Uniden MHS245 Owner's Manual
MHS245
Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver
For more exciting new products please visit our website:
Australia: www.uniden.com.au
Making a Distress Call
Speak slowly - clearly - calmly.
For future reference, write your boat’s name & call sign here:
1. Make sure your radio is on.
On the radio, press the 16/67-Tri button to switch to Channel 16
(156.8 MHz). (If the corner of the display does not show 16, press
the 16/67-Tri button again until it does.)
2. Press the push to talk button and say: “MAYDAY -- MAYDAY -MAYDAY.”
3. Say “THIS IS {name of your boat (three times) and call sign/boat
registration number (once)}.”
4. Say “MAYDAY {name or call sign of your boat}.”
5. Tell where you are: (what navigational aids or landmarks are near,
or read the latitude and longitude from your GPS).
6. State the nature of your distress, (e.g. are you sinking, medical
emergency, man overboard, on re, adrift, etc.)
7. State the type of assistance you need (medical, towing, pumps,
etc.).
8. Give number of persons aboard and conditions of any injured
persons.
9. Estimate present seaworthiness of your ship (e.g. how immediate is
the danger due to ooding or re or proximity to shore).
10. Briey describe your ship, giving the ship name (e.g. “Blue Duck is
32 foot cabin cruiser, white hull, blue deck house”).
11. Say: “I WILL BE LISTENING ON CHANNEL 16.”
12. End message by saying “THIS IS {name or call sign of your boat},
OVER.”
13. Release the push to talk button and listen.
If you do not get an answer after 30 seconds, repeat your
call, beginning at step 3, above.
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Warning
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is
intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the
literature accompanying the appliance.
NOTE
Floating/Waterproof: IPX8/JIS8
Uniden’s MHS245 radio is designed to meet the water proong standard
of IPX8/JIS8 and will oat in water.
This Means: Protected against the effects of continuous immersion in
water.The MHS245 can withstand immersion in water up to 1.5m depth
for 1hr. Note this is not suitable for scuba diving.
The MHS245 will only meet this rating if fully assembled
and all rubber seals are well maintained and correctly tted.
This means that the carabiner clip is not connected and the
battery cover securely fastened.
NOTE
After your radio is submerged in water, you might notice that the sound
is distorted. This is because there is still water remaining in and around
the speaker and microphone. Just shake the radio to clear excess water,
and the sound should return to normal.
If your radio is exposed to salt water, clean your radio
thoroughly with fresh water, and dry it before turning it on.
NOTE
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Contents
Making a Distress Call ..............................................................2
Warning ..................................................................................... 3
Introduction ...............................................................................7
Features ................................................................................................. 7
Getting Started .......................................................................... 9
What’s Included? .................................................................................... 9
Controls and Indicators ......................................................... 10
MHS245 Radio ..................................................................................... 10
Charger ................................................................................................ 13
Reading the Display ............................................................................. 13
Display .................................................................................................. 16
Menus ...................................................................................................16
Normal Menu ....................................................................................... 16
Radio Setup
Menu ............................................................................... 17
Call
Menu ............................................................................................. 17
DSC Setup
Menu ..................................................................................18
GPS
Menu ............................................................................................ 18
GPS Setup
Menu ............................................................................... 19
Operation Modes .................................................................................. 20
Normal Mode ............................................................................................ 21
Normal Mode with Triple Watch or Dual Watch ........................................ 21
Scan Mode ............................................................................................... 21
Using the Radio in Scan Mode ................................................................. 21
Scan Mode with Triple or Dual Watch .......................................................22
Setting up the Hardware ....................................................... 23
Attaching the Antenna .......................................................................... 23
Installing the Battery ............................................................................. 23
Using the Alkaline Battery Tray ............................................................ 23
Mounting the Charger ...........................................................................24
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Charging the Battery ............................................................................ 25
Attaching the Belt Clip .......................................................................... 25
Using Your Radio ....................................................................26
Turning It On .........................................................................................26
Setting It Up ..........................................................................................26
Acquiring GPS Location ....................................................................... 26
Changing the Volume ...........................................................................26
Setting the Squelch level ......................................................................27
Setting Key Lock ................................................................................. 28
Adjusting the Lamp .............................................................................. 28
