Uniden MHS135 User manual

MHS135
RADIO VHF MARITIME FLOTTANTE
GUIDE D’UTILISATION
FLOATING VHF MARINE RADIO
OWNER’S MANUAL

MAKING A DISTRESS CALL
Lift the black cover. Press and hold the DISTRESS
button for three seconds. Your radio transmits your
boat’s location every few minutes until you receive
a response.
#NOTE: If the radio displays Enter User
MMSI

voice distress call.

Speak slowly - clearly - calmly.
For future reference, write your boat’s name & call sign here:
1. Make sure your radio is on.
2. On the microphone, press the 16/9-TRI button to switch to Channel
16 (156.8 MHz). (If the corner of the display does not show 16, press
the 16/9-TRI button again until it does.)
3. Press the PUSH TO TALK button on the microphone and say:
“MAYDAY -- MAYDAY -- MAYDAY.”
4. Say “THIS IS {name of your boat (three times) and call sign/boat
registration number (once).”
5. Repeat “MAYDAY {name of your boat}” once.
6. Tell where you are: (what navigational aids or landmarks are near, or
read the latitude and longitude from your GPS).
7. State the nature of your distress (e.g. are you sinking, medical
emergency, man overboard, on fire, adrift, etc. ).
8. State the type of assistance you need (medical, towing, pumps, etc.).
9. Give number of persons aboard and conditions of any injured persons.
10. Estimate present seaworthiness of your ship (e.g. how immediate is
the danger due to flooding or fire or proximity to shore).
11. Briefly describe your ship, giving ship name (e.g. “Blue Duck is 32 foot
cabin cruiser, white hull, blue deck house”).
12. Say: “I WILL BE LISTENING ON CHANNEL 16.”
13. End message by saying “THIS IS {name or call sign of your boat},
OVER.
”
14. Release the PUSH TO TALK button and listen.


Lift the black
cover and
press the red
DISTRESS
button
underneath.

FAIRE UN APPEL DE DÉTRESSE
Pour toute référence ultérieure, transcrivez ci-dessous le nom et
l’indicatif d’appel de votre bateau:
Parlez lentement – clairement – calmement.
1. Vériez si votre radio est en marche.
2. Appuyez sur la touche 16/9-TRI du microphone an
de commuter au canal 16 (156,8 MHz). (Si le canal 16
n’apparaît pas à l’afchage, appuyez de nouveau sur la
touche 16/9-TRI jusqu’à ce qu’il soit afché.)
3. Appuyez sur le bouton de microphone Push to Talk et
dites:“MAYDAY -- MAYDAY -- MAYDAY”.
4. Donnez l’identité de votre navire en disant : “ICI {nom de
votre bateau (trois fois) ou indicatif d’appel et le numéro
d’identication de votre bateau (une fois)}”.
5. Dites “MAYDAY {nom ou indicatif d’appel de votre bateau}
une fois”.
6. Donnez votre position : (quels sont les points de repère ou
aides à la navigation près de vous ou lisez les coordonnées
de longitude et de latitude apparaissant sur votre dispositif
GPS).
7. Révélez la nature de votre détresse (par exemple, nous
sommes en train de couler, urgence médicale, un homme à
la mer, un incendie, nous sommes à la dérive, etc.
8. Révélez la nature de l’aide désirée (médicale, remorquage,
essence, etc.)
9. Donnez le nombre de personnes à bord et les conditions des
blessés, s’il y en a.
10. Donnez la condition de navigabilité actuelle de votre navire,
tel que le degré de l’urgence par rapport une inondation, et
une incendie.
11. Donnez une brève description de votre navire en donnant
le nom du bateau (par exemple, “Blue Duck est un yacht de
croisière de 32 pieds, avec une coque blanche et un roufe
bleu.).
12. Dites : “JE VAIS ÉCOUTER SUR LE CANAL 16”.
13. Terminez le message en disant “ICI {nom ou indicatif d’appel
de votre bateau}, À VOUS”.
14. Relâchez le bouton Push to Talk du microphone et écoutez.



