uWhen transmitting, hold the radio microphone 25–50mm (1–2 inches) from your mouth.
uWhen transmitting, keep the antenna at least 25mm (1 inch) from any part of your
body, especially your face and eyes.
uTurn off the radio where radio waves could interfere with electronic devices.
uTurn off the radio at fuel/gas stations.
uTurn off the radio in an area where detonators/explosives are being used.
uTurn off the radio before boarding/leaving an aircraft and whilst on board an aircraft.
uDo not use the radio whilst driving vehicles or operating machinery.
uDo not use earphones or headsets at high volume levels.
uDo not transmit in frequency bands used by distress beacons, such as 406–406.1 MHz.
uDo not put the radio, battery or accessories in liquids as they will be damaged.
uDo not allow children to play with the radio; it is not a toy.
Hazardous Atmospheres
A hazardous atmosphere has the potential for fire or explosion from dusts, gases, liquids
and solids. Make sure of the following in hazardous atmospheres:
uOnly use approved Intrinsically Safe (IS) radios, batteries and other accessories.
Refer to the service manual for a list of approved items.
uDo not use battery chargers in hazardous atmospheres.
uTurn off and do not use non-approved radios.
uOnly use IS batteries with IS radios.
uDo not use damaged or cracked radios.
uDo not modify IS radios.
Electromagnetic Interference
Turn off the radio where radio waves could interfere with electronic devices. Some facilities
use equipment that is sensitive to Electromagnetic Interference such as: hospitals, medical
centres, aircraft and some industrial facilities. Only use your radio in these situations if the
radio is qualified for use in such areas.
Note: The warning below applies to FCC approved radios in 800 MHz and 900 MHz frequency bands:
FCC RF Exposure Limits
This product generates radio frequency energy during transmissions. It is class-
ified by the FCC as suitable for general population use in an uncontrolled ex-
posure environment. The following conditions apply to the use of this radio:
uIt must only be used with authorised accessories and antennas.
uDo not exceed a duty cycle ratio of 20% transmit mode to standby or receive modes.
The radio is in transmit mode when the PTT key on the radio is pressed and the TX
indicator LED is lit.
Looking after your Battery
uDo not put the battery in fluids.
uDo not drop the battery onto hard surfaces. Place it down carefully.
uRepairs and modifications must only be carried out by a Tait approved
dealer.
uTo maintain the optimum performance of the battery, refer to the
section on Battery Performance.
Battery Problems
Crystalline growth and the formation of inter-metallic compounds are
the main causes of poor battery performance.
Conditioning helps to break up crystalline formations that cause reduced
surface area for charge and thus reduced capacity/shift life. Crystalline
formations can cause self-discharge in extreme cases where the crystals
grow through the separator.
Conditioning also helps to break up the inter-metallic compounds that
can form and cause resistance and thus reduced capacity/shift life.
IMPORTANT: Excessive short and long conditioning will reduce the life
of the battery. Follow these recommendations:
uShort condition the battery weekly.
uLong condition the battery only for the following reasons: on first use
of new battery, if performance is poor, and after more than two weeks
of storage.
Recycle
Recycle batteries that
are of no use. Contact
your authorised Tait
dealer for
more advice.
Safety Precautions
Earphones,
Palm
and Lapel
Microphones
Battery
Charger
6-Way
Multi-Charger
Battery
Antennas
Accessory
Connector Kits
D-Clip
Leather Carry Cases
Belt Loop
Car Kit
Accessory
Adaptors
Headphones
Servicing and Programming Kits
Speaker
Microphones
Accessories
Contact your authorised Tait Dealer
Accessory Use
Carry Case
Belt Loop
Note for Accessories
To use the belt loop,
the accessory needs
the D-clip fitting.
For example: a lapel
microphone.
Using the
radio, lapel
microphone
and carry
case
Remove by
peeling
apart
Install the
Belt Loop
Removing
the D-clip
Installing
the Battery
Installing the
Radio and
Carry Case
Removing the Radio
and Carry Case
Rotate
the Carry
Case by
180
degrees
Slide the Carry
Case upwards
Unfasten
the Clip and
remove the
Radio
Install
the clip
Install
the
Radio
Install
the
Carry
Case
Battery Performance
Battery Types
There are two types of battery for your Tait Orca radio: Nickel Cadmium
(NiCd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH). NiCd batteries are the preferred
choice for shelf life, service life, high transmit duty cycles, extreme
temperatures and general use. NiMH Batteries are best suited to low
transmit duty cycles where a long standby duration is required.
