GME TX680 User manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
TX680
POCKET SIZE 3 WATT
HANDHELD UHF RADIO

Page 2 INSTRUCTION MANUAL TX680
CONTROLS.........................3
LCDINDICATORS ....................4
POWERING THE RADIO ................5
GENERAL OPERATION.................6
Power On/Off ...................6
Adjusting the Volume .............6
Display Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Receiving signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Transmitting....................7
Selecting Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
SQL Key ...................... 7
DUPButton ....................8
SCAN Key ..................... 8
Key-Lock Function...............9
MODEKEY.........................9
1. CTCSS Code Selection..........9
2. Transmitter Power ............10
3. VOX Settings................10
4. Dual Watch Settings . . . . . . . . . . 11
5. Button Beep Tone Settings . . . . . 11
6 . Call Alarm Selection ..........12
CTCSS TONE FREQUENCIES...........12
CHANNEL FREQUENCY MHz ..........13
SPECIFICATIONS ...................14
STANDARD COMMUNICATIONS
CONTRACT WARRANTY . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
WARNING: SAFETY INFORMATION
The TX680 is a radio frequency transmitting device.
• Whentransmitting,keeptheantennamorethan25mmfromanypartoftheheadorbody.
 • Donottransmitnearelectricalblastingequipmentorinexplosiveatmospheres.
 • Donotallowchildrentooperatearadiotransmitterunsupervised.
FEATURES
•3/1WattRFpower
•40Channels
•Removableflexibleantenna
•Semi-quickcharger
•Memoryscan
•CTCSS
•Keypadlock
•BacklitLCDdisplay
•Callingtone/Rogerbeep
•Dualwatch
•Powersavemode
•Signalstrengthindicator
•Duplex
•VOX-voiceactivatedtransmit
CONTENTS
ACCESSORIES SUPPLIED
•Li-IonBatteryPack(1000mAh)
•Semi-QuickCharger
•AC Adapter
•CarryCase
•Instructionmanual

TX680 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Page 3
CONTROLS
1. Battery
2 Scan
3. Squelch/CTCSS Key
4. Battery Release Clip
5. Push-To-Talk(PTT)Switch
6. Mode Key
7. Microphone
8. Indicator LED
9. Antenna
10.Duplex/KeylockButton
11. Volume On/Off
12.ExternalSpeaker/Mic
13. Speaker
14. LCD Display
15. Channel Up
16. Channel Down
TX680
4
3
2
1
9
8
7
6
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
5

Page 4 INSTRUCTION MANUAL TX680
LCD INDICATORS
1. Receiver Busy Icon: Appears when
receiving.
2. Transmit Icon: Appears when transmitting.
3. Dual Watch Icon: Appears when the Dual
Watch mode is Active.
4. Key Lock Icon: Appears when the keypad
is locked.
5. Button Beep Tone Icon: Appears when the
buttonbeepconfirmationtone
is selected.
6. CTCSS (CTC) Icon: Indicates that CTCSS
tonesareenabledontheselected
channel.
7. Squelch/Monitor Icon: Appears when the
Monitorfunctionisactivated.(Squelch
isopen)
8. Battery Level Icon: Indicatesbatterycharge
level.Flasheswhenbatteryis
almost empty.
9. High Power Icon: Appears when High
transmitter power is selected.
10. Low Power Icon: Appears when Low
transmitter power is selected.
11. Duplex Icon: IndicatesthatDuplex
communicationhasbeenenabled.
12. Voice Activated Transmission (VOX) Icon:
Appears when the VOX mode
is activated.
13. CTCSS Tone: Displays the selected CTCSS
tone(from00-38)ontheselected
channel.
14. Channel Display: Indicates the channel
numberinuse.
15. Scan Indicator Icon: Appears when SCAN is
enabledandtheradioisscanning.
16. Channel Memory Indicator: Appears when
selected channel is stored in
Scan Memory.

