Basic Operation
Power On/Off
Turn the Power Knob cloc
kwise to switch on the radio; you will hear a “di” sound and a voice
message will indicate the current channel number. Turn counter-clockwise to switch off the radio.
Adjust the Volume
Hold in the side + button for the
“Monitor” or “Squelch Off” function to listen the background noise,
then turn the knob to increase or decrease the volume.
Select a Channel
Press the side buttons to change the channel from 1 to 16. Top will increase and lower
button
– will reduce the channel. Your radio will report the channel number.
Refer to the factory channel settings when linking your radio to other radios as it may be necessary
to reprogram or adjust the frequency / sub tone to match.
Transmit
Keep pressing down the PTT key and speak directly into the microphone (MIC). Hold the radio about
2.5cm to 5cm from your mouth. The radio should be held so that the antenna is vertical. Speak slowly
loud and clear into the radio for a good signal to be received.
Receive
Release the PTT key to receive a call and adjust the volume if needed.
Monitor
The squelch circuit in the transceiver mutes the speaker automatically, when no signals are present
so you will not hear background noise. Hold in the + side button to Monitor a frequency by
deactivating the squelch. This is useful when you want to adjust the volume level, or when you need
to hear a weak signal.
Communication Range
Range will depend on the type of terrain that you are communicating across.
The TX-8 uses the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band and will be subject to similar obstacle
interference as cellular phones. The radio works indoors as well as outdoors. Typical rough estimate
ranges for different terrains are:
Indoors or Shopping centre 300m-1200m
Building 5-30 stories,
City centre & dense bush 500m-2km,
Residential & over water 2-6km,
Farmland 3-7km,
Top of mountain or building (line-of-sight) 10-30km.
When you press the PTT talk button a signal is transmitted and the signal floods the area in all
sideway directions. The signal travels in 3 different ways:
1
) Penetration
: The signal can go through materials such as wood, plastic, cement and fabric. The
denser the material or more built up the environment the weaker the signal will become. The signal
cannot go through solid metal or very large solid land structures such as a hill or mountain. Metal
acts like a shield and that is why the performance from the inside of a vehicle will be less than from
outside.
