud head set to even open this feature up in the media menu. Once you have opened it you can use the speaker phone to listen to the radio without putting the buds in your ears.
My service is through t-Mobile and they charge $21.99 for a pair plus $5.99 shipping. If you plan to have the phone for a long time or don’t mind the investment you can go that route or do the simple Google and eBay search for a new and inexpensive pair. I purchased mine for $10 on eBay.
The ear buds have an antenna in them already to pick up the radio station signals. The phone itself does not have an antenna.
Changing the Station –
To start a search for a radio station on your phone simply hold down the forward or rewind keys to go in either direction while searching for a clear station. Once a clear, static free station is found the phone will stop searching, you can find out more.
Saving Radio Stations –
You will have 9 positions you can put radio stations into, much like you do with your car or home radio. To save a station slide open the phone and press and hold a number 1 – 9 until you see the word Saved. You can also enter the name of the station if you want. Press OK to complete the customization.
Listening to the Radio –
To listen to the radio using the loud speaker, select options > loudspeaker
After you have picked your stations and customized them you get to actually enjoy listening to them. Whether you choose to listen with the ear buds or on the loud speaker just use the up and down feature in the center of the phone to browse the channels you saved.
You also have the option of deleting stations or moving another station into a slot that was being used previously.
Tip –
Using the Radio feature will drain your battery pretty quickly. When I use the radio at work I usually keep the charger with me so I can keep it plugged in all day.
You can also continue to make and receive phone calls while the radio is playing. When you make a call out or a call comes in the volume on the radio will automatically be muted. When the call is over the volume will return automatically.
One thing I want to point out first and foremost for any new owners out there, buy a soft protection case for your phone as soon as you get it. I can not tell you how many scratches I ended up with on my previous 5300 just from putting it in my pocket or purse. The phone comes with a plastic screen protector on it that you can peel off when you get it, I recommend not taking it off. I am currently on my third phone (the last two were sadly stepped on by other people) and it is worth the investment to get extra screen protectors. A quick search on Google or eBay for 5300 screen protectors will bring back many inexpensive results.