Yaesu VX-2R User manual

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.1
General Description
Accessories & Option
Accessories Supplied with the VX-2R
FNB-82LI 3.7 V, 1000 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery Packs
NC-85B/C/U 2.5-Hour Charger
Belt Clip
Hand Strap
Antenna
Operating Manual
Warranty Card
Available Option for your VX-2R
FNB-82LI 3.7 V, 1000 mAh Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery Packs
NC-85 B/C/U 2.5-Hour Charger
CN-3 BNC-to-SMA Adapter
CSC-90 Soft Case
CT-44 Microphone Adapter
E-DC-21 DC Cable w/ Cigar Adapter
MH-34B4B Speaker/Microphone
MH-37A4B Ear piece/Microphone
VC-25 VOX Headset
Control & Connections
ANTENNA
Connect the supplied rubber flex antenna (or another antenna presenting a 50-Ohm
impedance) here.
MIC/SP
This four conductor miniature jack provides connection points for microphone audio,
earphone audio, PTT, and ground.
VOLUME
This control adjusts the audio volume level. Clockwise rotation increases the volume

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.2
level.
DIAL
The main tuning Dial is used for setting the operating frequency, and also is used for
menu selections and other adjustment.
TX/BUSY
This indicator glows green when the squelch opens, and turns red during transmit.
During Emergency Operation, this indicator will glow (or flash) white.
PTT (Push To Talk)
Press this switch to transmit, and release it (to receive) after your transmission is
completed.
MONI
Pressing this key disables the noise squelching action, allowing you to hear very weak
signals near the background noise level.
POWER
Press and hold this switch for one second to toggle the transceiver’s power on and off.
KEYPAD
These seven keys select many of most important operating features on the VX-2. This
function of the keys are described in details on next page.
SPEAKER
The internal speaker is located on hear.
MIC
The internal microphone is located on hear.
EXT DC
This coaxial DC jack allows connection to an external DC power source (3.2-7.0V DC).
The center pin of this jack is the Positive (+).

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.3
Keypad Functions
Key Press Key Press + [FW] Key Press and hold Key
BAND Moves operation to the
next-highest frequency
band.
Moves operation to the
next-lowest frequency
band.
Activates the Scanner.
H/L Switches the transmit
power output between
“HI” and “LOW.”
Select the synthesizer
steps to be used during
VFO operation.
Enter the “Set” (Menu)
mode.
V/M Switches frequency
control between the
VFO and Memory
System.
Activates the “Memory
Tune” mode while in
the Memory Recall
mode.
Activates the Dual
Watch feature.
FW Activates the
“Alternate” key
function.
Disables the
“Alternate” key
function.
Activates the “Memory
Write” mode (for
memory channel
storage).
HM/RV Reverse the transmit
and receive frequencies
while working through
a repeater.
Switches operation to
the “Home” (favorite
frequency) channel.
Activates the
Emergency Function.
% Activate the WIRESTM
(Internet Connection)
feature.
Recall the “Weather”
broadcast channels
and Short-wave
broadcast station
channels.
Activates the ARTS
feature.
MD Switches the operating
mode.
Activates the CTCSS
or DCS operation.
Activate the Smart
Search feature.
Installation of Accessories
Antenna Installation
The supplied antenna provides good results over the entire frequency range of the
transceiver. However, for enhanced base station medium-wave and shortwave reception,
you may wish to connect an external (outside) antenna.
To install the supplied antenna
Hold the bottom end of the antenna, then screw it onto the mating connector on the
transceiver until it is snug. Do not over-tighten by use of extreme force.
Notes:
Never transmit without having an antenna connected.
When installing the supplied antenna, never hold the upper part of the antenna
while screwing it onto the mating connector on the transceiver.

