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Vertex Standard VX-177 Marine Radio User Manual

1. TOi T Q ee ol e C CEE T o e O00 eee VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Il OPERATION lay Hi mR F Radio and I ll be helping you along as you learn the many ep features of the VX 177 I know you re anxious to get on the air but I encour V age 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 1 Rotate the top panel s VOL PWR knob inner knob out of the click stop to turn on the radio The current DC supply voltage will be indicated on the display for 2 seconds After this 2 second interval the display will resume its normal indication of the operating frequency I ht O To turn the radio off turn the VOL PWR knob fully 7 varsu counter clockwise into the click stop position iee tHe ADJUSTING THE Aupio VoLUME LEVEL Rotate the VOL PWR knob inner knob to adjust the re ceiver level for a comfortable listing level using the back ground noise as a reference Clockwise rotation increases the volume level
2. 62 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL MISCELLANEOUS SETTINGS DISABLING THE T X BUSY NDICATOR Further battery conservation may be accomplished by disabling the TX indicator while transmitting and disabling the BUSY indicator while receiving a signal Use the following procedure 1 Press the F key then press the O0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 8 BSY LED if you wish to disable the BUSY indicator or Set Mode Item 48 TX LED if you wish to disable the TX indicator 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to LED OFF thus disabling the BUSY or TX lamp 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation 6 Ifyou wish to re enable the TX BUSY Indicator just repeat the above procedure rotating the DIAL knob to select LED ON in step 4 above Automatic Power Orr APO FEATURE The APO feature helps conserve battery life by automatically turning the radio off after a user defined period of time within which there has been no dial or key activity The avail able selections for the time before power off are 0 5 to 12 0 hours in 0 5 hour multiple as well as APO Off The default condition for the APO is OFF and here is the procedure for activating it 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to ent
3. Narrow is selected the receiver audio level is increased slightly to compensate for the reduced deviation The receiver IF filter bandwidth is not changed via this setting Set Mode Item 52 EAI Function Enables Disables the Emergency Automatic ID EAI Feature Available Values INT 1M INT 10M INT 15M INT 20M INT 30M INT 40M INT 50M CON 1M CON 10M CON 15M CON 20M CON 30M CON 40M CON 50M and OFF Default OFF The following Set Mode Items will appears when the optional FTD 7 DTMF Paging Unit is installed Set Mode Item 53 ANI Function Enables Disables the ANI function Available Values ANI OFF ANI ON Default ANI OFF Set Mode Item 54 ANI WRT Function Program the ANI Identifier See page 59 for details Set Mode Item 55 PAGER Function Enables Disables the ANI function Available Values PAGOOFF PAG ON Default PAG OFF Set Mode Item 56 PAG COD Function Setting the Pager Code for the DTMF Pager See page 55 for details Set Mode Item 57 PAG ABK Function Enables Disables the Answer Back function of the DTMF Pager Available Values ABK OFF ABK ON Default ABK OFF 82 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL SPECIFICATIONS General Frequency Ranges Channel Steps Frequency Stability Repeater Shift Emission Type Antenna Impedance Supply Voltage Negative Ground Current Consumption Approx 7 2 V Operating Temperature Case Size Weight Transmitter RF
4. Preferential Memory Scan described in the next section 4 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the setting and exit to normal operation When you recall the skipped memory channel manually a small B icon will appear at the left of the memory channel number indi cating it is to be ignored during scanning To re institute a channel into the scanning loop select OFF in step 3 above the Skipped channel will of course still be accessible via manual channel selection methods using the DIAL knob in the MR mode whether or not it is locked out of the scanning loop 38 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL SCANNING ee Memory SCANNING Preferential Memory Scan The VX 177 also allows you to set up a Preferential Scan List of channels which you can flag within the memory system These channels are designated by a blinking P icon when you have selected them one by one for the Preferential Scan List When you initiate memory scanning beginning on a channel with the blinking P icon appended only those channels bearing the blinking u icon will be scanned If you ini tiate scanning on a channel which does not have the blinking P icon appended you will scan all channels including those with the blinking gt icon appended Here is the procedure for setting up and using the Preferential Scan List 1 Recall the Memory Channel which you wis
5. 506 516 523 526 532 546 565 60616121624 settings and exit to normal operation 27 Jos 632 664 652 o4705 712 729 791 gt 134 743 754 24 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL CTCSS DCS EPCS OPERATION DCS OPERATION TONE SEARCH SCANNING In operating situations where you don t know the CTCSS or DCS tone being used by another station or stations you can command the radio to listen to the incoming signal and scan in search of the tone being used Two things must be remembered in this regard O You must be sure that your repeater uses the same tone type CTCSS vs DCS 1 Some repeaters do not pass the CTCSS tone you may have to listen to the station s transmitting on the repeater uplink input frequency in order to allow Tone Search Scanning to work To scan for the tone in use 1 Set the radio up for either CTCSS or DCS Decoder operation see the previous discus sions In the case of CTCSS B amp 9 will appear on the display in the case of DCS q will appear on the display 2 Press the F key then press the 2 CODE key 3 Press and hold in the A MHz or W MHz key for one sec ond to start scanning for the incoming CTCSS or DCS tone code 4 When the radio detects the correct tone or code it will halt on that tone code and audio will be allowed to pass Press the F key to lock in that tone code then press the F key again to exit to normal operation scan indef
6. LK ALL 27 M T CL MONI T CALL 28 NAME Toggles the display indication between frequency and the FREQ ALPHA channel s Alpha Numeric Tag 29 NM WRT 30 PSWD PWD OFF PWD ON 31 PSWD WI 32 RESUME BUSY HOLD TIME 33 REV HM lt REV gt HOME gt S 6 S 8 S FULL OFF 35 RPT MOD RPT OFF RPT RPT 36 PRI RVT Enables disables the Priority Revert feature RVT OFF RVT ON 37 RXSAVE Selects the Receive mode Battery Saver interval sleep ratio 200 MS 300 MS 500 MS 1 SEC 2 SSEC OFF 38 S SRCH Selects the Smart Search Sweep mode SINGLE CONT 39 SCN MD Selects the Memory Scan channel selection mode ONLY MEM Set Mope TEM FUNCTION 40 SCN LMP Enables Disables the Scan lamp while paused ON OFF 41 SHIFT Sets the magnitude of the repeater Shift 0 00 99 95 MHz 0 60 MHz 42 SKIP Selects the Memory Scan Skip channel selection mode OFF SKIP ONLY 43 SPLIT Enables Disables split CTCSS DCS coding SPL OFF SPL ON csi REV TN DCS ECS REV TN DCS ECS 100 kHz or AUTO 46 TN FRQ Setting of the CTCSS Tone Frequency 50 CTCSS tones 100 Hz 47 TOT 1MIN 30MIN or OFF 6 MIN 48 TX LED LED ON LED OFF 49 TXSAVE SAV OFF SAV ON 50 VFO SPL Enables or disables VFO Split operation VSP OFF VSP ON 51 WID NAR WIDE NARROW 52 EAI Enables Disables the Emergency Automatic ID EAI Feature INT 1M INT 50M COM 1M C
7. O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 18 ECS CDR for the Receiving CTCSS Tone Pair or Set Mode Item 19 ECS CDT for the Transmitting CTCSS Tone Pair 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to set the CTCSS Tone number which corresponds to the first tone of the CTCSS Tone Pair 5 Press the A MHz or W MHz key then rotate the DIAL knob to set the CTCSS Tone number which corresponds to the second tone of the CTCSS Tone Pair 6 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation lt 1 4 The VX 177 does not recognize the order of the Ist tone and the 2nd tone In other words for example the VX 177 considers both CTCSS pairs 10 35 and 35 10 to be identical _ TONE No Hz No t Hz No Hz No Hz 06 79 7 16 110 9 26 156 7 36 186 2 46 229 1 08 85 4 18 118 8 28 162 2 38 192 8 48 241 8 09 88 5 19 123 0 29 165 5 39 196 6 49 250 3 26 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL CTCSS DCS EPCS OPERATION EPCS ENHANCED Pacinc amp Cope SQuELcu Activating the Enhanced Paging amp Code Squelch System 1 Press the F key then press the 1 SQ TYP key to enable selection of the CTCSS DCS ECS mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob so that the ECS indication appears on the display 3 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting an
8. 177 OPERATING MANUAL 35 SCANNING E The VX 177 allows you to scan just the memory channels the entire operating band or a portion of that band It will halt on signals encountered so you can talk to the station s on that frequency if you like Scanning operation is basically the same in each of the above modes Before you begin take a moment to select the way in which you would like the scanner to resume scanning after it halts on a signal Setting the Scan Resume Technique Three options for the Scan Resume mode are available BUSY In this mode the scanner will halt on a signal it encounters Two seconds after the carrier has dropped because the other station s ceased transmission the scanner will resume In the case of constant carrier signals like Weather Station broad casts the scanner will likely remain on this frequency indefinitely HOLD In this mode the scanner will halt on a signal it encounters It will not restart automatically you must manually re initiate scanning if you wish to resume TIME In this mode the scanner will halt on a signal it encounters and will hold there for five seconds If you do not take action to disable the scanner within that time period the scanner will resume even if the stations are still active To set the Scan Resume mode 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 32 RESUME 3 Press the F key mom
9. Battery Packs required when utilizing Ni Cd and Ni MH cells Note that the power output and battery life will be much shorter when using Alkaline AA cells They should be considered an emergency backup power source only for this reason 10 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL INTERFACE OF Packer TNCs SS es The VX 177 may be used for Packet operation using the optional CT 91 Microphone Adapter available from your Yaesu dealer for easy interconnection to commonly avail able 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 VOL knob as with voice operation The input level to the VX 177 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 When you are operating on Packet switch the Receive Battery Saver OFF as the sleep cycle may collide with the beginning of an incoming Packet transmission causing your TNC not to receive the full data burst See page 62 for details regarding Battery Saver setup 3 5 Jack 3 5 Plug 2 56 Jack 2 5 Plug TNC i i E E z Je OE M a a iig
10. F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to set the Time Out Timer to the desired Maximum TX time between 1 and 30 minutes or OFF When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation GN 1 When your transmission time is within 10 seconds of the Time Out Timer expiration an Alert bell will provide an audible warning from the speaker your radio s TOT feature for a maximum transmission time of one minute This will significantly improve battery life too Busy CHANNEL Locx Out BCLO The BCLO feature prevents the radio s transmitter from being activated if a signal strong enough to break through the noise squelch is present On a frequency where stations using different CTCSS or DCS codes may be active BCLO prevents you from disrupting their communications accidentally because your radio may be muted by its own Tone Decoder The default setting for the BCLO is OFF and here is how to change that setting 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 5 BCLO 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to BCL ON thus activating the BCLO feature 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exi
11. Internet link then press the PTT switch momentarily to lock in the selected access number 10 Once the Internet Connection feature 1s activated per step 8 above you may now press the O SET key while you are transmitting to send out the selected DTMF string to establish the link to the desired Internet link mode To return to the WIRES mode repeat steps 3 6 above selecting INT COD in step 6 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 5I ARTS Automatic RANGE TRANSPONDER SYSTEM The ARTS feature uses DCS signaling to inform both parties when you and another ARTS equipped station are within communications range This may be particularly use ful during Search and Rescue situations where is important to stay in contact with other members of your group Both stations must set up their DCS codes to the same code number then activate their ARTS feature using the command appropriate for their radio Alert ringers may be acti vated if desired Whenever you push the PTT switch or every 25 or 15 seconds after ARTS is activated your radio will transmit a signal which includes a subaudible DCS signal for about 1 second If the other radio is in range the beeper will sound if enabled and the display will show IN RNG as opposed to the out of range display OUT RNG in which ARTS operation begins CJJI psf ff fsjf d Whether you talk or not the polling every 15 or 25 seconds will continue un
12. Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to select the DTMF Memory register d1 d9 into which you wish to store the access code Press the F key momentarily The first digit will blink Rotate the DIAL knob to select F representing DTMF H the first digit of the DTMF string G Press the F key momentarily to accept the first digit and move to the second digit of the DTMF string H Repeat the previous steps until you have completed the ac Jawe m p 50 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL INTERNET CONNECTION FEATURE cess code 123 I Press and hold in the F key for one second to save the setting 2 Press the PTT switch to exit to normal operation 3 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode again 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 22 NET 5 Press the F key to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 6 Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to INT MEM thus activating the Other Internet Link System mode 7 Press the PTT switch to save the new settings 8 Press the 0 SET key momentarily to activate the Internet Con nection feature The 8 icon will appear in the upper right corner of the display 9 Press and hold in the O SET key for one second rotate the DIAL knob to select the DTMF access number IMEM 1 IMEM 9 corresponding to the Internet link repeater to which you wish to establish an
13. but every five seconds the radio will check the Priority Channel memory channel for activity 4 Press F gt VFO PRI again to disable the HOME Priority mode 42 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL SCANNING a PRIORITY CHANNEL SCANNING DUAL Watcu VFO VFO Dual Watch 1 Press the VFO PRI key to switch the VFO mode if needed 2 Press the F key then press and hold in the VFO PRD key for one second The VX 177 will now periodically change from VFO A frequency to the VFO B frequency checking for activity on each VFO for 0 2 second interval 3 Press the VFO PRI key to disable the VFO VFO Dual Watch Priority Revert Mode During Priority channel operation Dual Watch a special feature is available which will allow you to move to the Priority channel instantly without waiting for activity to appear on the Priority channel When this feature is enabled and Priority monitoring is engaged just press the PTT switch operation will instantly revert to the Priority channel To enable the Priority Revert operation Press the F key then press the O0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 36 PRI RVT Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to RVT ON When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the setting and exit to normal operation To disable the Prio
14. carrier in order to activate the repeater This helps prevent false activation of the repeater by radar or spurious signals from other transmitters This tone system called CTCSS Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System is included in your VX 177 and is very easy to activate Z CTCSS setup involves two actions setting the Tone Mode and then setting of the Tone Frequency These actions are set up by using the 1 SQ TYP key V and 2 CODE keys 1 Press the F key then press the 1 SQ TYP key to enable selection of the CTCSS DCS ECS mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob so that TONE indication appears on the display this activates the CTCSS Encoder for access to repeat ers requiring a CTCSS tone 3 Rotation of the DIAL knob one more click in step 2 above will cause the TSQL notation to appear When TSQL is dis played this means that the Tone SQueLch system 1s active which mutes your VX 177 s receiver until it receives a call from an other radio sending out a matching CTCSS tone This can help keep your radio quiet until a specific call is received which may be helpful while operating in congested areas of the band 1 You may notice a REV TN indication on the display while you rotate the DIAL knob in this step this means that the Reverse Tone Squelch system is active which mutes your VX 177 s receiver instead of opening the au when it receives a call from the radio sending a m
