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VX-150 O

PERATING

 M

ANUAL

15

DCS O

PERATION

Another form of tone access control is Digital Code Squelch, or DCS. It is a newer, more
advanced tone system which generally provides more immunity from false paging than
does CTCSS. The DCS Encoder/Decoder is built into your 

VX-150

, and operation is very

similar to that just described for CTCSS. Your repeater system may be configured for
DCS; if not, it is frequently quite useful in Simplex operation if your friend(s) use trans-
ceivers equipped with this advanced feature.

Just as in CTCSS operation, DCS requires that you set the Tone Mode to DCS and that
you select a tone code.

Press the [

F/W

] key, then immediately press the [

1

(

SQ TYP

)] key. This provides a

“Short-cut” to Menu #25 (“

SQL TYP

SQL TYP

SQL TYP

SQL TYP

SQL TYP

”).

Rotate the 

DIAL

 until “

DCS

DCS

DCS

DCS

DCS

” appears on the display; this activates the DCS Encoder/

Decoder.

ƒ

When you have made your selection of the DCS mode, press the 

PTT

.

Press the [

F/W

] key, then immediately press the [

2

(

CODE

)] key. This provides a “Short-

cut” to Menu #26 (“

TN SET

TN SET

TN SET

TN SET

TN SET

”).

Rotate the 

DIAL

 to select the desired DCS Code (a three-digit number). Ask the re-

peater owner/operator if you don’t know DCS Code; if you are working simplex, just
set up the DCS Code to be the same as that used by your friend(s).

When you have made your selection, press the [

F/W

] key to save the new settings and

exit to normal operation.

Remember that the DCS is an Encode/Decode system, so your receiver will remain muted
until a matching DCS code is received on an incoming transmission. Switch the DCS off
when you’re just tuning around the band!

Advanced Operation

DCS C

ODE

023 025 026 031 032 036 043 047 051 053 054 065 071 072 073 074 114 115 116

122 125 131 132 134 143 145 152 155 156 162 165 172 174 205 212 223 225 226

243 244 245 246 251 252 255 261 263 265 266 271 274 306 311 315 325 331 332

343 346 351 356 364 365 371 411 412 413 423 431 432 445 446 452 454 455 462

464 465 466 503 506 516 523 526 532 546 565 606 612 624 627 631 632 654 662

664 703 712 723 731 732 734 743 754

Summary of Contents for VX-150

Page 1: ... stepping ARS automatic repeater shift when tuned to repeater subbands plus a top panel rotary dial for memory and frequency selection The keypad serves as a DTMF encoder during transmission and up to 9 DTMF memories can store 16 digits each for quick playback of commonly used numbers The liquid crystal display shows seven frequency digits memory selection CTCSS tone frequency while setting page r...

Page 2: ... up and down arrow keys for operating convenience SQL Control This control sets the threshold level at which received signals or noise open the noise squelch Set this control from counterclockwise just to the point where noise is si lenced and the BUSY TX indicator on the front panel is off when the channel is clear BUSY TX Indicator Lamp This LED indicator glows green when the noise squelch is op...

Page 3: ...sturbing the setting of the SQL control In the European version this button activates the 1750 Hz Burst tone generator ƒ LAMP Button Press this button to illuminate the display and keypad when necessary MIC EAR Jack This four conductor miniature jack provides connection points for microphone audio earphone audio PTT and ground EXT DC This coaxial DC jack allows connection to an external DC power s...

Page 4: ... faces of the keys indicate their primary functions while the labels above fifteen of the keys indicate alternate functions which are activated by pressing the F W key first and then another key within five seconds When referring to alternate key functions in this manual we show the alternate key label followed by the primary label in parentheses Primary key functions are referred to by the labels...

Page 5: ...Compact Wall Charger for FNB 14 NC 72C 117 VAC Compact Wall Charger for FNB NC 72U 220 234 VAC Compact Wall Charger for FNB NC 73 Desktop Quick Charger MH 34B4B External Hand Speaker Microphone MH 37A4B Earpiece Microphone VC 25 VOX Headset E DC 5B DC Cable w Noise Filter E DC 6 DC Cable plug and wire only CSC 73 Soft Case CN 3 BNC to SMA Adapter CT 44 Microphone Adapter YHA Rubber flex antenna Av...

