Midland SP-400 Series User manual

User’s Guide
SP-400 Series Portable
4/16 Channel VHF-FM Portable Transceiver
4/16 Channel UHF-FM Portable Transceiver
www.midlandradio.com

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
2©2005, Midland Radio Corporation
FCC RF EXPOSURE COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
FOR OCCUPATIONAL USE ONLY
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), within
its action in General Docket 93-62, November 7, 1997,
has adopted a safety standard for human exposure to
Radio Frequency (RF) electromagnetic energy emitted
by FCC regulated equipment. Midland Radio Corporation
subscribes to the same safety standard for the use of its
products. Proper operation of this radio will result in user
exposure far below the Occupational Safety and Health
Act (OSHA) and FCC limits.
DO NOT transmit for more than 50% of total use
time (50% duty cycle). Transmitting more than
50% of the time can cause FCC RF exposure
compliance requirements to be exceeded.
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 the user’s exposure
conditions for satisfying the higher exposure
limit allowed for occupational use.
When transmitting, hold the radio in a vertical
position with its microphone 2 inches (5 cm)
away from your mouth. The radio is transmitting
when the red LED on the front of the radio is
illuminated. You can cause the radio to transmit
by pressing the PTT button on the radio. DO NOT
transmit while the radio is attached to your belt.
These are required operating conditions for
meeting FCC RF exposure compliance. Failure to
observe these restrictions means violation.

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
Contents
Conventions and Symbols in this Book................................... 4
Disclaimer................................................................................ 5
Safety....................................................................................... 5
Introduction.............................................................................. 7
Radio models ....................................................................... 7
Radio features...................................................................... 7
Radio Controls......................................................................... 9
Top ....................................................................................... 9
Top ..................................................................................... 10
Front................................................................................... 10
Side (right).......................................................................... 10
Side (left)............................................................................ 10
Setup...................................................................................... 12
Unpacking .......................................................................... 12
Attaching and removing the antenna ................................. 12
Installing and removing the battery pack............................ 13
Installing and removing the belt clip................................... 13
Charging the battery pack.................................................. 14
Basic Operation ..................................................................... 16
Turning the radio ON and OFF .......................................... 16
Adjusting the volume.......................................................... 16
Selecting the channel......................................................... 16
Receiving transmissions from other radios........................ 16
Monitoring the channel....................................................... 18
Transmitting to other radios ............................................... 19
Selecting transmission power ............................................ 20
©2005, Midland Radio Corporation 3

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
Sending a 2-tone/selective call or emergency call............. 20
Scanning channels............................................................. 21
Advanced Operations ............................................................ 24
Operating hands-free ......................................................... 24
Using the scrambler ........................................................... 25
Editing your scan list .......................................................... 25
Care and Maintenance........................................................... 26
Using rechargeable battery packs...................................... 26
Cleaning your radio............................................................ 30
Optional Accessories............................................................. 30
Recommended accessories............................................... 31
Quick Reference.................................................................... 32
Controls function table........................................................ 32
Status LED table ................................................................ 33
Specifications......................................................................... 34
Warranty Statement............................................................... 35
Conventions and Symbols in this Book
This symbol marks a “caution”. Cautions are special
notices which you should read and follow carefully to
avoid possible damage to your equipment and to avoid
potential danger to yourself or other people.
!This symbol marks an “important point”. Important points
are specific instructions which should be followed closely
for proper operation.
This symbol marks a “note”. Notes are hints or tips which
offer additional information to help you.
4©2005, Midland Radio Corporation

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
Disclaimer
Midland Radio Corporation is committed to continuous quality
improvements, for this reason specifications may change without
prior notice.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this
document is complete, accurate, and up-to-date. Midland
assumes no responsibility for the results of errors beyond its
control. The manufacturer of this equipment also cannot
guarantee that changes in the equipment made by unauthorized
people will not affect the transceiver’s performance or functions.
Safety
Your SP-400 series portable transceiver has been carefully
designed to give you years of safe, reliable performance. As with
all electrical equipment, however, there are a few basic
precautions you should take to avoid injury to yourself or
damage to the radio:
Read the instructions in this handbook carefully. Be
sure to save it for future reference.
Read and follow all warning and instruction labels
on the radio itself.
Do not carry the transceiver by the antenna. This
may damage the antenna or antenna terminal. Grasp it
by its base (not the tip!) when you need to attach or
remove the antenna.
Do not hold the radio with the antenna very close to,
or touching the body, while transmitting. The radio
will perform best if the microphone is 2-4 inches away
from the mouth and the radio is vertical.
Be sure the PTT button is not pressed when you do
not need to transmit.
©2005, Midland Radio Corporation 5