Table of Contents
Introduction.......................... E-1
Features ..............................E-1
Getting Started..................... E-4
What’s included ...................E-4
Parts of the MHS135 ...........E-5
Front view .......................E-5
Back view........................E-5
Charger...........................E-7
Reading the display.............E-7
Display icons and what they
mean ..............................E-7
How It Works........................ E-8
Menus..................................E-8
Normal Menu ..................E-9
Call Menu......................E-10
GPS Menu ....................E-11
Operation Modes...............E-11
Normal ..........................E-13
Scan..............................E-14
Weather ........................E-17
Setting Up the Hardware.... E-18
Attaching the Antenna .......E-18
Installing the Battery..........E-18
Using Alkaline Batteries.....E-18
Mounting the Charger........E-20
Charging the Battery..........E-20
Important notes on charging
the battery ....................E-20
Setting Up Your Radio......... E-21
Turning It On .....................E-21
Setting It Up.......................E-21
Changing the Volume ..E-21
Setting the Squelch LevelE-21
Setting the UIC Channel Mode
(USA/CAN/INT) ............E-22
Setting Key Lock...........E-22
Setting WX Alert Mode..E-22
Setting FIPS Codes ......E-22
Adjusting the Lamp.......E-22
Adjust the LCD ContrastE-23
Setting the Temperature
Measure .......................E-23
Turning the Key Beep On and
Off.................................E-23
Operating the Radio .........E-24
Changing the Channel..E-24
Making a Transmission.E-24
Changing the transmission
level..............................E-24
Digital Selective Calling Features
E-25
What is DSC? ...................E-25
Advanced DSC features ...E-26
MMSI Numbers..................E-27
Entering MMSI numbers E-27
Entering Your User MMSI
Number .......................E-28
Entering a group MMSI
number .........................E-29
Entering an individual MMSI
number .........................E-29
Using the Directory............E-30
Making DSC Calls .............E-31
Calling a single station
(Individual Call) ...........E-33
Calling a particular group of
stations (Group Call) ....E-33
Calling all stations (All-Ships
Call)..............................E-34
Making an automatic distress call
E-34
Canceling an automatic
distress call .................E-35

E-1
Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Receiving a DSC call.........E-35
Receive log...................E-36
Returning a call from the
Receive Log ................E-38
Test Calls ...........................E-38
Making Test Calls (Test) E-38
Receiving Test Call SetupE-40
Acknowledging Test Call
Receipt .........................E-40
Position Request and ReplyE-41
Requesting another station’s
position (POS Request) E-41
Receiving a position request
(Position Reply)............E-42
Enabling automatic position
reply .............................E-42
Position Send ...............E-43
Putting the radio into
standby .............................E-43
Disabling automatic channel
switching............................E-44
GPS Features....................... E-45
GPS Operation Overview ..E-45
Favorites Menu ..................E-45
Goto Menu ....................E-45
Selecting a Goto FavoriteE-46
Add
Menu......................E-46
GPS Setup Menu ...............E-46
Using the Strobe LED........E-47
Renaming Channels .........E-48
Maintenance and
Troubleshooting................ E-49
Common Questions...........E-49
Specications ...................... E-51
Channels and Frequencies
(MHz).................................E-52
Regulations and Safety
Warnings............................ E-59
INTRODUCTION
Features
Your radio provides the following key features:
xSubmersible design
Complies with oating JIS8/IPX8 water-resistant
standards, which means the radio can be submerged in
1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes without damage.
#Notes:
The radio will only meet this rating if fully assembled
and all rubber seals and bungs are well maintained
and correctly tted. This means that the speaker
microphone bung is inserted, and the battery pack
(or case) and antenna are attached and securely
fastened.

E-2 Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
After your radio is submerged in water, the sound
might be distorted. This is because there is still
water remaining in and around the speaker and
microphone. Just shake the radio to clear excess
water, and the sound should return to normal.
If your radio is exposured to salt water, clean it
thoroughly with fresh water and dry it before turning
it on.
The charger is not waterproof.
xMemory scan mode
Lets you save channels to memory and monitor them in
quick succession.
xTransmitter power level select
Lets you boost the transmitter power from 1 W to 2.5 or
6 W for added transmission distance.
xBattery level display and low battery alert.
xDual and Triple Watch operation
These different watch modes let you monitor up to two
Coast Guard Distress/Hailing channels and one weather
channel along with one regular marine channel.
xAll marine VHF channels for the U.S., Canada, and
international waters
xNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Weather Channel watch
Sounds a warning tone when a hazard alert is issued.
xSOS Strobe
A high intensity strobe LED can be set to blink an SOS
pattern or to be steady on.
xTemperature
Lets you display temperature in Farenheit or Celsius.
xDSC
Lets you call other stations or groups using their unique
identication code.
xGPS
Gives you the ability to save your current position as well