Page 6: ...B V57 7 2V 1100 mAh FNB 62 7 2V 700 mAh The following battery cases are also available for operating the VX 150 with non recharge able dry cell batteries not supplied FBA 25 Battery Cases for 6 AA UM 3 batteries The Ni Cd packs above may be recharged either while attached to the transceiver or sepa rately using the battery chargers described on the following pages Each Ni Cd pack should be fully c...

Page 7: ... also be used for transmission in an emergency but power output will only be 300 mW and battery life will be shortened dramatically To Install Alkaline Batteries into the FBA 25 r Slide the batteries into the FBA 25 as shown in the illustration with the Negative side of the batteries touching the spring connections inside the FBA 25 r Unlock the bottom plate by pushing the latch in the Open direct...

Page 8: ...p panel ANTENNA jack ƒ Switch on the transceiver by rotating the VOL con trol clockwise out of the click stop a momentary beep will sound If you don t hear the two Beep tones when the radio comes on the Beeper may have been disabled via the Menu system See page which tells you how to reactivate the Beeper ADJUSTING THE VOLUME LEVEL Rotate the VOL control immediately to the right of the Antenna to ...

Page 9: ...scribed in this manual You can change vfos with the VFO PRI button at any time You have several ways to tune the VX 150 in selectable channel steps or 1 MHz steps with the s t keys or DIAL knob and direct keypad frequency entry Use the DIAL knob to tune the displayed VFO frequency at the current channel step rate You can also press the s t keys momentarily to do this but if you press an s or t key...

Page 10: ...itch above the PTT switch to transmit a 1750 Hz tone to access repeaters that require it CHANGING THE CHANNEL STEPS Tuning steps are factory preset to 20 kHz To change a frequency step follow the proce dure below Press the F W key then immediately press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL to select Menu Item 7 STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP ƒ Press the F W key to enable modification of t...

Page 11: ... and off The lamp will stay illuminated until you press the LAMP switch once more Here is the procedure for setting up the Lamp mode You first need to enter the Set menu mode Press the F W key then immediately press the 0 SET key just below the F W key to activate the Set mode Now rotate the DIAL to select Menu Item 21 LMP MODE LMP MODE LMP MODE LMP MODE LMP MODE ƒ Press the F W key to enable modi...

Page 12: ...y then immediately press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL to select Menu Item 2 ARS ARS ARS ARS ARS ƒ Press the F W key to enable modification of the current setting Now rotate the DIAL to select ON to enable Automatic Repeater Shift Press the PTT key to save the new setting and exit to normal operation Manual Repeater Shift Activation If the ARS feature has been disabled or if ...

Page 13: ...ication of the current setting Now rotate the DIAL knob to select the new repeater shift magnitude Press the PTT key momentarily to save the new setting and exit Checking the Repeater Uplink Input Frequency It often is helpful to be able to check the uplink input frequency of a repeater to see if the calling station is within direct Simplex range To do this just press the REV HM key momentarily If...

Page 14: ...the DIAL in step above will occasionally cause SQ SQ SQ SQ SQ to appear adjacent to the T T T T T icon When TONE SQL TONE SQL TONE SQL TONE SQL TONE SQL appears this means that the Tone SQuelch system is active which mutes your VX 150 s receiver until it receives a call from another radio sending out a matching CTCSS tone This can help keep your radio quiet until a specific call is received which ...

Page 15: ...e PTT Press the F W key then immediately press the 2 CODE key This provides a Short cut to Menu 26 TN SET TN SET TN SET TN SET TN SET Rotate the DIAL to select the desired DCS Code a three digit number Ask the re peater owner operator if you don t know DCS Code if you are working simplex just set up the DCS Code to be the same as that used by your friend s When you have made your selection press t...