Adjusting the LCD Contrast ..................................................................28
Setting the Air or Water Temperature Measurement ............................28
Turning the Key Beep On and Off ........................................................ 28
Making a Transmission ......................................................................... 29
Changing the Transmission Level ........................................................ 29
Changing the Channel ..........................................................................30
Saving Channels to Memory ............................................................... 30
Using the Strobe SOS Light/Flashlight ................................................. 30
Using DSC Features ............................................................... 31
Digital Selective Calling ........................................................................ 31
Advanced DSC Features ...................................................................... 31
MMSI Numbers .................................................................................... 32
Using the Directory .............................................................................. 35
Making DSC Calls ............................................................................... 36
Making an Automatic Distress Call ....................................................... 38
Receiving a DSC Call ........................................................................... 39
Receive Log ......................................................................................... 39
TEST Calls ........................................................................................... 41
Position Request and Reply .................................................................42
Additional Features ............................................................... 44
GPS Features ......................................................................................44
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Contents
GPS Operation Overview .....................................................................46
NMEA Features ....................................................................................47
Maintenance and Troubleshooting ....................................... 49
Specications ......................................................................... 51
Channels and Frequencies (MHz) ......................................... 53
US Channel Frequencies and Names .................................................. 53
Canadian Channel Frequencies and Names ....................................... 55
International Channel Frequencies and Names ................................... 57
Regulations and Safety Warnings ....................................... 59
Warranty .................................................................................. 60
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Introduction
The MHS245 is a oating, waterproof, portable two-way VHF transceiver.
It is compact, lightweight, rugged and ts easily in your hand. This
handheld VHF marine radio will give you consistent, outstanding
performance in virtually all conditions and situations.
To ensure that you get the most from the MHS245’s features, please
read this operating guide carefully before using the unit.
Features
Your radio provides the following key features:
• Submersible design. Complies with oating IPX8/JIS8 water-resistant
standards.
• Memory Scan mode. Lets you save channels to memory and monitor
them in quick succession.
• Transmitter power level select/Boost. Lets you boost the transmitter
power from 1W to 2.5W or 5W for added transmission distance.
• Battery level display and low battery alert.
• Dual Watch: This mode lets you monitor Instant CH along with one
regular marine channel.
• Triple Watch: This mode lets you monitor 16CH, 67CH along with one
regular marine channel.
• Battery Save. The Battery Save feature automatically turns off RX
power at regular intervals to save battery power.
• SOS Strobe/Flashlight. A high intensity strobe LED can be set to blink
an SOS pattern or to be steady on.
• Emergency 16/67 Channel monitoring. Set unit to scan one or both of
these emergency channels regularly within normal scanning cycles.
• Key Lock. Locks keys to prevent accidentally changing channels or
entering data.
• Selectable Volume (0 - 15) and Squelch (0 - 15) levels.
• Temperature. The thermal sensor lets you measure both water and
air temperature. You can display temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius.
• Selectable Backlight Timer. Lets you select the length of time the
backlight will be on.
• Reversable LCD. You can change the display from light characters on
dark background to dark characters on light background.
• DSC. Lets you call other stations or groups using their unique
identication code. This radio complies with International Class D DSC
standards for Handheld GPS/VHF marine transceivers.
• GPS (Favorite Position mode). Lets you to save your current position
as well as manually enter other positions.You can save positions into
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
a directory to return to them as desired.
• NMEA input/output. Lets you connect to a chartplotter and determine
what NMEA data you want to receive.
• MOB (Man Overboard). Lets you lock onto the current position when a
Man Overboard situation occurs.
• Compass Display. Lets you determine the way you want the radio
to display your course - by showing your course and direction or by
showing location on an north-south-east-west display. Automatically
auto-plots to a received DSC distress call.
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Introduction
Getting Started
What’s Included?
G PS
G PS
FLO ATING
FLO ATING
MHS245 Radio
Wrist Strap
Charging Cradle
Antenna
Lithium Ion
Rechargeable
Battery
Alkaline Battery Tray
(batteries not included)
AC Adaptor
DC Charging
Adaptor
Mounting Hardware
Belt Clip
• If any item is missing or damaged, contact your place of purchase
immediately. Never use damaged products!
• Need help? Get answers at our website:
www.uniden.com.au for Australian model
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Not Shown:
External speaker/
microphone
Controls and Indicators
G P S
G P S
FL OATING
FL OATING
MHS245 Radio
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Antenna
LCD
INST/SQL
GPS/SOS/RIGHT
CLR/VOL
Microphone
Speaker
SCAN/MEM/
LEFT
MENU/CALL
16/67/TRI
STROBE
SOS Light
DISP/ENT/
H/M/L
PTT
BOOST
Power
Channel Up
Channel Down
Controls and Indicators
Button Press to... Press and hold to...