TX680 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Page 5
POWERING THE RADIO
YourTX680ispoweredbya7.4Volt1000
mAhLi-Ionbatterypack.Whenthebattery
packisnew,itshouldbefullychargedbefore
beingusedforthefirsttime.Ifleftunused,
yourTX680’sbatterypackwilldischargeitself
within a few months. If you have not used
yourTX680forsometime,youwillneedto
rechargethebatterypackbeforeuse.
WARNING: Use only the approved GME
charger.Theuseofothertypesmaybe
dangerous and will void the warranty.
Fitting the Battery Pack
Tofitthebatterypack:
1. Locatethebottomofthebatterypack
intothetwoslotsinthebaseofthe
radio frame.
2. Pressthetopofthebatterypackinto
place against the radio until it ‘clicks’.
To Remove the Battery Pack
1. Slidethebatteryretainingclipdownward
whilepullingthetopofthebatteryaway
from the radio.
2. Liftthebatterypackupwardtoclearthe
slotsatthebottomoftheradio.
Charging the Battery Pack
Your TX680 is supplied with an AC adaptor
and a Semi-quick charger.
The charger will charge a fully discharged
1000mAhbatterypacktofullcapacityin
around 3-4 hours.
1. Plug the charger into a standard 240 Volt
AC outlet.
2. Plug the lead from the charger into the
charging cradle.
3. Place the TX680 into the cradle. The Red
LEDwilllighttoindicatethebattery
is charging.
4. Whenthebatteryhascharged,theLED
will change to Green.
Battery Low Alert
Whenthebatteryiconblinksonthedisplay,
thebatterylevelislowandthebatterypack
shouldberecharged.Ifthebatteryisnot
charged,anaudiotonewillthensoundto
warntheuserthatthebatteryis
almost discharged.
Slide
Downwards
Swing
Away
Press Press
To Remove Battery Pack
To Refit Battery Pack
Slide
Downwards
Swing
Away
Press Press

Page 6 INSTRUCTION MANUAL TX680
Battery Usage
Thetimetakentodischargethebatterypack
will depend on how you use the TX680.
The1000mAhbatterypacksuppliedis
powerful enough for a full days use under
averageconditions.(OptionalBP0061850
mAhbatterypackalsoavailable.)
Conserving Battery Power
TheTX680hasbuilt-inpowersavingfeatures
tohelpyougetthemaximumamountoftime
betweenchargesfromyourLi-Ionbattery
pack. If you need to operate your TX680
inasituationwhereyourequiremaximum
batterylife(e.g.aremotesitewherethereis
noconvenientrechargingfacilitynearby)the
following hints can greatly reduce the amount
ofpowerdrawnfromthebatterypack.
Standby Mode
The TX680 will automatically enter the
‘Standby’modewhenitisinactive(i.e.not
transmitting or receiving signals. While in
Standbymodeitwillstillcheckforincoming
signalsbutitwilldrawconsiderablyless
powerfromthebatterypack.Assoonasa
signal is heard or the keys are pressed the
TX680will‘wakeup’again.ThisStandby
modeisautomaticandbyitselfcanextend
thebatterylifebymanyhours.
Using CTCSS
Ifyouareexpectingtoreceivesignalsona
busychannel,youcanprogramthatchannel
for CTCSS operation and get the other person
to call you using the same CTCSS tone. Your
radiowillthenremaininStandbyandignore
all other signals until your selected CTCSS
tone is received.
Scanning
The TX680 draws more power from the
batterypackwhenscanningthanwhen
monitoringasinglechannel.Thisisbecause
it must ‘wake up’ more often to monitor
each channel for activity. You can squeeze
thatextrabitoflifefromthebatterypack
byavoidinganyunnecessaryscanning.In
addition,scanningincreasesthechanceof
findingasignaltherebykeepingthereceiver
‘awake’ and the squelch open more often.
Low Transmit Power Settings
Thetransmitterhasbothhighandlowpower
settings. If you are only operating over short
distances,areinareasonablyhighlocation
orareclosetoalocalrepeater,tryusingthe
Low transmitter power setting. This reduces
the transmitter power from 3 Watts to 1 Watt
effectivelydoublingthetalktimeavailable.
GENERAL OPERATION
POWER ON/OFF
Rotate the Volume control clockwise past the
‘click’ to turn the radio on. Rotate the control
counter-clockwise past the click to turn the
radio off again.
ADJUSTING THE VOLUME
Withtheunitpoweredon,rotatetheVolume
control clockwise to increase the volume and
counter-clockwise to decrease the volume.
DISPLAY LIGHTING
TheLCDbacklightingactivatesautomatically
whenever a key is pressed and turns off
automaticallyafterabout5seconds.