Battery Safety
Do not install or remove batteries in hazardous atmospheres as an
explosion or fire could occur, even if the radio is qualified for use in such
environments.A hazardous atmosphere has the potential for fire or
explosion from dusts, gases, liquids and solids.
Battery Storage
uIf storing the radio for long periods, remove the battery to ensure no
power loss.
uFor best results, discharge the battery until the ‘low battery’ warning
is given.
uNiMH batteries can typically be useless after 2 years of storage at
room temperature.
uStore batteries in a cool and dry location, away from direct sunlight.
uLong condition the battery after storage.
Charging Batteries
Tait Orca 5000 – IMPORTANT
Do not put Tait Orca 5000 batteries into older battery chargers such as
the ‘green button’ models.Tait Orca 5000 NiCd/NiMH batteries are ONLY
for battery chargers with software version 2·07+.The software version
number is on the label underneath the battery charger.
Charging Batteries – Tait Orca Elan, Excel and Eclipse
All Tait Orca batteries (TOPB100, TOPB200, TOPB400, TOPB500, TOPB600,
TOPB700) are compatible with Tait Orca radios and chargers (software
version 2·07+). However, care needs to be taken to ensure appropriate
choice of belt clips and carry accessories.
Battery Shift Life
Battery shift life is affected by many factors. For example:
uTrunked radios will generally use more power than conventional radios
u1500mAh is the minimum recommended battery size for trunked
radios
uA radio on standby will use less power than a radio that is used to
transmit and receive regularly
Battery Service Life
uBattery service life is ultimately reduced by the number of charges
and discharges, and the way it is treated.
uBatteries can typically have a longer service life if there is some residual
charge remaining after every shift prior to recharging, and if the battery
is short conditioned every week.
uAlthough important for battery maintenance, long conditioning and
short conditioning affect the battery service life, and should therefore
not be done more frequently than recommended.
Battery Temperature
uTemperatures below –20ºC (–4ºF) will permanently damage NiMH
batteries.
uNiHM batteries are not recommended for temperatures below 0ºC
(32ºF) or above 40ºC (104ºF).
uNiCd batteries are more resistant to very warm and cold environments
compared with NiMH.
Battery Performance
We recommend the use of a battery analyser to monitor the performance of
batteries. Note that different analysers produce different results.
To maintain the optimum performance of the battery:
Note: Excessive short and long conditioning will reduce the life of the battery.
Follow these recommendations to maintain the optimum performance of the
battery:
uCharge the battery as soon as the radio gives the ‘low battery’ warning.
uShort condition the battery weekly.
uLong condition the battery only for the following reasons: on first use of new
battery, if performance is poor, and after more than two weeks of storage.
uDo not charge a charged battery that has had little or no use.
uDo not leave charged batteries in the charger for more than a day.
uTurn the radio off when it is unattended for long periods.
uClean electrical contacts of the battery and charger weekly using a fibre glass
pencil, or the graphite tip of a type 4h (#4) or harder pencil.
uUse only batteries that are approved by Tait Electronics Ltd.
Battery Power Saving Features of a Typical Radio
*A typical duty cycle is: 5% transmit, 5% receive, 90% standby.
This is based on a typical 8 hour shift plus 1 hour break.
Reduces transmission
power from maximum
to 1 Watt.
Low, medium and high
economy modes.
Battery LifeBatteries
Battery Care
Economy mode Up to 15–25%
Percent increase
in shift life on
5-5-90% duty cycle* Method
DescriptionName
Function key or
program the radio
Function key or
program the radio
Transmit in low
power mode Up to 25%
Removing
the Battery
SAFETY
Do not use battery chargers in
hazardous atmospheres under any
circumstances.
Only use approved Intrinsically Safe (IS)
accessories with IS radios.
Installing the D-clip
Intrinsically
Safe