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.4
If using an external antenna for transmission, ensure that the SWR presented to
the transceiver is 1.5:1 or lower.
Installation of FNB-82LI Battery Pack
The FNB-80LI is a high-performance Lithium-Ion battery providing high capacity in a
very compact package. Under normal use, the FNB-82LI may be used for approximately
300 charge cycles, after which operating time may be expected to decrease. If you have
an old battery pack which is displaying capacity which has become diminished, you
should replace the pack with a new one.
Referring to Figure 1, slide the Battery Cover toward the bottom to remove it while
slide the Battery Cover Latch.
Referring to Figure 2, install the FNB-82LI into the Battery Nest.
Replace the Battery Cover, as shown in Figure 3.
If the battery has never been used, or its charge is depleted, it may be charged by
connecting the NC-85 Battery Charger, as shown in the illustration, to the EXT DC jack.
If only 12 ~ 16 Volt DC power is available, the optional E-DC-21 DC Adapter (with its
cigarette lighter plug) may also be used for charging the battery.
While the battery is being charged, display will indicate “CHGING” and the TX/BUSY
indicator will glow red.
When charging is finished, display will change to indicate “CHGFUL” and the TX/BUSY
indicator will change to glow green.
Interface of Packet TNCs
The VX-2R may be used for Packet operation, using the optional CT-91 microphone
adapter (available from your Yaesu dealer) for easy interconnection to commonly-
available connectors wired to your TNC. You may also build your own cable using a
four-conductor miniature phone plug, per the diagram below.
The audio level from the receiver to the TNC may be adjusted by using the VOLUME
knob, as with voice operation. The input level to the VX-2R from the TNC should be
adjusted at the TNC side; the optimum input voltage is approximately 5 mV at 2000
Ohms.
Be sure to turn the transceiver and TNC off before connecting the cables, so as to
prevent voltage spikes from possibly damaging your transceiver.

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.5
Operation
R. F. says: Hi! I’m R. F. Radio, and I’ll be helping you along as you learn the many
features of the VX-2R. I know you’re anxious to get on the air, but I encourage you to
read the “Operation” section of this manual as thoroughly as possible, so you’ll get the
most out of this fantastic new transceiver. Now. . .let’s get operating!
Switching Power On and Off
1. Be sure the Battery Pack is installed, and that the battery is fully charged. Connect
the antenna to the top panel ANTENNA jack.
2. Press and hold in the POWER switch (on the left side of the transceiver) for one
second. Two beeps will be heard when the switch has been held long enough, and
the current DC supply voltage will indicate on the display for 2 second. After this
interval, the display will resume its normal indication of the operating frequency.
3. To turn the VX-2R off, press and hold in the POWER switch again for one second.
R.F. says: If you don’t hear the two “Beep” tones when the radio comes on, the Beeper
may have been disabled via the Menu system. See page ??, which tells you how to
reactivate the Beeper.
Adjusting the Volume Level
Rotate the VOLUME control (inner knob) to set the desired audio level. Clockwise
rotation increases the volume level.
Squelch Adjustment
The VX-2R’s Squelch system allows you to mute the background noise when no signal is
being received. Not only does the Squelch system make “standby” operation more
pleasant, it also significantly reduces battery current consumption.
The Squelch system may be adjusted independently for the FM and Wide-FM (FM
Broadcast) modes.
1. Press and hold the [H/L(STEP)SET] key for one second to enter the Set Mode.
2. Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item 1: SQL.
3. Press the [H/L] key momentarily to enable adjustment this Item.
4. Rotate the DIAL knob to set the background noise is just silenced (typically at a
setting of about “1” or “2” for FM, and “2” or “3” for Wide-FM); this is point of
maximum sensitivity to weak signals.

