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West Marine VHF250 Radio Owner’s Manual

Table of Contents

Maritime Radio Services Operation

 .............................................2

FCC/Industry Canada Information

 ...............................................2

A Quick Start Guide for the VHF250

 ............................................6

 Marine 

Band 

..............................................................................6

 FRS 

Band 

..................................................................................7

 Weather 

Band 

...........................................................................8

 AM 

Band 

...................................................................................8

 FM 

Band 

....................................................................................9

 Aircraft 

Band 

.............................................................................9

Scanning Introduction

 ............................................................... 10

Normal .................................................................................... 10
TripleWatch ............................................................................ 11

FCC RF Exposure Information

 .................................................. 12

Lithium Ion Battery Pack Warning

 ............................................ 13

What’s Included

 .......................................................................... 14

Introduction

 ................................................................................. 15

Features

........................................................................................15

VHF250 Controls

......................................................................... 17

Radio Charger Cradle

................................................................. 20

LCD Displays

 .............................................................................. 21

 

VHF Marine Band ................................................................... 21

 

Family Radio Service (FRS) Band ......................................... 21

 AM 

Band 

................................................................................ 21 

 FM 

Band 

................................................................................. 22 

 Aircraft 

Band 

.......................................................................... 22

Indicator Meanings

 ......................................................................22

Owner’s Manual Conventions

 ....................................................23

Indicator Sounds

 .........................................................................24

Batteries

 .......................................................................................24

 

Installing the Lithium Ion Battery Pack ....................................25

Summary of Contents for VHF 250

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ...such as commercial users you should obtain a license application from your nearest FCC field office for US users or Industry Canada for Canadian users FCC Industry Canada Information Certification FCC...

Page 3: ...Scanning Introduction 10 Normal 10 TripleWatch 11 FCC RF Exposure Information 12 Lithium Ion Battery Pack Warning 13 What s Included 14 Introduction 15 Features 15 VHF250 Controls 17 Radio Charger Cr...

Page 4: ...29 Selecting a Channel 30 Setting the Transmitting Power Level 30 Transmitting 31 Operation Family Radio Service Band 31 Operation AM Band 32 Operation FM Band 33 Operation Aircraft Band 33 Using the...

Page 5: ...h and DualWatch Scanning 52 Both Watches and Weather Channel 53 Scanning Memory Preset Station Tuning in the AM FM and Aircraft Bands 54 Examples of Mode Applications 55 Accessory Options Using the Ex...

Page 6: ...starts with the VHF Marine Band and displays USA Channel 16 at a 5 watt power level and DISTRESS is displayed in the LCD message line area Press or to change channels The marine channels begin with 0...

Page 7: ...e the CTCSS coding disabled default in which case OFF appears to the right of the channel selected Or you can press MENU to select and activate a CTCSS code for the chosen channel See Using the Menu o...

Page 8: ...witch to the weather channels Ten channels are designated as weather channels All carry the same information One will provide the best reception for your particular area Use or to cycle through the te...

Page 9: ...y the USA frequency step setting and the power level icon Press either or to change frequency by 200KHz 87 9 88 1 88 3 MHz etc until you reach the desired station Note See Page 35 to select various me...

Page 10: ...no activity is found If activity is found the radio stops so you can monitor the channel To activate Normal Scan mode momentarily press SCAN MEM The radio scans all the channels stored in memory from...

Page 11: ...ors according to the sequence shown In the illustration the radio is set to marine Channel 25 the working channel and TripleWatch has been selected from the MARINE MENU To learn about details dealing...

Page 12: ...his radio transmitter to insure safe operation Please adhere to the following Use only the supplied or an approved antenna Unauthorized antennas modifications or attachments could impair call quality...

Page 13: ...attery as specified in the owner s manual Using another charger may damage the battery or cause the Battery Pack to explode Lithium Ion batteries must be recycled or disposed of properly Avoid exposin...

Page 14: ...e neccessary 7830441 7830417 7830466 7830458 CLIP250 7830458 7850233 7830474 VHF250 Radio Wrist Strap Owner s Manual Alkaline Battery Case batteries not included Lithium Ion Battery Pack Mounting Hard...

Page 15: ...with standard marine radio operators National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA Weather channels let you listen to the local weather conditions and be forewarned of dangerous conditons NOAA...

Page 16: ...radio either checks those channels in rapid succession or lets you use the frequencies as Station Presets This also applies to Dual or TripleWatch mode Transmitter Power Level Select lets you select a...

Page 17: ...West Marine VHF250 Radio Owner s Manual 1 1 9 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 19 2 2 4 3 4 13 13 14 15 16 17 17 17 18 3 1 1 9 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 19 2 2 4 3 4 13 13 14 15 16 17 17 17 18 3 VHF 250 Controls VHF 250 Contr...

Page 18: ...Press and hold to activate the Weather Alert feature 7 SCAN MEM Press to set Normal Channel Scan on or off Press and hold to store or remove the current channel into and out of memory 8 BAND 1 2 5 5W...

