RCA MRM400 User manual

VHF Marine Two-Way Radio

TO USER:
Thank you for purchasing this marine radio. You will find
the professional and human oriented design of the trans-
ceiver during use. Please read all instructions carefully
and completely before using the transceiver.
CAUTION
Never use the Distress call when your ship or a person is not in
an emergency.
Do not use or place the transceiver in areas with heat, humidity
and dust.
The working voltage for the transceiver is 13.8V. If the power
source is 24V, please use a power converter (24V convert to
13.8V), or the transceiver won’t work.
Never directly connect to AC220V, this will ruin the transceiver.
If an abnormal odor or smoke is detected coming from the trans-
ceiver, turn off the power immediately.
Do not transmit before connecting the antenna, this will ruin the
transceiver.
After long time use, the heating panel becomes hot, that is nor-
mal state.

PREPARATION
Supplied accessories.............................................................................1
Transceiver mounting............................................................................1
Antenna connection...............................................................................2
Connections...........................................................................................2
Dimensions............................................................................................3
PANEL DESCRIPTION
Front panel ............................................................................................4
Microphone............................................................................................5
Function display.....................................................................................5
BASIC OPERATION
Power ON / OFF....................................................................................7
Receiving and transmitting....................................................................7
Channel group selection........................................................................7
Channel selection..................................................................................7
Call channel programming.....................................................................8
Channel comments................................................................................9
Microphone lock function.......................................................................9
Display backlighting...............................................................................9
AquaQuake water draining function ......................................................9
SCAN OPERATION
Scan types............................................................................................10
Setting TAG channels...........................................................................10
Starting a scan......................................................................................10
DUAL-WATCH / TRI-WATCH
Description............................................................................................11
Operation..............................................................................................11
CONTENTS
DSC OPERATION
MMSI code programming.....................................................................12
MMSI code check.................................................................................12
DCS address ID....................................................................................12
Distress call..........................................................................................13
Individual call........................................................................................14
Group call.............................................................................................16
All Ships call.........................................................................................17
Geographical Area call .........................................................................18
Position indication.................................................................................18
SET MODE
Set mode programming........................................................................21
Set mode items.....................................................................................21
CHANNEL LIST ..................................................................................23
SPECIFICATIONS................................................................................24
TROUBLESHOOTING.........................................................................24

1
Supplied accessories

The following accessories are supplied:
ITEM QTY
DC power cable 1
Spare fuse 1
Mounting bracket 1
Screws for mounting bracket 1
Microphone hanger 1
Instruction manual 1
Transceiver mounting

Using the supplied mounting bracket 
The universal mounting bracket supplied with your transceiver allows overhead
or dashboard mounting.
Fix the mounting bracket to shelf or dashboard with the supplied screws and1. mount the transceiver to the mounting bracket with the knob bolts.
Mount the transceiver so that the face of the transceiver is at 90°to your line2. of sight when operating it and tighten the knob bolts so that the transceiver
is securely mounted.
You may use a spongy cushion between the transceiver and 
mounting bracket to reduce the vibration.
PREPARATION

2
Embedded mounting 
Cut a hole into the instrument panel (or wherever you plan to mount the1. transceiver).
Slide the transceiver through the holes as shown below.2.
Attach the clamps on either side of the transceiver with 2 supplied bolts.3.
Tighten the end bolts on the clamps so that the clamps press firmly against4. the inside of the instrument control panel.
Antenna connection

Please connect an antenna before transmitting. Select the antenna with the relative
frequency and connect on the ANT antenna connector. Use the antenna and low
loss concentric with the same natural impedance 50Ω.
Transmitting without an antenna may damage the trans-
ceiver.
Connections

After connecting the DC power cable, GPS receiver lead and external speaker lead,
cover the connector and leads with an adhesive tape as below, to prevent water
seeping into the transceiver.

3
External speaker lead 
Connect to an external speaker.
GPS receiver lead 
Connect to a GPS receiver for position indication.
An NMEA0183 ver.2.0 or 3.01 (sentence formatters RMC, GGA, GNS,
GLL) compatible GPS receiver is required.
DC power connector 
Connect the supplied DC power cable from this connector to an external 13.8V
DC power source. Do not connect to 24V storage battery.
Fuse replacement 
One fuse is installed in the supplied DC power cable. If a fuse blows or the trans-
ceiver stops functioning, track down the source of the problem, if possible, and
replace the damaged fuse with a new, rated one.
Please power off before replacing the fuse, the required fuse is
DC15A/32V.
Dimensions


