Uniden UM425 VHF DSC User manual

UM425 VHF DSC
Marine Radio
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Making a distress call
2
Lift the red cover. Press and hold the DISTRESS
button for three seconds. The UM425 transmits your
boat’s location every few minutes until you receive a
response.
NOTE: If the radio displays ENTER USER MMSI,
cancel the automatic distress call and make a
normal voice distress call.
Lift the red cover
and press the
DISTRESS button.
Making a voice distress call
Speak slowly -- clearly -- calmly.
Make sure your radio is on.1.
On the microphone, press the2. 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.)
Press the3. PUSH TO TALK button on the microphone and say:
"MAYDAY --MAYDAY-- MAYDAY."
Say "4. THIS IS {name or call sign of your boat}."
Say "5. MAYDAY {name or call sign of your boat}."
Tell where you are: (what navigational aids or landmarks are near, or read the6.
latitude and longitude from your GPS).
State the nature of your distress, e.g. are you sinking, medical emergency, man7.
overboard, on re, adrift, etc.
Give number of persons aboard and conditions of any injured persons.8.
Estimate present seaworthiness of your ship, e.g. how immediate is the danger9.
due to ooding or re or proximity to shore.
Briey describe your ship (length, type, color, hull). 10.
Say: "11. I WILL BE LISTENING ON CHANNEL 16."
End message by saying "12. THIS IS {name or call sign of your boat}, OVER."
Release the13. PUSH TO TALK button and listen.
If you do not get an answer after 30 seconds, repeat your call, beginning at
step 3, above.
Making a DSC DISTRESS Call
For future reference, write your boat’s name & call sign here:
NOTE: There is no ofcial VHF DSC shore infrastructure in Australia. Vessels
tting VHF DSC equipment should realise that this equipment can only be used
for vessel - to - vessel alerting in the Australian region. There is no ofcial
shore-based infrastructure but there are a number of volunteer marine rescue
(VMR) stations that have installed VHF DSC and a check with your local VMR
should be made.
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Making a distress call
3
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4
Table of Contents
Making a DSC DISTRESS Call.......................................................................................2
Making a voice distress call.........................................................................................2
Table of Contents ...................................................................................... 4 (this page)
Introduction.....................................................................................................................6
Features.......................................................................................................................6
Manual overview..........................................................................................................6
Conventions..............................................................................................................6
Terms used in this manual........................................................................................7
Getting Started................................................................................................................8
What's included ....................................................................................................................... 8
Parts of the radio..................................................................................................................... 9
Turning on the radio ..............................................................................................................12
Setting the UIC channel mode (USA/CAN/INT).................................................................. 12
How It Works.................................................................................................................12
Normal mode operation .............................................................................................13
Using the radio in normal mode..............................................................................14
Normal mode with Triple and Dual Watch ..............................................................15
Scan mode.................................................................................................................16
Using the radio in scan mode .................................................................................16
Scan mode with Triple and Dual Watch..................................................................17
Using Your Radio..........................................................................................................18
Making a voice MAYDAY call.....................................................................................19
Setting the volume.....................................................................................................19
Setting the squelch level............................................................................................19
Changing the channel................................................................................................20
Making a transmission...............................................................................................20
Boosting the transmission power............................................................................20
Choosing Triple Watch or Dual Watch....................................................................21
Changing display and sound options.........................................................................22
Contrast ..................................................................................................................22
Lamp adjust ............................................................................................................22
Turning the key beep on and off .............................................................................22
Setting the GPS position manually ............................................................................22
Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features.........................................................24
What is DSC? ............................................................................................................24
Advanced DSC features ............................................................................................24
Getting an MMSI number...........................................................................................25
Entering MMSI numbers............................................................................................25
Individual or user MMSI number.............................................................................25
Group MMSI number ..............................................................................................26
Using the directory.....................................................................................................27
Making DSC calls ......................................................................................................29
Calling a single station (Individual Call)..................................................................30
Calling a particular group of stations (Group Call)..................................................31
Calling all stations (All-Ships Call) ............................................................................... 31
Making an automatic distress call ............................................................................... 32
Canceling an automatic distress call ......................................................................32
Receiving a DSC call.................................................................................................33
Receive log................................................................................................................33
