Pokégear/Core series games/Radio



After acquiring the Radio Card (Japanese: ラジオカード Radio Card) from a quiz host at the Goldenrod Radio Tower, the Radio function of the Pokégear can now be used. It allows the player to tune in to the various radio stations being broadcast from the two Radio Towers in Goldenrod (Johto) and Lavender (Kanto). When traveling to Kanto, however, the EXPN Card (Japanese: かくちょうカード Expansion Card) must be obtained from the manager of the Kanto Radio Tower before all Kanto stations can be played in, and the Poké Flute station can be played in  versions.

The Radio usually allows the players to tune in to the local programs, allowing the player to get tips from Professor Oak and DJ Mary on Prof. Oak's Pokémon Talk, or to let the player tune in to specific channels such as to win prizes. However, the Radio is also capable of picking up other signals within its tunable range, thereby occasionally causing weird noises to be heard such as the Mysterious Transmissions coming from the Ruins of Alph, or Team Rocket's evolution-forcing signals near the Lake of Rage.

During Team Rocket's takeover of the Goldenrod Radio Tower, all other stations were being replaced by the Team Rocket Announcement.

The Radio function also works when the Pokégear is not in use, allowing the player to play tunes from a specific radio show when on the move, even when the player uses on a water area (though the radio will stop playing after getting out of the water). Some tunes even affect how wild Pokémon appear, notably in HeartGold and SoulSilver, when from the  occasionally broadcasts the Hoenn Sound or Sinnoh Sound to allow the player to attract wild Pokémon native to Hoenn or Sinnoh.

Generation II
In Generation II when the Radio was first introduced, the interface features an interactive box at the top right corner, consisting of a number line divided into 'channels' and a slider that is controlled by the up (slider moves right) and down (slider moves left) buttons. The channels range from 0.5 to 20.5, and when the slider reaches a correct channel, a program will play (in this case, 4.5 for Prof. Oak's Pokémon Talk). Most of the screen shows the name of the program and a large space for the dialog box to appear.

Generation IV
In, the radio function makes a return, but the interface changed drastically from Generation II. Most of the dialog and the reception icon is now shown at the top screen, while tuning can be done at the bottom screens. Tuning is done in two ways: moving a rounded indicator around the circular area using the stylus, or by selecting one of the four buttons at the side of the circular area, which directly tunes the radio to a pre-set Radio Station. (The Mysterious Transmission and the Poké Flute have to be manually tuned using the stylus.)

Programs in HeartGold and SoulSilver are now more varied; Professor Oak's Pokémon Talk will update the player on recent swarm, while a features a documentary and radio play. The broadcast timings for Buena's Password have also been changed, allowing her program to be received for one out of every three hours. Most programs are also not limited to their respective broadcast regions; the four main stations can be heard in both Kanto and Johto.