4
PANEL DESCRIPTION
Front panel

Channel 16 / Call Channel Key [16]1.
→Push to select Channel 16.
→Push and hold for 1 sec. to select call channel.
“CALL” appears when the call channel is selected.
→While pushing and holding [CH/WX], push [16] to enter the channel
comments programming condition.
→Push to move the cursor backward.
→While turning power ON, push [16] to enter set mode.
Channel / Weather Channel Key2.
→Select and toggle the regular channel and weather channel when pushed
momentarily.
→Push and hold for 1 sec. to start Dualwatch or Tri-watch.
→Push to stop Dualwatch or Tri-watch when either is activated.
→Push to move the cursor forward.
3. DSC / Position Key
→Push to enter DSC menu.
→Push and hold for 1 sec. to show the current position from a GPS receiver.
4. Squelch Control [SQL]
Rotate to set the squelch threshold level.
5. Power / Volume Control [VOL]
Rotate to turn the transceiver power ON and OFF and adjusts the audio level.
6. Distress Key [DISTRESS]
Push and hold for 5 sec. to transmit a Distress call.
7. Scan / Tag Key [SCAN]
→Push to start or stop the normal or priority scan.
→Push and hold for 1 sec. to set or clear the displayed channel as a TAG
(scanned) channel.
The favorite channels are set by the TAG channel setting.
→Push and hold [HI/LO] and [SCAN] to clear all TAG channels in the selected
channel group.
Repeat above procedure to set all TAG channels.
8. [▲][▼] / [U/I/C]
→Select the operating channels, set mode settings, etc.
→While pushing and holding [SCAN], push [▲] or [▼] to adjust the brightness
of the LCD and key backlight.
→Select one of three channel groups in sequence when both keys are
pushed.
→While turning power ON, push and hold both keys to activate theAquaQuake
function.

5
Microphone

[PTT]1.
Push and hold to transmit; release to receive.
Channel UP / DOWN Keys[▲]/[▼]2.
→Push either key to change the operating channel, set mode settings, etc.
→When the favorite channel function is turned ON, push either key to select
the favorite channels in the selected channel group in sequence.
Transmit Power Key [HI/LO]3.
→Push to toggle the power high and low.
Some channels are set to low power only.
→While push and hold [HI/LO], turn power ON to toggle the microphone
lock function ON and OFF.
Function display

Channel Number Readout1.
→Indicate the selected operating channel number. (Refer to channel list)
→In set mode, indicate the selected condition.
Channel Group Indicator2.
Indicate whether a U.S.A. “U”, International “I” or Canadian “C” channel is
in use.
Channel Comment Indicator3.
→Channel comment appears if programmed.
→“LOW BATTERY” scrolls when the battery voltage drops approx. 10.8V
DC or below.
→“SC” blinks during priority scan; “SCAN” blinks during normal scan.
→“DW” blinks during Dualwatch; “TW” blinks during Tri-watch.
DSC Indicators4.
→“DSC” appears when a DSC call is received.
→“POS REPLY” appears when a position reply call or position report reply

6
call is received.
GPS Indicator5.
→Appears while valid position data is received.
→Blinks when invalid position data is received.
→Disappears when no GPS receiver is connected.
Weather Channel Indicator6.
→“WX” appears when a weather channel is selected.
→“WX ALT” appears when the weather alert function is in use; blinks when
an alert tone is received.
Duplex Indicator7.
Appears when a duplex channel is selected.
Low Power Indicator8.
Appears when low power is selected.
Call Channel Indicator9.
Appears when the call channel is selected.
TAG Channel Indicator10.
Appears when a TAG channel is selected.
Busy Indicator11.
Appears when receiving a signal or when the squelch opens.
Transmit Indicator12.
Appears while transmitting.

7
BASIC OPERATION
Power ON / OFF

Rotate [VOL] clockwise to turn power on;1.
Rotate [VOL] counter-clockwise to turn power off.2.
Receiving and transmitting

Transmitting 
Push1. [HI/LO] on the microphone to select the output power if necessary.
”LOW” appears when low power is selected.
Choose low power for short range communication, choose high power for
longer distance communication.
Some channels are for low power only.
Push and hold2. [PTT] to transmit, then speak into the microphone.
“TX” appears.
Channel 70 cannot be used for transmission other than DSC.
Release3. [PTT] to receive.
Note:
Do not transmit before connecting the antenna, this will ruin the trans-
ceiver.
The TOT (Time-out Timer) function inhibits continuous transmission over a
preset time period after the transmission starts.
Receiving 
Set the audio and squelch levels.1. Rotate2. [SQL] fully counterclockwise in advance.
Rotate3. [VOL] to adjust the audio output level.
Rotate4. [SQL] clockwise until the noise disappears.
“When receiving a signal, ””appears and audio is emitted from the
speaker.
Channel group selection

The transceiver is pre-programmed with 59 U.S.A., 59 international and 63 Cana-
dian channels. These channel groups may be specified for the operating area.
Push [CH/WX] to select a regular channel.1. If a weather channel appears, push[CH/WX] again.
Push2. [U/I/C] (both [▲] and [▼] on the transceiver to change the channel
group, if necessary.
U.S.A., International and Canadian channel groups can be selected in
sequence.
Push3. [▲] or [▼] to select a channel.
””appears for duplex channels.
Channel selection

Channel 16 
Channel 16 is the distress and safety channel. It is used for establishing initial
contact with a station and for emergency communication. Channel 16 is moni-
tored during both Dual-watch and Tri-watch. While standing by, you must monitor
Channel 16.