Returning a call.......................................................................................................34
Making a Test Call (Test) ...........................................................................................35
Receiving a test call................................................................................................36
Table of Contents
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5
Table of Contents (Cont'd)
Table 1 - Terms used in this manual ................................................................................7
Table 2 - Rear panel connector functions ........................................................................9
Table 3 - Front panel button functions............................................................................10
Table 4 - Microphone button functions ........................................................................... 11
Table 5 - Normal mode status messages.......................................................................14
Table 6 - Character and text entry order ........................................................................28
Table 7 - Receive log .....................................................................................................34
Table 8 - Common GPS receivers and connections ......................................................46
Table 9 - Radio specifications ........................................................................................54
Table 10 - International Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag ...................................57
Table 11 - USA Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag................................................59
Table 12 - Canadian Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag .......................................61
Table 13 - NMEA Input Parameters ...............................................................................63
Enabling automatic test call reply ...........................................................................36
Requesting another station's position (POS Request) ..............................................36
Receiving a position request (Position Reply) ...........................................................37
Enabling automatic position reply...........................................................................37
Sending your own position (Position Send) ................................................................38
Putting the radio into standby......................................................................................38
Disabling automatic channel switching .......................................................................39
Renaming Channels.....................................................................................................40
Installing the Hardware................................................................................................41
Mounting the radio.....................................................................................................41
Connecting the radio..................................................................................................43
Connecting accessories.............................................................................................45
Connecting to a GPS receiver ................................................................................45
Configuring the GPS...............................................................................................47
Connecting to a charplotter ....................................................................................48
Connecting to an external speaker.........................................................................48
Connecting to an external PA speaker ...................................................................49
Using the PA feature...............................................................................................50
Maintenance and Troubleshooting .............................................................................51
Common questions...............................................................................................................51
Engine Noise Suppression ................................................................................................... 53
Specifications ...............................................................................................................54
Channel and frequencies...................................................................................................... 57
NMEA Operation................................................................................................................... 63
NMEA Input........................................................................................................................ 63
NMEA Output..................................................................................................................... 63
Regulations and Safety Warnings.........................................................................................64
Basic radio guidelines................................................................................................64
DSC: Frequently Asked Questions ............................................................................64
Antenna Selection and Installation ............................................................................65
Two Year Limited Warranty..........................................................................................66
Mounting Bracket Template.........................................................................................67
List of Tables
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6
Introduction
Features
Watertight Radio Housing:•
Meets the worldwide JIS6 water resistant specication means it is able to
withstand powerful water jets without damage.
Rugged Waterproof Speaker Microphone:•
With Channel Select, One-Touch 16/9 and Triple Watch Select Keys.
Meets the worldwide JIS7 waterproof specications; submersible at 1.0
metre depth for 30 minutes.
Large, dot matrix display•
Advanced DSC Class D functions, including Test Calling•
Built-in PA output•
Channel select buttons on the microphone•
Memory scan mode•
Lets you save channels to memory and monitor them in quick succession.
Transmitter Power Level Select•
Lets you boost the transmitter power from 1 watt to 25 watts for added
transmission distance.
Battery level display and tone•
Sounds an alert tone if the battery voltage goes too high or too low.
Triple Watch Operation•
Checks the emergency channel 16 and channel 9 in the background.
All marine VHF channels for the International, U.S. and Canadian•
waters
Manual overview
Conventions
This manual uses several different type styles to help you distinguish
between different parts of the radio:
• BOLD SMALL CAPITALS indicates an actual button or knob on the radio
or microphone.
• Upper and Lower case bold indicates a connector or label on the
radio.
• Italics indicate text on the display, such as menu options, prompts,
and conrmation messages.
Introduction
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7
Introduction
DSC Digital Selective Calling. A VHF radio standard for
communicating among boats and sending automated
distress calls.
GPS Global Positioning System
NMEA National Marine Electronics Association. The
organization that governs standards for electronic
equipment used on boats. NMEA 0183 is the standard
for serial data communication used by GPS receivers.
MMSI Maritime Mobile Service Identity number. A unique,
nine-digit number that identies you and your boat
when making DSC calls. It is also used by the Coast
Guard if you send an automated distress call.
Station Any DSC radio, whether it’s operated on a boat, at a
marina, or by a shore station.
