HX270S VHF/FM Marine Handheld Transceiver Owner's Manual HX270S TABLE OF CONTENTS FCC LICENSE INFORMATION ................................................................... 3 FCC NOTICE ................................................................................................ 4 1. GENERAL INFORMATION ...................................................................... 5 2. ACCESSORIES ....................................................................................... 6 2.1 PACKING LIST .................................................................................. 6 2.2 OPTIONS .......................................................................................... 6 3. BATTERY ................................................................................................. 7 3.1 BATTERY CHARGING ...................................................................... 7 3.2 BATTERY REMOVAL/INSTALLATION ............................................. 7 3.3 USING THE NC-88 BATTERY CHARGER ...................................... 8 3.4 FBA-25A ALKALINE BATTERY CASE ............................................ 8 3.5 BATTERY SAFETY ........................................................................... 9 4. CONTROLS AND INDICATORS .......................................................... 10 4.1 CONTROLS and CONNECTIONS ................................................. 11 4.2 INDICATORS .................................................................................. 13 5. OPERATION .......................................................................................... 15 5.1 INITIAL SETUP .............................................................................. 15 5.2 RECEPTION .................................................................................. 16 5.3 TRANSMISSION ............................................................................ 17 5.4 TRANSMIT TIME-OUT TIMER (TOT) ............................................ 17 5.5 USA, CANADIAN, AND INTERNATIONAL BANDS ...................... 18 5.6 NOAA WEATHER CHANNELS ..................................................... 18 5.7 SCAN .............................................................................................. 19 5.8 PROGRAMMABLE PRIORITY SCAN ........................................... 20 5.9 DUAL WATCH ................................................................................ 20 5.10 EMERGENCY (CHANNEL 16 USE) ............................................ 21 5.11 CALLING ANOTHER VESSEL (CHANNEL 16 OR 9) ................. 21 5.12 OPERATING ON CHANNEL 13 .................................................. 22 5.13 OPERATING ON CHANNEL 67 .................................................. 22 5.14 PRESET CHANNELS (1 ~ 8): INSTANT ACCESS ..................... 23 5.15 SIMPLEX/DUPLEX CHANNEL USE ........................................... 23 5.16 SETUP MODE .............................................................................. 24 6. MAINTENANCE .................................................................................... 26 7. PRODUCT SUPPORT INQUIRIES ...................................................... 27 8. CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS ................................................................. 27 9. WARRANTY .......................................................................................... 34 10. SPECIFICATIONS .............................................................................. 37 HX270S RF Exposure Safety Statement This Radio has been tested and complies with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) RF exposure limits for Occupational Use/Controlled exposure environment. In addition, it complies with the following Standards and Guidelines: H FCC@96-326, Guidelines for Evaluating the Environmental Effects of RadioFrequency Radiation. H FCC OET Bulletin 65 Edition 97-01 (1997) Supplement C, Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields. H ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1992, IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3kHz to 300 GHz. H ANSI/IEEE C95.3-1992, IEEE Recommended Practice for the Measurement of Potentially Hazardous Electromagnetic Fields-RF and Microwave. WARNING This radio generates RF electromagnetic energy during transmit mode. This radio is designed for and classified as Occupational Use Only, meaning it must be used only during the course of employment by individuals aware of the hazards, and the ways to minimize such hazards. This radio is not intended for use by the General Population in an uncontrolled environment. CAUTION To ensure that your expose to RF electromagnetic energy is within the FCC allowable limits for occupational use, always adhere to the following guidelines: SAFETY INFORMATION This radio is NOT approved for use by the general population in an uncontrolled environment. This radio is restricted to occupational use, work related operations only where the radio operator must have the knowledge to control its RF exposure conditions. H When transmitting, hold the radio in a vertical position with its microphone 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) away from your mouth and keep the antenna at least 1 inch (2.5cm) away from your head and body. H The radio must be used with a maximum operating duty cycle not exceeding 50 %, in typical Push-to-Talk (Manual PTT) configurations. DO NOT transmit for more than 50 % of total radio use time (50 % duty cycle). Transmitting more than 50 % of the time can cause FCC RF exposure compliance requirements to be exceeded. The radio is transmitting when the red LED on the front panel of the radio is illuminated. You can cause the radio to transmit by pressing the PTT button. H Only use the Standard Horizon accessories designed for this product detailed on Page 6. HX270S Page 1 Congratulations on your purchase of the HX270S! Whether this is your first portable marine VHF transceiver, or if you have other STANDARD HORIZON equipment, the STANDARD HORIZON organization is committed to ensuring your enjoyment of this