West Marine VHF50 User manual

VHF50 VHF Radio
Owner’s Manual
Table of Contents
DW SQL
MEM UIC
MIC
Introduction........................................2
Service...............................................2
Licensing............................................2
LCD Description.................................3
Turning the Radio On ........................3
Adjusting the Volume.........................3
Receive Mode....................................4
Squelch Control.................................4
Changing Channels...........................4
Changing Between USA,
International and Canadian Modes....5
Transmitting a Signal.........................6
Selecting the Transmit Power............6
Battery Level Display.........................7
Listening to the Weather....................7
Channel 16/19 Key............................8
Dual Watch Mode..............................8
Scanning Channels............................9
Auto Back-Light................................11
Keypad Lock....................................11
Restoring Factory Settings ..............12
Battery Options for the VHF50 ........12
Maintenance ....................................12
Troubleshooting Guide.....................13
USA Frequency Chart......................14
International Frequency Chart.........15
Canadian Frequency Chart .............16
WX Frequency Chart.......................17
Accessories and Parts.....................17
Specifications...................................17
Warnings and Safety Precautions ...18

2West Marine VHF50 Radio Owner’s Manual
Welcome!
Thank you for purchasing the West
Marine VHF50. This product was
designed and built for boaters to use in
the harsh marine environment. With prop-
er care this product should provide you
with years of trouble-free operation.
Your satisfaction with this product is
backed by the entire West Marine organi-
zation worldwide.
Remember:
•Safety and distress calls take priority
over all others.
•You must monitor Channel 16 when
you are not operating on another
channel.
•False or fraudulent distress calls are
prohibited under law.
•Information overheard but not intend-
ed for you cannot lawfully be used in
any way.
•Indecent or profane language is pro-
hibited.
Service:
In the event that the radio fails to per-
form, or needs servicing, please send
directly to our Electronics Repair Center
in Hollister, CA. Be sure to include your
return mailing information and a detailed
accounting of the problems experienced
and/or the service requested.
West Marine
Electronics Repair Center
2395 Bert Court
Hollister, CA 95023
[email protected]
831-761-4205
Radio Licenses:
1. Ship Station License
An FCC ship station license is no longer
required for any vessel traveling in US
waters which uses a VHF marine radio,
RADAR, EPIRB, and which is not
required to carry radio equipment. A
license is necessary however for a DSC
MMSI number, or for any vessel required
to carry a marine radio on an international
voyage, carrying a HF single side band
radiotelephone or marine satellite termi-
nal. For more information, see the FCC’s
Fact Sheet PR 5000 #14. FCC license
forms, including applications for ship
(506) and land station licenses can be
downloaded via the Internet at
www.fcc.gov/forms. To obtain a form
from the FCC, call [phone].
2. Radio Call Sign
Currently the FCC does not require recre-
ational boaters to have a Ship Radio
Station License. The USCG recommends
that the boat’s registration number and the
state to be used.
3. Canadian Ship Station
Licensing
You do not need a license if your vessel is
not operated in sovereign waters of a
country other than Canada or the USA. If
you do need a license, contact their near-
est field office or regional office or write:
Industry Canada
Radio Regulatory Branch
Attn: DOSP
300 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1A OCA

West Marine VHF50 Radio Owner’s Manual 3
LCD Description
USA/INTERNATIONAL/
CANADIAN (UIC) Mode
indicator
Current
channel
indicator
Battery level indicator;
more bars indicate the bat-
tery is more fully charged
HL Transmit power indicator:
L=Low, H=High
SCAN Indicates that the radio is in
Memory Scan or Priority Scan
Mode
MEM Indicates that the channel is
entered into the Scan Memory
WX Indicates that the radio is in
Weather Mode
DW Indicates that the radio is in Dual
Watch Mode
TX Shown when transmitting
BUSY Shown when receiving
LOCK Shown when keypad is locked
Fig. 1: Volume Display
1. Turning the Radio On
Press and hold the PWR key for over two
seconds to turn the VHF50 on. The radio
will power up in the same condition as it
was last used. The last Channel Mode
(USA/INT/CAN), Channel, TX Power,
Key Lock, Squelch Level, Volume Level,
etc. are restored.
2. Adjusting the Volume
Press the VOL key briefly to enter the
Volume Control Mode. VOL will appear
on the display (Fig. 1). Press the ▲or ▼
keys to increase or decrease the volume
level bar. Three seconds after the last key
stroke, the Volume Display will show the
volume. The radio will automatically
return to Channel Selection Mode. If the
VOL key is pressed and released when in
Volume Control Mode, the radio will
return to Channel Selection Mode.
Volume
indicator

Fig. 3 Squelch Display
Fig. 2: Busy Indicator
3. Receive Mode
When the radio is receiving a signal, the
BUSY indicator will be displayed (Fig. 2).
This indicates that you should not trans-
mit until the BUSY indicator is no longer
displayed.
4. Squelch Control
The Squelch Control reduces the static
and noise heard on the radio, but allows
strong signals to be heard clearly. To
adjust the squelch setting, press the
SQL/HL key briefly. The radio’s display
will show SQL (Fig. 3). Press the ▲or ▼
keys to increase or decrease the squelch
level bar. Three seconds after the last key
stroke, the Squelch Display will show the
squelch. The radio will automatically
return to Channel Selection Mode. If the
VOL key is pressed and released when in
Squelch Control Mode, the radio will
return to Channel Selection Mode.
•Higher settings allow only strong sig-
nals to be heard.
•Lower settings allow weak signals to
be heard, and possibly static.
•Generally, the squelch control should
be set for the lowest setting that elim-
inates unwanted static.
•The lowest setting allows all signals
to be heard.
5. Changing Channels
To change channels, press the ▲or ▼
keys.
•If the ▲or ▼keys are pressed for
more than one second, the channel
will change rapidly.
•The radio displays the channel num-
ber, memory status (MEM) and TX
power status of the channel as you
change the channels (Fig. 4).
Fig. 4 Channel Display
4West Marine VHF50 Radio Owner’s Manual

Fig. 5a: USA Mode Display
Fig. 5b: International Mode Display
Fig. 5c: Canadian Mode Display
6. Changing Between
USA, International,
and Canadian Modes
Different areas of the world use different
VHF frequencies, although the channel
designation (1–88) may be the same.
There are three modes: USA, Interna-
tional, and Canadian. Press and hold the
VOL/UIC key for two seconds change
from USA to International; to change
from International to Canadian; and to
change from Canadian to USA (Fig. 5a-
5c). Three seconds after the last key
stroke, the Country Mode Display will
stop blinking and show the Country
Mode. The radio will automatically return
to Channel Selection Mode. If the
VOL/UIC key is pressed and released
when in Country Selection Mode, the
radio will return to Channel Selection
Mode.
•When Country Mode is changed,
Channel 16 is automatically selected,
not the last channel used.
•If for some reason you find that you
cannot communicate with another
radio on a predetermined channel,
insure that both radios are set the cor-
rect Channel Mode. This can be con-
fusing if different modes are being
used.
West Marine VHF50 Radio Owner’s Manual 5