TX680 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Page 7
RECEIVING SIGNALS
WhiletheTX680isnotreceivingsignals,it
willremainintheStandbymodetoconserve
batterypower.Whenasignalisreceived,the
LED indicator on the upper edge of the radio
will light Green and the icon will appear
on the display. Adjust the volume control for
acomfortablelisteninglevel.
If the incoming signal is encoded with a
CTCSS tone that matches the one set in your
radio,theLEDindicatorwilllightOrangeand
youwillbeabletohearthesignalin
the speaker.
If the LED indicator lights Green and the
iconappearsbutyoucannothearthesignal,
itislikelythatyourradiohasCTCSSenabled
and the incoming signal is not using your
selectedCTCSStone(seeModeSettingsfor
moredetailsonCTCSSsettings).
Ifnofurthersignalsarereceived,theunitwill
returntostandbymode.
TRANSMITTING
Totransmit,pressandholdthePush-To-Talk
(PTT)switch.Theotherradioyouaretalking
tomustbesettothesamechannel(and
CTCSScodeifapplicable).HoldtheTX680
approximately5to8cmsfromyourfacewith
the antenna vertical and speak into the
built-inmicrophone.
WhilethePTTswitchispressed,theLED
indicator on the upper edge of the radio will
light RED and the icon will appear on
the LCD.
Whenyouhavenishedspeaking,release
thePTTswitchtoreceiveincomingsignals(it
isnotpossibletotransmitandreceiveatthe
sametime).Ifnofurthersignalsarereceived,
theunitwillreverttostandbymode.
TIP: ThePTTswitchcanalsobeusedto
transmit a Call Alarm melody. When the Call
Alarmmelodyisenabled(seeModesettings
formoredetailsontheCallAlarmsettings),
pressing the PTT switch twice quickly will
call another party on the same channel and
play the Call Alarm melody in their radio’s
speaker.Whenthishappens,the icon
will appear and the LED indicator will light
REDforabout5seconds.Thecallalarmcan
onlybesentonceperminute.
SELECTING CHANNELS
Inthe‘Standby’mode,pressthe key to
step up one channel or the key to step
down one channel.
Press and hold the or keys to quickly
scroll through the channels.
SQL KEY
The SQL key is a dual function key that
controlsboththeSquelchandCTCSS
Squelch
Toopenthesquelch,brieflypresstheSQL
key. This will allow you to check the current
channelforactivitybeforetransmitting,
particularlyifyouhaveCTCSSenabled.When
thesquelchisopen,theLEDindicatoron
theupperedgeoftheradiowilllightGreen,
the icon will appear on the display and
you will hear static or hiss if the channel
is clear. Do not transmit if you hear any
conversations. Briefly press the SQL key again
to close the squelch.

Page 8 INSTRUCTION MANUAL TX680
CTCSS
Press and hold the SQL key to activate or
deactivateCTCSS.Whenactivated,the‘CTC’
iconwillappearonthedisplay,alongwith
the selected CTCSS code.
Note: To activateordeactivateCTCSS,the
current channel must have a CTCSS code
selected via the MODEkey(SeeMODEkey
settingsformoredetails).
DUP BUTTON
DuplexoperationallowstheTX680to
transmit on a different frequency to that
which it receives. This allows operation
through repeater stations in your area.
Repeaters automatically re-transmit your
signaloveramuchwiderarea,providing
greatlyincreasedrange.TheDuplexmode
onlyworksonchannels1-8.WithDuplex
selected,yourTX680actuallytransmits30
channels higher than it receives.
ToswitchbetweenSimplexandDuplex
modes,selectaduplexchannel(1-8)then
brieflypresstheDUPbutton.WhenDuplex
modeisselected,‘DUP’appearsonthe
display on that channel.
SCAN KEY
The SCAN key is a dual function key that
controlsbothScanandMemoryFunctions.
Scanning Function
Channel Scanning allows you to monitor
selected channels automatically for incoming
signals.Whiletheradioisscanning,the
MODEsettingkeyisdisabled.
To Select Channels for Scanning
1. Press the or keys to select the
required channel.
2. Press and hold the SCAN key until the
radiobeeps.‘M’willappearonthe
display indicating the selected channel is
now stored in the Scan Memory.
3. Repeat to store further channels into the
Scan Memory.
4. To remove a channel from the Scan
Group,pressandholdtheSCAN key
again. ‘M’ will disappear from the display.
To Scan the Selected Channels
Briefly press the SCANkey.‘SCAN’willbe
displayed and the radio will show rapidly
changingchannelnumbersasitscans
throughthechannels.Whilescanning,briefly
press the or keys to select the
scan direction.
Toexitthescanmode,brieflypresstheSCAN
key again. The TX680 will return to normal
operation and ‘SCAN’ will disappear from
the display.
Note:Mustbeatleast2channelsinScan
Memory otherwise the radio will not scan.
Channel
Selected
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Receive
Channel
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Transmit
Channel
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