Page 19: ...l the supplied Lithium Ion Rechargeable Battery being sure to position the pack as shown in the section Batteries To recharge the installed Lithium Ion battery place the VHF250 into the Charger Cradle...

Page 20: ...ED does not light and no charging takes place While you can monitor incoming calls while the radio is in the charger do not attempt to transmit while it is in the cradle 21 DC Input Jack Connect the A...

Page 21: ...are common to all six bands Some screens are condition specific such as a Low Battery situation VHF Marine Band Family Radio Service FRS Band AM Band GOQT NGTV 1 2 3 5 4 7 1A GOQT NGTV 1 2 3 5 4 7 1A...

Page 22: ...ncy selected 1 Watt or 2 5 Watts or 5 Watts 2 indicates present transmit power Not displayed when receiving weather frequencies Not displayed for those channels on which transmitting is prohibited The...

Page 23: ...annel Name for the marine band the MENU options Setup Options or other data specific to the chosen band CTCSS Option 11 Displays OFF when not enabled Displays a code number when enabled for the associ...

Page 24: ...weather alert is received and decoded SAME Tone sounds a confirmation tone when entering a FIPS code PTT Time Out Tone PTT Error Tone sounds when your continuous transmitting time exceeds 5 minutes Al...

Page 25: ...lkaline Battery Pack The radio is supplied with a battery pack that can hold four AAA type alkaline batteries not supplied For longest useful life we suggest using an extra strength battery such as Du...

Page 26: ...empt to recharge alkaline batteries by defeating the case design or recharging outside of the case Battery Life and Indication The operational power level of the Lithium Ion battery pack or the alkali...

Page 27: ...appears Low Battery or you hear the Low Battery alert tone sound be sure to replace all alkaline batteries in use Doing so removes any chance of degraded radio performance and operation that can occu...

Page 28: ...Place the clip on the post and slide it in the direction of the arrow until you hear a click To remove the clip rotate the clip so the indentation is toward the bottom of the radio Move the clip in t...

Page 29: ...rtable listening level The display shows Channel 16 default in the US marine band a 5 watt level and DISTRESS appears on the message line space at the bottom edge of the screen Press or to change chan...

Page 30: ...Receive Only or Low Power Channels see the Status column of the Frequency Charts for more details Repeatedly press and hold BAND 1 2 5 5W for about 3 seconds Each time you press the key the power out...

Page 31: ...ou cannot transmit on the selected channel You cannot transmit on Channel 70 and 15 in the USA They are reserved for digital data If you attempt to transmit RELEASE PTT KEY appears in the LCD message...

Page 32: ...ea enable the CTCSS encoding See Setting CTCSS Codes on Page 41 Operation AM Band The AM Band lets you listen to standard AM broadcasts between 500 and 1800 KHz depending on the chosen frequency step...

Page 33: ...m the transmitter and terrain may also be a factor Operation Aircraft Band Momentarily press BAND 1 2 5 5W to change to the aircraft band Press either or to select a channel Hold down either key to ch...

Page 34: ...0 lets you select options that personalize your use of the radio and makes using it more convenient Each band has menu options specific to that band To access the menu options for any band press MENU...

Page 35: ...nnel frequencies To change to either Canadian CAN or International INT channels follow these steps Press either or until you 1 Marine VHF WX FRS AM FM Aircraft USA CAN INT CTCSS Lamp Adjust Lamp Adjus...

Page 36: ...onvenient illumination of the keys and the LCD has three settings Press or to scroll to LAMP ADJUST Press ENTER LAMP ADJUST appears at the top of the screen Highlight either Always Off Always On or Ti...

Page 37: ...al or TripleWatch Tri Watch For Marine and FRS Band Only There are two specialty channels 16 and 9 Channel 16 is the primary distress Coast Guard Hailing channel while Channel 9 is typically the backu...

Page 38: ...e KEY BEEP option Press ENTER to select it Press or to select On or Off or Exit Press ENTER to save your selection The display returns to the band s menu screen Adding FIPS Codes For Marine Weather Ba...

Page 39: ...888 NWR SAME 1 888 697 7263 Once you locate the code for your county or area use or until the correct number appears on the screen then press ENTER to select it Repeat this for all six digits Enter al...

Page 40: ...ose Rename press either or until the first letter or number of the new name appears Press ENTER to select it and move to the next character When the name is complete repeatedly press ENTER until the c...

Page 41: ...nly If you encounter interference from another FRS radio while using the FRS band enabling one of the 142 CTCSS codes may prevent that interference With the FRS band operational momentarily press MENU...

Page 42: ...4 to avoid an error when your entry is complete as the highest complete code is 142 Press ENTER If you decide you must change the first digit press MENU to return to the first digit Use or to change t...

Page 43: ...ENTER Use or to choose either 9 KHz or 10 KHz Steps or Exit to make no change Press ENTER to set your choice The screen returns to the AM MENU Either scroll to Exit or wait until the radio times out a...

Page 44: ...et muting on condition or Exit to take no action Press ENTER With muting on as you tune through the FM band the usual noise from weak or unassigned frequencies in your area will be silenced Other Opti...