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.6
5. When you are satisfied with the Squelch threshold setting, press the PTT key
momentarily to save the new setting and exit to normal operation.
R.F. Says: 1) A special “RF Squelch” feature is provided on the VX-2R. This feature
allows you to set the squelch so that only signals exceeding a certain S-meter level will
open the squelch. See page ?? for details.
2) If you’re operating in an area of high RF pollution, you may need to consider “Tone
Squelch” operation using the built-in CTCSS Decoder. This feature will keep your radio
quiet until a call is received from a station sending a carrier which contains a matching
(subaudible) CTCSS tone. Or if your friends have radios equipped with DCS (Digital
Coded Squelch) like your VX-2R has, try using that mode for silent monitoring of busy
channels.
Selecting the Operating Band
The VX-2R covers an incredibly wide frequency range, over which a number of different
operating modes are used. Therefore, the VX-2R’s frequency coverage has been divided
into different operating bands, each of which has its own pre-set channel steps and
operating modes. You can change the channel steps and operating modes later, if you
like (see page ??).
To Change Operating Bands:
1. Press the [BAND] key repetitively. You will see the LCD indication move toward a
higher frequency band each time you press the [BAND] key.
2. If you wish to move the operating band selection downward (toward lower
frequencies), press the [F/W] key first, then press the [BAND] key.
3. Once you have selected the desired band, you may initiate manual tuning (or
scanning) per the discussions on the next chapter.
Frequency Navigation
The VX-2R will initially be operating in the “VFO” mode, a channelized system which
allows free tuning throughout the currently-selected operating band.
Two basic frequency navigation methods are available on the VX-2R:
1) Tuning Dial (Outer ring of dual control on Top Panel)
Rotation of the DIAL allows tuning in the pre-programmed steps established for the
current operating band. Clockwise rotation of the DIAL causes the VX-2R to be tuned
toward a higher frequency, while counter-clockwise rotation will lower the operating

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.7
frequency.
If you press the [F/W] key momentarily, then rotate the DIAL, frequency steps of 1 MHz
will be selected. This feature is extremely useful for making rapid frequency excursions
over the wide tuning range of the VX-2R.
2) Scanning
From the VFO mode, press and hold the [BAND] key. The VX-2R will begin scanning
toward a higher frequency, and will stop when it receives a signal strong enough to
break through the Squelch threshold. The VX-2R will then hold on that frequency
according to the setting of the “RESUME” mode (Set Mode Item 28: RESUME). See
page ?? for details.
If you wish to reverse the direction of the scan (i.e. toward a lower frequency, instead of
a higher frequency), just rotate the DIAL one click in the counter-clockwise direction
while the VX-2R is scanning. The scanning direction will be reversed. To revert to
scanning toward a higher frequency once more, rotate the DIAL one click clockwise.
Press the PTT switch momentarily to cancel the scanning.
Transmission
Once you have set up an appropriate frequency inside one of the 144 MHz or 430 MHz
Amateur bands on which the VX-2R can transmit, you’re ready to transmit. These are
the most basic steps; more advanced aspects of transmitter operation will be discussed
later.
1. To transmit, press the PTT switch, and speak into the front panel microphone
(located in the upper left-hand corner of the speaker grille) in a normal voice level.
The TX/BUSY indicator will glow red during transmission.
2. To return to the receive mode, release the PTT switch.
3. During transmission, the relative power level will be indicated on the LCD.
Additionally, the “L” icon will appear at the bottom of the display while operating
on the “Low Power” Level setting.
R.F. Says: If you’re just talking to friends in the immediate area, you’ll get much longer
battery life by switching to Low Power operation. To do this, press the [H/L] key so that
the “L” icon appears at the bottom of the display. And don’t forget: always have an
antenna connected when you transmit.
Transmission is possible only on the 144 MHz and 430 MHz bands.
R.F. Says: 1) The VX-2R is smart! You can set up Low power on 144 MHz band, while

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.8
leaving 430 MHz on High power, and the radio will remember the different settings on
both band. And when you store memories, you can store High and Low power settings
separately in each memory, so you don’t waste battery power when using very close-in
repeaters!
2) When you are operating on one of the Low power settings, you can press the [F/W]
key, when press the PTT switch, to cause the VX-2R to transmit (temporarily) on High
power. After one transmission, the power level will revert to the previously-selected Low
power setting.
Keyboard Locking
In order to prevent accidental frequency change or inadvertent transmission, various
aspects of the VX-2R’s keys and switches may be locked out. The possible lockout
combinations are:
KEY: Just the front panel keys are locked out
DIAL: Just the top panel DIAL is locked out
K + D: Both the DIAL and Keys are locked out
PTT: The PTT switch is locked (TX not possible)
K + P: Both the keys and PTT switch are locked out
D + P: Both the DIAL and PTT switch are locked out
ALL: All of the above are locked out
To lock out some or all of the keys:
1. Press and hold the [H/L] key for one second to enter the Set mode.
2. Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item 9: LOCK.
3. Press the [H/L] key momentarily to enable adjustment this Item.
4. Rotate the DIAL knob to choose between one of the locking schemes as outlined
above.
5. When you have made your selection, press the PTT key to save the new setting and
return to normal operation.
To activate the locking feature, press the [F/W] key, then press and hold the [BAND]
key for one second. The “Key Lock” icon will appear on the LCD. To cancel locking, again
above procedures.
Keypad/LCD Illumination
Your VX-2R includes a reddish illumination lamp which aids in nighttime operation.