TX680 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Page 9
Scanning Features
• Ifasignalisreceived,thescanispaused,
allowing you to transmit and receive on
that channel. The radio will automatically
resume scanning a few seconds after the
last reception or transmission.
• PressthePTTswitchwhiletheunitis
scanning to jump to the home channel
(thehomechannelisthechannelthe
Radio was on at the time scanning was
activated).Youcanthentransmit
and receive on that channel. The radio
will automatically resume scanning a
few seconds after the last reception
or transmission.
• Whentheunithasstoppedonabusy
channel,pressthe or keys to
‘Skip’overthebusychanneland
continue scanning.
TIP: The scan mode will reduce the overall
batterylifebecausetheStandby(battery
saver)featureisoverridden.Youshouldavoid
scanningifthebatteryisrunninglowand
you need to conserve power.
KEY-LOCK FUNCTION
TheKey-Lockfunctiondisablesthekeysto
prevent accidental key presses from changing
the preferred settings of the radio. When the
keysarelocked,the Icon is displayed and
allkeypressesareignoredexceptforthe
PTT and Key-Lock functions.
ToactivatetheKey-Lock,pressandholdthe
DUPbuttonforabout2seconds.The icon
will appear on the display. To cancel the
Key-Lock,pressandholdtheDUPbutton
again. The icon will disappear from
the display.
MODE KEY
The MODE key is used to set the various
feature settings of the TX680. The following
chart shows the order of these selections.
Standby Mode:
1. CTCSS Code Selection
2. Transmitter Power
3. VOX Settings
4. Dual Watch Channel
5. Button Beep Selection
6. Call Alarm Selection
1. CTCSS CODE SELECTION
The Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System
(CTCSS)isasquelchquietingsystemthat
allows groups of users to share the same
channelwithoutdisturbingeachother.Ituses
1 of 38 low frequency tones to open and
close the squelch on the radio. The CTCSS
codes do not prevent others from hearing
your transmission. They simply provide you
withaquieterchannelbypreventingyou
from hearing transmissions that are not using
the same code as you and are therefore not
directed at you.
Note: To communicate with other UHF
radiosusingCTCSS,allradiosyouwishto
communicatewithmustbeswitchedtothe
same channel and have the same CTCSS
code selected. If you wish to receive signals
from UHF radios that are not using CTCSS

Page 10 INSTRUCTION MANUAL TX680
youwillneedtoeitherdisableCTCSSon
that channel or set the CTCSS code to oF as
describedbelow.
To select a CTCSS code
FromtheStandbymode:
1. Select the required channel using the
or keys.
2. Press the MODE key ONCE to select the
CTCSS setting mode. ‘CTC’ will flash on
the display.
3. Press the or keys to select the
requiredCTCSScode.(Alistofavailable
codes is shown in the chart at the end of
thismanual).
Note: To turn CTCSSoffonthischannel,set
the CTCSS code to oF.
4. Press and hold the MODEkey(orpress
the PTTkeymomentarily)toconfirmand
store your selection.
To Activate CTCSS on the Radio
1. Select a channel that has a CTCSS
code selected.
2. Press and hold the SQL keyforabout2
seconds. The ‘CTC’ icon and CTCSS code
will appear on the display. CTCSS is now
enabledonALLchannelsthathaveCTCSS
codes selected.
To Deactivate CTCSS on the Radio
1.SelectaCTCSSenabledchannelusingthe
or keys. The ‘CTC’ icon and CTCSS
codewillbedisplayedonthatchannel.
2. Press and hold the SQLkeyforabout2
seconds. The ‘CTC’ icon and CTCSS code
will disappear from the display indicating
CTCSS is no longer activated.
Note: CTCSSisonlyenabledonthose
channels with CTCSS codes selected.
All other channels will continue to
operate normally.
2. TRANSMITTER POWER
ThetransmitterpowercanbesettoHigh
(3Watts)orLow(1Watt).Thepowersetting
applies to all channels
To set the Transmit Power
FromtheStandbymode:
1. Press the MODE key TWICE to select the
power setting mode. Powillbedisplayed
andHIorLOwillbeflashingonthedisplay.
2. Press the or keys to select the
required power setting. Select HI for high
power or LO for low power.
3. Press and hold the MODEkey(orpress
the PTTkeymomentarily)toconfirmand
store your selection.
The TX680 should now display the selected
channelnumberalongwithHIorLOto
indicate the transmit power you have set.
3. VOX SETTINGS
The VOX feature lets you have handsfree
conversations.Whenyouspeak,the
microphone automatically detects your voice
(orothernearbysound)causingtheradio
to transmit without the need to press the
PTT switch.
To set radio for VOX operation
FromtheStandbymode:
1. Press the MODE key THREE times to
select the VOX setting mode. ‘VOX’ will
flash on the display.