15. eee 12 Adjusting the Audio Volume Level 12 Squelch Adjusiment 6 cs caneesteataieces 13 Frequency Navigation cc cccccccccceesseeees 13 Transmis Sioasi E E 15 Advanced Operation ssssssscceesssssscossccccesessso 16 Keyboard Locking ccccsssccceessseeeeeeees 16 Keypad LCD Illumination eee 17 Disabling the Keypad Beeper 06 17 RE Samele Minnene eta ATSANA 18 Checking the Battery Voltage 0 0 0 18 Repeater Operation ccccsssssssssssssreeeseeees 19 Rep ater Shifts x cecseccecs Jawsdi eased acca wai esuees 19 Automatic Repeater Shift ARS 19 Manual Repeater Shift Activation 20 VFO Split Mode irene aad ee cuees 21 CTCSS DCS EPCS Operation sc008 23 CICSS Operation sisimua annii ais 23 DCS Operation cute tecreces aes eareteon wats 24 Tone Search Scanning ceecceeeessseeeees 25 EPCS Enhanced Paging amp Code Squelch 26 CTCSS DCS EPCS Bell Operation 2T Split Tone Operation cccccsccceeeeesseeees 28 Tone Calling 1750 HZ ceeseceesseeeeeees 28 Memory Mode ccccssccccccstscsaciesccscesssncencscasccivoress 29 Memory Storage eseesseeeeeeeeeereeeererreeeeesesesse 29 Storing Independent Transmit Frequencies Odd Split 29 Memon Recah n 30 HOME Channel Memory 0 cccceeeeees 30 Labeling Memories cccsccccceeesseeeeeeeees 31 Mem
16. frequency by W rotating the DIAL knob for example the ARS will over ride your manual setting of the shift direction Turn ARS off if you do not wish this to happen If you make a change in the repeater shift on a memory channel that you already stored the radio will consider this a temporary change unless you store the memory once more this time with the desired repeater shift engaged Changing the Default Repeater Shifts If you travel to a different region you may need to change the default repeater shift so as to ensure compatibility with local operating requirements To do this follow the procedure below 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 41 SHIFT Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the new repeater shift magni tude When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to U MN save the new Setting and return to normal operation If you just have one odd split that you need to program don t change the default repeated shifts using this Set Mode Item Enter the transmit and receive frequencies separately as shown on page 29 20 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL REPEATER OPERATION MANUAL REPEATER SHIFT ACTIVATION Checking the Repeater Uplink Input Frequency It often is helpful to be able to check the uplink input frequency of a
17. i z A Ta aa dG nN O SNN Close the Battery Pack Latch 8 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL INSTALLATION OF ACCESSORIES BATTERY CHARGING If the battery has never been used or its charge is depleted it may be charged by connect ing the NC 88 Overnight 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 5B DC Cable with its cigarette lighter plug or E DC 6 DC Cable plug and wire only may also be used for charging the battery A fully discharged pack will be charged completely in 10 hours Disconnect the NC 88 from the EXT DC jack and the AC line outlet NC 88 Important Note 1 The NC 88 is not designed to power the transceiver for operation reception or trans mission 1 Do not leave the NC 88 connected to the transceiver for continuous periods in excess of 24 hours Long term overcharging can degrade the Ni MH battery pack and signifi cantly shorten its useful life 1 Please be advised that the NC 88 may contribute noise to TV and radio reception in the immediate vicinity so we do not recommend its use adjacent to such devices Low BATTERY INDICATION As your battery discharges during use the voltage will gradually become lower When the battery voltage is becoming too low for reliable operation the 4 icon will blink on the LCD display indicating that the battery pack must be recharged before further use 1 Avoid rech
18. if the Bell function is activated When you close the PTT switch to transmit the 3 digit DTMF pager code which is stored in the last selected DIMF Pager Memory register will be transmitted automatically On the paged radio the squelch will close automatically five seconds after the incoming page ends you may now resume DTMF Pager operation Storing the 3 digit code for the DIMF Pager Operation 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 56 PAG COD 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the DIMF Pager Memory regis ter into which you wish to store the access code 5 Press the F key momentarily The first digit will blink Rotate the DIAL knob to select the first digit of the 3 digit DTMF pager code The A and D keys are wild cards 7 Press the F key momentarily to accept the first digit and move to the second digit of the 3 digit DTMF pager code 8 Repeat the previous steps until you have completed the 3 digit DTMF pager code 9 Press the REV HOME key to toggle the decoder on and off When the decoder is set to off the notation appears between the DTMF pager memory register number and the 3 digit DTMF pager code for example P2 123 The 3 digit DTMF pager code which does not have the no tation is used for enco
19. is encountered by your radio When Smart Search is engaged the transceiver will search above and below your current frequency storing active frequencies as it goes with out stopping on them even momentarily these frequencies are stored into a special Smart Search memory bank consisting of 31 memories 15 above the current frequency 15 be low the current frequency plus the current frequency itself Two basic operating modes for Smart Search are available SINGLE In this mode the transceiver will sweep the current band once in each direction starting on the current frequency All channels where activity is present will be loaded into the Smart Search memories whether or not all 31 memories are filled the search will stop after one sweep in each direction CONT In this mode the transceiver will make one pass in each direction as with One Shot searching if all 31 channels are not filled after the first sweep however the radio will continue sweeping until they are all filled Setting the Smart Search Mode 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 38 S SRCH 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired Smart Search mode see above 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the setting and exit to normal operation Storing Smart Search Memo
20. knob to select Set Mode Item 27 MI T CL 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to select T CALL on the display 5 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation To access a repeater press and hold in the MONI key for the amount of time specified by the repeater owner operator The transmitter will automatically be activated and a 1750 Hz audio tone will be superimposed on the carrier Once access to the repeater has been gained you may release the MONI key and use the PTT switch for activating the transmit ter thereafter 28 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Memory MopE The VX 177 provides a wide variety of memory system resources These include O 200 Standard memory channels numbered 1 through 200 O A Home channel providing storage and quick recall of one prime frequency O 10 sets of band edge memories also known as Programmable Memory Scan chan nels labeled L1 U1 through L10 U 10 O 10 Memory Banks labeled BANK 1 through BANK1Q Each Memory Bank can be assigned up to 200 channels from the standard memory channels J 10 Weather Broadcast Channels Memory STORAGE 1 Select the desired frequency while operating in the VFO mode Be sure to set up any desired CTCSS or DCS tones as well as any desired repeater offset now The power level may also be set a
21. programmable scanner upward toward a higher frequency or a higher channel number Enables Internet access code selection Third Function Press amp Horo Key 1 You can program the secondary press F key function of the key to another function if desired See page 61 for details 6 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL CONTROLS amp CONNECTORS Keypap Functions Primary Function Frequency entry digit 3 Press Key aaa raa Secondary Function Selects the desired transmit power Press F Key output level Third Function Press amp Horo Key Primary Function Frequency entry digit 6 Press Key ace y alg Secondary Function Press F W Key Activates the Key Lockout feature Third Function Activates the Key Lockout feature Press amp Horo Key l y 5 j Primary Function Frequency entry digit 9 Press Key aniy y alg Secondary Function Press F Key Selects the DTMF mode Third Function Press amp Horo Key Sets S control to the VFO mode Toggles the VFO between VFO A and VFO B while in the VFO mode Primary Function Press Key Secondary Function Activates the Priority Dual Watch Press F Key function Starts the programmed VFO scanner upward while in the VFO mode Selects the Memory Bank while in the Memory Recall mode Third Function Press amp Horo Key Activates the Smart Search feature Increases the VFO freq
22. receives the CTCSS tone pair which is stored in the Receiving Pager Code Memory configured via Set Mode Item 18 ECS CDR on the frequency which is stored in Memory Channel 200 for more than five seconds the radio will automatically transmit a brief 0 5 second beep tone every 2 5 seconds until the EAI timer expiration at the power level stored in that memory channel it is NOT necessary for the incapacitated person to press the PTT switch In the Continuous mode when the VX 177 receives the CTCSS tone pair which is stored in the Receiving Pager Code Memory configured via Set Mode Item 18 ECS CDR on the frequency which is stored in Memory Channel 200 for more than five seconds the radio will automatically transmit with maximum microphone gain continuously until the EAI timer expiration at the power level stored in that memory channel it is NOT necessary for the incapacitated person to press the PTT switch Furthermore if your call sign is stored in the radio via Set Mode Item 11 CVV WRT and you have enabled the CW identifier by Set Mode Item 10 CWID the radio will transmit your callsign on the air when the EAI feature is first engaged by the remote page and every 10 minutes thereater The callsign ID can be changed to any desired sequence of characters such as a name After sending the callsign or name the radio will repeatedly transmit three tones for a user defined period of time between 1 and 30 minutes The
23. repeat steps 1 through 4 above but rotate the DIAL so that TSQ disappears this will allow you to hear all traffic on the channel being utilized DCS OPERATION Another form of tone access control is Digital Code Squelch or DCS It is a newer more advanced tone system which generally provides more immunity from false paging than does CTCSS The DCS Encoder Decoder is built into your VX 177 and operation is very similar to that just described for CTCSS Your repeater system may be configured for DCS if not DCS is frequently quite useful in Simplex operation if your friend s use transceivers equipped with this advanced feature Just as in CTCSS operation DCS requires that you set the Tone Mode to DCS and that you select a tone code 1 Press the F key then press the 1 SQ TYP key to enable selection of the CTCSS DCS ECS mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob until the DCS indication appears on the display this activates the DCS Encoder Decoder 3 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting Press the F key then press the 2 CODE key to enable adjustment of the DCS code 5 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired DCS Code a three digit number Ask the repeater owner operator if you don t know DCS Code if you are working sim plex just set up the DCS Code to be the same as that used by your friend s 6 When you have made your selection press the F key momentarily to save the new
24. repeater to see if the calling station is within direct Simplex range To do this just press the REV HOME key Yov ll notice that the display has shifted to the repeater uplink frequency Press the REV HOME key again to cause operation to revert to normal monitoring of the repeater downlink out put frequency While you are listening on the input fre quency to the repeater using the REV HOME key the repeater offset icon will blink The configuration of this key may be set either to RV for checking the input fre quency of a repeater or HM for instant switching to the Home channel for the band you are operating on To change the configuration of this key use Set Mode Item 33 REV HM See page 79 VFO Sp tit MopeE For working on repeaters with odd splits or communicating with astronauts on orbiting space vehicles it may be necessary to use non standard splits between the receive and transmit frequency If the application is infrequent enough not to warrant the dedication of a memory channel for this purpose the VFO Split mode may be used Here is the proce dure for going Split 1 Press the VFO PRI key as needed to select VFO A Set VFO A for the desired receiving downlink frequency e g 439 700 MHz 2 Now press the VFO PRI key and set VFO B for the desired transmit uplink fre quency e g 434 900 MHz 3 Press the VFO PRI key once more to re est
25. sleep duration The selections available are 200 ms 300 ms 500 ms 1 second 2 seconds or OFF The default value is 200 ms When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation GN la When you are operating on Packet switch the Receive Battery Saver OFF as N the sleep cycle may collide with the beginning of an incoming Packet trans mission causing your TNC not to receive the full data burst TX BATTERY SAVER The VX 177 also includes a useful Transmit Battery Saver which will automatically lower the power output level when the last signal received was very strong For example when you are in the immediate vicinity of a repeater station there generally is no reason to use the High Power output in order to achieve full quieting access to the repeater With the Transmit Battery Saver the automatic selection of Low Power operation conserves battery drain significantly To activate the Transmit Battery Saver 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 49 TXSAVE 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to SAV ON thus activating the Transmit Battery Saver 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation
26. successful CLONE will reappear on both displays Turn both radios off and disconnect the cloning cable You can then turn the radios back on and begin normal opera tion l 3 5 Jack 3 5 Jack Connect Common to Common Ja t pea to 2 5 Jack Jac Connect Ring ing 2 5 Jack VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL NOTE VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 69 Set Menu Mope The VX 177 Set Mode already described in parts of many previous chapters is easy to activate and set It may be used for configuration of a wide variety of transceiver param eters some of which have not been detailed previously Use the following procedure to activate the Set Mode 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item to be ad justed 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of the Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to adjust or select the parameter to be changed on the Set Mode Item selected in above step 5 After completing you
27. the Memory Bank VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 33 Memory Mope Movinc Memory Data To THE VFO Data stored on memory channels can easily be moved to the last selected VFO if you like 1 Select the memory channel containing the frequency data to be moved to the VFO 2 Press the MR SKIP key momentarily to activate the Memory Tune feature tem porarily then press and hold in the VFO PRI key for one second The data will now have been copied to the last selected VFO although the original memory contents will remain intact on the previously stored channel If a Split Frequency Memory channel was transferred the TX frequency will be ignored you will be set up for Simplex operation on the Receive frequency Memory OnLy Mope Once memory channel programming has been completed you may place the radio in a Memory Only mode whereby VFO operation is impossible This may be particularly useful during public service events where a number of operators may be using the radio for first time and ultimate simplicity of channel selection is desired To place the radio into the Memory Only mode 1 Turn the radio off 2 Press and hold in the MONI switch just below the PTT switch while turning the radio on 3 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the F5 M ONLY option then press the F key To return to normal operation repeat the above power on procedure 34 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL NOTE VX
28. FSset TUNING Once you have recalled a particular memory channel you may easily tune off that channel as though you were in the VFO mode 1 With the VX 177 in the MR Memory Recall mode select the desired memory channel 2 Press the MR SKIP key momentarily to activate the Memory Tuning feature The Memory Channel number will be replaced by tun And if you have an alpha numeric Tag displayed on the memory channel the display will automatically revert to dis play of the operating frequency so you can navigate without having to enter the Menu to change the display configuration 3 Rotate the DIAL knob as desired to tune to a new frequency The synthesizer steps selected for VFO operation on the current band will be the steps used during Memory Tuning 4 Ifyou wish to return to the original memory frequency just press the MR SKIP key momentarily The display will revert to display of the alpha numeric Tag if any that may have origi nally appeared on the LCD 5 Ifyou wish to store a new frequency set during Memory Tuning just press and hold in the F key for one second per normal memory storage procedure The microproces sor will automatically set itself to the next available clear memory location and you then press F again to lock in the new frequency LD Ifyou want to replace the original memory contents with those of the new CHY frequency be sure to rotate the DIAL knob to the or
