Smart FM/AM auto-scanner

1. A radio tuning method for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

tuning the vehicle to a first radio station having a first broadcast range and broadcasting first content;

identifying a second radio station having a second broadcast range that the vehicle will be in when the vehicle is no longer in the first broadcast range, the identifying including determining that the second radio station broadcasts second content that is substantially similar to the first content broadcasted by the first radio station;

indicating to a user of the vehicle an estimated period of time remaining until the vehicle exits the first broadcast range of the first radio station; and

providing the user with an option to switch tuning of the radio from the first radio station to the second radio station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying step includes querying a database of radio stations, the database specifying respective content broadcasted by the radio stations in the database.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying step includes performing a background scan of radio stations that the vehicle is within broadcast range of.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein performing the scan includes adding information to a database specifying respective content broadcasted by the radio stations in the database.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein performing the scan includes adding metadata to a database, the metadata being broadcasted by the scanned radio stations.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising querying a database of radio stations to thereby estimate when the vehicle will leave the first broadcast range of the first radio station, the database including information indicating the first broadcast range of the first radio station.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicating step includes providing a numerical indication to the user of an estimated period of time remaining until the vehicle exits the first broadcast range of the first radio station.

8. A radio tuning method for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

tuning the vehicle to a first radio station having a first broadcast range and broadcasting first content;

identifying a second radio station having a second broadcast range that the vehicle will be in when the vehicle is no longer in the first broadcast range, the second radio station broadcasting second content substantially similar to the first content broadcasted by the first radio station, the identifying including querying a database of radio stations, the database including a respective broadcast range of each of the radio stations in the database;

providing a user of the vehicle with an estimated period of time remaining until the vehicle exits the first broadcast range of the first radio station; and

providing a user of the vehicle with an option to switch tuning of the radio from the first radio station to the second radio station.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the database specifies respective content broadcasted by the radio stations in the database.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the providing step includes presenting to the user a numerical indication of an estimated period of time remaining until the vehicle exits the first broadcast range of the first radio station.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising estimating when the vehicle will leave the first broadcast range of the first radio station, the estimating including querying the database of radio stations, the database including information indicating a broadcast range of the first radio station.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the database includes geographic coordinates of the radio stations in the database.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the radio of the vehicle is tuned to the first radio station during at least the identifying step.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the database includes information indicating whether each of the respective radio stations in the database has a broadcast range that the vehicle will be in when the vehicle is no longer in the first broadcast range.

15. A radio tuning method for a vehicle, comprising the steps of:

tuning the vehicle to a first radio station having a first broadcast range and broadcasting first content;

identifying a second radio station broadcasting second content that is substantially similar to the first content broadcasted by the first radio station, the identifying including performing a background scan of radio stations that the vehicle is within broadcast range of;

indicating to a user of the vehicle an estimated period of time remaining until the vehicle exits the first broadcast range of the first radio station: and

providing the user with an option to switch tuning of the radio from the first radio station to the second radio station.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the performing of the background scan includes adding information to a database specifying respective content broadcasted by the radio stations in the database.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the performing of the background scan includes adding metadata to a database, the metadata being broadcasted by the scanned radio stations.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising estimating when the vehicle will leave the first broadcast range of the first radio station, the estimating including querying a database of radio stations, the database including information indicating the first broadcast range of the first radio station.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the identifying step includes querying a database of radio stations, the database specifying respective content broadcasted by the radio stations in the database.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the indicating step includes providing a numerical indication to the user of an estimated period of time remaining until the vehicle exits the first broadcast range of the first radio station.