Table 1 - Terms used in the manual
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Getting Started
8
What's included
07
1 Watt INT
Memory
Scanning Channels
01,03,05,06,07,08
VHF DSC TRANSCEIVER
UM425 VHF
UM425 Radio
DC Power Cable Accessory Cable
Mounting Bracket and
knobs Mounting Hardware
Microphone Hanger and
Mounting Hardware
Spare Fuse 250V 6A
Getting Started
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9
Getting Started
Parts of the radio
13.8V DC
ANTENNA
Antenna
connector
(SO238)
Heat sink
Power
connector
Accessory
connector
Table 2 - Rear panel connector functions
Connector Connects to For details, see
Antenna connector External VHF antenna with
a male PL259 (SO238)
connector and 50 Ω
impedance.
Minimum 1.2m, 3dB rated
antenna for sailboats, 2.4m, 6
dB rated for power boats.
Connecting the radio,
page 44.
Power connector Nominal 13.8 VDC power
supply with negative ground
(10.8 VDC to 15.6 VDC)
(Red wire +, black wire -).
Connecting the radio,
page 43.
Accessory connector GPS receiver, GPS
chartplotter, external speaker,
external PA speaker.
Connecting accessories,
page 45.
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Getting Started
10
07
1 Watt INT
Memory
Scanning Channels
01,03,05,06,07,08
VHF DSC TRANSCEIVER
UM425 VHF
LCD
display
SELECT
button
CHANNEL UP &
DOWN buttons
VOLUME-PWR
(power) knob
(turn clockwise
to increase
volume)
Microphone
cord
16/9-TRI
(triple/
dual-watch)
button
1/25W
button
SCAN-MEM
(channel
memory)
button
MENU-PA
(public
address)
button DISTRESS
button
SQUELCH knob
(turn clockwise
to decrease
channel noise)
Button Press to... Press and hold to...
SELECT Choose an option on a menu.
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.
16/9-TRI 1st press: Go to Channel 16.
2nd press: Go to Channel 9.
3rd press: Go back to the original
channel.
Go into Triple Watch or
Dual Watch mode (see
page 15).
DISTRESS Select the nature of your distress
for a distress call.
Transmit a distress call.
Table 3 - Front panel button functions
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11
Getting Started
Button Press to... Press and hold to...
1/25W Change the transmit power (see
page 20).
MENU-PA Display the radio menu. Use the public address
(PA) function.
SCAN-MEM Start scanning the channels saved
in memory.
Save a channel into
memory or remove a
channel from memory.
16/9
TRI
MIC
MIC
PUSH-
TO-TALK
button
16/9 TRI
(Triple/Dual-
Watch) button
▲ (up) button
(move up a channel)
▼ (down) button
(move down a channel)
Table 4 - Microphone button functions
Button Press to... Press and hold to...
▲
Move up one channel at a time. Move quickly up the
channels.
▼
Move down one channel at a time. Move quickly down the
channels.
16/9-TRI 1st press: Go to Channel 16.
2nd press: Go to Channel 9.
3rd press: Go back to the original
channel.
Go into Triple Watch or
Dual Watch mode (see
page 15).
PUSH TO TALK Cancel scanning and stay on a
channel.
Talk on a channel.
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How It Works
12
Turning on the radio
Turn the VOLUME-PWR knob clockwise to turn on the radio. As it powers on,
the radio displays the user MMSI number; if there is no MMSI set, the radio
displays MMSI not entered.
When it powers on, the radio selects the last channel used.
Setting the UIC channel mode (USA/CAN/INT)
NOTE: This menu selection is hidden by default. To access this feature; Turn
on the radio while holding down SCAN and
▲
buttons. The feature will
be hidden again from the menu when power is turned off. The radio comes
preset to use the UIC channels assigned for International waters. If you are
operating in an area that uses Canadian or United States UIC channels, you
will need to change the channel mode.
Press the1. MENU-PA button to display the menu, and choose the Setup
sub-menu.
Select2. USA/CAN/INT. The screen displays the UIC channel setup.
Highlight the channel mode you want to use: US (3. USA mode),
Canadian (Canada mode), or international (Intl mode).
Press the4. SELECT button. The radio activates the new channel mode
and exits the menu.
How It Works
The UM425 has two basic modes of operation:
Operation mode What it does: Use it when: To turn it on/off:
Normal mode Monitors a single
marine radio
channel and lets
you talk on that
channel.
You want to talk to
another station on a
specic channel.
(default mode)
Scan mode Monitors all the
channels you save
into memory.
You have a small
group of channels
you use most often
and want to check
them for trafc.
Press the SCAN-
MEM button.
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13
How It Works
NOTE: You are required to monitor channel 16 whenever your boat is under-
way. You should have either Triple Watch or Dual Watch on at all times.