Page 45: ...t or decodes a severe weather S A M E code transmission the keypad automatically unlocks Manually Selecting Coast Guard Distress Hailing Channels In addition to using Triple or DualWatch to monitor th...

Page 46: ...s as memorized Station Presets To select and store a channel or frequency follow these steps Use or until you display a channel you want to store Press and hold SCAN MEM to store the channel in memory...

Page 47: ...Select the channel with the best reception Note the radio s memory retains the channel that appears when you switch to WX mode in memory when you turn off the radio To switch to the Alert mode press a...

Page 48: ...d FRS Band If during setup of your VHF250 you selected Triple or DualWatch mode The following shows you how to use this valuable feature To activate TripleWatch from the active marine or FRS radio scr...

Page 49: ...e Band at the upper left If you momentarily press SCAN MEM the TripleWatch or DualWatch functions as described above Channels stored in memory are also scanned If you want to change the channels being...

Page 50: ...s in rapid succession When the radio detects traffic on any of the channels in memory it pauses scanning until the traffic stops then continues scanning after an additional two seconds DualWatch Scann...

Page 51: ...tion AM FM and AIR Bands You can store up to 25 frequencies in memory for the AM FM or Air band press and hold SCAN MEM for about 2 seconds until you hear a double beep confirmation Memory appears on...

Page 52: ...16 in that order every 2 seconds If you have set DualWatch as your default mode by selecting that option from the menu Channel 9 is not checked and DUALWATCH SCAN appears on the display To disable Tr...

Page 53: ...a signal it stops scanning and remains on the detected channel for 2 seconds after the activity ends before resumption of scanning During scanning you can press SCAN MEM 16 9 TRI or WX ALERT to halt s...

Page 54: ...are valid station frequencies briefly press SCAN MEM Memory and Scan appear in the display If you inadvertantly store three FM frequencies for which there are no stations in your area no presets will...

Page 55: ...rmal Scanning to listen to them in succession You re cruising with your family on Lake Erie and you are concerned about a summer thunderstorm in your area First select the weather channel with the bes...

Page 56: ...ontinued FCC technical compliance of your radio Troubleshooting In the event that the radio fails to perform or clearly needs servicing please contact either 1 800 BOATING 1 800 262 8464 or your local...

Page 57: ...with another VHF radio on a specific channel and you cannot hear them You and the other user are using different country modes USA CAN INT Be sure both are using the same country mode Some modes use...

Page 58: ...Broadcast 87 5 108 0MHz 100 or 200MHz Step Frequency Range Step Aircraft 108 00 137 00MHz 25kHz Step Antenna Fixed Mount type Connectors External MIC SPEAKER 2 5mm Diam 3 contact Stereo type Controls...

Page 59: ...5 FRS 500Hz dB 6 3 to 7 FRS 2000Hz dB 6 9 to 5 MRN 25kHz dB 72 60 min Adjacent Channel Selectivity FRS 12 5kHz dB 40 30 min IM Rejection MRN dB 63 55 min Image and Spurious Rejection MRN dB 75 50 min...

Page 60: ...6 156 8000 156 8000 Simplex DISTRESS SAFETY CALLING DISTRESS 17 156 8500 156 8500 Simplex 1W GOVT MARITIME CONTROL GOVERNMENT 18 A 156 9000 156 9000 Simplex COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL 19 A 156 9500 156 950...

Page 61: ...AL 73 156 6750 156 6750 Simplex PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 74 156 7250 156 7250 Simplex PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 75 156 7750 156 7750 Simplex 1W PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 76 156 8250 156 8...

Page 62: ...00 156 7500 Simplex ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL 156 8000 156 8000 Simplex DISTRESS SAFETY CALLING DISTRESS 156 8500 156 8500 Simplex 1W STATE CONTROL STATE CONTROL 156 9000 156 9000 Simplex COMMERCIAL...

Page 63: ...56 7250 156 7250 Simplex PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 75 156 7750 156 7750 Simplex 1W PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 76 156 8250 156 8250 Simplex 1W PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 77 156 8750 156 8750...

Page 64: ...STEM VESSEL TRAFFIC 15 156 7500 156 7500 Simplex 1W ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL 16 156 8000 156 8000 Simplex DISTRESS SAFETY CALLING DISTRESS 17 156 8500 156 8500 Simplex 1W GOVT MARINE CONTROL GOVERN...

Page 65: ...ORT OPERATION 79 161 5750 156 9750 Duplex PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 80 161 6250 157 0250 Duplex PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 81 161 6750 157 0750 Duplex PORT OPERATION PORT OPERATION 82 161 7250...

Page 66: ...233 6 17 118 8 37 241 8 18 123 0 38 250 3 19 127 3 20 131 8 NOAA Channels and Frequencies DCS Codes Tone Number Octal Code Tone Number Octal Code Tone Number Octal Code 39 023 74 251 109 631 40 025 7...

Page 67: ...t charge for parts service or any other cost except shipping and handling incurred by warrantor or its representatives in connection with the performance of this warranty THE LIMITED WARRANTY SET FORT...

Page 68: ......

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