Power NA Turn the radio on or off.
PTT (Push to
Talk)
NA Talk/transmit on a channel.
Boost NA Transmit with a higher
power level.
16/67/TRI 1st press: Go to
channel 16.
2nd press: Go to
channel 67.
3rd press: Go back to
the starting channel.
Turn Triple Watch on and
off.
SCAN/MEM ◄ Select Scan function.
Move a cursor to left
in Menu Mode.
Save a channel into
memory or delete a
channel from memory.
MENU/CALL Access MENU. Select the DSC Call menu.
Channel Up ▲ Move up channel or
squelch/volume one
step at a time.
Move up quickly the
channels/squelch/volume
steps.
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Belt Clip
Battery
Battery Charging
Contacts
Battery
Latch
Channel Down
▼
Move down channel
or squelch/volume
one step at a time.
Move down quickly the
channels/ squelch/volume
steps.
DISP/ENT/H/M/L Select Display mode.
Select MENU items.
To change TX power.
INST/SQL Instant CH Call Enter/Exit squelch level
setting condition.
GPS/SOS ► Access GPS mode.
Move Cursor to right
in menu mode.
Activate strobe SOS light.
CLR/VOL Exit menu screen. Enter/exit volume setting.
Controls and Indicators
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Controls and Indicators
Reading the Display
Charger
The LCD display shows different information depending on what you are
doing. This sample screen shows some of this information. The following
table shows all the possible icons and what they mean.
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Charging
Contacts
Charging latches
NMEA contacts
Screw holes for
mounting
Power jack
(Cigarette (DC) or
Wall (AC) plug)
Controls and Indicators
Icon Detail
The keys are locked.
LOW MID 5W The transmitter power is set to LOW (1W), MID
(2.5W), or 5W.
BRG Bearing from boat’s position to the destination. This
icon appears when Favorite mode is active.
COG Current course (Course over Ground). COG
displays when Favorite mode or Compass mode is
active, or when a DSC distress call is received.
SOG Speed Over Ground - This icon appears when
compass mode is active.
DIST Indicates the distance from the boat’s position to
the destination. This icon appears when Favorite
mode is active.
USA, CAN, or
INT
Indicates if the radio is set for US channels,
CANadian channels, or INTernational channels.
VOL or SQ This icon appears when Audio Volume Setup or
Squelch Setup mode is active.
TRIWATCH or
DUALWATCH
TRIple Watch or DUAL Watch is turned on.
MEM The current channel is saved in memory.
˚F/ ˚C
Temperature display is active (Fahrenheit or
Centigrade).
Valid GPS data received from the GPS receiver.
No valid GPS data received from the GPS receiver.
The battery is fully charged, mostly charged,
halfcharged, mostly empty, or completely empty.
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Controls and Indicators
CX
OFF
This icon appears when Auto Channel Switch is
‘Off’.
N
E
S
W
A
Compass icon shows when a DSC distress call
has been received, a Favorite location has been
selected, or the Compass main display screen has
been selected.
Position mark. Indicates the target point.
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
How it Works?
Display
Press the DISP/ENT/H/M/L key to display the following screens:
Marine mode
Position mode
Favorite mode
Compass mode
Temperature mode
GPS Status mode
The last screen displayed will display again the next time the unit is
powered up.
Various menus let you establish guidelines and parameters for sending
and receiving calls. Menus also let you set your radio’s characteristics
such as brightness, code selection, and contrast.
The MENU/CALL button accesses menus that let you set the way your
radio operates. The GPS/SOS button lets you set up your GPS features
and save GPS locations to a favorites list to use again later.
MENU/CALL Menus
You can set up the radio’s physical displays and operation modes
(
Normal
menu) and how you want to receive and send various types
of calls (
Call
menu), The Normal menu provides access to the Radio
Setup submenu and the Call menu provides access to the DSC Setup
submenu.
Menus
Normal Menu
Press MENU/CALL to display the following
Normal
menu options:
MENU Option What it does
Dual/Tri Watch Sets the radio to turn on as either Dual Watch or
Tri Watch when 16/67/TRI is pressed.
USA/CAN/INT Selects which channels and frequencies your
radio will communicate with (USA, Canadian, or
International)
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
How it Works?
