Standard Horizon HX400, Owner'S Manual

Page: 8 / 48

HX400 Page 8
3. ABOUT THIS RADIO
3.1 ABOUT THE VHF MARINE BAND
The radio frequencies used in the VHF marine band lie between 156 and 162
MHz. The marine VHF band provides communications over distances that are
essentially “Line of sight” Actual transmission range depends much more on
antenna type, gain and height than on the power output of the transmitter. On
a fixed mount 25 W radio transmission expected distances can be greater
than 15 miles, for a portable 5 W radio transmission the expected distance can
be greater than 5 miles in “Line of sight”.
The user of a Marine VHF radio is subject to severe fines if the radio is used on
land. The reasoning for this is you may be near an inland waterway, or propa-
gation anomalies may cause your transmission to be heard in a waterway. If
this occurs, depending upon the marine VHF channel on which you are trans-
mitting, you could interfere with a search and rescue case, or contribute to a
collision between passing ships. For VHF Marine channel assignments refer
to page 34 section 9.
3.2 ABOUT THE LMR CHANNELS
The HX400 is capable of being programmed with 40 LMR (Land Mobile Radio)
channels by a dealer. The frequency range is 134 to 174MHz which may be
setup for 25 kHz (wide) or 12.5 kHz (narrow) channel stepping with CTCSS
and DCS signaling. Contact your dealer for further details.
3.3 ABOUT WATER RESISTANCE
Water resistance of the transceiver is ensured only when the battery pack is
attached to the transceiver and
MIC/SP cap is installed in the MIC/SP jack.
3.4 EMERGENCY
(
CHANNEL 16 USE
)
Channel 16 is known as the Hail and Distress Channel. An emergency may be
defined as a threat to life or property. In such instances, be sure the trans-
ceiver is on and set to “Channel 16”. Then use the following procedure:
1. Press the PTT (Push-To-Talk:
) switch and say “
Mayday , Mayday , May-
day . This is _____, _____, _____” (your vessel’s name).
2. Then repeat once: “ Mayday , _____” (your vessel’s name).
3. Now report your position in latitude/longitude, or by giving a true or mag-
netic bearing (state which) to a well-known landmark such as a navigation
aid or geographic feature such as an island or harbor entry.
4. Explain the nature of your distress (sinking, collision, aground, fire, heart
attack, life-threatening injury, etc.).
5. State the kind of assistance your desire (pumps, medical aid, etc.).