West Marine VHF155 User manual

Owner’s Manual
Guide d’utilisation
Model / Modèle 12019105
VHF155
Floating Two-WayMarine Radio
Radio maritime bidirectionnelle flottante
VHF155
Floating Two-Way Marine Radio
Radio maritime bidirectionnelle flottante

Making a Distress Call
Speak slowly - clearly - calmly.
For future reference, write your boat’s name & call sign here:
Make sure your radio is on.
On the radio, 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.)
Press the push to talk button on the microphone and say: “MAYDAY
-- MAYDAY -- MAYDAY.”
Say “THIS IS {name of your boat (three times) and call sign/boat
registration number (once)}.”
Say “MAYDAY {name or call sign of your boat}.”
Tell where you are: (what navigational aids or landmarks are near, or
read the latitude and longitude from your GPS).
State the nature of your distress, (e.g. are you sinking, medical
emergency, man overboard, on fire, adrift, etc.
State the type of assistance you need (medical, towing, pumps, etc.).
Give number of persons aboard and conditions of any injured persons.
Estimate present seaworthiness of your ship (e.g. how immediate is the
danger due to flooding or fire or proximity to shore).
Briefly describe your ship, giving the ship name (e.g. “Blue Duck is 32
foot cabin cruiser, white hull, blue deck house”).
Say: “I WILL BE LISTENING ON CHANNEL 16.”
End message by saying “THIS IS {name or call sign of your boat},
OVER.”
Release the push to talk button and listen.
If you do not get an answer after 30 seconds, repeat your call,
beginning at step 3, above.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Faire un appel de détresse
Faire un appel de détresse vocal
Parlez lentement – clairement – calmement.
Pour toute référence ultérieure, transcrivez ci-dessous le nom et l’indicatif
d’appel de votre bateau :
Vérifiez si votre radio est en marche.
Appuyez sur la touche 16/9-Tri de la radio afin de commuter au canal
16 (156,8 MHz). (Si le canal 16 n’apparaît pas à l’affichage, appuyez de
nouveau sur la touche 16/9-Tri jusqu’à ce qu’il soit affiché.)
Appuyez sur le bouton de microphone push to talk et dites :“MAYDAY
- MAYDAY – MAYDAY”.
Donnez l’identité de votre navire en disant : “ICI {nom de votre bateau (trois
fois) ou indicatif d’appel et le numéro d’identification de votre bateau (une
fois)}”.
Dites “MAYDAY {nom ou indicatif d’appel de votre bateau} une fois”.
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).
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.
Révélez la nature de l’assistance désirée (médicale, remorquage, essence,
etc.)
Donnez le nombre de personnes à bord et les conditions des blessés, s’il y en a.
Donnez la condition de navigabilité actuelle de votre navire, tel que le
degré de l’urgence par rapport à l’inondation, à l’incendie ou à votre
proximité de la côte.
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 rouffle bleu.”).
Dites : “JE VAIS ÉCOUTER SUR LE CANAL 16”.
Terminez le message en disant “ICI {nom ou indicatif d’appel de votre
bateau}, À VOUS”.
Relâchez le bouton push to talk du microphone et écoutez.
Si vous n’obtenez pas de réponse après 30 secondes, répétez l’appel
encommençant à l’étape 3 ci-dessus.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Table of Contents
Introduction..............................E-1
Features .....................................E-1
Getting Started.........................E-3
What’s Included..........................E-3
Parts of the VHF155...................E-4
Front view..................................E-4
Back view..................................E-4
Charger .....................................E-6
Reading the display....................E-6
Display icons and what they
mean.....................................E-7
How It Works............................E-8
Normal mode operation..............E-9
Normal mode with Weather
Alert Watch............................E-9
Normal mode with Triple Watch
or Dual Watch .....................E-10
Normal mode with Quad Watch
E-10
Scan mode operation ............... E-11
Using the radio in scan mode .E-11
Scan mode with Weather Alert
Watch..................................E-12
Scan mode with Triple Watch
or Dual Watch .....................E-12
Both Weather Alert and Triple/
Dual Watch in scan mode ...E-13
Weather mode..........................E-13
Using the radio in weather
mode...................................E-13
Weather mode with Weather
Alert Watch..........................E-13
Weather mode with Triple
Watch or Dual Watch ..........E-14
Setting Up the Hardware.......E-15
Attaching the Antenna ..............E-15
Installing the Battery.................E-15
Using the Alkaline Battery CaseE-16
Mounting the Charger...............E-17
Charging the Battery.................E-17
Important notes on charging
the battery...........................E-18
Attaching the Belt Clip ..............E-18
Using Your Radio...................E-20
Changing the Volume ..............E-20
Setting the Squelch Level.........E-20
Changing the Channel..............E-21
Making a Transmission.............E-21
Boosting the transmission
power ..................................E-21
Setting the UIC Channel Mode.E-22
Using the Strobe SOS Light .....E-22
Turning the Key Beep On and
Off.........................................E-23
Using the External Speaker/Mic
Jack......................................E-23
Maintenance and
Troubleshooting..................E-24
Common Questions..................E-24
Specications ........................E-26
Regulations and Safety
Warnings..............................E-33
Three Year Limited Warranty
Statement ............................E-36
Making a Distress
Call ..............(inside front cover)