In addition to the two main operation modes, the UM425 also provides two differ-
ent “watch” modes which you can activate during any of the two basic modes. In
the watch modes, the radio briey checks for activity on a specic channel, then
returns to its previous mode.
Normal mode operation
Normal mode monitors whatever channel you select, and you can transmit on
that channel also.
While using normal mode, the display lets you see the following information
(not all indicators will display at the same time):
25
Marine Operator
25 Watts INT
Memory
GPS Data OK
Transmit power
(1 W or 25 W)
Current channel
is stored in
memory
Status messages
(see the status
message table)
Current
channel
number
Current channel
name (if the name
is too long, the
name line scrolls)
Channel mode
(USA, CANadian,
or INTernational)
Watch mode What it does: Use it when: To turn it on/off:
Triple Watch Checks for activity
on channels 16
and 9 every two
seconds.
You want to monitor
a channel yet
maintain a watch on
channels 16 and 9.
Press and hold the
16/9-TRI button for
two seconds.
Dual Watch Checks for activity
on channel 16 every
two seconds.
You want to monitor
a channel yet
maintain a watch on
channel 16.
Change Triple
Watch to Dual
Watch in the setup
menu, then press
and hold the 16/9-
TRI button for two
seconds.
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How It Works
14
Table 5 - Normal mode status messages
Message Meaning
GPS Data OK The radio is receiving valid GPS data.
Check GPS The radio is not receiving valid GPS data: check the GPS status screen and
the GPS connection.
Input Position The radio has been unable to receive valid GPS data for at least four hours;
it can no longer track your position. You need to manually input your position
(see Setting the GPS position manually on page 22).
Battery Low The battery voltage output is too low (below 10.5 VDC).
Battery High The battery voltage output is too high (above 16.0 VDC).
Triple Watch Triple Watch is turned on.
Dual Watch Dual Watch is turned on.
Using the radio in normal mode
• To transmit, press and hold the PUSH TO TALK button on the
microphone. Release the button when you are nished talking.
• For the best sound quality, hold the microphone about two inches from
your mouth while you’re talking.
• Press the CHANNEL UP button on the radio or the
▲
button on the
microphone to move up one channel at a time. Press and hold either
button to scroll quickly up the channels.
• Press the CHANNEL DOWN button on the radio or the
▼ button on
the microphone to move down one channel at a time. Press and hold
either button to scroll quickly down the channels.
• To change the transmit power, press the 1/25W button. The transmit
power switches between 1 watt and 25 watts each time you press the
1/25W button.
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15
How It Works
09 16 09 16 09 16
Every 2 seconds, the radio
checks channels 9 & 16.
with Triple Watch on
Monitoring Channel 25
Press and hold the 16/9-TRI button (on the radio or the microphone) for two
seconds to turn Triple/Dual Watch on or off. (To change between Triple or
Dual Watch, see page 21.)
Normal mode with Triple and Dual Watch
If you activate Triple Watch while operating in normal mode, the radio checks
channels 16 and 9 every two 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.
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How It Works
16
Scan mode
You can save channels into memory and then use scan mode to monitor
those channels. When the radio detects a signal on a channel, it pauses on
that channel as long as the signal is received; when the transmission stops,
the radio will continue scanning.
11
1008 1312 17
15 20
14
The radio scans about
5 channels in 1 second.
When it detects a signal, the radio stays on the
channel until you press the
CHANNEL UP button or the
signal stops.
Resume scan
In scan mode, you can get the following information from the display (some
indicators will not always be displayed):
1 Watt INT
Memory
Scanning Channels
01,03,05,06,07,08
07
Transmit power
last used
Channel mode
(USA, CANadian,
or INTernational)
Current
channel being
scanned
Scan list (if the
text is too long,
the line scrolls)
All scanned
channels must
be in memory
Normal scan
mode or Triple/
Dual-watch on
Using the radio in scan mode
You cannot transmit while in scan mode.•
You must have two or more channels in memory to start a scan.•
To save a channel into memory, select the channel, then press and•
hold the SCAN-MEM button for two seconds. Memory will show on the
display.
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17
How It Works
To remove a channel from memory, set the radio to that channel, then•
press and hold the SCAN-MEM button for two seconds. Memory will no
longer show on the display.
To activate scan mode, press the• SCAN-MEM button. Press the SCAN-
MEM button again to return to the previous mode.