high-performance transceiver, which should provide you with many years of satisfying communications even in the harshest of environments. STANDARD HORIZON technical support personnel stand behind every product we sell, and we invite you to contact us, should you require technical advice or assistance, at (800)767-2450. We appreciate your purchase of the HX270S, and encourage you to read this manual thoroughly, so as to learn and understand the capabilities of the HX270S fully. ABOUT VHF MARINE RADIO The radio frequencies used in the VHF marine band lie between 156 and 158 MHz with some shore stations available between 161 and 163 MHz. The marine VHF band provides communications over distances that are essentially "line of sight" (VHF signals do not travel well through objects such as buildings, hills or trees). Actual transmission range depends much more on antenna type, gain and height than on the power output of the transmitter. The approximate distance a portable 5W radio may communicate is about 5 miles in if there are no obstructions (buildings, hills etc.) restricting line of sight transmission. Page 2 HX270S FCC RADIO LICENSE INFORMATION Standard Horizon radios comply with the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) requirements that regulate the Maritime Radio Service. PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS The FCC prohibits the following communications: H False distress or emergency messages: H Messages to "any boat" except in emergencies and radio tests; H Messages to or from a vessel on land; H Transmission while on land; H Obscene, indecent, or profane language (potential fine of $10,000). STATION LICENSE An FCC ship station license is no longer required for any vessel traveling in U.S. waters which uses a VHF marine radio, RADAR or EPIRB, and which is not required to carry radio equipment. FCC license forms, including applications for ship (506) and land station licenses can be downloaded via the Internet at www.fcc.gov/formpage.html. To obtain a form from the FCC, call (888) 225-5322. RADIO CALL SIGN Currently the FCC does not require recreational boaters to have a Ship Radio Station License. The USCG recommends the boat's registration number and the state to be used. CANADIAN SHIP STATION LICENSING You may need a license when traveling in Canada. If you do need a license contact their nearest field office or regional office or write: Industry Canada Radio Regulatory Branch Attn: DOSP 300 Slater Street Ottawa, Ontario Canada, KIA 0C8 HX270S Page 3 FCC/INDUSTRY CANADA INFORMATON The following data pertaining to the transceiver is necessary to fill out the license application. FCC Type Accepted ........................................................................... Part 80 Output Power with FNB-83 ............... 1 W (Low), 2.5 W (Mid), and 5 W (High) Emission ......................................................................................... 16K0G3E Frequency Range .................................................. 156.025 to 157.425 MHz FCC Type Number ................................................................. K6630073X20 Industry Canada Type Approval .......................................... 511B-30073X20 FCC NOTICE Unauthorized changes or modifications to this equipment may void compliance with FCC Rules. Any change or modification must be approved in writing by STANDARD HORIZON, the Marine Division of VERTEX STANDARD. NOTICE This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: · Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver. · Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. · Consult the dealer or an experienced marine electronics technician for help. Page 4 HX270S 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1 INTRODUCTION The HX270S is a submersible, miniature 5-Watt portable two-way VHF marine transceiver. The transceiver has all allocated USA, international, or Canadian channels. It has an emergency channel 16 which can be immediately selected from any channel by pressing the 16/9 key. NOAA weather channels can also be accessed immediately by pressing the WX key. The transceiver includes the following features: Memory Scanning, Programmable Priority Scanning, NOAA Weather Alert, Battery Saver, easy-to-read large LCD display, EEPROM memory back-up, Battery Life displayed on LCD, and a transmit Time-Out Timer (TOT). The transmitter provides a maximum of 5 Watts output, and has the selection of 2.5 Watts and 1 Watt to assist the user in ensuring maximum battery life. HX270S Page 5 2. ACCESSORIES 2.1 PACKING LIST When the package containing the transceiver is first opened, please check it for the following contents: · HX270S Transceiver · FNB-83 7.2 V, 1400 mAh Ni-MH Battery Pack · NC-88B 120 VAC Overnight Charger · CD-26 Charger Cradle · FBA-25A Alkaline Battery Case · CAT460 Antenna · E-DC-19A DC Cable with 12 V Cigarette Lighter Plug · CLIP-14 Belt Clip with screw · Owner's Manual 2.2 OPTIONS CD-26 FBA-25A FNB-83 E-DC-19A NC-88B E-DC-6 VAC370 CE68 CT-111 CAW230 Charger Cradle Alkaline Battery Case 7.2 V, 1400 mAh Ni-MH Battery Pack DC Cable with 12 V Cigarette Lighter Plug 120 VAC Overnight Charger DC Cable; plug and wire only Rapid Charger PPS Software Cable SET for CE68 Radio-to-Ship's-Antenna Adapter Note: Before operating the HX270S for the first time, it is recommended that the battery be charged. Page 6 HX270S 3. BATTERY The FNB-83 is a high performance rechargeable battery providing high capacity in a compact package. 3.1 BATTERY CHARGING If the radio has never been used, or its charge is depleted, it may be charged by connecting the NC-88 battery charger (see figure 2 on page 8). If 12V DC power is available, the optional E-DC-6 or the E-DC-19A DC adapter with cigarette plug may be used for charging the battery. The NC-88, E-DC-6 and E-DC-19A will charge a completely discharged FNB-83 battery pack in about 10 hours. 3.2 BATTERY REMOVAL/INSTALLATION 1. Turn the transceiver off. 2. To remove, open the Battery Pack Latch on the bottom of the transceiver, then slide the battery downward and out from the transceiv ...