Cobra CXT280 User Manual

Owner’s Manual

	For more information or to	TWO-WAY RADIO MODEL
	order any of our products,	CXT280	Printed in China
	please visit our website:
			Part No. 480-743-P
	www.cobra.com		English
			Version B
	Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra®	Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra®

Making Life Easier and Safer

Introduction

Staying in touch with your family and friends is convenient and easy when using your microTALK® radio. Some of the many uses you will discover include:

Communicating with others while hiking, biking, and working; keeping track of family and friends at a crowded public event; checking with travel companions in another car; talking with neighbors; arranging meeting spots with others while shopping at the mall.

Belt Clip	Secure your microTALK®
	radio while on the go.

Carrying your microTALK® radio with you is easy when using the belt clip or optional wrist strap.

The belt clip easily attaches to your belt, purse, or backpack.

Customer Assistance

For Assistance in the U.S.A.

In this user’s manual, you should find all the information you need to operate your microTALK® radio. If you require further assistance after reading this manual, Cobra Electronics offers the following customer assistance services:

Automated Help Desk

English only. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 773-889-3087 (phone).

Customer Assistance Operators

English and Spanish. 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday (except holidays) 773-889-3087 (phone).

Questions

English and Spanish. Faxes can be received at 773-622-2269 (fax).

Technical Assistance

English only. www.cobra.com (on-line: Frequently Asked Questions). English and Spanish. [e-mail] (e-mail).

For Assistance Outside the U.S.A.

Contact Your Local Dealer	©2013 Cobra Electronics Corporation
	6500 West Cortland Street
A1	Chicago, Illinois 60707 USA
	www.cobra.com

Product Features

Introduction

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		2	13
	1		14
			15
	11
	10		3
			4
			5
			6
	9		7
	8
1.	Antenna	7. Speaker/Microphone
2.	External Speaker/	8.	Volume Up/Down Buttons
	Microphone/Charge Jack	9.	Light/Max Range Button
3.	Mode/Power Button	10.	Talk Button
4.	Lock Button	11.	Call Button
5.	Channel Up/Down	12.	Wrist Strap Connection
Buttons		13.	Belt Clip
6.	Backlit LCD Display	14.	Battery Compartment
A2

Product Features

Introduction

Backlit LCD Display

Features

•22 Channels

Seven shared with FRS/GMRS, seven FRS only, eight GMRS only.

•10 Channel NOAA All Hazards Radio

•Weather Alert

•121 Privacy Codes

(38 CTCSS codes/

83 DCS codes)

•Hands-Free Operation (VOX)

•Scan

Channels, privacy codes

•Backlit LCD Display

•Call Alert

Five selectable tones

•Button Lock

•Speaker/

Microphone/ Charge Jack

•Roger Beep

Selectable On/Off

•Battery/Power Saver

• Keystroke Tones

•Battery Low Indicator

•Auto Squelch

•Maximum Range Extender

• Belt Clip

2 3 4 5

1

6

9

8

13

7

12 11 10

1.Battery Low Indicator

2.VOX Icon

3.Scan Icon

4.Roger Beep Icon

5.Lock Icon

6.Low Power Icon

7.DCS/CTCSS Icons

8.Weather Icon

9.Weather Alert Icon

10.DCS/CTCSS Privacy Code Numbers

11.Power Saver Icon

12.Channel Numbers

13.Receive/Transmit Icon

Important FCC Licensing Information

This radio operates on General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) frequencies which require a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license. See page 15 for licensing and other related information.

Maximum range may vary and is based on unobstructed line-of-sight communication under ideal conditions.

A3

	Warranty and Trademark
Warranty	Acknowledgement

	Limited One-Year Warranty on Radio(s) & Charger	•
	For Products Purchased in the U.S.A.

Cobra Electronics Corporation warrants that its Cobra microTALK® radios and charger, and the component parts thereof, will be free of defects in workmanship and materials for a period of one year from the date of first consumer purchase. This warranty may be enforced by the first consumer purchaser, provided that the product is utilized within the U.S.A.

Cobra will, without charge, repair or replace, at its option, defective microTALK® radios, chargers, products or component parts upon delivery to the Cobra Factory Service department, accompanied by proof of the date of first consumer purchase, such as a duplicated copy of a sales receipt.

You must pay any initial shipping charges required to ship the product for warranty service, but the return charges will be at Cobra’s expense,

if the product is repaired or replaced under warranty. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which may vary from state to state.

Exclusions: This limited warranty does not apply: 1) To any product damaged by accident; 2) In the event of misuse or abuse of the product or as a result of unauthorized alterations or repairs; 3) If the serial number has been altered, defaced, or removed; 4) If the owner of the product resides outside the U.S.A.

All implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are limited in duration to the length of this warranty. Cobra shall not be liable for any incidental, consequential or other damages; including, without limitation, damages resulting from loss of use or cost of installation.

Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts and/or do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations may not apply to you.

For Products Purchased Outside the U.S.A.

Please contact your local dealer for warranty information.

90-Day Warranty on Rechargeable Batteries

For products purchased in the U.S.A. and Canada.

	Trademark Acknowledgement	•
	Cobra®, microTALK®, Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra®, VibrAlert®
	and the snake design are registered trademarks of Cobra Electronics
	Corporation, USA. Cobra Electronics Corporation™ is a trademark
	of Cobra Electronics Corporation, USA.
	Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra® 17

	Introduction	Operation	Customer Assistance	Warranty

	Caring for Your microTALK® Radio	•
	Your microTALK® radio will give you years of trouble-free service

if cared for properly. Handle the radio gently. Keep the radio away from

dust. Never put the radio in water or in a damp place. Avoid exposure to
extreme temperatures.
Rechargeable Batteries and Desktop Charger		•
	To install or replace batteries:
Remove Belt Clip

Pull Up Lock Latch

Insert Batteries

Insert radio(s)

1.Remove belt clip by releasing belt clip latch and sliding clip up.

2.Pull up on the battery door latch to remove the battery compartment cover.

3.Insert the supplied four AAA rechargeable batteries or non-rechargeable alkaline batteries. Position batteries according to polarity markings.

4.Replace battery compartment cover and belt clip.

•Do not mix old and new batteries.

•Do not mix alkaline, standard (carbon-zinc), or rechargeable (Ni-Cd, Ni-MH, etc.) batteries.

To charge radios in desktop charger:

1.Insert radio(s) into desktop charger as shown.

2.Insert round connector of 120-volt adapter into jack on back of charger.

3.Plug 120-volt adapter into electrical outlet.

If charging light is not on, check position of radio. Radio should be upright. The charge indicator light will stay on as long as the radio is in the charging well, even after the batteries are fully charged.

It normally takes about 15 hours to fully recharge batteries. Batteries will not be damaged if they stay in the charging well longer than that.

Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra® 1

Turning on Your microTALK® Radio

To Select a Channel

Using Your Radio

Operation

Radio Charger Jack

To charge batteries in radio:

1. Check to see that the batteries have been inserted properly.

2.Insert the wall charger/adapter into the charge jack located at the top of the radio.

3.Plug the wall charger/adapter into electrical outlet.

Use only the supplied rechargeable batteries and charger for recharging your Cobra microTALK radio.

Cobra recommends your radio is turned off while being charged. Non-rechargeable alkaline batteries can also be used in your radio.

Quick Start

1.Press and hold the Mode/Power button to turn on your radio.

2.Press the Channel Up or Channel Down button to select a channel.

Both radios must be tuned to the same channel/privacy code to communicate.

3.Press and hold the Talk button while speaking into the microphone.

4.When finished talking, release the Talk button and listen for a response.

•

Mode/Power Press and hold the Mode/Power button until you hear a series of audible tones indicating the radio is on.

Your microTALK® radio is now in Standby mode, ready to receive transmissions. The radio is always in Standby mode except when the Talk, Call or Mode/Power buttons are pressed.

2

Introduction

Operation

Customer Assistance Warranty

Battery Low		•
Battery Low	When battery power is low, the Battery Low icon
	will blink. Your batteries should be replaced or
	recharged, if using rechargeable batteries.

Auto Battery Save		•
Battery Save Mode	If there are no transmissions within 10 seconds,
	the radio will automatically switch to Battery Save
	mode and the Power Saver icon will flash in the
	display. This will not affect the radio’s ability to
	receive incoming transmissions.
Communicating with Another Person		•
	1. Press and hold the Talk button.
Talk Button

Two Inches (5 cm) from Mouth

Channel Button

Channel Number

2.With the microphone about two inches (5 cm) from your mouth, speak in a normal voice.

3.Release the Talk button when you are finished talking and listen for a response.

You cannot receive incoming calls while pressing the Talk button.

Both radios must be tuned to the same channel to communicate.

With the radio on, select any of the 22 channels by• pressing the Channel Up or Channel Down button.

Channels 1 through 7 are shared with FRS/ GMRS. Channels 8 through 14 are FRS only. Channels 15 through 22 are GMRS only.

See page 14 for FRS/GMRS frequency allocations and compatibility charts.

Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra® 3