AIR BAND TRANSCEIVER Operating Manual 1 4 7 MW 2 5 8 0 3 6 9 F VXA-210 CONTENTS Important Notice! ........................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................... 2 Controls & Connectors ................................................. 3 Top Panel .............................................................................. 3 Front Panel ........................................................................... 4 LCD Display ........................................................................ 5 Keypad .................................................................................. 6 Left Side ............................................................................... 7 Right Side ............................................................................. 8 Before You Begin ........................................................... 9 Precaution ............................................................................. 9 Battery Installation and Removal ....................................... 9 Battery Charging ................................................................ 10 Low Battery Indication ...................................................... 11 Installing the FBA-25 (option) Alkaline Battery Case .... 11 Operation ...................................................................... 12 Preliminary Steps ............................................................... 12 Operation Quick Start ........................................................ 12 Squelch Adjustment .................................................... 14 Accessing the 121.5 MHz Emergency Frequency ........... 14 Tuning Methods ................................................................. 15 Transmission ...................................................................... 16 Reception of Weather Channel Broadcasts ...................... 16 Monitor Key ....................................................................... 18 ANL (Automatic Noise Limiter) Feature ......................... 18 Temperature Display .......................................................... 19 LOCK Function ................................................................. 19 Receive Battery Saver Setup ............................................. 20 Beep On/Off ....................................................................... 21 Barometric Pressure/Altitude Metering ................... 22 Thermometer Calibration .................................................. 22 Correcting the Atmospheric Pressure Meter (Barometer Offset) .. 23 Correcting the Altimeter setting (Altimeter Offset) ......... 23 How to Measure the Rarometric Pressure or Altitude ..... 24 Weather Sensor Mode ....................................................... 24 Memory Operation ....................................................... 26 Memory Storage ................................................................. 26 Recalling the Memories..................................................... 27 Scanning Operation .................................................... 28 Channel-Skip Scanning ..................................................... 29 Dual Watch Operation ................................................. 30 Priority Dual Watch Operation ................................... 31 VOR Navigation ............................................................ 32 To Select the DVOR Mode ............................................... 33 Flying to a VOR Station .................................................... 34 Entering a Desired Couse .................................................. 36 Position Cross-checking .................................................... 37 Split Operation ................................................................... 38 Field Programming Mode ........................................... 39 Memory Storage into the Book Memory ......................... 39 Menu ("Set") Mode ...................................................... 40 Menu Listing ...................................................................... 41 Installation of the SU-1 ............................................... 45 Accessories & Options ............................................... 46 Specifications ............................................................... 48 NOTICE There are no user-serviceable points inside this transceiver. All service jobs must be referred to your Authorized Service Center. IMPORTANT NOTICE! FCC RF Exposure Compliance Requirements for Occupational Use Only: 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: r FCC 96-326, Guidelines for Evaluating the Environmental Effects of Radio-Frequency Radiation. r FCC OET Bulletin 65 Edition 97-01 (1997) Supplement C, Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields. r ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1992, IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz. r ANSI/IEEE C95.3-1992, IEEE Recommended Practice for the Measurement of Potentially Hazardous Electromagnetic Fields - RF and Microwave. ¦ 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. ¦ 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 (2.5 cm) away from your head and body. ¦ The radio must be used with a maximum operating duty cycle not exceeding 50%, in typical Push-toTalk 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 top of the radio is illuminated. You can cause the radio to transmit by pressing the P-T-T button. ¦ Always use Vertex Standard authorized accessories. VXA-210 PILOT OPERATING MANUAL 1 INTRODUCTION The Vertex Standard VXA-210 Pilot is a compact, stylish, solid hand-held transceiver providing communication (transmit and receive) capability on the International Aircraft Communication Band ("COM" band: 118 ~ 136.975 MHz), and it additionally provides VOR and CDI navigation features on the "NAV" band (108 ~ 117.975 MHz). The VXA-210 includes Temperature display with our exclusive Omni-GlowTM display back-light for minimal degradation of your night vision, NOAA weather band