Page 16: ...ll appear on the display Press the F W key then immediately press the 2 CODE key to select the TN TN TN TN TN SET SET SET SET SET Menu item when TONE SQL is selected or DCS SET DCS SET DCS SET DCS SET DCS SET during DCS opera tion ƒ Press and hold in the s or t key to start scanning for the incoming CTCSS or DCS tone code When the radio detects the correct tone or code it will halt on that tone co...

Page 17: ...ver is sending a CTCSS tone or DCS code which matches that set into your Decoder the Bell will ring in accordance to this programming TONE CALLING 1750 Hz If the repeaters in your country require a 1750 Hz burst tone for access typically in Eu rope you can set the MONI key to serve as a TONE CALL switch instead To change the configuration of this switch we again use the Menu to help us Press the F...

Page 18: ...battery conservation by not allowing you to make excessively long transmissions and in the event of a stuckPTT switch perhaps if the radio or a Speaker Mic is wedged between car seats it can prevent interference to other users as well as battery depletion As configured at the factory the TOT feature is set to OFF and here is the procedure for activating it Press the F W key then press the 0 SET ke...

Page 19: ...FF as the sleep cycle may Collide with the beginning of an incoming Packet transmission causing your TNC not to receive the full data burst When the battery saving function is working the beginning of the companion voice breaks off and it is sometimes possible to hear it TX BATTERY SAVER The VX 150 also includes a useful Transmit Battery Saver which will automatically lower the power output level ...

Page 20: ... BCLO BCLO BCLO BCLO ƒ Press the F W key to enable adjustment of this Menu item Rotate the DIAL to set the BCLO feature to the ON position Press the PTT key to save the new setting and resume normal operation AUTOMATIC POWER OFF APO FEATURE The APO feature helps conserve battery life by automatically turning the radio off after a user defined period of time within which there has been no dial or k...

Page 21: ... the F W key to enable setting of the Lock mode which defines which keys functions are to be locked out Rotate the DIAL to choose between one of the locking schemes as outlined above Once you have made your selection press the PTT key momentarily to save the new setting and resume normal operation To activate the locking feature press the F W key then press the 6 LOCK key The icon will lower on th...

Page 22: ...em 28 DTMF DTMF DTMF DTMF DTMF ƒ Press the F W key to enable adjustment of this Menu item Rotate the DIAL to select the DTMF Memory register into which you wish to store this DTMF string Press the F W key then press the F W key to begin DTMF Memory entry into the selected register Rotate the DIAL to select the first digit of the desired label When you have made your selection press the s key momen...

Page 23: ...these memories These are stations you expect to frequently contact and whose page calls you also want to receive Members of a common group or club usually share a common 3 digit paging code so that they can be paged simultaneously Remember with Code Squelch operation but not with DTMF Paging you can only re ceive a call on the currently selected Code Memory and the display does not change when a c...

Page 24: ...ories register into which you wish to this code string Press the F W key rotate the DIAL to set the function ON When you have made your selection press the PTT key to save the new setting and exit to Set mode DTMF Code Squelch Operation As described earlier with DTMF code squelch activated CODE displayed your squelch will not open until you receive the proper 3 digit DTMF code according to the sel...

Page 25: ...made your selection press the PTT key to save the new setting and exit to normal operation PAGING ANSWER BACK When you press the PTT to respond to a page call the caller s ID code followed by a DTMF Û Û Û Û Û and your personal ID code are transmitted This informs the calling station that their page was received If you prefer you can have the VX 150 respond to page calls automatically transpond As ...

Page 26: ...VX 150 OPERATING MANUAL 26 ANI OPERATION AUTOMATIC NUMBER IDENTIFICATION Because it isn t decided it sends later Advanced Operation ...

Page 27: ... ARTS is de activated DCS will also be deactivated if you were not using it previously in non ARTS operation If you move out of range for more than one minute four pollings your radio will sense that no signal has been received three beeps will sound and the display will revert to OUT RNG OUT RNG OUT RNG OUT RNG OUT RNG If you move back into range your radio will again beep and the display will ch...