29. NSTALLATION OF THE FTD 7 DTMF Pacine Unit Option SSS ee 1 Make sure that the transceiver is off Remove the hard or soft case if used 2 Remove the battery pack 3 Locate the connector for the FTD 7 under the caution seal in the battery compartment on the back of the radio just peel off the caution seal 4 Align the connector on the FTD 7 with the transceiver s connector and gently press the unit into place 5 Affix the new supplied caution seal and replace the battery 6 Installation is now complete When the optional FTD 7 DTMF Pager Unit is installed a PGU notation will be indicated on the display for 2 seconds along with the current DC supply voltage when you turn the radio on F L gt gt Peel off the Connector Press the Affix the supplied Caution Seal Optional Unit Caution Seal QO XO QO OJO 84 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 1 Changes or modifications to this device not expressly approved by VERTEX STANDARD could void the user s authorization to operate this device 2 This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference including received interference that may cause undesired operation 3 The scanning receiver in this equipment i
30. OFF Beeper is disabled Set Mode Item 7 BELL Function Selects the number of CTCSS DCS Bell ringer repetitions Available Values OFF 1T 3T 5T 8T CONT Continuous ringing Default OFF 74 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Set Menu Mope Set Mode Item 8 BSY LED Function Enables Disables the BUSY LED while the Squelch is open Available Values LED ON LED OFF Default LED ON Set Mode Item 9 CLK SFT Function Shifting of the CPU clock frequency Available Values SFT OFF SFT ON Default SFT OFF This function is only used to move a spurious response birdie should it fall on a desired frequency Set Mode Item 10 CWID Function Enables disables the CW identifier during ARTS operation Available Values TX OFF TX ON Default TX OFF Set Mode Item 11 CW WRT Function Programs and activates the CW Identifier used during ARTS operation See page 52 for details Set Mode Item 12 DC VLT Function Indicates the DC Supply Voltage Set Mode Item 13 DCS COD DCS CODE po CCCCUCDCSCODE Function Setting of the DCS code Available Vatuen 104 etandaed DCS codes 05M 0681071 o72 073 074 114 115 116 122 ee ee pone Default DCS 023 Set Mode Item 14 DCS N R Function Enables Disables Inverted DCS code decoding Available Values T RX N RX R TX R z7 efae eseoa ece 700272871 ale as a a aaa ae 12172317 T RX R 732 a 743 754 Default T RX N Set Mode Item 15 DT DLY Function
31. OM 50M OFF The following Set Mode Items will appears when the optional FTD 7 DTMF Paging Unit is installed AVAILABLE VALUES B 7 0 eo Bozo lrauic ANI OFF ANI ON Set Mone Item FUNCTION 53 ANI Enables Disables the ANI function 54 ANI WRT Program the ANI Identifier 55 PAGER Enables Disables the ANI function PAG OFFIPAG ON 56 PAG COD Setting the Pager Code for the DTMF Pager 000 999 57 PAG ABk Enables Disables the Answer Back function of the DTMF Pager ABK OFF ABK ON VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 71 Set Menu Mope REPEATER SETTING Set Mope Item Enables Disables the Automatic Repeater Shift function 4 ARS Sets the Repeater Shift Direction 35 RPT MOD Sets the magnitude of the repeater Shift 41 SHIFT CTCSS DSC DTMF EPCS SETTING Set Mone Item Selects the number of CTCSS DCS Bell ringer repetitions 7 BELL Setting of the DCS code 13 DCS COD Enables Disables Inverted DCS code decoding 14 DCS N R Setting of the DTMF Autodialer Delay Time 15 DT DLY Setting of the DTMF Autodialer Sending Speed 16 DT SPD Programming of the DTMF Autodialer 17 DT WRT Setting the Receiver Pager Code for the Enhanced CTCSS 18 ECS CDR Paging amp Code Squelch Setting the Transmitting Pager Code for the Enhanced 19 ECS CDT CTCSS Paging amp Code Squelch Enables Disables split CTCSS DCS coding 43 SPLIT Selects the Tone Encoder and or Decoder mode 44 SQL TYP Setting of the CTCSS
32. Power Output Modulation Type Maximum Deviation Spurious Emission Microphone Impedance Receiver Circuit Type Intermediate Frequencies Sensitivity Selectivity AF Output 7 5 V RX 430 440 MHz or 420 470 MHz TX 430 440 MHz or 430 450 MHz 5 10 12 5 15 20 25 50 100 kHz 5 ppm 14 F to 140 F 10 C to 60 C 5 MHz 7 2 MHz or 1 6 MHz F2D F3E 50 Q Nominal 7 2 V DC Operating 6 0 16 0 V DC EXT DC Jack 11 0 16 0 V DC EXT DC Jack with Charging 130 mA Receive 200 mW output 50 mA Standby Saver Off 22 mA Standby Saver On 8 mA Auto Power Off 1 8A 5 W TX 4 F to 140 F 20 C to 60 C 2 36 W x 4 72 H x 1 26 D 60 x 120 x 32 mm w o knob antenna amp belt clip 13 8 Oz 390 g with FNB 83 antenna and belt clip 5 0 W High 2 0 W Middle 0 5 W Low 7 2 V Variable Reactance F2D F3E 5 0 kHz F2D F3E At least 60 dB down High and Middle power At least 40 dB down Low power 2 kQ Double Conversion Superheterodyne Ist 47 25 MHz 2nd 450 kHz 0 2 uV for 12 dB SINAD 12 kHz 35 kHz 6 dB 60 dB 700 mW 16 Q for 10 THD Internal Speaker 400 mW 8 Q for 10 THD EXT SP Jack Specifications are subject to change without notice and are guaranteed within the 430 MHz amateur band only Frequency ranges and functions will vary according to trans ceiver version check with your dealer VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 83 I
33. Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 31 PSWD W 3 Press the F key momentarily to display any previously stored password Press the F key again to clear any previous password 5 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the first digit of the desired num ber letter 0 9 A B C D E substitute for gt k and F substi tute for 6 Press the F key to move to the next digit 7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 to program the remaining numbers letters of the desired password 8 Ifyou make a mistake press the W MHz key to move back to the previous digit then re select the correct number letter 9 If your password is made up of numbers only you may enter your password directly from the keypad For example to enter the 1234 as your password press 1 gt 2 gt 3 gt 4 10 When you have finished entering the password press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation We recommend that you to write down the password number and keep it in a safe place you can easily find if you forget your password To Activate the Password feature Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 30 PSWD Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Item Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to PWD ON When you hav
34. RATION SPLIT TONE OPERATION The VX 177 can be operated in a Split Tone configuration via the Set mode 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 43 SPLIT 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select ON to enable the Split Tone feature 5 Press the PTT switch momentarily to save the new setting and exit to normal operation When the Split Tone feature is activated you can see the following additional parameters following the DCS parameter while selecting the tone mode by pressing F gt 1 SQ TYP D DCS Encode only the 0MB icon will blink during operation T DCS Encodes a CTCSS Tone and Decodes a DCS code the icon will blink and the 3 icon will appear during operation D TSQL Encodes a DCS code and Decodes a CTCSS Tone the E icon will appear and the 0B icon will blink during operation Select the desired operating mode from the selections shown above Tone Ca tine 1750 Hz If the repeaters in your country require a 1750 Hz burst tone for access typically in Eu rope you can set the MONI key to serve as a Tone Call switch instead To change the configuration of this switch we again use the Set Mode to help us 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL
35. Sb YAESU UHF FM TRANSCEIVER VX 177 PERATING MANUAL VERTEX STANDARD CO LTD 4 8 8 Nakameguro Meguro Ku Tokyo 153 8644 Japan VERTEX STANDARD US Headquarters 10900 Walker Street Cypress CA 90630 U S A YAESU EUROPE B V P O Box 75525 1118 ZN Schiphol The Netherlands YAESU UK LTD Unit 12 Sun Valley Business Park Winnall Close Winchester Hampshire SO23 OLB U K VERTEX STANDARD HK LTD Unit 5 20 F Seaview Centre 139 141 Hoi Bun Road Kwun Tong Kowloon Hong Kong Contents General Description cccsssssssssecsssssssssenes 1 Accessories amp Options cccssssssssssssreceeseeees 2 Controls amp Connections cccssesceccsssssecees 3 TLOp SC Front Panel sissc cesses ccadinetisnsiisvecves 3 O Beemer crane ernennerer er trent ese ern N 4 Side Pane loari a teens 5 Keypad Functions sevesssucscasieveasiveariuasianaravendes 6 Installation of Accessories eoeesssssessssssooooesee 8 Antenna Installation cccecesseeeesseeeeeees 8 Installation of FNB 83 Battery Pack 8 Battery Charging 2 22 2 Sxccconant sla becswueasaes 9 Low Battery Indication cccccccceceeeeeeeeees 9 Belt Clip Installation ic peccssecexasccccsevseoueevaeces 10 Installation of FBA 25A Battery Case 10 Interface of Packet TNCS ccsesceeessseees 11 AD DOT AGO ais shectetevesnetcrrerstacateatavscaissintwecesahetuseas 12 Switching Power On and Off
36. Setting of the DTMF Autodialer Delay Time Available Values 50MS 100MS 250MS 450MS750MS 1000MS Default 450MS Set Mode Item 16 DT SPD Function Setting of the DTMF Autodialer Sending Speed Available Values 50MS high speed 100MS low speed Default SOMS VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 75 Set Menu Mope Set Mode Item 17 DT WRT Function Programming of the DTMF Autodialer See page 55 for details Set Mode Item 18 ECS CDRI Function Setting the Receiver Pager Code for the Enhanced CTCSS Paging amp Code Squelch See page 26 for details Set Mode Item 19 ECS CDT Function Setting the Transmitting Pager Code for the Enhanced CTCSS Paging amp Code Squelch See page 26 for details Set Mode Item 20 EDG BEP Function Enables Disables the Band edge beeper while selecting the frequency via the DIAL knob Available Values BEP OFF BEP ON Default BEP OFF Set Mode Item 21 EMG S Function Selects the alarm s utilized when the Emergency function is engaged Available Values EMG BEP EMG LMP EMG B L EMG CWT EMG C B EMG C L EMG ALL OFF Default EMGB L EMG BEP Loud Alarm sounds EMG LMP The LCD Keypad lamp flashes EMG B L Loud Alarm sounds and the LCD Keypad lamp flashes EMG CWT Transmits the Morse Code SOS e e e o e message on the air begin ning one minute after activation of the Emergency function EMG C B Loud Alarm sounds and the Morse Code SOS
37. Sweep mode Setting of the synthesizer steps Setting of the TOT time Enables Disables the TX LED while the radio is transmit ting Enables or disables VFO Split operation Select Wide 5 kHz or Narrow 2 5 kHz TX Deviation Enables Disables the Emergency Automatic ID EAI Fea ture Pacer SettinG Requires OPTIONAL FTD 7 Set Mope Item 6 BEEP 25 LAMP 26 LOCK 27 M T CL 33 REV HM Set Mope Item 1 APO 5 BCLO 8 BSY LED 9 CLK SFT 12 DC VLT 20 EDG BEP 21 EMG S 30 PSWD 31 PSWD W 34 RF SQL 38 S SRCH 45 STEP 47 TOT 48 TX LED 50 VFO SPL 51 WID NAR 52 EAI Set Mone Item AVAILABLE Va ues DEFAULT KEY SC KEY OFF KEY 5SEC TOGGLE LK KEY LKDIAL LK K D I LK PTT LK P K LK P D LK ALL MONI T CALL lt REV gt lt HOME gt AVAILABLE Values DEFAULT OFF 0 5H 12 0H BCL ON BCL OFF LED ON LED OFF SFT OFF SFT ON BEP OFF BEP ON EMGBEP EMGLMP EMG B L EMG CWT EMG C B EMG C L EMG ALL OFF PWD OFF PWD ON S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 S 5 S 6 S 8 S FULL OFF SINGLE CONT 9 10 12 5 15 20 25 50 100 kHz or AUTO 1MIN 30MIN or OFF 6MIN LED ON LED OFF SPL OFF SPL ON WIDE NARROW INT 1M INT 50M COM 1M COM 50M OFF AVAILABLE VALUES DEFAULT Enables Disables the ANI function 53 ANI ANI OFF ANI ON Program the ANI Identifier 54 ANI WRT Enables Disable
38. Tone Frequency 46 TN FRQ ARTS SETTING Set Mone Item Selects the Beep option during ARTS operation 2 AR BEP Selects the Polling Interval during ARTS operation 3 AR INT Enables disables the CW identifier during ARTS operation 10 CWID Programs and activates the CW Identifier used duringARTS 11 CW WRT operation Memory SETTING Set Mope Item Toggles the display indication between frequency and the 28 NAME channel s Alpha Numeric Tag Stores Alpha Numeric Tags for the Memory channels 29 NM WRT Scan SETTING Set Mope Item Selects the Scan Resume mode 32 RESUME Enables disables the Priority Revert feature 36 PRI RVT Selects the Memory Scan channel selection mode 39 SCN MD Enables Disables the Scan lamp while paused 40 SCN LMP Selects the Memory Scan Skip channel selection mode 42 SKIP Power SAveER SETTING Set Mone Item Selects the Receive mode Battery Saver interval sleep 37 RXSAVE ratio Enables Disables the Transmitter Battery Saver 49 TXSAVE WIRES SETTING Set Mone Item Selects the Internet Link Connection mode 22 I NET Selects the Access Number DTMF digit for WIRES op 23 INT CD eration Selects the memory register for an Access Number DTMF 24 INT MR digit for non WIRES AVAILABLE VaLues DEFAULT ARS ON ARS OFF RPT OFF RPT RPT X 0 00 99 95 MHz X AVAILABLE Values DEFAULT OFF 1T 3T 5T 8T CONT 104 standard DCS c
39. V 1 400 mAh Rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride Battery Pack O NC 88B C Overnight Battery Charger 10 Hour O YHA 69 Antenna O Quick Draw Belt Clip O Operating Manual O Warranty Card AVAILABLE OPTIONS O FNB 83 7 2 V 1 400 mAh Rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride Battery Pack O NC 88B C U Overnight Battery Charger 10 Hour O VAC 370 Desktop Rapid Charger O CD 26 Charger Cradle O FBA 25A Dry Cell Battery Case for 6 AA Alkaline Cells not supplied O CN 3 BNC to SMA Adapter O CT 91 Microphone Adapter O E DC 5B DC Cable with Cigarette Lighter Adapter O E DC 6 DC Cable plug and wire only O MH 57a4B Speaker Microphone 1 CMP460A Waterproof Speaker Microphone O VC 27 Earpiece Microphone O VC 24 VOX Headset O FTD 7 DTMF Paging Unit X B suffix is for use with 100 120 VAC C suffix is for use with 230 240 VAC and U suffix is for use with 230 VAC Availability of accessories may vary Some accessories are supplied as standard per local requirements while others may be unavailable in some regions This product is designed to perform optimally when used with genuine Vertex Standard accessories Vertex Stan dard shall not be liable for any damage to this product and or accidents such as fire leakage or explosion of a battery pack etc caused by the malfunction of non Vertex Standard accessories Consult your Vertex Standard dealer for details regarding these and any newly available options Connection of any non Vertex S
40. VX 177 to become submerged in water while the rubber AN cap over the EXT DC jack is removed ils mill A OU WT VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 5 CONTROLS amp CONNECTORS Kevpap Functions Primary Function Frequency entry digit 1 Frequency entry digit 2 Press Key Secondary Function Activates the CTCSS or Selects the CTCSS tone or Press F Key DCS Operation DCS code number ee nes Activates the ARTS feature Pulley SUNG On Frequency entry digit 4 Frequency entry digit 5 Press Key Selects the direction of the uplink frequency shift either or simplex during repeater operation Selects the CTCSS DCS Bell ringer repetitions Secondary Function Press F Key Third Function Activates the EMERGENCY Press amp Horo Key function Primary Function Press Key Frequency entry digit 7 Frequency entry digit 8 Secondary Function Selec he cican Resume Node Selects the LCD Keypad Press F Key Lamp Mode Third Function Press amp Horo Key Sets the frequency control to the Activates the Internet Connection Primary Function Memory Recall mode een Press Key Activates the Memory Tune mode while in the Memory Recall mode Frequency entry digit 0 Secondary Function Selects the Memory Scan Skip Engages the Set Menu Mode Press F Key channel selection mode gag u Starts the
41. ablish VFO A as the Main receive VFO Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL to select Set Mode Item 50 VFO SPL 6 Press the F key then rotate the DIAL to set this function VSP ON 7 Press the PTT switch once to save the new setting and exit to a normal operation 8 You will now be operating in the Split mode When you press the PTT switch to transmit you will observe that VFO A and VFO B will reverse positions The VFO selection indicator b will blink while the transceiver is transmitting this means that the VFO Split feature is now activated VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 2I REPEATER OPERATION VFO Sp tit MopE 9 Ifyou need to modify the VFO B transmit frequency for Doppler Shift correction etc just press the VFO PRI key then make the necessary change then press VFO PRI key once more to restore VFO A to the receive VFO position 10 When you have finished with Split operation re enter the Set mode and change Set Mode Item 50 VFO SPL to VSP OFF A split frequency pair set up via the VFO Split feature cannot be stored directly into memory You can however store odd frequency pairs using a different slightly simpler procedure See page 29 22 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL CTCSS DCS EPCS OPERATION CTCSS OPERATION Many repeater systems require that a very low frequency audio tone be superimposed on your FM
