V20 VHF Radio Owner’ Manual Table of Contents Introduction ........................................2 Service ...............................................2 Licensing............................................2 LCD Description.................................3 Turning the Radio On ........................3 Adjusting the Volume .........................3 Receive Mode....................................4 Changing Channels ...........................4 Channel Descriptions.........................
Welcome! Radio Licenses: Thank you for purchasing the Seafit V20. This product was designed and built for boaters to use in the harsh marine environment. With proper care this product should provide you with years of troublefree operation. Your satisfaction with this product is backed by the entire West Marine organization worldwide. 1. Ship Station License Remember: • • • • • Safety and distress calls take priority over all others.
LCD Description USA/INTERNATIONAL/CANADIAN (UIC) Mode display (page 5) Channel Number display (page 4) Battery Level display indicator (page 8) LCD Display Radio Status Display; shows long and short channel descriptions, warnings, and radio information (page 5) Shown when channel is in scan memory (page 14) STEP Shown when radio is in STEP mode (page 15) Shown when Triple Watch has TRI been selected (Page 12) Shown when radio is in Weather WX (WX) Mode (page 9) ALERT Shown when radio is in Weather Alert M
3. Receive Mode When the radio receives a signal, the Radio Status Display will show the message RECEIVE (Fig. 3a) for three seconds before reverting to the channel description. The BUSY indicator will also be shown. This is an indication that you should not transmit until the BUSY indicator is not showing. When the signal ceases the radio will display STAND BY. (Fig. 3b) • After three seconds, the display returns to the channel name. Fig. 3a: Receive Display Fig. 3b: Stand By Display 4.
. Channel Descriptions Fig. 5: Current Channel, MAR OPER Display The Radio Status Display indicates the type of channel you have selected with both a long and a short description. (Fig. 5) The long description will scroll from right to left, and will be replaced by a shorter description that stays in the Radio Status Display.
7. Adjusting the Squelch Fig. 7a: Squelch Level Setting Mode The Squelch Control reduces the static and noise heard on the radio, but allows strong signals to be heard clearly. To adjust the squelch setting, press the SQL/UIC key quickly. The Radio Status Display will show SQL - 0X, where X is the current squelch setting. (Fig. 7a) Press the ▲ or ▼ keys to adjust the squelch setting from 00 to 08.
• • Fig. 8b: Transmission Ended Display • Blinking When the PTT key is released, the Radio Status Display will show TX END (Fig. 8b) You cannot transmit on receive-only channels like the weather channels or Channels 15 and 70. If you try, an error tone will sound, the channel number and TX indicator will blink three times and the Radio Status Display will show REC ONLY (Fig 8c). After 3 seconds, the radio returns to the normal display, then goes back to the normal display.
Status Display will show XMIT HI for three seconds. (Fig. 9a) • When Medium Power is selected, the Radio Status Display will show XMIT MED for three seconds and the M indicator will show. (Fig. 9b) • When Low Power is selected, the Radio Status Display will show XMIT LOW for three seconds and the L indicator will show. (Fig. 9c) Certain channels are limited by law to 1 watt transmit power: USA Mode Channel 13, 17, 67, 77; INT Mode Channel 15, 17; CAN Mode Channel 13, 15, 17, 20, 66, 77.
11. Weather Mode Fig. 11a: Weather Mode Display Fig. 11b: Marine Mode Display Virtually all areas of the US and many areas around the world are covered by VHF weather reports on one of 10 channels. These reports provide current conditions, forecasts, and warnings of dangerous weather 24 hours per day. Press and release the WX/ALERT key to toggle between Weather and Marine Modes. In Weather Mode the Radio Status Display will show WX MODE for three seconds and the WX indicator will be shown. (Fig.
12. Weather Alert Fig. 12a: Normal Channel Display Fig. 12b: Weather Alert On Weather Alert is a safety function that allows the radio to monitor the local weather channel for NOAA Weather Alerts, while allowing you to listen to other channels. To set or cancel the Weather Alert function, press and hold the WX/ALERT key. The display will switch from the current channel display (Fig. 12a) to the Weather Alert display for three seconds. The Radio Status Display will show WX ALERT ON.