E-3
Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
as manually enter other positions.You can save positions
into a directory to return to them as desired.
GETTING STARTED
What’s included
If any pieces are missing or damaged, contact Uniden
Customer Service (see back cover for contact information).
For information on available accessories, visit
www.uniden.com.
Antenna
MHS135 Radio
Charger
AC Adapter DC Adapter
Alkaline Battery
Case
(batteries not
included)
Lithium Ion
Battery
Belt Clip
Wrist Strap
Mounting Hardware

E-4 Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual

Front view
Back view
Antenna
LCD display
Clear/Scan
button
Channel up
button
16/9-Tri
(16/9- triple
watch) button
ENTER
H/M/L button
Power
Microphone/Speaker
connection
Push-to-talk/
Boost button
Speaker
Distress button
Channel down
button
VOL-SQ button
WX/SOS
button
Strobe
SOS light
MENU/CALL
button
GPS/MEM button
Thermal
sensor
Belt clip
Battery
Battery charging
contacts
Battery
latch

E-5
Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Button Press to... Press and hold to...
Push -to-Talk Transmit on a current TX
power
Boost Boost TX to 6 W..
16/9-Tri
1st press: Go to CH 16.
2nd press: Go to CH 9.
3rd press: Go back to
the starting channel.
Turn Triple Watch on and
off.
WX/SOS
-Turn Weather mode on
and off.
-Move cursor to the left
while in Menu mode.
-Change Strobe light
mode.
Turn Strobe SOS light on
and off.
MENU/CALL Access the radio menu. Access DSC call menu.
ENTER H/M/L/
-Select menu items.
-Return to normal
Marine mode when
Marine channel list is
displayed.
Change the TX power
between Low (1W), MID
(2.5W), and 6W.
CLR/SCAN Exit menu screens. Enter or exit Scan mode.
GPS/MEM Enter or exit the GPS
menu.
Store or delete the current
channel into memory.
VOL-SQ Enter or exit Volume
Setting mode.
Enter or exit Squelch
Setting mode.
Channel Up Move up one channel at
a time.
Move quickly up the
channels.
Channel Down Move down one channel
at a time.
Move quickly down the
channels.
Power Turn MHS135 on and off.
Distress Sends out emergency
signal.

E-6 Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Charger

The LCD display
shows different
information
depending on
what you are
doing. This
sample screen
shows some of
this information.
The table below
shows all the
possible icons
and what they
mean.
Display icons and what they mean
Icon What it means
You are currently transmitting.
, , or The transmitter power is set to LOW (1W), MID
(2.5W), or 6W.
The keys are locked.
, , or The radio is set to use US channels, CANadian
channels, or INTernational channels.
or TRIple Watch or DUAL Watch is turned on.
Charging
contacts
CHARGE LED
Screw holes
for mounting
Power jack
[cigarette (DC) or
wall (AC) plug]
Charging
latches
88
Transmit
power level
(1, 2.5, or 5
Watts) This channel is stored in
memory.
Triple
Watch is
on
The radio
is in scan
mode
Key lock
is on
The radio is
transmitting Current
channel
number
UIC channel mode
(USA, CANada, or
INTernational)
Weather
Alert Watch
is on.
Battery
status icon
FPO

E-7
Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Icon What it means
The current channel is saved in memory.
The radio is in Scan mode.
The radio is in Weather mode.
Weather Alert Watch is turned on.
The battery is fully charged, mostly charged, half
charged, mostly empty, or completely empty.
You have unread messages in the Receive Log.
HOW IT WORKS
The MENU/CALL key accesses menus that let you set up
how you want your radio to operate. Your radio has four
operation modes. These modes are described on page ____
Menus
You can set up the radio’s physical displays and operation
modes (
Normal menu), how you want to receive and send
various types of calls (
Call menu), and GPS operations ( GPS
menu).
Press MENU/CALL to display the
Normal menu. Press and
hold MENU/CALL to display the
Call menu. Press GPS/MEM
to display the
GPS menu.
Do This... To Display...
Press Menu/Call
Normal menu
-Display mode
-Setup
-System

E-8 Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Do This... To Display...
Press and hold MENU/
CALL
Call menu
-Individual
-Group
-All Ships
-POS Request
-Position Send
-Test
-Standby
-Receive Log
-DSC Setup
Press GPS/MEM
GPS menu
-Favorite
-GPS Setup
Normal Menu
The submenus of the Normal menu lets the user set up the
radio. The submenus are:
Submenu What it does
Display Selects a display mode for the radio. The options
are:
-Marine
-Position
-Compass
-Favorite
-Temperature
-GPS Status