42. arging Ni MH batteries before the a indicator is observed as this can degrade the charge capacity of your Ni MH battery pack VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 9 INSTALLATION OF ACCESSORIES BELT CLIP INSTALLATION 1 Connect the hanger to the rear of the VX 177 with the notch pointing directly up using the supplied screw Figure 1 Use only the screw included with the clip to mount the clip to the back of the VX 177 Clip the Quick Draw Belt Clip onto your belt Figure 2 O To install the VX 177 into the Quick Draw Belt Clip align the hanger with the Quick Draw Belt Clip and slide the VX 177 into its slot until a click is heard Figure 3 1 To remove the VX 177 from the Quick Draw Belt Clip rotate the VX 177 180 de grees then slide the VX 177 out from the Quick Draw Belt Clip Figure 4 Figure 3 Figure 2 Figure 4 INSTALLATION OF FBA 25A ALKALINE BATTERY CASE OPTION The optional FBA 25A Battery Case allows operation of the VX 177 using six AA size Alkaline batteries When installing batteries insert the end first then press in the end so the battery snaps into place Always replace all six batteries at the same time paying attention to the polarity indicated inside the case The FBA 25A must not be used with rechargeable cells The FBA 25A does not contain the thermal and over current protection circuits provided in the FNB series of Ni MH
43. atched CTCSS tone The G8 icon will blink on the display when the Reverse Tone Squelch system is activated 2 You may notice the DCS and ECS indications on the display while you rotate the DIAL knob still more We ll discuss the Digital Code Squelch system for DCS and Enhanced Paging amp Code Squelch for ECS later 4 When you have made your selection of the CTCSS tone mode press the PTT switch to save the new setting 67 0 69 3 71 9 14 4 77 0 19 7 5 Press the F key then press the EOS DE her ne 2 CODE key to enable adjustment of the CTCSS fre 156 7 159 8 ens 189 9 199 5 203 5 206 6 Rotate the DIAL knob until the display indicates the Tone Frequency you need to 2503 2541 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 23 CTCSS DCS EPCS OPERATION CTCSS OPERATION be using ask the repeater owner operator if you don t know the tone frequency 7 When you have made your selection press the F key momentarily to save the new settings and exit to normal operation This is different than the usual method of restor ing normal operation and it applies only to the configuration of the CTCSS DCS frequencies N Your repeater may or may not re transmit a CTCSS tone some systems just sy use CTCSS to control access to the repeater but don t pass it along when XO transmitting If the S Meter deflects but the VX 177 is not passing audio
44. callsign or name will be transmit ted every 10 minutes VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 47 EMERGENCY FEATURE Emercency Automatic ID EAI Feature The Emergency Automatic ID EAI Feature requires that you 1 store the CTCSS Tone Pair into the Receiving Pager Memory see page 26 for procedure and 2 store the desired coordination frequency into Memory Channel 200 see page 29 for procedure To enable this feature 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 52 EAI 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired EAI mode INTterval EAI or CONtinuous EAT and its transmit time 1 10 15 20 30 40 and 50 minutes or OFF 5 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation 6 To disable the Emergency Automatic ID feature just repeat the above procedure ro tating the DIAL knob to select OFF in step 4 above When the Emergency Automatic ID feature is activated the icon will blink in the LCD there is an incoming the signal on the operating frequency or 3 the operat ing frequency is the same as the frequency which is stored in the Memory Channel 200 48 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL SMART SEARCH OPERATION The Smart Search feature allows you to load frequencies automatically according to where activity
45. code for non WIRES Internet Link System access Available Values d1 d9 Default d1 Set Mode Item 25 LAMP Function Selects the LCD Keypad Lamp mode Available Values KEY CONT OFF Default KEY KEY Illuminates the Keypad LCD lamp for five seconds when you rotate the DIAL knob or press the keypad or any switch except PTT switch This is the factory programmed default setting CONT Illuminates the Keypad LCD lamp continuously OFF Disables the Keypad LCD lamp Set Mode Item 26 LOCK Function Selects the Control Locking lockout combination Available Values LK KEY LKDIAL LK K D LK PTT LK P K LK P D LK ALL Default LK K D Note K Key D Dial and P PTT VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 77 Set Menu Mope Set Mode Item 27 M T CL Function Selects the MONI key just below the PTT switch function Available Values MONI T CALL Default Depends on the transceiver version MONI Pressing the MONI key causes the Noise Tone Squelch to be over ridden allow ing you to listen for weak or non encoded signals T CALL Pressing the MONI key activates a 1750 Hz burst tone used for repeater access in many countries especially in Europe Set Mode Item 28 NAME Function Toggles the display indication between frequency and the channel s Alpha Numeric Tag Available Values FREQ ALPHA Default FREQ Set Mode Item 29 NM WRT Function Stores Al
46. d you may sweep the memory channels in several Memory Banks which you have selected To enable the Memory Bank Link Scan feature l 2 Set the radio to the Memory mode by pressing the MR SKIP key if necessary Press and hold in the VFO PRI key for one second then rotate the DIAL knob to select the first Memory Bank BANK 1 BANK10 you wish to sweep using Memory Bank Link Scan Press the F key momentarily The current Memory Bank will now be swept during Memory Bank Scan A decimal point will be appended between the N and K of the Memory Bank number indication such as BAN K 2 Repeat steps 2 and 3 above to append the decimal point to any other Memory Banks you wish to sweep Now press and hold in the MR SKIP key for one second to initiate the Memory Bank Link Scan To remove a Memory Bank from the Memory Bank Link Scan repeat steps 2 and 3 above to delete the decimal point from the Memory Bank number indication 40 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL SCANNING PROGRAMMABLE BAND Limit Memory Scan PMS This feature allows you to set sub band limits for either scanning or manual VFO opera tion For example you might wish to set up a limit in North America of 144 300 MHz to 148 000 MHz so as to prevent encroachment into the SSB CW Weak Signal portion of the band below 144 300 MHz Here s how to do this Ls 2 Set the radio to the VFO mode by pressin
47. d activate the Enhanced Paging amp Code Squelch 4 To disable the Enhanced Paging amp Code Squelch just repeat the above procedure rotating the DIAL knob to select OFF in step 2 above z When the Enhanced Paging amp Code Squelch feature is activated the E icon will blink on the display CTCSS DCS EPCS BELL OPERATION During CTCSS Decode DCS or EPCS operation you may set up the VX 177 such that a ringing bell sound alerts you to the fact that a call is coming in Here is the procedure for activating the CTCSS DCS EPCS Bell 1 Set the transceiver up for CTCSS Decode Tone Squelch DCS or EPCS opera tion as described previously Adjust the operating frequency to the desired channel Press the F key then press the 5 BELL key 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to set the desired number of rings of the Bell The available choices are 1 T 3 T 5 T or 8 T rings CONT continuous ringing or OFF 5 Press the PTT switch momentarily to save the new setting and exit to normal opera tion W N When you are called by a station whose transceiver is sending a CTCSS tone DCS code or CTCSS code pair which matches that set into your Decoder the Bell will ring in accordance with this programming When the CTCSS DCS EPCS Bell is activated the icon will appear at the upper right corner on the LCD VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 27 CTCSS DCS EPCS OPE
48. de only 10 Press the PTT switch to save the new settings and exit to normal operation VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 57 DTMF PAGER OPERATION Requires OPTIONAL FTD 7 Activating the DTMF Pager 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 55 PAGER 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to select ON 5 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting and activate the DTMF Pager When the DTMF Pager is activated the P notation will re place the 100 MHz digit of the frequency display 6 Press the PTT switch to send the 3 digit DTMF pager code which is stored in the last selected DTMF Pager Memory register 7 When you receive a DTMF paging call it will open your radio s DTMF squelch and the LCD will display the 3 digit DTMF pager code which was received After five seconds the DTMF pager will revert to its squelched mode 8 To disable the DTMF Pager just repeat the above procedure rotating the DIAL knob to select OFF in step 4 above During DTMF Pager operation you may set up the VX 177 such that a ringing Bell sound alerts you to the fact that a call is coming in as described previously See page 27 of the Operating Manual for details 58 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL DTMF PAGER OPERATION Requires OPTIONAL FTD 7 When you activate the ANI A
49. e e e e e e message is transmitted on the air beginning one minute after activation of the Emergency function EMG C L The LCD Keypad lamp flashes and the Morse Code SOS e e e e e o message is transmitted on the air beginning one minute after activation of the Emergency function EMG ALL All of the above are activated OFF Disables the Emergency function The Emergency function also cannot be en gaged by pressing and holding in the 4 RPT key if this Menu is set to OFF When the radio is set to the EMG CWT EMG C B EMG C L or EMG ALL mode the radio will be instructed to send DE your callsign after the sending of the SOS message if your callsign is entered via Set Mode Item 10 CWID 76 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Set Menu Mope Set Mode Item 22 I NET Function Selects the Internet Link Connection mode Available Values INT OFF INT COD INT MEM Default INT OFF INT OFF Disables the Internet Link Connection mode INT COD Sets up the Internet Link Connection mode for WIRES access INT MEM Sets up the Internet Link Connection mode for other DTMF string Internet Link System access Set Mode Item 23 INT CD Function Selects the Access Number DTMF digit for WIRES operation Available Values CODE 0 CODE 9 CODE A CODE F Default CODE 1 Set Mode Item 24 INT MR Function Selects the memory register for an Access Number DTMF
50. e made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation 6 Ifyou wish to disable the Password feature just repeat the above procedure rotating the DIAL knob to select PVVD OFP in step 4 above 60 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL AR WN gt MISCELLANEOUS SETTINGS PASSWORD clear the password as well as all memories and will restore all other settings to factory defaults PROGRAMMING THE KEY ASSIGNMENTS Default VX 177 Set Mode Items have been assigned at the factory to the 7 P1 and 8 P2 keys These may be changed by the user if you wish to assign another Set Mode Item to either or both of these keys To change the assignment of a key s Set Mode Item 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item which you wish to assign to the key as a Menu short cut 3 Press and hold in the 7 P1 or 8 P2 key for one second to assign the Set Mode Item to the 7 P1 or 8 P2 key The following Set Mode Items may not be assigned to the 7 P1 and 8 P2 keys Set Mode Item 11 CW WRT Set Mode Item 17 DT WRT Set Mode Item 31 PSWD W CHANGING THE CHANNEL STEPS The VX 177 s synthesizer provides the option of utilizing channel steps of 5 10 12 5 15 20 25 50 100 kHz per step as well as an automatic step selection based on the current operating frequency AUTO any n
51. ecnemnrarerumauinnds 60 Programming the Key Assignment 61 Changing the Channel Steps cccee 61 Receive Battery Saver Setup 62 TX Battery SAV EE nisaran anaia 61 Disabling the TX BUSY Indicator 63 Automatic Power Off APO Feature 63 Transmitter Time Out Timer TOT 64 Busy Channel Lock Out BCLO 64 DCS Code Inversion ccccsessessccceseees 65 Changing the TX Deviation Level 66 Reset Procedures iissscciscesccssssnstsscouveesssssoacesssses 67 Cnn ices eri eee costae 68 Set MOG xicerterwcsssdeveseceessietedicesievssscaieriaecseecivaes 70 Specifications ssssssssceessesssccssccccssessssococecceseee 83 Installation of the FTD 7 DTMF Pager Unit 84 GENERAL DESCRIPTION The VX 177 is a compact high performance submersible FM hand held providing up to five watts of RF power and wealth of convenient features for the 430 MHz amateur band New and exciting features of the VX 177 are the Emergency Automatic ID EAI function that will automatically cause your VX 177 to transmit your callsign and engage your rig s microphone even if you are disabled and unable to press the PTT switch Enhanced Pag ing and Code Squelch EPCS that allows you to page a particular station and only receive calls from that station if desired and a security Password feature that will allow you to turn on and operate your transceiver only af
52. ed in response to qooeeseece yours 52 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL ARTS Automatic RANGE TRANSPONDER SYSTEM 4 Press the F key momentarily to exit ARTS operation and resume normal function ing of the transceiver n lay ARTS constitutes a form of remote control operation that may be re stricted to certain frequencies U S users should confirm the current status of 97 201 b of the FCC s rules governing the 430 MHz band of the Ama teur service before utilizing this feature ARTS Polling Time Options The ARTS feature may be programmed to poll every 25 seconds default value or 15 seconds The default value provides maximum battery conservation because the polling signal is sent out less frequently To change the polling interval 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 3 AR INT 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired polling interval 15 or 20 seconds 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation ARTS Alert Beep Options The ARTS feature allows two kinds of alert beeps with the additional option of turning them off so as to alert you to the current status of ARTS operation Depending on your location and the potential annoyance associated wit
53. entarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired scan resume mode 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation The default condition for this Set Mode Item is BUSY SETTING THE SQUELCH LEVEL DURING ACTIVE SCANNING OPERATION The VX 177 allows adjustment of the Squelch level on the fly while you are scanning While the scanner is engaged press the F key then press the MONI switch the current squelch level e g S 3 will appear in fine print above the frequency display Rotate the DIAL to select the desired Squelch level Press the PTT switch momentarily to save the new setting and exit to normal operation In this case pressing the PTT switch this one time will not causing scanning to stop 36 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL SCANNING ee VFO SCANNING The VX 177 provides two VFO scanning functions Manual VFO Scanning and Pro grammed VFO Scanning Manual VFO Scan 1 Select the VFO mode by pressing the VFO PRI key if necessary 2 Press and hold in either the A MHz or W MHz key for one second to initiate upward or downward scanning respectively 3 Ifand when the scanner encounters a signal strong enough to open the squelch the scanner will halt temporarily the decimal point of the frequency display will blink during this Pause condition 4 The scanner will then
54. er ICOD 0 9 A B C D E F corresponding to the WIRES node to which you wish to establish an Internet link ask the node or repeater owner operator if you don t know the access number in the network Now press the PTT switch to exit from the selection mode 3 With the Internet Connection feature activated as in step 1 above the VX 177 will generate a brief 0 1 second DTMF tone according to your selection in step 2 This DTMF tone is sent at the beginning of every transmission to establish or maintain the link to the local WIRES node operating in the SRG mode 4 To disable the Internet Connection feature press the O0 SET key momentarily the g2 icon will disappear from the display If other users report that you always have a DTMF beep at the beginning of each transmission and you are not operating in conjunction with Internet access disable this function via step 4 above You may access other Internet Link Systems including WIRES in the FRG mode that use a DTMF string for access 1 Load the DTMF tones which you wish to use for Internet link access into a DTMF Autodial memory register For purposes of this example we will use 123 as the access code Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 17 DT WRT Press the F key to enable adjustment of this