monitoring, 8-character Alpha/Numeric Display, 50 Memory Channels, and 100 "Book Memory" Channels. And the optional Barometric Pressure Unit (SU-1) provides readout of barometric pressure, altitude, and density altitude. We recommend that you read this manual in its entirety, so as to understand the many features of the VXA-210 completely. Keep this manual handy, so you may use it for reference. NOTE: The VXA-210's VOR and CDI Navigation features are supplemental aids to navigation only, and are not intended to be a substitute for accurate (primary) VOR/CDI or landing service equipment. And also, the Barometric/Altitude features of the optional SU-1 are not designed to be a substitute for accurate, calibrated Barometer or Altimeter devices used for navigation critical to personal safety. Congratulations! You now have at your fingertips a valuable communications tool-a Vertex Standard two-way radio! Rugged, reliable and easy to use, your Vertex Standard radio will keep you in constant touch with your colleagues for years to come, with negligible maintenance down-time. Please take a few minutes to read this manual carefully. The information presented here will allow you to derive maximum performance from your radio, in case questions arise later on. We're glad you joined the Vertex Standard team. Call on us anytime, because communications is our business. Let us help you get your message across. 2 VXA-210 PILOT OPERATING MANUAL CONTROLS & CONNECTORS (TOP PANEL) Antenna Jack This SMA jack accepts the supplied flexible antenna, or another antenna designed to provide 50 W impedance on the Aircraft Communication Band. POWER/VOLUME Knob Turn this control clockwise to turn the radio on and to increase the volume. Counterclockwise rotation into the click-stop will turn the radio off. VOL DIAL BUSY/TX Indicator Lamp This lamp glows green when a signal is being received and red when transmitting. DIAL Selector Knob This 20-position detended rotary switch tunes the operating frequency or selects the memory channels. Pressing this knob downward momentarily selects the tuning methods among the VFO (Variable Frequency Oscillator), MR (Memory Recall), BOOK (Pre-Programmed Memories), and WX (Weather Channel Memories) mode. Note: The WX mode is available in the USA version only. VXA-210 PILOT OPERATING MANUAL 3 CONTROLS & CONNECTORS (FRONT PANEL) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) The display shows the selected operating conditions as indicated on the next page. Loudspeaker The internal speaker is located in this position. Microphone Speak across this opening in a normal voice level while pressing the PTT switch, to transmit. Keypad Several keys have dual functions. The primary functions are labeled on the key top (activated by simply pressing the key momentarily), while the secondary functions are labeled in yellow above the top edge of the key (activated by pressing the [F] key first, then the indicated key). These functions are described in detail on page 6. 1 4 7 MW 2 5 8 0 3 6 9 F Battery Pack Latch Open this latch for battery removal. 4 VXA-210 PILOT OPERATING MANUAL CONTROLS & CONNECTORS (LCD DISPLAY) This field displays the course heading in degrees. See page 33. This is the Course Deviation Indicator, used during VOR Navigation. See page 32. This icon indicates that the "Book" Memory Bank is in use. See page 15. This indicator confirms that Secondary Key Function is active. See page 6. This icon is the "Low Battery" indicator, which blinks when the battery voltage becomes too low for proper operation. This indicator confirms that this channel will be skipped during scan. See page 29. These digits provide frequency or alphanumeric information about the channel you are using. This icon is used during VOR navigation, to indicate that the displayed information is based on a course from the VOR station. See page 33. This icon is used during VOR navigation, to indicate that the displayed information is based on a course to the VOR station. See page 33. This indicator confirms that the AUTOMATIC NOISE LIMITER is activated. See page 18. This indicator confirms that DUAL WATCH is active. See page 30. This indicator confirms that the "Split" (Duplex) mode is activated during VOR operation. See page 38. VXA-210 PILOT OPERATING MANUAL 5 CONTROLS & CONNECTORS (KEYPAD) Primary Function (Press Key) Frequency Entry Digit 1 Frequency Entry Digit 2 Selects "TO" VOR mode Frequency Entry Digit 3 Selects "FROM" VOR mode Selects Memory Display Type (page 27) Locks the Keypad Secondary Function Activates DVOR mode (Press +) Primary Function (Press Key) Frequency Entry Digit 4 Frequency Entry Digit 5 Activates the Altimeter Set function Frequency Entry Digit 6 Activates the Sensor Functions Selects Emergency Channel (121.5 MHz) None Secondary Function Activates Course Deviation Indicator mode (Press +) Primary Function (Press Key) Frequency Entry Digit 7 Frequency Entry Digit 8 Frequency Entry Digit 9 Allows Skipping of Channel during Scan Activates Automatic Noise Limiter None Secondary Function Activates Split (Duplex) On/Off Switch for mode Keypad Beeper (page 21) (Press +) Primary Function (Press Key) Secondary Function (Press +) Memory "Write" Command Split-Memory "Write" Command Frequency Entry Digit 0 None Activates Scanning Activates Dual Watch Activates "Secondary" Key mode None 6 VXA-210 PILOT OPERATING MANUAL CONTROLS & CONNECTORS (LEFT SIDE) PTT (PUSH TO TALK) Switch Press this button to transmit when you are operating in the COM band. Release this button to return to the "RECEIVE" mode. See page 16. MONITOR Switch This button may be pressed to "open" the squelch manually, allowing you to listen for very weak signals. Press and hold this button for 2 seconds to "open" the squelch continuously. Press this button again to resume normal (quiet) monitoring. See page 18. LAMP Switch Pressing the LAMP switch momentarily will illuminate the display and keypad for five seconds, after which the back-lighting will automatically turn off. Press and hold this switch for 2 ...