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
Do not operate the radio near unshielded electrical
blasting caps or in an explosive atmosphere.
Do not transmit without the antenna attached to the
radio. Though designed for protection against damage,
damage to the transmitter may occur.
Respect the environmental conditions. The radio is
designed to operate in harsh environments, but avoiding
extended or unnecessary exposure will prolong the
service life.
Never attempt to disassemble or service the radio
yourself (aside from the routine maintenance described
in this handbook). It will immediately void the warranty
and you may cause damage requiring extensive repair
work. Always contact your local dealer or
communications coordinator for assistance.
Use only recommended accessories. Use of incorrect
accessories could seriously damage your handheld
transceiver.
Do not use your radio near water, or spill liquid of
any kind into it. If the transceiver gets wet immediately
dry it with a soft, clean cloth.
Switch the radio off before you clean it. Follow the
instructions in the “Care and maintenance” section.
Handle the battery properly. Follow the instructions in
the “Care and maintenance” section.
Make sure that your AC power source matches the
rating of the supplied battery charger AC adapter.
The above warning list is not intended to include all
hazards that may be encountered when using this radio.
6©2005, Midland Radio Corporation

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
Introduction
Congratulations! By choosing the Midland SP-400 series, you
have selected a professional grade portable radio. Its rugged
design will provide years of reliable service and its sophisticated
software allows many customizable options.
Radio models
There are four models in the SP-400 series portable radio line.
The models differ only by band of operation and channel
capacity.
SP-410 – 4 channel VHF, 148-174 MHz.
SP-420 – 4 channel UHF, 440-470 MHz.
SP-430 – 16 channel VHF, 148-174 MHz.
SP-440 – 16 channel UHF, 440-470 MHz.
Radio features
The SP-400 series is a programmable, synthesized radio with
the following features:
5Easy to use – only five controls access all the
transceiver’s functions.
5Up to sixteen channel capacity – simple and reliable
knob selection.
5Programmable transmit power – select the transmit
power to maximize range or battery life. 1 or 5 watts (4
watts UHF) programmable per channel.
5Channel scanning – flexible scan programming allows
the radio to search for signals on programmed channels.
Priority scan, priority transmit and priority lookback are
all programmable selections. Scan talkback and
nuisance delete functions are available.
5CTCSS/DCS encode and decode– blocks
conversations sharing the same frequency that are not
intended for you. Allows access to your radio repeaters.
©2005, Midland Radio Corporation 7

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
47 CTCSS tones and 104 DCS codes programmable per
channel.
52-tone decode – your radio may be programmed to
respond only when paged with a two-tone sequence.
Two sequences selectable per channel and up to 15
different sequences programmable per radio.
5VOX (voice operated transmit) – allows hands-free
operation using an optional headset/microphone.
5Voice inversion scrambler – for secure
communications. Radio communications are encoded
and decoded, when activated, to make the conversation
unintelligible to third parties listening on your frequency.
52-tone or sequential tone selective call – for more
advanced radio network management. Allows individual
or group calls to users in a radio network.
5Emergency selective call – can be sent to alert other
users of an emergency situation with an activation
protected against accidental switching.
5Busy channel lockout – prevents transmission when
the channel is busy. Programmable override function will
allow transmission during repeater hangtime.
5Transmit time-out timer – ensures continuous
transmissions are limited to the programmed time. A
penalty timer is also programmable.
5Battery save mode – may be programmed to extend
battery life.
5Wide range of optional accessories –provide
additional flexibility of use.
These transceivers are compliant with ETS 300 086, IEC529
level IP54 and MIL STD 810E.
8©2005, Midland Radio Corporation

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
Radio Controls
Please read this section to familiarize yourself with the
transceiver’s controls.
2
3
1
7 4
6
8
5
9
©2005, Midland Radio Corporation 9

SP-400 Series User’s Guide
Top
[1] Channel selector knob. Rotate this knob to select the
operating channel.
[2] Power ON/OFF knob. Rotate this knob clockwise to turn the
transceiver on (counterclockwise to turn off).
[3] Status LED. Tri-color LED lights and flashes at different rates
to indicate operating conditions.
Front
[4] Speaker. Receive audio will be heard from the built in
speaker located in this area.
[5] Microphone. The internal microphone is located here.
Side (right)
[6] Accessory connector. Use for connection of
speaker/microphones, headsets and other accessories. It should
be protected with the supplied cap when not in use. For
additional information, please see the “Accessory Connections”
section.
Side (left)
[7] Upper function (monitor) button. The upper function button
performs two functions. The primary function is activated by a
brief button press (press and release) and the secondary
function is activated by pressing the button for more than two
seconds (press and hold):
If you press the upper function button for less than two
seconds the monitor mode will be activated while pressed
and deactivated when released. For details, please see the
“Monitoring the channel” section.
If you press the upper function button for more than two
seconds the monitor mode will latch on. To turn the monitor
mode off, press and release the upper function button. For
details, please see the “Monitoring the channel” section.
10 ©2005, Midland Radio Corporation