E-9
Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Submenu What it does
Setup Expands radio setup options:
-USA/CAN/INT
-Dual/TriWatch
-LED
-Key Lock
-WX Alert
-FIPS Codes
-Channel Name
-DSC Watch
System Sets up the radio systems:
-Lamp Adjust
-Contrast/RVS
-Temperature
-Key Beep
Call Menu
The submenus of the Call menu set the technical
requirements for DSC function operations. The menus are:
Submenu What it does
Individual Sends an individual call to an individual station.
Group Sends a call to a group.
All Ships Sends
URGENCY or SAFETY message to all ships.
POS Request Requests the position of an individual vessel.
Position Send Transmits your position to a vessel that was
programmed into the DIRECTORY.
Test Sends a test call
Standby Places the radio in an unattended mode.

E-10 Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Submenu What it does
Receive Log Displays a list of all received calls to the radio. The
MHS135DSC stores log data for 10 distress calls and
50 other calls.
DSC Setup Allows the user to set up Digital Selective Calling
(DSC) service.
GPS Menu
The GPS menu lets you save and name sets of GPS
coordinates so you can return to that location again. You can
recall the saved GPS coordinates, too.
Submenu What it does
Favorite Adds (saves) the current GPS position as well as
recalls that position to sail back to it.
GPS Setup Lets you determine the following GPS settings:
-Sog Unit
-GPS Module
-NMEA Output
-Compass
-Unit Power
-Power Save
-Time Adjust
-Daylight Save

Your radio has three main operation modes: Normal, Scan,
and Weather.

E-11
Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Mode What it does Use it when you
want to...
To turn it
on/off
Normal
Monitors a single marine
channel and lets you talk
on that channel.
Monitor a channel or
talk to another radio.
(default
mode)
Scan Monitors all the channels
you save into memory.
Check a small group
of regularly-used
channels for trafc.
Press and
hold CLR/
SCAN for 2
seconds.
Weather Monitors the selected
NOAA weather channel.
Hear the current or
forecasted weather.
Press WX/
SOS
In addition to the three operation modes, your radio provides
four different watch modes which you can activate during any
operation mode. In the watch modes, the radio briey checks
for activity on a specic channel, then returns to its previous
operation.
Watch mode What it does To turn it on/off
Weather Alert
Watch
Checks the last-used weather
channel for hazard alerts
every few seconds.
Press and hold WX/SOS
for 2 seconds.
Dual Watch
Checks emergency channel
16 for activity every few
seconds.
Select
Dual or Triple
Watch
at Setup menu,
and press and hold 16/9-
Tri for 2 seconds.
Triple Watch
Checks emergency channels
16 and 9 for activity every few
seconds.
Select
Dual or Triple
Watch
at Setup menu,
and press and hold 16/9-
Tri for 2 seconds.
DSC Watch
Checks the DSC channel
every 2 seconds for
messages from other ships.
Turn
DSC Watch on or
off from the
Setup/DCS
Watch
menu.
#



E-12 Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Normal
xTo transmit, remove the radio from the charger, then
press and hold Push to Talk. Release the button when
you are nished talking.
xFor the best sound quality, hold the microphone about
two inches from your mouth while you’re talking.
xPress Channel Up to move up one channel at a time.
Press and hold the button to scroll quickly up the
channels.
xPress Channel Down to move down one channel at a
time. Press and hold the button to scroll quickly down the
channels.
xTo change the transmit power, press and hold ENTER
H/M/L. The transmit power cycles through LOW (1W),
MID (2.5W), and 6W, then back to LOW again. Press
BOOST on the left side of the radio to boost the transmit
power to 6W (Lithium Ion battery) or to 2.5W (alkaline
batteries).
#
Normal mode with Weather Alert Watch
If you activate Weather Alert Watch while operating in normal
mode, the radio
checks the most
recently used
weather channel
every few seconds. If it
detects a weather or other hazard alert,
it will switch to that weather channel. (If
you are actively transmitting, the radio
waits until you nish your transmission
before checking the weather channel.)
wx
Every few seconds, the
radio checks the last-used
weather channel.
WX Alert
Watch on
Monitoring Channel 25

