13
3.3 OPERATING THE RADIO
This section discusses the actual use of all controls while operating the radio.
3.3.1
POWER ON/OFF, VOLUME
Rotate the OFF/VOLUME knob ½ turn to the right. Volume may be adjusted when a signal is received.
3.3.2 SQUELCH
ADJUSTMENT
Press the
SHIFT
on the radio panel. The first arrow will appear at the top of the display. The CHANNEL
knob now becomes the SQUELCH control. While turning the knob, the display will show
SQ-0
through
SQ-7
. At
SQ–0
,
the squelch will be open and the
BUSY
icon will be displayed. If the radio is not
equipped with a decoder, noise will be heard in the speaker. Rotate the CHANNEL knob clockwise until
the
BUSY
icon goes away (usually between SQ-2 and SQ-4). This is the most sensitive setting for the
squelch. If the squelch is set to a higher number, you may miss weaker messages. If you hear
occasional noise bursts in the speaker, set the squelch to a higher number. A few seconds after the
desired setting is made, the radio will return to normal operation. A default squelch setting is
programmed into the radio. The radio will return to this setting if the power is removed.
Note that the radio may be programmed with a fixed squelch setting during programming. If this is the
case, external adjustment is not possible.
3.3.3
MONITORING THE CHANNEL
If the channel is in use, the
BUSY
icon will be displayed. If you are not using any type of decoder, you will
be able to hear any messages on the channel. You should not transmit until the channel is clear except
when you are communicating through a repeater. In this case, the repeater will remain on the air for
several seconds after the other party has finished speaking. You should begin speaking immediately
even though the
BUSY
icon is still displayed.
If a CTCSS or DCS decoder is in use, a
icon will appear in the lower right of the display and the audio
will remain muted when another person (outside of your system) is using the channel (indicated by the
BUSY
icon). If you wish to listen to this message, you may disable your decoder by pressing the
MONITOR button.
This will toggle the decoder and speaker ON/OFF causing the
icon to switch on
and off.
If a selective call decoder is used, the
icon will appear and speaker will only turn on when the specific
decode number is received. The operator may or may not be able to monitor other calls on the channel
depending on the programming of the radio.
3.3.4 TRANSMIT
To transmit, press the PTT button on the left side of the microphone. The
TX
icon will appear in the
display. Note that the
>
icon indicates high power. Hold the microphone near your lips and speak in a
normal voice. When finished speaking, release the PTT button.
A common mistake is to begin speaking before pressing the PTT button. This may cause the first word of
your message to be cut off. It is recommended that you press the button, then wait one second before
speaking. This is especially important when using a repeater or ANI tone signaling.
Please review the safety information at the beginning of this manual to avoid endangering yourself or
others.
3.3.5 USING
SCAN
The radio has two types of scanning, “All Scan” and “Program Scan”. Each of these has a “Busy” mode
and a “Priority” mode of operation.
In each of the scan modes, when a call is received, the radio will pause on the busy channel for the
duration of the message and for a few seconds after the end of the message before resuming scan. This
allows you to hear any reply to the message before the radio resumes scanning. During this pause, you
may transmit to answer a call on that channel without leaving the scan mode. If you wait until the radio