When the radio automatically stops on a channel, press the• CHANNEL
UP button to leave that channel and resume scanning.
To end the scan, press the microphone• PUSH TO TALK button or the
SCAN-MEM button. The radio remains on the last scanned channel.
Scan mode with Triple and Dual Watch
If you activate Triple Watch while
operating in scan mode, the radio
checks channels 16 and 9 every
two seconds, then goes on to
scan the next channel; with Dual
Watch turned on, the radio only
checks channel 16:
09 16
Every 2 seconds,
the radio checks
channels 9 & 16
then goes on to
the next channel.
with Triple Watch on
Memory Channel Scan
08 252417151413121110 20
Reversed 16 & 9
UJ-SW 20061215 #17
Press and hold the 16/9-TRI button (on
the radio or the microphone) for two
seconds to turn Triple/Dual Watch on or
off. (To change between Triple or Dual
Watch, see page 21.)
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Using Your Radio
18
Individual
Group
All Ships
POS Request
Position Send
Test
Directory
Standby
Receive Log
Exit
USA/CAN/INT*
Dual/TriWatch
GPS Setup
Auto CH SW
POS Reply
Test Reply
Channel Name
Group MMSI
User MMSI
Exit
Contrast
Lamp Adjust
Key Beep
Exit
MENU
DSC Call SELECT
Setup SELECT
System SELECT
(Close Menu)
Exit SELECT
Using Your Radio
To display the radio menu, press the MENU-PA button. The menu has the
following options:
*USA/CAN/INT is hidden by default. See page 12 for instructions to access this
selection.
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19
Using Your Radio
The currently selected item is highlighted in reversed out text. •
Press the• CHANNEL UP button on the radio or the
▲
button on the
microphone to move up a line in the menu; if you are at the top line in
the menu, the cursor jumps to the bottom of the menu.
Press the• SELECT button to choose the selected item.
Press the• CHANNEL DOWN button on the radio or the
▼ button on the
microphone to move down a line in the menu; if you are at the bottom
line of the menu, the cursor jumps to the top of the menu.
Press the• MENU-PA button to go back to the previous menu screen.
From any menu screen, choose• Exit or press the 16/9-TRI button to
close the menu screen.
Making a voice MAYDAY call
(see inside front cover)
Turn the volume knob clockwise to increase the speaker volume; turn it
counter-clockwise to decrease the volume.
Setting the volume
Setting the squelch level
The squelch feature reduces the level of static on the speaker by ltering out
the background channel noise. At the lowest squelch level, the speaker plays
all radio signals, including any noise on the channel. Setting the squelch
level higher lters out channel noise and lets only actual radio transmissions
through.
Weak signals
No
Squelch
Medium
Squelch
High
Squelch
Strong signals
Noise
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Using Your Radio
20
While listening to a channel, adjust the SQUELCH knob until the noise is
ltered out and you can only hear the transmission. If you switch to a channel
with a lot of noise or with a weak transmission, you may need to adjust the
squelch level again.
NOTE: Setting the squelch level too high may prevent you from hearing
weaker transmissions. If you are having difculty hearing a transmission, try
setting the squelch level lower.
Changing the channel
Press the CHANNEL UP or CHANNEL DOWN buttons briey to scroll through the
channels one channel at a time. Press and hold the channel up or down
button to quickly scroll through the channels.
Making a transmission
To make a transmission, press and hold the microphone PUSH TO TALK button.
Release the PUSH TO TALK button when you're nished talking to let the other
party respond.
To prevent stuck microphone problems or situations where the• PUSH
TO TALK button is pushed accidentally, the radio limits your talk time
to 5 minutes in a single transmission. If you talk for over 5 minutes
continuously, the display shows RELEASE MIC BUTTON.
For the best sound quality, hold the microphone about two inches away•
from your mouth.
You cannot transmit while the radio is in scan mode.•
See the channel list on page 57 for a list of receive-only channels.•
Boosting the transmission power
In most situations, the 1 Watt transmission power is all you need. If you nd
yourself far away from other stations and have trouble getting a response,
you may need to boost the transmission power from 1 Watt to 25 Watts:
Select the channel you want to transmit on.1.
Push the2. 1/25W button. The display shows 25 Watts in the upper left
hand corner.
The transmit power remains at 25 Watts until you change the setting3.
back. Push the 1/25W button. The display shows 1 Watt.
NOTE: Don’t forget to change the transmission setting back to 1 Watt when
you move closer to other stations.
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