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.9
The red illumination yields clear viewing of the display in a dark environment, with
minimal degradation of your night vision. Three options for activating the lamp are
provided:
KEY Mode: Illuminates the Keypad/LCD for five seconds when any key pressed.
CONT Mode: Illuminates the Keypad/LCD continuously.
OFF Mode: Disables the Keypad/LCD lamp.
Here is the procedure for setting up the Lamp mode:
1. Press and hold the [H/L] key for one second to enter the Set mode.
2. Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item 17: LAMP.
3. Press the [H/L] key momentarily to enable adjustment this Item.
4. Rotate the DIAL knob to select one of the three modes described above.
5. When you have made your choice, press the PTT key to save the new setting and
return to normal operation.
R.F. Says: You may adjust the Keypad/LCD illumination level and LCD contrast by the
Set Mode. See page ?? for details.
Disabling the Keypad Beeper
If the keypad’s Beeper creates an inconvenience (particularly when operating in a quiet
room), it may easily be disabled.
1. Press and hold the [H/L] key for one second to enter the Set mode.
2. Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item 8: BEEP.
3. Press the [H/L] key momentarily to enable adjustment this Item.
4. Rotate the DIAL knob to change the setting from ON to OFF.
5. When you have made your selection, press the PTT key to save the new setting and
return to normal operation.
6. If you wish to re-enable the Beeper, just repeat the above procedure, rotate the
DIAL knob to select ON in step “4” above.
Advanced Operation
Now that you’re mastered the basics of VX-2R operation, let’s learn more about some of
the really neat features.
Changing the Channel Steps
The VX-2R’s synthesizer provides the option of utilizing channel steps of

FCC ID: K66VX-2R
VX-2R OPERATING MANUAL
Vertex Standard Co., Ltd.10
5/9/10/12.5/15/20/25/50/100 kHz per step, any number of which may be important to
your operating requirements. The VX-2R is set up at the factory with different default
steps on each operating band which probably are satisfactory for most operation.
However, if you need to change the channel step increments, the procedure to do so is
very easy.
1. Press and hold the [H/L] key for one second to enter the Set mode.
2. Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item 3: STEP.
3. Press the [H/L] key momentarily to enable adjustment this Item.
4. Rotate the DIAL knob to select the new channel step size.
5. When you have made your selection, press the PTT key to save the new setting and
return to normal operation.
R.F. Says: 9 kHz step is available on the BC band only.
Changing the Operating Mode
The VX-2R provides for automatic mode changing when the radio is tuned to different
operating frequencies. However, should an unusual operating situation arise in which
you need to change between the available operating modes (FM-Narrow, FM-Wide, and
AM), here is the procedure for doing so:
1. Press and hold the [H/L] key for one second to enter the Set mode.
2. Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item 4: RX MD.
3. Press the [H/L] key momentarily to enable adjustment this Item.
4. Rotate the DIAL knob to select the new operating mode. The available selections
are:
AUTO: Automatic mode setting per default values for the selected frequency range.
N-FM: Narrow-bandwidth FM (used for voice communication)
W-FM: Wide-bandwidth FM (used for high-fidelity broadcasting)
AM: Amplitude Modulation
5. When you have made your selection, press the PTT key to save the new setting and
return to normal operation.
R.F. Says: Unless you have a compelling reason to do so, leave the Automatic Mode
Selection feature on so as to save time and trouble when changing bands. If you make a
mode change for a particular channel or station, you can always store that one channel
into memory, as the mode setting will be memorized along with the frequency
information.