E-13
Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Normal mode with Triple Watch or Dual Watch
If you activate Triple Watch while operating in normal mode,
the radio checks channels 16 and 9 every few seconds; with
Dual Watch turned on, the radio only checks channel 16. The
radio will not check channels 16 or 9 while you are actively
transmitting; it waits until your transmission is nished and
then checks the channels.
Normal mode with DSC Watch
If you activate DSC Watch
while operating in Normal
mode, the radio checks
channel 70 every few
seconds.
Scan
You can save channels into memory and then use scan
mode to monitor those channels from lowest to highest. If the
radio detects a signal on a channel, it stays on that channel
as long as the signal is received; when the signal stops, the
radio continues scanning.
09
16
Every few seconds, the radio
checks channels 16 & 9.
Triple Watch on
09
16
09
16
Monitoring Channel 25
70
Every few seconds, the radio
checks channel 70
with DSC Watch on
70 70
Monitoring Channel 25

E-14 Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Using the radio in scan mode
xTo activate scan mode, press and hold CLR/SCAN.
xYou must have at least two channels in memory to start
a scan.
xYou cannot transmit while in scan mode.
xTo save a channel into memory, select the channel, then
press and hold the GPS/MEM button. The MEM icon
displays whenever you tune to that channel.
xTo remove a channel from memory, set the radio to that
channel, then press and hold the GPS/MEM button. The
MEM icon no longer displays.
xWhen the radio stays on a channel, press Channel Up to
leave that channel and resume scanning.
xTo end the scan, press and hold the CLR/SCAN button
again; the radio remains on the last scanned channel.
Scan mode with Weather Alert Watch
If you activate Weather Alert Watch while in scan mode, the
radio checks the most recently-used weather channel every
few seconds, then continues scanning the next channel in
memory:
11
1008 1312 14 17
15
The radio scans about
5 channels in 0.5 seconds.
When it detects a signal, the radio stays
on the channel until you press the
Channel Up button or the signal stops. Resume
scan

E-15
Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Scan mode with Triple Watch or Dual Watch
If you activate Triple Watch while operating in scan mode,
the radio checks channels 16 and 9 every few seconds, then
goes on to scan the next channel; with Dual Watch turned
on, the radio only checks channel 16:
Both Weather Alert and Triple/Dual Watch in Scan mode
You can activate Weather Alert Watch and Triple/Dual Watch
at the same time. The radio performs both checks at their
scheduled time:
Every few seconds, the radio
checks the last-used weather
channel, then scans the next
channel. wx
WX Alert
Watch on
Memory Channel Scan
08 252417151413121110 20
Every few seconds, the
radio checks channels
16 & 9, then scans the
next channel. Triple
Watch on
09
16
Memory Channel Scan
08 252417151413121110 20
09
16
Every few seconds, the
radio checks channels
16 & 9, then scans the
next channel.
Triple
Watch on
Every few seconds, the
radio checks the last-used
weather channel, then
scans the next channel. wx
WX Alert
Watch on
Memory Channel Scan
08 252417151413121110 20

E-16 Uniden MHS135 Radio Owner’s Manual
Scan mode with DSC Watch
If you activate DSC Watch
while operating in Scan
mode, the radio checks
channel 70 every few
seconds.
Weather
The NOAA weather channels now cooperate with the FCC to
alert you of other hazards besides weather (child abduction
alerts, nuclear, biological, etc.). In weather mode, the
radio monitors one of the ten NOAA weather channels. If a
weather alert signal is received in Weather Alert mode, the
radio sounds an alert tone and the display blinks.
Using the radio in weather mode
xYou cannot transmit while in weather mode.
xTo enter weather mode, press WX/SOS.
xTo turn off the radio’s alert tone, press any button.
xTo cancel weather mode and return to the previous
marine channel, press WX/SOS again.
Weather mode with Weather Alert Watch
If you activate Weather Alert Watch while operating in
weather mode, it operates as a type of “sleep mode:” the
radio stays on the weather channel and mutes the speaker.
If an alert is detected, the radio sounds an alert tone and turns
the speaker back on. This mode is very useful when you are
anchoring for the night but want to keep informed of hazards.
Weather mode with Triple Watch or Dual Watch
If you activate Triple Watch while operating in weather mode,
the radio checks channels 16 and 9 every few seconds; with
Dual Watch turned on, the radio only checks channel 16.
70
Every few seconds,
the radio checks
channel 70, then
scans the next
channel.
Memory Channel Scan
08 252417151413121110 20
DSC Watch
ON