55. er the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 1 APO 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired time period after which the radio will automatically shut down 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new Setting and exit to normal operation When the APO is activated the icon will appear on the LCD If there is no action by you within the time interval programmed the microprocessor will shut down the radio automatically Rotate the VOL PWR knob counter clockwise to the off position then clockwise out of the click stop to turn the radio on after an APO shutdown VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 63 MISCELLANEOUS SETTINGS TRANSMITTER TIME OuT TIMER TOT The TOT feature provides a safety switch which limits transmission time to a pre pro grammed value This will promote battery conservation by not allowing you to make ex cessively long transmissions and in the event of a stuck PTT switch perhaps if the radio or a Speaker Mic is wedged between car seats it can prevent interference to other users as well as battery depletion As configured at the factory the TOT feature is set to 6 min utes and here is the procedure for activating it 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 47 TOT 3 Press the
56. esired CTCSS or DCS tones as well as any desired repeater offset The power level may also be set at this time if you wish to store it 3 Press and hold in the F key for one second 4 While the memory channel number is blinking just press the REV HOME key The frequency and other data if any will now be stored in the special HOME channel register 5 To recall the HOME channel press the REV HOME key momentarily while operating either in the VFO or MR mode USA VERSION EXP VERSION 30 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Memory MopE LABELING MEMORIES You may wish to append an alpha numeric Tag label to a memory or memories to aid in recollection of the channel s use such as a club name etc This is easily accomplished using the Set Mode 1 Recall the memory channel on which you wish to append a label 2 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 3 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 29 NM WRT 4 Press the F key momentarily to display the previously stored label if any 5 Press the F key again to clear any previous label 6 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the first digit of the desired label 7 Press the F key to move to the next character 8 Ifyou make a mistake press the W MHz key to back space the cursor then re enter the correct letter number or symbol 9 Repeat steps 5 through 7 to program the remaining letters
57. et this Set Mode Item to NARROW In this configuration HALF DEVIATION active the transmitter s deviation will be approximately 2 5 kHz and the received audio output level will be increased for easier listen ing on the narrow signal When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation The normal setting for the deviation when this Menu Item is set to WIDE is 5 kHz 66 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL RESET PROCEDURES In the event of erratic operation of the transceiver it is possible that data on the micropro cessor may have become corrupted While this is a highly unusual situation the only path to recovery may involve resetting of the microprocessor Here s how to do this 1 Turn the radio off 2 Press and hold in the MONI switch just below the PTT switch while turning the radio on 3 Rotate the DIAL knob to select one of the choices from the reset menu F1 SETRST Resets the Set Menu mode settings to their factory defaults F2 MEMRST Clears the Memory settings to factory defaults F3 MB RST Clears the Memory Bank Assignments F4 ALLRST Clears all memories and other settings to factory defaults 4 Press the F key momentarily to complete the reset procedure lay The F5 option is used for setting up the Memory Only mode and F6 N 1s used for Cloning See page 34 for details regarding the memory Only mode and the n
58. ext section regarding Cloning VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 67 CLONING The VX 177 includes a convenient Clone feature which allows the memory and con figuration data from one transceiver to be transferred to another VX 177 This can be particularly useful when configuring a number of transceivers for a public service opera tion Here is the procedure for Cloning one radio s data to another l 2 68 Turn both radios off Connect the user constructed cloning cable and two optional CT 91 Microphone Adapt ers one on each end between the MIC SP jacks of the two radios Press and hold in the MONI switch just below the PTT switch while turning the radios on Do this for both radios the order of switch on does not matter Rotate the DIAL knob on each radio to select to FE CLONE then press the F key momentarily The display will disappear for a moment then the CLONE notation will appear on the displays of both radios when the Clone mode is successfully activated in this step On the Destination radio press the MONI switch RX will appear on the LCD Press and hold in the PTT switch on the Source radio TX will appear on the Source radio and the data from this radio will be transferred to the other radio If there is a problem during the cloning process ERROR will be displayed Check your cable connections and battery voltage and try again If the data transfer is
59. ey momentarily to display any previously stored callsign Press the F key again to clear any previous callsign 5 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the first letter number of your callsign then press the F key momentarily to save the first letter number and move on to the next character 6 Repeat the previous step as many times as necessary to com plete your callsign If you make a mistake press the W MHz key to move back to the previous letter number s slot then re select the correct letter number 7 When you have finished entering your entire callsign and it con tains less than 6 characters press and hold in the F key for one second to confirm the callsign if you callsign has exactly 6 characters you do not need to press and hold in F in this step 8 Press the PTT switch to save the settings and exit to normal operation 9 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode again 10 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 10 CWID 11 Press the F key momentarily then rotate the DIAL knob to set this Item to TX ON to enable the CW ID function 12 Press the PTT switch to save the settings and exit to normal operation eo eo eo eo eo e SAVE da7 You may check your work by monitoring the entered N callsign To do this repeat steps 1 7 above then press the MONI switch 54 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL DTMF OPERATION The VX 177 s 16 button keypad allows ea
60. eypad beeper provides useful audible feedback whenever a keypad is pressed If you want to turn the beep off Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 6 BEEP Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Item Rotate the DIAL knob to change the setting to OFF Press the PTT switch to save the new setting and return to nor mal operation 6 To turn the beep back on again select KEY or KEY SC fac tory default in step 4 above a ee a KEY The beeper sounds when you press the keypad KEY SC The beeper sounds when you press the keypad or when the scanner stops VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 17 ADVANCED OPERATION RF SQUELCH A special RF Squelch feature is provided on this radio This feature allows you to set the squelch so that only signals exceeding a certain S meter level will open the squelch To set up the RF squelch circuit for operation use the following procedure 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 34 RF SQL Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Item Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired signal strength level for the squelch threshold S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 5 5 S 6 5 8 S FULL or OFF fated wa 5 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting and return to nor Livy SAVE oe mal
61. g the VFO PRI key if necessary Using the techniques learned earlier store per the above concept 144 300 MHz into Memory Channel L1 the L designates the Lower sub band limit Likewise store 148 000 MHz into Memory Channel U1 the U designates the Upper sub band limit Confirm the radio is in the VFO mode press and hold in the VFO PRI key for one second and rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired PMS frequency pair PMSxx then press the VFO PRI key Now press and hold in the MR SKIP key for one second to initiate Programmable Band Limit Memory Scan Scanning will now be limited within the just programmed range 10 pairs of Band Limit memories labeled L1 U1 through L10 U10 are available You therefore can set upper and lower operation limits in multiple segments on the band if you like VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 4 SCANNING a H EE PRIORITY CHANNEL SCANNING DUAL Watcu The VX 177 s scanning features include a two channel scanning capability which allows you to operate on a VFO or Memory channel while periodically checking a user defined Memory Channel for activity If a station is received on the Memory Channel which is strong enough to open the Squelch the scanner will pause on that station in accordance with the Scan Resume mode set via Set Mode Item 32 RESUME See page 36 Here is the procedure for activating Priority Channel Dual Watch operation VFO Priority 1 Recall
62. h frequent beeps you may choose the Beep mode which best suits your needs The choices are INRANG The beeps are issued only when the radio first confirms that you are within range but does not re confirm with beeps thereafter ALWAYS Every time a polling transmission is received from the other station the alert beeps will be heard OFF No alert beeps will be heard you must look at the display to confirm current ARTS status To set the ARTS Beep mode use the following procedure 1 Press the F key then press the O0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 2 AR BEP 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired ARTS Beep mode see above 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 53 ARTS Automatic RANGE TRANSPONDER SYSTEM CW Identifier Setup The ARTS feature includes a CW identifier as discussed previously Every ten minutes during ARTS operation the radio can be instructed to send DE your callsign K if this feature is enabled The callsign field may contain up to 6 characters Here s how to program the CW Identifier 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 11 CW WRT 3 Press the F k
63. h to add to the Preferential Scan List 2 Press the F key then press the MR SKIP key to enter the Skip channel selec tion mode 3 Rotate the DIAL knob so as to select ONLY Tina LIS When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to LIINE save the setting and exit to normal operation 5 To remove a channel from the Preferential Scan List just repeat the above procedure rotating the DIAL knob to select OFF in step 3 above To initiate Preferential Memory Scan 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 39 SCN MD 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob so as to select ONLY 5 Press the PTT switch to save the setting and exit to normal op eration 6 Now press and hold in either the A MHz or W MHz key for one second to initiate the Preferential Memory Scan Only the channels which have the blinking gt icon appended to the channel number will be scanned 7 To cancel the Preferential Memory Scan just repeat the above procedure rotating the DIAL knob to select MEM in step 4 above VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 39 SCANNING Memory SCANNING Memory Bank Scan When the Memory Bank feature is engaged the scanner sweeps only memory channels in the current Memory Bank However if the Memory Bank Link Scan feature is enable
64. her station are using a common DCS code you or the other station but not both can try the following 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 14 DCS N R 6 Lf 3 Press the F key momentarily then rotate the DIAL knob to re N pa select one of the following modes T RX N Encoder Normal Decoder Normal RXR Encoder Normal Decoder Reverse Inverted TXR Encoder Reverse Inverted Decoder Normal T RX R Encoder Reverse Inverted Decoder Reverse In verted 4 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and exit to normal operation 5 Remember to restore the default setting to T RX N Encoder Normal Decoder Normal when done VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 65 MISCELLANEOUS SETTINGS CHANGING THE TX DEVIATION LEVEL In many areas of the world channel congestion has required that operating channels be closely spaced In such operating environments it often is required that operators use reduced deviation levels so as to reduce the potential for interference to users on adjacent channels The VX 177 includes a simple method of accomplishing this ie Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 51 WID NAR Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to s
65. iginal memory channel A number 2 Any required CTCSS DCS changes or repeater offset modifications must be done before storing the data into the new or original memory channel location DELETING MEMORIES You may delete any of the memories except for Memory Channel 1 and the Home Channel The procedure for deleting a channel is quite simple 1 Press the VFO PRI key if needed to enter the MR mode 2 Press and hold in the F key for one second then rotate the DIAL knob to select the memory channel to be deleted 3 Press the MR SKIP key momentarily The display will revert to memory channel 1 The previously selected memory will be deleted Important Notice Once deleted the channel data cannot be recovered 32 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Memory MopE Memory BANK OPERATION The large number of memories available in the VX 177 could be difficult to utilize without some means of organizing them Fortunately the VX 177 includes provision for dividing the memories into as many as ten Memory Groups so you can categorize the memories in a manner convenient to you Assigning Memories to a Memory Bank 1 Recall the memory channel to be assigned to a Memory Bank 2 Press and hold in the VFO PRI key for one second then ro tate the DIAL knob to select the Memory Bank number you want as the Memory Bank for this channel BANK 1 BANK10 Press and hold in the F key for one seco
66. initely When this happens it may be that the other station is not sending any tone You can press the PTT switch to halt the scan at any time You also can press the MONI key during Tone Scanning to listen to the muted signal from the other station When you release the MONI key Tone Scanning will resume after about a second Tone Scanning works either in the VFO or Memory modes VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 25 CTCSS DCS EPCS OPERATION EPCS ENHANCED Pacinc amp Cope SQuELcu The VX 177 includes an Enhanced CTCSS tone encoder decoder and a dedicated micropro cessor providing paging and selective calling features This allows you to place a call to a specific station Paging and to receive calls of your choice directed only to you Code Squelch The paging and code squelch systems use two pairs of alternately switched CTCSS tones which are stored in the pager memories Basically your receiver remains silent until it receives the CTCSS tone pair that matches those stored in the Receiving Pager Memory The squelch then opens so the caller is heard and the paging ringer immediately sounds if activated When you close the PTT switch to transmit the CTCSS tone pair which is stored in the Transmitting Pager Memory will be transmitted automatically On the paged radio the squelch will close automatically after the incoming page ends Storing the CTCSS Tone Pairs for EPCS Operation 1 Press the F key then press the
67. n Enables Disables the Scan lamp while paused Available Values ON OFF Default ON Set Mode Item 41 SHIFT Function Sets the magnitude of the repeater Shift Available Values 0 00 99 95 MHz 50 kHz increments Default Depends on the operating band and transceiver version Set Mode Item 42 SKIP Function Selects the Memory Scan Skip channel selection mode Available Values OFF SKIP ONLY Default OFF SKIP The scanner will skip the flagged channels during scanning ONLY The scanner will only scan channels that are flagged Preferential Scan List OFF All memory channels will be scanned the flag will be ignored Set Mode Item 43 SPLIT Function Enables Disables split CTCSS DCS coding Available Values SPL OFF SPL ON Default SPL OFF When this Set Mode Item is set to SPL ON you will see the following additional param eters after the DCS parameter while configuring Set Mode Item 44 SQL TYP D DCS Encode only T DCS Encodes a CTCSS tone and Decodes a DCS code D TSQL Encodes a DCS code and Decodes a CTCSS tone Select the desired operating mode from the selections shown above 80 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Set Menu Mope Set Mode Item 44 SQL TYP Function Selects the Tone Encoder and or Decoder mode Available Values OFF TONE TSQL REV TN DCS ECS Default OFF TONE CTCSS Encoder TSQL CTCSS Encoder Decoder REV TN Reverse CTCSS Decoder Mutes receiver
68. n around and change frequency downward VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 37 SCANNING aaa SSS SSS Memory SCANNING Memory scanning is similarly easy to initiate 1 Select the Memory mode by pressing the MR SKIP key if necessary 2 Press and hold in either the A MHz or W MHz key for one second to initiate upward or downward scanning respectively 3 Ifand when the scanner encounters a signal strong enough to open the squelch the scanner will halt temporarily the decimal point of the frequency display will blink during this Pause condition 4 The scanner will then resume according to the Scan Resume mode selected in the previous section 5 To cancel scanning press the PTT switch or MR SKIP key How to Skip Omit a Channel during Memory Scan Operation As mentioned previously some continuous carrier stations like a Weather Broadcast sta tion will seriously impede scanner operation if you are using the Carrier Drop Scan Resume mode as the incoming signal will not pause long enough for the transceiver to resume scanning Such channels may be Skipped during scanning if you like 1 Recall the Memory Channel to be skipped during scanning 2 Press the F key then press the MR SKIP key to enter the Skip channel selec tion mode 3 Rotate the DIAL knob so as to select SKIP The current Memory Channel will now be ignored during scanning The ONLY se lection is used for