13. 16/9 Operation Fig. 13a: Current Channel, MAR OPER Display Fig. 13b: Channel 16, DISTRESS Display By pressing the 16/9/TRI key briefly, the radio will change from Channel 16 to Channel 9 and back to the start channel. For example, if the start channel is Channel 24, pressing the 16/9/TRI will change the channel from 24 to 16 to 9 and back to 24. (Fig.
14. Triple Watch Fig. 14a: Triple Watch Display Fig. 14b: Triple Watch Display Triple Watch is a handy feature that lets you monitor a channel of interest to you, yet maintain a watch on Channels 9 and 16. Let’s say you need to monitor Channel 15, the Environmental Channel, but don’t want to miss important safety or distress messages on Channel 16. Simply select Channel 15 with the ▲ or ▼ keys, then press and hold the 16/9/TRI key. The TRI icon will be displayed.
Entering and removing channels from memory Fig. 15a: Channel 16 added to scan memory Use the ▲ or ▼ keys to select a channel to enter into scan memory. Pressing the MEM key will enter the channel into the scan memory (Fig 15a), and the Radio Status Display will show MEM SET. If the channel is currently in the scan memory, pressing the MEM key will remove it from the scan memory. (Fig. 15b) and the Radio Status Display will show MEM DEL.
Fig. 15d: Priority Channel Scan Display To enter Priority Scan Mode, press and hold the SCAN key for two seconds. If Channels 6, 22, and 68 are entered into memory, the scan sequence will go from Channel 6 to 16 to 22 to 16 to 68 to 16 to 6 to 16 and so on. The Radio Status Display will show PRIORITY SCAN followed by the list of channels in memory; in this case, Channels 6, 16, 22, 68, and 72. (Fig.
• • • Pressing the SQL/UIC key briefly (less than one second) while scanning, will change to Squelch Change Mode. The LCD display will show the squelch level and will continue to scan. If SQL/UIC key is pressed for over two seconds while scanning, the radio will stop scanning and change to Change Country Mode. (page 5) If the MEM key or the H/L key is pressed while scanning, the radio will make an error tone and the key press will be ignored. 16. Step Mode Fig. 16a: Step On Display Fig.
17. Keypad Lock Fig. 18: Key Lock Display Display There may be times when you don’t want to inadvertently press a key on the radio’s keypad. In this case, you can select Keypad Lock by pressing the I key (below the PTT key on the left hand side) for two seconds. This will cause the keypad lock indicator two be shown, and the Radio Status Display will show KEY LOCK ON. (Fig. 18) While the keypad is locked, the keypad will not respond to key presses.
19. Time out Transmit Setting Blinking Fig. 19a: TOT Set Display Fig. 19b: Transmit Time Exceeded display Nothing is more disruptive to Marine VHF communications than when some boater has his or her microphone PTT key pressed accidentally. The problem is that there is no way to notify him that the problem exists since the radio cannot receive traffic. The V20 has a Time Out Transmit feature that allows you to set a maximum period of PTT key press time before the radio will revert to Receive Mode.
able battery back as well as an BT200 alkaline battery tray. For most use, the BP200 battery pack will provide convenient, long life service, and will operate your radio for approximately 12 hours on a charge. The length of service depends largely on how much time you spend transmitting, and what transmit power you use. Charging the BP200 A feature of the NiMH pack is that you can recharge at any time. The standard charger SC200 will completely recharge the BP200 battery pack in approximately 12 hours.
• • partment seal. Keep your battery contacts clean! Wipe frequently. If visible corrosion appears, polish with an emery cloth or similar fine abrasive. Never transmit without an antenna attached to avoid damage to the radio. • Avoid using or placing the V20 in areas with temperatures below -20ºC (-4ºF) or above +60ºC (+140ºF). Do not place in windshields, etc. 23.