Radio Setup
Menu
Use this option from the
Normal
menu to set up physical requirements
for the radio. The menus options are:
MENU Option What it does
Lamp Adjust Set the backlight always off, timer, or always on.
Contrast/RVS You can adjust the brightness of the screen
contrast higher or lower through 10 levels.
Once you get to the bottom limit of the contrast,
selecting it again reverses the contrasts.
Temperature Set the air and water temperature reading to
display in degrees Fahrenheit or Celcius.
Key Beep Set unit to sound a beep tone with each key
press (ON/OFF).
Channel Name 12 characters that allow custom channel names
to be used.
Key Lock Locks the keypad so the selected channel is not
accidentally changed.
Radio Setup Select this option from the
Normal
menu to set up
the radio itself.
Call
Menu
Press and hold MENU/CALL to display options under the Call Menu.
The menu options are:
MENU Option What it does
Individual Sends an individual call to an individual station.
Group Sends a call to a group.
All Ships Sends
URGENCY
or
SAFETY
message to all
ships.
POS Request Requests the position of an individual vessel.
Position Send Transmits your position to an individual vessel.
Test Sends a test call.
Standby Places the radio in an unattended mode.
Receive Log Displays a list of all received calls to the radio.
The MHS245 stores log data for 10 distress calls
and 50 other calls.
DSC Setup Allows the user to set up Digital Selective Calling
(DSC) service.
DSC Setup
Menu
Press and hold MENU/CALL to enter the Call Menu. Then select the
option DSC Setup to get the options displayed below.
MENU Option What it does
Directory Displays a list of up to 20 vessel IDs. Provides a
means of entering a new vessel ID
Auto CH SW Select ON or OFF to enable/disable Automatic
Channel Switch. Auto CH SW lets you
automatically change channels if an Urgent or
Safety DSC call comes in.
POS Reply Lets you elect to respond automatically or
manually.
Test Reply Lets you elect to respond to a test request
automatically or manually.
Group MMSI Allows you to program the 9-digit Group MMSI
setting.
User MMSI Allows you to program the 9-digit User MMSI
setting.
GPS
Menu
Press GPS/SOS to congure the GPS module through the GPS menu.
MENU Option What it does
MOB (Man
Overboard)
Instantly saves your current position to the top of
the Favorites list.
How it Works?
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
GPS Setup
Menu
This menu sets up GPS module parameters. The menu options are:
MENU Option What it does
Unit Power Allows you to turn the GPS module on or off to
conserve battery life.
Power Save Turns the Battery Save feature on or off.
Time Adjust Allows you to adjust to local time.
Daylight Save Allows you to turn Daylight Savings Time on or
off.
SOG Unit Lets you set the Speed Over Ground
measurement in knots, miles per hour, or
kilometers per hour.
Compass Set Compass display setting to either Course-Up
or North Up.
NMEA Out Allows you to select any or all of the following
NMEA sentences for output: GGA, GSA, GSV,
and RMC. The DSC and DSE sentences are
always sent.
How it Works?
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
Favorite Allows you to select a GOTO location and add
new GOTO coordinates and name them.
GPS Setup Sets up how the GPS will operate.
Operation Modes
Operation Modes
Your radio has two main operation modes: Normal and Scan.
Mode What it does Use it when
you want
to...
To turn it on/off
Normal Monitors a single
marine channel
and lets you talk
on that channel.
Monitor a
channel
or talk to
another radio
(default mode)
Scan Monitors all the
channels you save
into memory.
Check a
small group
of regularlyused
channels for
trafc.
Press SCAN/MEM.
In addition to the two operation modes, your radio provides two different
watch modes which you can activate during any operation mode.
In the
watch modes, the radio briey checks for activity on a specic channel,
then returns to its previous operation.
Watch mode What it does To turn it on/off
Dual Watch Checks Instant
Channel for
activity every few
seconds.
Select dual watch from the
Normal/Dual/TriWatch
menu and
press and hold 16/67-Tri for 2
seconds.
Triple Watch Checks
emergency
channels 16 and
67 for activity
every few
seconds.
Select triple watch from the
Normal/Dual/TriWatch
menu and
press and hold 16/67-Tri for 2
seconds.
Private boats must monitor channel 16. Whenever they are
underway. Water-going vessels should have either Triple
Watch or Dual Watch on at all times.
NOTE
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Handheld VHF Marine TransceiverUNIDEN MHS245
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