Same. It was ages before I got the radio working.

I actually avoided the murderous race through the metro and just followed the river to Rivet CIty.

What does "it is really pants" mean? I'm guessing an expression used by my British cousins on the other side of the pond?

I blew up megaton before getting info from the bartender, and then randomly found the holotapes in the Jefferson memorial that led me to the vault where your dad was. I never actually saw gnr until like my third play through.

It seemed gnr radio just fixed itself after you do the quests afterwards.

In every game I always plow through the main story first. That way I know the game and the world a little bit better. It also removes my need to continue pushing forward in the story.

It's usually my second playthrough that I explore everything more in-depth. After a year or so I'll go back and do a completionist run, but that's only when I'm bored with everything else and actually have the time.