69. nd to copy the memory channel data into the Memory Bank U da7 D You may assign one memory channel into multiple Memory Banks A 2 The PMS memory channels L1 U1 through L10 U10 may not be as 5 0 signed to a Memory Bank Memory Bank Recall 1 Press the MR SKIP key if needed to enter the Memory Recall mode 2 Press and hold in the VFO PRI key then rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired Memory Bank BANK 1 through BANK10 3 Press the MR SKIP key momentarily now as you rotate the DIAL knob to select memories you will observe that you can only select memory channels in the current memory bank The GYMS indication will appear at the left side of the frequency display while operating within a Memory Bank 4 To change to another Memory Bank press and hold in the VFO PRI key rotate the DIAL knob to select the new Memory Bank then press the MR SKIP key momentarily 5 To exit from Memory Bank operation select NOBANK in step 4 above You are now in the standard Memory Recall mode without utilization of the Memory Banks The memories stored in the various Banks will remain in those banks however you do not need to store them again Removing Memories from a Memory Bank 1 Recall the memory channel to be removed from a Memory Bank 2 Press and hold in the VFO PRI key for one second then press and hold in the F key to remove the memory channel data from
70. nning toward a higher frequency within the previously defined sub band Programmed VFO Scan De tails regarding sub band setup may be found on page 37 If you wish to reverse the direction of the scan 1 e toward a Nye lower frequency instead of a higher frequency just rotate the DIAL one click in the counter clockwise direction while the VX 177 is scanning The scanning direction will be re Press and Hold TA versed To revert to scanning toward a higher frequency once more rotate the DIAL one click clockwise PROGRAMMED VFO Scan The scanner will stop when it receives a signal strong enough to break through the Squelch threshold The VX 177 will then hold on that frequency according to the setting of the RESUME mode Set Mode Item 32 RESUME Press the PTT switch momentarily to cancel the scanning This only stops the scan it does not cause transmission to occur See page 36 for details regarding Scan Operation 14 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL OPERATION TRANSMISSION Once you have set up an appropriate frequency inside the 430 MHz Amateur band on which the VX 177 can transmit you re ready to go on the air These are the most basic steps more advanced aspects of transmitter operation will be discussed later O To transmit press the PTT switch and speak into the front panel microphone located in the lower left hand corner of the speaker grille in a normal voice level The TX BUSY indicato
71. numbers or symbols of the desired label A total of six charac ters may be used in the creation of a label 10 When you have programmed a label which is under 6 characters press and hold in the F key for one second to confirm the label if the label is exactly 6 characters in length you do not need to press and hold in F key 11 When you have completed the creation of the label press the PTT switch to save the label and return to the memory recall mode with labeled alpha numeric Tag display To disable the alpha numeric Tag enabling the frequency display 1 Set the VX 177 to the MR Memory Recall mode and recall the memory channel on which you wish to disable the alpha numeric Tag 2 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 3 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the Set Mode Item 28 NAME 4 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Item s setting 5 Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to FREQ enabling the frequency display 6 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting and activate the alpha numeric Tag To display the alpha numeric Tag again just repeat the above procedure rotating the DIAL knob to select ALPHA in step 5 above da Set Mode Item 28 NAME is not applied to all memory channels at once just 2 the channel on which you currently are operating VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 31 Memory Mope Memory OF
72. odes 023 14 DCS N R Enables Disables Inverted DCS code decoding T RX N RXR TX R T RX R 5OMS 100MS 250MS 450MS 750MS 1000MS 50MS 100MS 0 CWID 1 CW WRT Setting of the DTMF Autodialer Delay Time 6 DT SPD 7 DT WRT 18 ECS CDR Setting of the DTMF Autodialer Sending Speed Programming of the DTMF Autodialer Setting the Receiver Pager Code for the Enhanced CTCSS R05 47 Paging amp Code Squelch Setting the Transmitting Pager Code for the Enhanced CTCSS Paging amp Code Squelch Enables Disables the Band edge beeper while selecting the frequency via the DIAL knob 70 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 19 ECS CDT T05 47 20 EDG BEP BEP OFF BEP ON 2 AR BEP 3 AR INT 4 ARS 5 BCLO 6 BEEP 7 BELL 8 BSY LED 9 CLK SFT 15 DT DLY Set Menu Mope AVAILABLE VALUES B 7 10 eo Bozo lrauic 21 EMG S Selects the alarm s utilized when the Emergency function is EMG BEP EMGLMP engaged EMG B L EMGCWT EMG C B EMG C L EMGALL OFF 22 I NET INT OFF INT COD INT MEM 23 INT CD Selects the Access Number DTMF digit for WIRES CODE 0 CODE 9 operation CODE A CODE F CODE 1 24 INT MR Selects the memory register for an Access Number DTMF d1 d9 code for non WIRES 25 LAMP Selects the LCD Keypad Lamp mode KEY CONT OFF 26 LOCK Selects the Control Locking lockout combination LK KEY LKDIAL LK K D LK PTT LK P K LK P D
73. odes 023 T RX N RXR TXR T RXR 50MS 100MS 250MS 450MS 750MS 1000MS 50MS 100MS RO5_47 T05_47 SPL OFF SPL ON OFF TONE TSQL REV TN DCS 50 standard CTCSS tones 100 Hz AVAILABLE Values DEFAULT INRANG ALWAYS OFF 25 SEC 15SEC TX OFF TX ON AVAILABLE VALUES DEFAULT FREQ ALPHA AVAILABLE VALUES DEFAULT BUSY HOLD TIME RVT OFF RVT ON ONLY MEM ON OFF OFF SKIP ONLY AVAILABLE VaLues DEFAULT 200 MS 300 MS 500 MS 1S 2S OFF SAV OFF SAV ON AVAILABLE Values DEFAULT INT OFF NT COD INT MEM CODE 0 CODE 9 CODE A CODE F CODE 1 d1 d9 72 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Set Menu Mope SwitcuH Knos SETTING Enables Disables the beeper Selects the LCD Keypad Lamp mode Selects the Control Locking lockout combination Selects the MONI switch function Selects the function of the HM RV key MiscELLANEOUS SETTING Setting of the Automatic Power Off feature Enables Disables the Busy Channel Lock Out feature Enables Disables the BUSY LED while the Squelch is open Shifting of the CPU clock frequency Indicates the DC Supply Voltage Enables Disables the Band edge beeper while selecting the frequency via the DIAL knob Selects the alarm s utilized when the Emergency function is engaged Enables disables the Password feature Stores the password Adjusts the RF Squelch threshold level Selects the Smart Search
74. operation CHECKING THE BATTERY VOLTAGE The VX 177 s microprocessor includes programming which will measure the current bat tery voltage 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 12 DC VLT 3 Press the F key momentarily to display the current DC voltage being supplied 4 Press the F key followed by the PTT switch to return to nor mal operation 18 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL REPEATER OPERATION Repeater stations usually located on mountaintops or other high locations provide a dra matic extension of the communication range for low powered hand held or mobile trans ceivers The VX 177 includes a number of features which make repeater operation simple and enjoyable REPEATER SHIFTS The VX 177 has been configured at the factory with the repeater shift set to 1 6 MHz 7 6 MHz or 5 MHz USA version Depending on the part of the band in which you are operating the repeater shift may be either SEATA SIE baler downward or upward and one of these LiL cries T2100 icons will appear at the top of the LCD when cick scala repeater shifts have been enabled Automatic REPEATER SHiFt ARS The VX 177 provides a convenient Automatic Repeater Shift feature which causes the appropriate repeater shift to be applied automatically whenever you tune into the desig nated repeater sub bands in your country The
75. ory Offset Tuning eceeeeeee 32 Dele tie Memories arroa ra 32 Memory Bank Operation eeeeeeeees 33 Moving Memory Data to the VFO 34 Memory Only Mode cccceccccessseeeeeeeeees 34 Scanning oo cavesivsscedssssciccnecesiesdensancedecseeexsvsoseataans 36 VFO ScanMan ai 37 Manual VFO Scan ccceceesseeeesteeeeees 37 Programmed VFO Scan cccssseeeeeeees 37 Memory Scanning cccssscccceceeeeeeseeeeens 38 How to Skip Omit a Channel during Memory Scan Operation 38 Preferential Memory Scan cccceeee 39 Memory Bank Scan ccccssecceeeeeseees 40 Programmable Band Limit Memory Scan PMS 2 5 ce bitrstacetac ce E NR 4 Priority Channel Scanning Dual Watch ic eee ora cvecescrevecuacumsesocieeouceacsexcans 42 Automatic Lamp Illumination ON SCAN Stop sni ei o E a 44 Band Edge Beeper cease tases 44 Emergency Feature ccccccssssssssssssseccseees 46 Emergency Channel Operation 0 46 Emergency Automatic ID EAI Feature 47 Smart Search Operation cccccssssssssees 49 Internet Connection Feature cssseee 50 ARTS Automatic Range Transponder System 52 DTMF Operation eeeeesesesssssssssssssssssssssssssoose 55 DTMF Pager Operation ccccccccccccccccceees 57 Miscellaneous Settings ccccccccssssssssssssees 60 PASS WOE i sssessraderauateanncaaseraass
76. ose in repeaters 2 When you are operating on the Low or Medium power setting you can press the F key then press the PTT switch to cause the VX 177 to transmit temporarily on High power After one transmission the power level will revert to the previously selected Low or Medium power setting VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 15 ADVANCED OPERATION Now that you re mastered the basics of VX 177 operation let s learn more about some of the really neat features KEYBOARD LOCKING In order to prevent accidental frequency change or inadvertent transmission various as pects of the VX 177 s DIAL and keypad may be locked out The possible lockout combi nations are LK KEY Just the front panel keypad is locked out LKDIAL Just the top panel DIAL is locked out LK K D Both the keypad and DIAL are locked out factory default LK PTT The PTT switch is locked out TX not possible LK P K Both the PTT switch and keypad are locked out LK P D Both the PTT switch and DIAL are locked out LK ALL All of the above are locked out To lock out some or all of the keys 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 26 LOCK Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of 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
77. pends on the transceiver version as well as the setting of Set Mode Item 4 ARS Set Mode Item 36 PRI RVT Function Enables disables the Priority Revert feature Available Values RVT OFF RVT ON Default RVT OFF See page 43 for details Set Mode Item 37 RXSAVE Function Selects the Receive mode Battery Saver interval sleep ratio Available Values 200 MS 1 1 300 MS 1 1 5 500 MS 1 2 5 1 S 1 5 2 S 1 10 OFF Default 200 MS Set Mode Item 38 S SRCH Function Selects the Smart Search Sweep mode Available Values SINGLE CONT Default SINGLE SINGLE The transceiver sweeps the current band once in each direction starting on the current frequency All channels where activity is present up to 15 in each di rection are loaded into the Smart Search memories Whether or not all 31 memories are filled the search stops after one sweep in each direction CONT The transceiver makes a sweep in each direction as with the SINGLE mode but if all 31 channels are not filled after the first sweep the radio continues sweeping until they are all filled VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 79 Set Menu Mope Set Mode Item 39 SCN MD Function Selects the Memory Scan channel selection mode Available Values ONLY MEM Default MEM ONLY The scanner will only scan channels that are flagged Preferential Scan List MEM The scanner will skip the flagged channels during scanning Set Mode Item 40 SCN LMP Functio
78. pha Numeric Tags for the Memory channels See page 31 for details Set Mode Item 30 PSWD Function Enables disables the Password feature Available Values PWD OFF PWD ON Default PWD OFF Set Mode Item 31 PSWD W Function Stores the password Available entries are 0 9 A B C D E substitute for gt and F substitute for Set Mode Item 32 RESUME Function Selects the Scan Resume mode Available Values BUS Y HOLD TIME Default BUSY BUSY The scanner will hold until the signal disappears then will resume when the car rier drops HOLD The scanner will stop when a signal is received and will not restart TIME The scanner will hold for the five seconds then resume whether or not the other station is still transmitting 78 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL Set Menu Mope Set Mode Item 33 REV HMI Function Selects the function of the REV HOME key Available Values lt REV gt CHOME gt Default lt REV gt lt REV gt Pressing the REV HOME key reverses the transmit and receive frequencies during repeater operation HOME Pressing the REV HOME key instantly recalls a favorite Home channel Set Mode Item 34 RF SQL Function Adjusts the RF Squelch threshold level Available Values S 1 S 2 S 3 S 4 S 5 S 6 S 8 S FULL OFF Default OFF Set Mode Item 35 RPT MOD Function Sets the Repeater Shift Direction Available Values RPT OFF RPT RPT Default De
79. r selection and adjustment press the PTT switch momentarily to save the new setting and exit to normal operation 1 Some Set Mode Items like Set Mode Item 46 TN FRQ require that the CSS F key be pressed after setting of the parameter and before exiting to nor VV mal operation 2 Two Set Mode Item numbers in the factory default Set Mode Item 25 LAMP and 32 RESUME will blink while selecting the Set Mode Item this indicates that this Set Mode Item has been assigned to the 7 P1 or 8 P2 key of the keypad AVAILABLE VALUES DerauLt Borb IraLic OFF 0 5H 12 0 H INRANG ALWAYS OFF 25 SEC 15 SEC ARS ON ARS OFF BCL ON BCL OFF KEY SC KEY OFF OFF 1T 3T ST 8T CONT LED ON LED OFF SFT OFF SFT ON TX OFF TX ON Set Mope ltem FUNCTION APO Setting of the Automatic Power Off feature Selects the Beep option during ARTS operation Selects the Polling Interval during ARTS operation Enables Disables the Automatic Repeater Shift function Enables Disables the Busy Channel Lock Out feature Enables Disables the beeper Selects the number of CTCSS DCS Bell ringer repetitions 4 ARS 8 BSY LED Enables Disables the BUSY LED while the Squelch is open Shifting of the CPU clock frequency Enables disables the CW identifier during ARTS operation Programs and activates the CW Identifier 2 DC VLT Indicates the DC Supply Voltage 3 DCS COD Setting of the DCS code 104 DCS c
80. r will glow red during trans mission 1 To return to the receive mode release the PTT switch O During transmission the relative power level will be indicated on the bar graph at the bottom of the LCD full scale deflection confirms High Power operation while deflection of two bars indicates Low Power operation Five bars indicate Medium Power operation Additionally the LOW icon will appear at the bottom of the display while operating on the Low Power and Medium Power settings lt lav Difyou re just talking to friends in the immediate area OA you ll get much longer battery life by switching to Low XO Power operation described in the next chapter And don t forget always have an antenna connected when you transmit 2 Transmission is possible only on the 430 MHz amateur band Changing the Transmitter Power Level To change the power level O Press the F key then press the 3 LOW key The LCD shows the current power output level 1 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired power out put level Available selections are HIGH 5 W MID 2 W and LOW 0 5 W 1 When you have made your choice press the PTT switch to save the new setting and return to normal operation la 7 D The VX 177 is smart When you store memories you can store the power OA output settings separately in each memory so you don t waste battery power 15O when using very cl
81. repeat steps l 7 above then press the MONI switch Activating the ANI feature 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 53 ANI 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to select ON 5 Press the PTT switch to save the new setting and activate the ANI feature 6 Press the PTT switch to send the DTMF tones stored in ANI memory after the 3 digit DTMF pager code which is stored in the last selected DTMF Pager Memory register 7 When you receive a ANI code the LCD will displays the re ceived ANI code after the 3 digit DTMF pager code You may scroll the received ANI code by rotating the DIAL knob 8 To disable the ANI feature just repeat the above procedure ro tating the DIAL knob to select OFF in step 4 above ANI Cope VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 59 MISCELLANEOUS SETTINGS PASSWORD The VX 177 provides a security password feature which can minimize the chance that your transceiver could be used by an unauthorized party When the password feature is activated the radio will ask for the four digit password to be entered when the radio is first turned on You must enter the four digit password from the keypad If the wrong password is entered the microprocessor will shut down the radio automatically To enter the password use the following procedure 1