USA Mode Frequency Chart Ch. Rx Freq Tx Freq Status Name Full Name 1 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 61 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 156.0500 156.1500 156.2500 156.3000 156.3500 156.4000 156.4500 156.5000 156.5500 156.6000 156.6500 156.7000 Inhibit 156.8000 156.8500 156.9000 156.9500 157.0000 157.0500 157.1000 157.1500 157.2000 157.2500 157.3000 157.3500 157.4000 156.0750 156.1750 156.2250 156.2750 156.3250 156.3750 156.
International Mode Frequency Chart Ch. Rx Freq Tx Freq Status Name Full Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 156.0500 156.1000 156.1500 156.2000 156.2500 156.3000 156.3500 156.4000 156.4500 156.5000 156.5500 156.6000 156.6500 156.7000 156.7500 156.8000 156.8500 156.9000 156.9500 157.0000 157.0500 157.1000 157.1500 157.2000 157.2500 157.3000 157.3500 157.4000 156.0250 156.
Canadian Mode Frequency Chart Ch. Rx Freq Tx Freq Status Name Full Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 60 61 62 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 156.0500 156.1000 156.1500 156.2000 156.2500 156.3000 156.3500 156.4000 156.4500 156.5000 156.5500 156.6000 156.6500 156.7000 156.7500 156.8000 156.8500 156.9000 156.9500 157.0000 157.0500 157.1000 157.1500 157.2000 157.2500 157.3000 157.3500 157.4000 156.0250 156.0750 156.
WX Frequency Chart Channel No. (MHz) Name WX01 WX02 WX03 WX04 WX05 WX06 WX07 WX08 WX09 WX10 162.5500 162.4000 162.4750 162.4250 162.4500 162.5000 162.5250 161.6500 161.7750 163.
Accessories Model SWIV200 SC200 DC200 CLIP200 BT200 BP200 ANT200 Description Swivel Belt Clip with Button and Mounting Screw 12 Hr. Std. Charger with Bucket and AC power supply DC Cigarette Lighter power supply for Std. Charger Fixed Belt Clip with Mounting Screws Alkaline Battery Tray Nickel Metal Hydride Rechargeable Battery Pack Flexible Rubber Antenna Order # 3895638 3895463 3895554 3895687 3895562 3895497 3895547 Optional Rapid Smart Charger: RSC200 90 Min.
Warning: Your Seafit V20 generates RF electromagnetic energy when transmitting. This radio was designed to meet the FCC’s rules and regulations for the maximum permissible exposure to radio frequency energy. This design was tested and found to be compliant to the strict requirements established by the FCC.
24. Emergency Communications One of the most important reasons to have a VHF radio on board your boat is so you can make distress calls to rescue agencies like the US Coast Guard, State Boating Authorities, County Sheriffs, and towing organizations. There are three acknowledged levels of severity when making an emergency call, and it’s important to know what to do if you should have to make an emergency call, and what to do if you hear one.
Pan Pan for Urgency Messages Since Mayday calls are only for “grave and imminent danger”, what should you say if you’re aground, or lost, or running low on fuel? Ordinary calls for assistance can use the urgency signal “Pan Pan” (pronounced pon pon). Procedure for making an Urgency Call: Select Channel 16 and high transmit power. Transmit as follows: 1. “Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan”. 2. “This is (Name of Vessel)”. 3. “(Your call sign or other indication of the vessel)”. 4. “Located at (your position)”.
Three-Year Limited Warranty IMPORTANT: Evidence of original purchase, such as the original receipt, a cancelled check, or a credit card receipt is required for warranty service. WARRANTOR: WEST MARINE PRODUCTS, INC. (“WEST MARINE”) ELEMENTS OF WARRANTY: WEST MARINE warrants for three years, to the original retail owner and user, this product to be free from defects in materials and craftsmanship with only the limitations or exclusions set out below.