E-1
West Marine VHF155 Radio Owner’s Manual
Introduction
Features
Your radio provides the following key features:
Submersible 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.
The radio will only meet this rating if fully assembled
and all rubber seals and sealing plugs are well
maintained and correctly tted. This means that the
speaker microphone is attached or the sealing plug is
tted, and the battery pack (or case) and antenna are
attached and securely fastened.
After your radio is submerged in water, you might
notice that the sound is 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 will return to normal.
If your radio is exposed to salt water, clean it
thoroughly with fresh water.
The charging equipment is not waterproof.
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 2.5 or
5 Watts for added transmission distance.





E-2 West Marine VHF155 Radio Owner’s Manual
Battery level display and low battery alert.
Dual, Triple and Quad 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.
All marine VHF channels for the U.S., Canada, and
international waters
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Weather Channel watch
Sounds a warning tone when a hazard alert is issued.

E-3
West Marine VHF155 Radio Owner’s Manual
Getting Started
What’s Included
Antenna
7830433
Charging Cradle
12012589
Lithium Ion
Battery
12012555
Alkaline Battery Tray
(batteries not included)
12303038
VHF155 Radio DC Charging
Adapter
12012563
AC-DC Charging
Adapter
12012571
Screws for Charging
Cradle
Wrist Strap
12012548
Belt Clip
7830458
If any pieces are missing or damaged, contact West
Marine (see back cover for contact information).

E-4 West Marine VHF155 Radio Owner’s Manual
Parts of the VHF155
Front view
Back view
Antenna
LCD display
1/2.5/5W
button
Channel up
button
Volume-power knob
(Turn clockwise to
increase volume.)
Microphone
16/9-Tri
(16/9- triple
watch) button
WX-Alert
(weather-alert)
button Scan-Dual
(scan-dual
watch) button
Squelch knob
(Turn clockwise to
decrease channel noise.)
Push to talk
button
Speaker
Wrist strap
anchor
Channel down
button
UIC-Lock button
Mem (memory)
SOS button
Strobe
SOS light
Speaker Microphone
port and sealing cap
Antenna
LCD display
1/2.5/5W
button
Channel up
button
Volume-power knob
(Turn clockwise to
increase volume.)
Microphone
16/9-Tri
(16/9- triple
watch) button
WX-Alert
(weather-alert)
button Scan-Dual
(scan-dual
watch) button
Squelch knob
(Turn clockwise to
decrease channel noise.)
Push to talk
button
Speaker
Wrist strap
anchor
Channel down
button
UIC-Lock button
Mem (memory)
SOS button
Strobe
SOS light
Speaker Microphone
port and sealing cap
Belt clip
Battery
Battery charging
contacts
Battery
latch
Belt clip
Battery
Battery charging
contacts
Battery
latch

E-5
West Marine VHF155 Radio Owner’s Manual
Knob Turn clockwise to...: Turn counter-clockwise
to...:
Squelch Raise the squelch level
to reduce channel noise.
Lower the squelch level to
hear weaker signals.
Volume-
Power
Turn on the radio or
increase the volume.
Decrease the volume or turn
off the radio.
Button Press to... Press and hold to...
Push to
talk NA Transmit on a channel
16/9-Tri
1st press: Go to channel
16.
2nd press: Go to channel 9.
3rd press: Go back to the
starting channel.
Turn Triple Watch on
and off.
Mem-SOS
Save a channel into
memory or delete a channel
from memory.
Turns strobe SOS light
on and off.
WX-Alert Listen to the weather
channels.
Turn Weather Alert Watch
on and off.
Channel
Up
Move up one channel at
a time.
Move quickly up the
channels.
UIC-Lock
Switch from US to
Canadian or international
channels.
Lock the keys; press and
hold again to unlock.
1/2.5/5W Change the transmit power
(see page E-9). NA
Channel
Down
Move down one channel at
a time.
Move quickly down the
channels.

E-6 West Marine VHF155 Radio Owner’s Manual
Button Press to... Press and hold to...
Scan-Dual Start scanning the channels
saved in memory.
Turn Dual Watch on and
off.
Charger
Reading the display
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.
Charging
contacts
CHARGE LED
Screw holes
for mounting
Power jack
Charging
latches
Charging
contacts
CHARGE LED
Screw holes
for mounting
Power jack
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
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