82. resume according to the Scan Resume mode selected in the previous section 5 To cancel scanning press the PTT switch or VFO PRI key Programmed VFO Scan 1 Select the VFO mode by pressing the VFO PRI key if necessary 2 Press and hold in the VFO PRI key for one second then rotate the DIAL knob to select the bandwidth for the Programmed VFO scanner Available selections are 1 MHz 2 MHz 5 MHz PMS x and ALL PMS x The scanner will sweep frequencies within the currently selected PMS frequency pair See page 41 for details ALL The scanner will sweep all frequencies 3 Press the VFO PRI key momentarily to save the new setting and exit to normal operation 4 Press and hold in the MR SKIP key for one second to start scanning 5 Ifand when the scanner encounters a signal strong enough to open the squelch the scanner will halt temporarily the decimal point of the frequency display will blink during this Pause condition 6 The scanner will then resume according to the Scan Resume mode selected in the previous section 7 To cancel scanning press the PTT switch or the VFO PRI key lt 1 4 When you start the Programmed VFO Scanner the VX 177 will be changing Vv frequency in the upward direction If you want to change direction of the WV scan while it is underway rotate the DIAL knob one click in the opposite direction in this case one click counter clockwise You ll see the scanner tur
83. ries 1 Set the radio to the VFO mode Be sure that you have the Squelch adjusted properly so that band noise is quieted Press and hold in the 3 LOW key for one second to begin the Smart Search scanning 3 As active channels are detected you will observe the number of loaded channels increasing in the regular memory channel window 4 Depending on the mode you set for Smart Search operation SINGLE or CONT the Smart Search scan will eventually terminate and the LCD will revert to Smart Search Memory Channel C 5 To recall the Smart Search memories rotate the DIAL knob to choose from among the frequencies stored by Smart Search 6 To return to normal operation press the VFO PRI key VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 49 INTERNET CONNECTION FEATURE The VX 177 can be used to access a node repeater or base station which is tied into the Vertex Standard WIRES Wide Coverage Internet Repeater Enhancement System net work operating in the SRG Sister Radio Group mode Details may be found at the WIRES II Web site http www vxstd com en wiresinfo en This feature may also be used to access other systems as described below 1 Press the 0 SET key momentarily to activate the Internet Con nection feature The 83 icon will appear in the upper right corner of the display 2 Press and hold in the O SET key for one second then rotate the DIAL knob to select the access numb
84. rity Revert operation just repeat the above procedure rotating the DIAL knob to select RVT OFF in step 4 above VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 43 SCANNING ee Automatic Lamp ILLUMINATION ON SCAN STOP The VX 177 will automatically illuminate the LCD Keypad Lamp whenever the scanner stops on a signal this allows you to see the frequency of the incoming signal better at night Note that this will of course increase the battery consumption so be sure to switch it off during the day the default condition for this feature is ON The procedure for disabling the Scan Lamp is 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 40 SCN LMP 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to OFF 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the setting and exit to normal operation BAND EpGeE BEEPER The VX 177 will automatically beep when a band edge is encountered during scanning either in standard VFO scanning or during PMS operation You may also enable this feature band edge beeper to operate when the frequency reaches the band edge while tuning using the DIAL knob The procedure for enabling the Band Edge Beeper 1s 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Se
85. s ae Cr ing transmit MIC The internal microphone is located here VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 3 ooo i ssw p CONTROLS amp CONNECTORS LCD Memory Channel Number Skip Memory Channel or Repeater Shift Direction Preferential Memory Channel CTCSS DSC Operation oa Internet Connection Priority Channel PRI gt jurara To pe EA AANA 26 0 GA tes amp Feature Active Memory Bank Active ee S Bell Alarm Active WWI WE A WI A I A Operating Frequency Secondary spt IN INI JANI JANI HNI NDT Battery Indicator G DTMF Dw save O rea LOW A AGE EV Emergency Automatic ID EAI Feature Active Low TX Power Selecte DTMF Autodial Active Dual Watch Active Battery Saver Active Key Lock Active S amp PO Meter Automatic Power Off Active 4 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL CONTROLS amp CONNECTORS Sipe Pane PTT Push To Talk Switch Press this switch to transmit and release it to receive after your transmission 1s com pleted 2 MONI Switch Pressing this switch disables the noise squelching action allowing you to hear very weak signals near the background noise level temporarily Press the F key on the keypad first then press this switch to enable to adjustment of the squelch threshold level EXT DC Jack This coaxial DC jack allows connection to an external DC power source 6 16V DC The center pin of this jack is the Positive connection Do not allow the
86. s incapable of tuning or readily being altered by the User to operate within the frequency bands allocated to the Domestic public Cellular Telecommunications Service in Part 22 DECLARATION BY MANUFACTURER The Scanner receiver is not a digital scanner and is incapable of being converted or modified to a digital scanner receiver by any user WARNING MODIFICATION OF THIS DEVICE TO RECEIVE CELLULAR RADIOTELEPHONE SERVICE SIGNALS IS PROHIBITED UNDER FCC RULES AND FEDERAL LAW Copyright 2005 VERTEX STANDARD CO LTD All rights reserved No portion of this manual may be reproduced without the permission of VERTEX STANDARD CO LTD Printed in Japan E H O 2 2 U 1 O 0 0511X 0K
87. s the ANI function 55 PAGER PAG OFF PAG ON Setting the Pager Code for the DTMF Pager 56 PAG COD 000 999 Enables Disables the Answer Back function of the DTMF 57 PAG ABK ABK OFF ABK ON Pager VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 73 Set Menu Mope Set Mode Item 1 APO Function Setting of the Automatic Power Off feature Available Values OFF 0 5H 12 0 H in 0 5 hour multiples Default OFF Set Mode Item 2 AR BEP Function Selects the Beep option during ARTS operation Available Values INRANG ALWAYS OFF Default INRANG INRANG Beeps sound only when the radio first detects that you are within range ALWAYS Beeps sound every time a polling transmission is received from the other sta tion every 15 or 25 seconds when in range OFF No alert beeps sound Set Mode Item 3 AR INT Function Selects the Polling Interval during ARTS operation Available Values 25 SEC 15 SEC Default 25SEC Set Mode Item 4 ARS Function Enables Disables the Automatic Repeater Shift function Available Values ARS ON ARS OFF Default ARS ON Set Mode Item 5 BCLO Function Enables Disables the Busy Channel Lock Out feature Available Values BCL ON BCL OFF Default BCL OFF Set Mode Item 6 BEEP Function Enables Disables the beeper Available Values KEY SC KEY OFF Default KEY SC KEY SC The beeper sounds when you press any key or when the scanner stops KEY The beeper sounds when you press any key
88. se sub bands are shown below If the ARS feature does not appear to be working you may have accidentally disabled it To re enable ARS Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 4 ARS Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Item Rotate the DIAL knob to select ARS ON When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and return to normal operation aS ae E ARS Repeater Subbands 440 0 445 0 450 0 Version A Euro Version 1 438 20 439 45 433 00 433 40 Euro Version 2 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 19 REPEATER OPERATION MANUAL REPEATER SHIFT ACTIVATION If the ARS feature has been disabled or if you need to set a repeater shift direction other than that established by the ARS you may set the direction of the repeater shift manually To do this 1 Press the F key then press the 4 RPT key to enable selection of the repeater shift direction 2 This provides a short cut to Set Mode Item 35 RPT MQD 3 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired shift among RPT RPT and RPT OFF 4 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and return to normal operation If you make a change in the shift direction but still have Automatic Repeater Shift still engaged see previous section when you change
89. send Once the string begins you may release the PTT switch as the transmitter will be held on the air until the DTMF string 1s completed To disable the DTMF Autodialer press F gt 9 DTMF again The CODE indi cation will appear in the display for a moment Item 16 DT SPD See page 75 for details You can also set a longer delay between the time you press the numerical key correspond ing to the DTMF memory string with PTT switch pressed and the instant when the first DTMF digit is sent using Set Mode Item 15 DT DLY See page 75 for details 56 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL DTMF PAGER OPERATION Requires OPTIONAL FTD 7 The VX 177 allows you to utilize a DTMF Dual Tone Multi Frequency tone encoder decoder with a dedicated microprocessor providing paging and selective calling features now that you ve installed the optional FTD 7 DTMF Paging Unit This capability allows you to make a call to a specific station Paging and to receive calls of your choice di rected only to you Code Squelch The paging and code squelch systems use 3 digit numeric codes 000 999 which are stored in the DTMF Pager Memories Basically your receiver remains silent until it re ceives the 3 digit DTMF pager code that matches those stored in the DTMF Pager Memory The squelch then opens so the caller is heard and the LCD displays the 3 digit DTMF pager code which was received Also the paging ringer immediately sounds
90. string Selectable entries are 0 9 and A F with E and F representing DTMF gt k and tones respectively 7 Press the F key to accept the first digit and move to the next digit of the DTMF string 8 Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have completed the telephone number 9 Ifyou make a mistake press the W MHz key to move back to the previous digit then re select the correct number 10 Ifthe telephone number made up of numbers only you may key in the telephone number directly from the keypad Wt l 11 Press and hold in the F key for one second to save the setting zii 12 Ifyou store other numbers repeat steps 4 10 above using a different DTMF memory register VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 55 i I DTMF OPERATION 13 When all required DTMF memories are filled to your satisfaction press the PTT switch to save the settings and exit to normal operation To send the telephone number l While the DTMF Autodialer is activated the DTMF icon will ap pear at the lower left corner on the LCD You can change the DTMF Autodialer sending speed using Set Mode Press the F key then press the 9 DTMF key to activate the DTMF Autodialer The MEM indication display will appear in the display for a mo ment While the DTMF Autodialer is activated first press the PTT switch then press the numerical key 1 through 9 corre sponding to the DTMF memory string you wish to
91. sy DTMF dialing for Autopatch repeater con trol or Internet link access purposes Besides numerical digits 0 through 9 the keypad includes the gt and digits plus the A B C and D tones often used for repeater control Manual DTMF Tone Generation You can generate DTMF tones during transmission manually 1 Press the F key then press the 9 DTMF key to disable the DTMF Autodialer if necessary The CODE indication will ap pear in the display for a moment 2 Press the PTT switch to begin transmission 3 While transmitting press the desired numbers on the keypad 4 When you have sent all the digits desired release the PTT switch DTMF Autodialer Nine DTMF Autodial memories are provided allowing you to store telephone numbers for autopatch use You can also store short autopatch or Internet link access code streams so as to avoid having to send them manually Here is the DTMF Autodial storage procedure 1 Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 17 DT WRT 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the DTMF Memory register d1 qQ into which you wish to store this DTMF string 5 Press the F key momentarily to begin DTMF Memory entry into the selected register 6 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the first digit of the DTMF
92. t Mode Item 20 EDG BEP 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item Rotate the DIAL knob to set this Set Mode Item to BEP ON 5 When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the setting and exit to normal operation 44 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL NOTE VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 45 EMERGENCY FEATURE i isi EMERGENCY CHANNEL OPERATION The VX 177 includes an Emergency feature which may be useful if you have someone monitoring on the same frequency as your transceiver s Home channel See page 30 for details on setting up the Home channel The Emergency feature is activated by pressing and holding in the 4 RPT key for one second When this is done A the radio is placed on the Home channel B it emits a loud Alarm sound the volume is controlled by the VOL PWR knob C it flashes the LCD keypad lamp D if you press the PTT switch you will disable the Emergency feature temporarily you can then transmit on the Home channel and E two seconds after the PTT switch release the Emergency feature will resume To disable the Emergency feature press the F key momentarily or turn the radio off by rotating the VOL PWR knob fully counter clockwise into the click stop position Use this feature if you are out for a walk and want a quick way of alerting a family member as to a dangerous situation The alarm sound may discourage an at
93. t this time if you wish to store it Press and hold in the F key for one second 3 Within ten seconds of releasing the F key you need to make a decision regarding channel storage The microprocessor will automatically select the next available free channel a memory register on which no data has been stored so you may not wish to make any change if this is the case proceed to step 4 If you wish to select a different channel number into which to store the data rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired memory channel You may jump 10 memory channels if you re in a hurry 11 gt 21 gt 31 by pressing the VFO PRI key multiple times if necessary Press the F key once more to store the frequency into memory 5 You still will be operating in the VFO mode so you may now enter other frequen cies and store them into additional memory locations by repeating the above process Storing Independent Transmit Frequencies Odd Splits All memories can store an independent transmit frequency for operation on repeaters with non standard shift To do this 1 Store the receive frequency using the method already described under MEMORY STORAGE it doesn t matter if a repeater offset is active 2 Tune to the desired transmit frequency then press and hold in the F key for one second 3 Within ten seconds of releasing the F key rotate the DIAL knob to select the same memory channel number as used in s
94. t to normal operation 64 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL MISCELLANEOUS SETTINGS DCS Cope INVERSION The DCS system was first introduced in the commercial LMR Land Mobile Radio ser vice where it is now in widespread use DCS is sometime referred to by its different pro prietary names such as DPL Digital Private Line a registered trademark of Motorola Inc DCS uses a codeword consisting of a 23 bit frame transmitted subaudible at a data rate of 134 4 bps bit sec Occasionally signal inversion can result in the complement of a code to be sent or received This prevents the receiver s squelch from opening with DCS enabled as the decoded bit sequence would not match that selected for operation Typical situations that might cause inversion to occur are O Connection of an external receiver preamplifier O Operating through a repeater O Connection of an external linear amplifier Note that code inversion does not mean that any of the above listed equipment is defective In certain amplifier configurations the output signal phase is inverted from the input Small signal or power amplifiers having an odd number 1 3 5 etc of amplification stages may result in inversion of a transmitted or recetved DCS code While under most circumstances this should not occur amplifier designs and industry standards take this into account if you find that your receiver squelch does not open when both you and the ot