Page 28: ... alert you to the current status of ARTS operation Depending on your location and the potential annoyance associated with frequent beeps you may choose the Beep mode which best suits your needs The choices are IN RANGE The beeps are issued only when the radio first confirms that you are within range but does not re confirm with beeps thereafter ALWAYS Every time a polling transmission is received ...

Page 29: ...key to move on to the next character Repeat step 5 as many times as necessary to complete your callsign pressing F W between each entry Note that the slant bar is among the available charac ters should you be a portable station When you have entered your entire callsign press the F W key ˆ When you have entered your entire callsign press the PTT key to save the settings and exit to normal operatio...

Page 30: ...s by repeating the above process STORING INDEPENDENT TRANSMIT FREQUENCIES ODD SPLITS All memories can store an independent transmit frequency for operation on repeaters with non standard shift To do this Store the receive frequency using the method already described underMEMORY STOR AGE it doesn t matter if a repeater offset is active Turn to the desired transmit frequency then press and hold the ...

Page 31: ...e etc This is easily accomplished using the Set mode Recall the memory channel on which you wish to append a label Press the F W key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Menu mode ƒ Rotate the DIAL to select Menu 1 NAME NAME NAME NAME NAME Press the F W key to enable changing of this Menu item Press the F W key then press the F W key to begin entry of the Label Rotate the DIAL to select the first...

Page 32: ...o replace the original memory contents with those of the new frequency be sure to rotate the DIAL to the original memory channel number Any required CTCSS DCS changes or repeater offset modifications must be done be fore storing the data into the new or original memory channel location MASKING MEMORIES There may be situations where you want to Mask memories so they are not visible during memory se...

Page 33: ...H nn CH nn CH nn appear if you haven t assigned name to a memory Repeater shift and tone setting indicators are displayed although they cannot be changed Turn the radio off Press and hold the PTT and LAMP key while turning the radio on ƒ Rotate the DIAL to select MEM ONLY MEM ONLY MEM ONLY MEM ONLY MEM ONLY Press the F W key momentarily to initialize the radio Repeat the previous step it returns t...

Page 34: ...ill active BUSY BUSY BUSY BUSY BUSY In this mode the scanner will halt on a signal it encounters Two seconds after the carrier has dropped because the other station s ceased transmission the scanner will resume In the case of constant carrier signals like Weather Station broad casts the scanner will likely remain on this frequency indefinitely HOLD HOLD HOLD HOLD HOLD In this mode the scanner will...

Page 35: ...he radio to the Memory mode by pressing the MR SKIP key if necessary Press and hold in the s t key for one second to initiate scanning ƒ As with VFO scanning the scanner will halt on any signal encountered that is strong enough to open the squelch it will then resume scanning according to the Scan Re sume mode set previously To cancel scanning press the PTT MR SKIP or VFO PRI key HOW TO SKIP OMIT ...

Page 36: ...ls L1 L1 L1 L1 L1 and U1 U1 U1 U1 U1 If you wish to scan do not press the MR SKIP key as it is disabled during PMS operation Press and hold in the VFO PRI key instead Five pairs of Band Limit memories labeled L1 L1 L1 L1 L1 U1 U1 U1 U1 U1 through L5 L5 L5 L5 L5 U5 U5 U5 U5 U5 are available PRIORITY CHANNEL SCANNING DUAL WATCH The VX 150 scanning features include a two channel scanning capability w...

Page 37: ...ning either in standard VFO scanning or during PMS operation You may disable this feature if it is annoying without disabling the keypad beeper the default condition for this feature is ON The procedure for disabling the Band Edge Beeper is Press the F W key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL to select Menu 17 EDGE BP EDGE BP EDGE BP EDGE BP EDGE BP ƒ Press the F W key ...

Page 38: ...eep however the radio will continue sweeping until they are all filled Setting the Smart Search Mode Press the F W key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL to select Menu 31 SMT MOD SMT MOD SMT MOD SMT MOD SMT MOD ƒ Press the F W key to enable changing of this Menu item Rotate the DIAL to select the desired Smart Search mode see above When you have made your selection pre...

Page 39: ...one plug per the diagram below The audio level from the receiver to the TNC may be adjusted by using theVOL knob as with voice operation The input level to the VX 150 from the TNC should be adjusted at the TNC side the optimum input voltage is approximately 5 mV at 2 k ohm Be sure to turn the transceiver and TNC off before connecting the cables so as to prevent voltage spikes from possibly damagin...

Page 40: ...the DIAL to select ALL RST ALL RST ALL RST ALL RST ALL RST Press the F W key momentarily to initialize the radio SET MODE RESETTING Turn the radio off Press and hold the PTT and LAMP key while turning the radio on ƒ Rotate the DIAL to select SET RST SET RST SET RST SET RST SET RST Press the F W key momentarily to initialize the Set mode Reset ...

Page 41: ...e F W key to enter the CLONE mode CLONE CLONE CLONE CLONE CLONE will appear on the displays of both radios when the Clone mode is successfully activated in this step On the Destination radio press the MONI key SAVING SAVING SAVING SAVING SAVING will appear on the LCD Press the PTT key on the Source radio SENDING SENDING SENDING SENDING SENDING will appear on the Source radio and the data is transf...

Page 42: ...he Transmit Battery Saver Set the Automatic Power Off time Enable disable the BUSY LED Activate the ARTS operation Select the Beep option during ARTS operation Select the Polling Interval during ARTS opera tion Enable disable the Keypad beeper Enable disable the Band edge beeper Select the CTCSS Bell ringer repetitions Select the MON key function Select the function of REV HC key Select the LCD Ke...

Page 43: ...gs for the Memory channels See page for details Set Item 2 ARS Function Enable disable the Automatic Repeater Shift function Available Values ON OFF Default ON Set Item 3 RPT Function Set the Repeater Shift Direction Available Values RPT SIMP RPT Default SIMP Set Item 4 SHIFT Function Set the magnitude of the Repeater Shift Available Values 0 00 99 9 MHz Default Depends on the transceiver version ...

Page 44: ...ble disable The Transmit Battery Saver Available Values ON OFF Default OFF Set Item 11 APO Function Set the Automatic Power Off time Available Values OFF 30 min 1 hour 3 hour 5 hour 8 hour Default OFF Set Item 12 BSY LED Function Enable disable the BUSY LED while the Squelch is open Available Values ON OFF Default ON Set Item 13 ARTS Function Activate the ARTS See page for details Set Item 14 ARTS...

Page 45: ...ction Available Values MONI T CALL Default Depends on the transceiver version MONI Pressing the MONI key causes the noise tone Squelch to be over ridden al lowing you to listen for weak or non encoded signals T CALL Pressing the MONI key activates a 1750 Hz burst tone used for repeater ac cess in many countries Set Item 20 REV HM Function Select the function of the REV HM key Available Values REV ...

Page 46: ... TSQ DCS Default OFF T CTCSS Encoder TSQ CTCSS Encoder Decoder DCS Digital Coded Squelch Encoder Decoder Set Item 26 TN SET Function Setting of the CTCSS Tone Frequency Available Values 39 standard CTCSS tones Default 100 Hz In this mode press the F W key then press the PTT key to save the new setting and exit to normal operation Set Item 27 DCS SET Function Setting of the DCS code Available Value...

Page 47: ...31 memo ries are filled the search stops after one sweep in each direction CONT The transceiver makes a sweep in each direction as with the SINGLE mode but if all 31 channels are not filled after the first sweep the radio continues sweeping until they are all filled Set Item 32 LK MODE Function Select the Control Locking lockout combination Available Values KEY DIAL KEY DIAL PTT KEY PTT DIAL PTT A...

Page 48: ...during scanning Available Values ON OFF Default OFF Scanner stops when the channel is busy Set Item 39 PAG MOD requires optional FVP 25 Function See page for details Set Item 40 PG CODE requires optional FVP 25 Function Storing Code Memories See page for details Set Item 41 PG ASBK requires optional FVP 25 Function Enable disable The Pager Answer Back Available Values ON OFF Default OFF Set Item 4...

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