95. tacker and allow you to escape 1 Be sure to arrange with a friend or family member to be monitoring on the same frequency as there will be no identification sent via the Emergency alarm sound And do not transmit the alarm tone except in a true emergency 2 The Emergency feature may be changed to another function via Set Mode Item 21 EMG S see page 76 for details 46 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL EMERGENCY FEATURE C S a SS ___ aS ae ea eee M Emercency Automatic ID EAI FEATURE The Emergency Automatic ID EAI feature can be used for searching for persons who are incapacitated in disasters like earthquakes especially search and rescue personnel who may have become injured in a debris field In such cases if another searcher sends out a unique command CTCSS tone pair the radio of the incapacitated party who may not be able to speak or even press the PTT switch will automatically cause the injured party s radio to transmit so others may perform direction finding and effect a rescue The callsign of the incapacitated person will also be transmitted to assist the rescue team If an emergency group is working in a dangerous area all members should engage the EAI feature on their transceiver so that others can provide assistance to a fallen team member if necessary The Emergency Automatic ID EAI Feature has two operating modes 1 Interval mode and 2 Continuous mode In the Interval mode when the VX 177
96. tandard approved ac cessory Should it cause damage may void the Limited Warranty on this apparatus 2 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL CONTROLS amp CONNECTORS Top amp FRONT PANELS Gd Antenna Jack Connect the supplied rubber flex antenna or an other antenna presenting a 50 Ohm impedance here MIC SP Jack This four conductor miniature jack provides con nection points for microphone audio earphone audio PTT and ground Do not allow the VX 177 to become submerged in water while the plastic A cover over the MIC SP jack is removed VOL PWR Knob Turn this control clockwise to turn the radio on and to increase the volume Counter clockwise rotation into the click stop will turn the radio off DIAL Knob This inner 20 position detented rotary switch is used for setting the operating fre quency and also is used for menu selections and other adjustments Speaker The internal speaker is located here LCD Liquid Crystal Display The display shows the current op T f p s a ECCA TB JG erating conditions as described on MIS a gt SSB O the next page TENES To Keypad i l C These 16 keys select many of most IEE eO important operating features on the S VX 177 The functions of the keys y are described in detail on the pages to follow K TX BUSY Indicator Lamp This indicator glows green when the a ee cane squelch opens and turns red dur ea day pa
97. tep 1 above 4 Press and hold in the PTT switch then press the F key once more momentarily while holding the PTT switch in this does not key the transmitter 1 y Whenever you recall a memory which contains inde pendently stored transmit and receive frequencies the S D indication will appear in the display VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 29 Memory Mope Memory RECALL 1 While operating in the VFO mode press the MR SKIP key to enter the Memory mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired channel 3 To return to the VFO mode press the VFO PRI key When the radio is already set to the Memory mode an easy way to recall memories is to key in the memory channel number then press the F key For example to recall memory channel 14 press 1 SQ TYP gt 4 RPT gt F You may also recall Programmable Memory channels L1 U1 through L10 U10 using the following numbers Programmable Memory channels L1 201 U1 202 L10 219 and U10 220 HOME CHANNEL MEMORY A special one touch HOME channel is available to allow quick recall of a favorite operating frequency Home Channel storage is simple to accomplish 1 Change the setting of Set Mode Item 33 REV HM from REV to HOME if it is not already set to this option see page 79 2 Select the desired frequency while operating in the VFO mode Be sure to set up any d
98. ter you enter your Password Additional features include a convenient access key for Vertex Standard s WIRES Wide coverage Internet Repeater Enhancement System a transmit Time Out Timer TOT Automatic Power Off APO Automatic Repeater Shift ARS Vertex Standard s exclu sive ARTS Auto Range Transponder System which beeps the user when you move out of communications range with another ARTS equipped station plus provision for reduction of the TX deviation in areas of high channel congestion And an RF squelch circuit allows the owner to set the squelch to open at a programmable setting of the S Meter thus reducing guesswork in setting the squelch threshold We appreciate your purchase of the VX 177 and encourage you to read this manual thor oughly so as to learn about the many exciting features of your exciting new Vertex Stan dard hand held transceiver X IPX 7 Specification for submersibility 3 ft for 30 minutes WH VX 177 Z am oe oo Dve 00D VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL I ACCESSORIES amp OPTIONS SUPPLIED ACCESSORIES O FNB 83 7 2
99. the PTT switch to save the new setting and return to normal operation To activate the locking feature 1 press and hold in the 6 LOCK key for one second or 2 press the F key followed by the 6 LOCK key The icon will appear on the LCD To cancel locking repeat one of these processes U 16 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL ADVANCED OPERATION Keypapb LCD ILLUMINATION Your VX 177 includes a reddish illumination lamp which aids in nighttime operation The reddish illumination yields clear viewing of the display in a dark environment with mini mal degradation of your night vision Three options for activating the lamp are provided KEY Mode _ Illuminates the Keypad LCD lamp for five seconds when you rotate the DIAL knob or press the keypad or any switch except PTT switch This is the factory programmed default setting CONT Mode Illuminates the Keypad LCD lamp continuously OFF Mode Disables the Keypad LCD lamp Here is the procedure for setting up the Lamp operating mode 1 Press the F key then press the O0 SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 25 LAMP Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select one of the three modes described above U 5 When you have made your choice press the PTT switch to save the new setting and return to normal operation DISABLING THE KEYPAD BEEPER A k
100. the memory channel you wish to use as the Priority frequency 2 Now set the radio to the VFO mode by pressing the VFO PRI key 3 Press the F key then press the VFO PRI key to activate the VFO Priority mode The display will remain on the VFO fre quency but every five seconds the radio will check the Priority Channel memory channel for activity 4 Press F gt VFO PRI again to disable the VFO Priority mode Memory Channel Priority 1 Store the frequency you wish to be the Priority Channel into memory channel 1 2 Now set the radio for operation on another memory channel 3 Press the F key then press the VFO PRI key to activate the Memory Priority mode The display will remain on the current memory channel frequency but every five seconds the radio will check the Priority Channel memory channel 1 for activity 4 Press F gt VFO PRI again to disable the Memory Priority mode When the Memory Bank feature is activated the VX 177 will check the lowest num bered memory channel in the current Memory Bank as the Priority Channel HOME Channel Priority 1 Recall the memory channel you wish to use as the Priority frequency 2 Now set the radio for operation on the HOME channel by pressing the F key fol lowed by REV HOME 3 Press the F key then press the VFO PRI key to activate the HOME Priority mode The display will remain on the HOME channel frequency
101. til you de activate ARTS Every 10 minutes moreover you can have your radio transmit your callsign via CW so as to comply with identification requirements When ARTS is de activated DCS will also be deactivated if you were not using it previously in non ARTS operation If you move out of range for more than one minute four pollings your radio will sense that no signal has been received three beeps will sound and the display will revert to OUT RNG If you move back into range your radio will again beep and the display will change back to the IN RNG indication During ARTS operation your operating frequency will continue to be displayed but no changes may be made to it or other settings you must terminate ARTS in order to resume normal operation This is a safety feature designed to prevent accidental loss of contact due to channel change etc Basic ARTS Setup and Operation 1 Set your radio and the other radio s to the same DCS code number per the discussion on page 24 2 Press and hold in the 2 CODE key for one second You will observe the OUT RNG display on the LCD below the operat ing frequency ARTS operation has now commenced 3 Every 25 seconds your radio will transmit a polling call to the other station When that station responds with its own ARTS polling signal the display will change to IN RNG to confirm A that the other station s polling code was receiv
102. ttom end of the antenna then screw it onto the mating connector on the trans ceiver until it is snug Do not over tighten by use of extreme force Notes O Never transmit without having an antenna connected O When installing the supplied antenna never hold the upper part of the antenna while screwing it onto the mating connector on the transceiver O If using an external antenna for transmission ensure that the SWR presented to the transceiver is 1 5 1 or lower to avoid excessive feedline loss INSTALLATION OF FNB 83 Battery PACK The FNB 83 is a high performance Ni MH battery providing high capacity in a compact package Under normal use the FNB 83 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 Installation of the battery is easy and quick O Insert the battery pack into the battery compart ment on the back of the radio while tilting the Belt Clip outward then close the Battery Pack Latch until it locks in place with a Click 1 To remove the battery g turn the radio off and remove any protective cases Open the Battery Pack Latch on the bot tom of the radio then slide the battery downward and out from the radio while tilting the Belt Clip out of the way
103. uency by one step or moves the memory channel to the next highest channel Tunes the VFO frequency upward in 1 MHz steps Starts the scanner upward toward a higher frequency or a higher channel number Decreases the VFO frequency by one step or moves the memory channel to the next lowest channel Tunes the VFO frequency downward in 1 MHz steps Starts the scanner downward toward a lower frequency or a lower channel number HOME X2 REV Reverses the transmit and receive frequencies while working through a repeater Switches to the Home favorite frequency Channel Activates the Alternate key function Disables the Alternate key function Activates the Memory Write mode for memory channel storage X2 You can exchange the function between the primary press key function and secondary press F key function if desired See page 79 for details VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL INSTALLATION OF ACCESSORIES ANTENNA INSTALLATION The supplied antenna provides good results over the entire frequency range of the transceiver However for enhanced reception on certain non Amateur frequencies you may wish to connect an antenna designed specifically for that frequency range as the supplied antenna is necessarily a compromise outside the Amateur band and cannot be expected to provide high performance at all frequencies To install the supplied antenna hold the bo
104. umber of which may be important to your operating requirements The VX 177 is set up at the factory in the AUTO configuration which probably is satisfactory for most operation However if you need to change the channel step increments the procedure to do so is very easy Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 45 STEP Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Item Rotate the DIAL knob to select the new channel step size When you have made your selection press the PTT switch to save the new setting and return to normal operation rae ee ie VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 61 MISCELLANEOUS SETTINGS Receive BATTERY SAVER SETUP An important feature of the VX 177 is its Receive Battery Saver which puts the radio to sleep for a time interval periodically waking it up to check for activity If somebody is talking on the channel the VX 177 will remain in the active mode then resume its sleep cycles This feature significantly reduces quiescent battery drain and you may change the amount of sleep time between activity checks using the Set Mode 1 Press the F key then press the O SET key to enter the Set mode 2 Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 37 RXSAVE 3 Press the F key momentarily to enable adjustment of this Set Mode Item 4 Rotate the DIAL knob to select the desired
105. uning throughout the currently selected operating band Three basic frequency navigation methods are available on the VX 177 1 Tuning Dial Rotation of the DIAL outer knob allows tuning in the pre programmed steps established for the current operating band Clockwise rotation of the DIAL causes the VX 177 to be tuned toward a higher frequency while counter clockwise rotation will lower the operating frequency If you press the F 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 177 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 13 OPERATION FREQUENCY NAVIGATION 2 Direct Keypad Frequency Entry The desired operating frequency may be entered directly from the keypad The first 1 in the frequency does not need to be entered as it is assumed by the microprocessor To enter a frequency directly just key in the 10 MHz 1 MHz and the kHz digits Examples To enter 436 560 MHz press 3 gt 6 gt 5 gt 6 gt 0 To enter 436 5625 MHz 12 5 kHz steps 3 gt 6 gt 5 gt 6 gt 2 3 Scanning Press and hold in either the A MHz or W MHz key for one second to initiate upward or downward scanning respectively Manual VFO Scan For scanning within a limited sub band range from the VFO mode press and hold in the MR SKIP key for one sec ond to begin sca
106. utomatic Number Identification feature during DTMF Pager operation the DTMF tones stored in ANI memory will automatically be sent whenever you press the PTT switch When the ANI is received the LCD will displays the received ANI code after the 3 digit DTMF pager code Storing the ANI code Press the F key then press the 0 SET key to enter the Set mode Rotate the DIAL knob to select Set Mode Item 54 ANIVVRT Press the F key momentarily to display any previously stored ANI code Press the F key again to clear any previous ANI code Rotate the DIAL knob to select the first number letter 0 9 A B C D E substitute for gt k and F substitute for then press the F key momentarily to save the first letter number and move on to the next character Se iS 6 Repeat the previous step as many times as necessary up to 16 characters to com plete ANI code If you make a mistake press the W MHz key to move back to the previous letter number s slot then re select the correct letter number 7 When you have finished entering the ANI code and it contains less than 16 characters press and hold in the F key for one second to confirm the callsign if the ANI code has exactly 16 characters you do not need to press and hold in F in this step 8 Press the PTT switch to save the settings and exit to normal operation Nee ed You may check your work by monitoring the entered callsign To do this
107. when matching tone is received DCS Digital Coded Encoder Decoder ECS Enhanced Paging amp amp Code Squelch Note See also Set Mode Item 43 SPLIT regarding additional selections available during Split Tone operation Set Mode Item 45 STEP Function Setting of the synthesizer steps Available Values 5 10 12 5 15 20 25 50 100 kHz or AUTO Default AUTO Step automatically changes according to operating frequency Set Mode Item 46 TN FRQ Function Setting of the CTCSS Tone Fre ee Laan Available Values 50 standard CTCSS tones Default 100 0 Hz Set Mode Item 47 TOT Function Setting of the TOT time Available Values 1 MIN 30MIN or OFF 250 3 254 4 Default 6MIN minutes The time out timer shuts off the transmitter after continuous transmission of the programmed time Set Mode Item 48 TX LED Function Enables Disables the TX LED while the radio is transmitting Available Values LED ON LED OFF Default LED ON Set Mode Item 49 TXSAVE Function Enables Disables the Transmitter Battery Saver Available Values SAV OFF SAV ON Default SAV OFF Set Mode Item 50 VFO SPL Function Enables or disables VFO Split operation Available Values VSP OFF VSP ON Default VSP OFF VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL 81 Set Menu Move Set Mode Item 51 WID NAR Function Select Wide 5 kHz or Narrow 2 5 kHz TX Deviation Available Values WIDE NARROW Default WIDE Note If
108. z Y z i i ey ees Taso A Ss tS 12 VX 177 OPERATING MANUAL OPERATION SQUELCH ADJUSTMENT To set the squelch press the F key followed by the MONI switch just below the PTT switch on the left side of the transceiver O Now rotate the DIAL outer knob to find the lowest setting LVL 1 through LVL 15 that will just si lence the background noise Do not use a higher setting than necessary or sensitivity to weak incoming signals will be degraded Press the PTT switch momentarily when you ve made the new setting this will return you to normal operation without having transmitted a a f 1 A special RF Squelch feature is provided on this radio This feature OA allows you to set the squelch so that only signals exceeding a certain S meter eC level will open the squelch See page 18 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 ra dio 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 177 has try using that mode for silent monitoring of busy channels FREQUENCY NAVIGATION The VX 177 will initially be operating in the VFO mode a channelized system which allows free t

Vertex Standard VX-177 Marine Radio User Manual

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