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Before You Begin
VX-160/-180
Operating Manual
Controls & Connectors
LED Indicator
Glows Green Monitor on
Blinks Green Busy Channel (or SQL off)
Glows Red Transmit
Blinks Red Battery Voltage is low
Blinking Yellow Receiving a Selective Call
Antenna
Push To Talk
(
PTT) Switch
Monitor Button
Microphone
Battery Pack Latch
0103?-0?
FCC RF Exposure Compliance Requirements for Occupational Use Only:
This Radio has been tested and complies with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) RF exposure limits for
Occupational Use/Controlled exposure environment. In addition, it complies with the following Standards and Guidelines:
r FCC 96-326, Guidelines for Evaluating the Environmental Effects of Radio-Frequency Radiation.
r FCC OET Bulletin 65 Edition 97-01 (1997) Supplement C, Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human
Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields.
r ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1992, IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency
Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz.
r ANSI/IEEE C95.3-1992, IEEE Recommended Practice for the Measurement of Potentially Hazardous Electromag-
netic Fields - RF and Microwave.
m This radio is NOT approved for use by the general population in an uncontrolled environment. This radio is
restricted to occupational use, work related operations only where the radio operator must have the knowledge to control its RF exposure conditions.
m When transmitting, hold the radio in a vertical position with its microphone 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) away
from your mouth and keep the antenna at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) away from your head and body.
m The radio must be used with a maximum operating duty cycle not exceeding 50%, in typical Push-to-Talk
configurations.
DO NOT transmit for more than 50% of total radio use time (50% duty cycle). Transmitting more than 50% of
the time can cause FCC RF exposure compliance requirements to be exceeded.
The radio is transmitting when the red LED on the top of the radio is illuminated. You can cause the radio to
transmit by pressing the P-T-T button.
m DO NOT transmit when the radio is used in Body Worn configuration with the following accessory: belt-clip
(Parts # CP7064001). It must be used ONLY for (1) there is a 4 cm distance from the body during transmitting,
(2) monitoring purposes, using the speaker only and (3) for carrying purposes.
m Always use Vertex Standard authorized accessories.
CH (Channel) Selector
VOL/PWR Knob
MIC/SP Jack
(
External Mic/Earphone
Speaker
LCD (VX-180)
Soft KEY (VX-180)
E C 0 1 3 N 7 5 0
I
MPORTANT NOTICE
)
Battery Pack Installation and Removal
r To install the battery, hold the transceiver with your
left hand, so your palm is over the speaker and your
thumb is on the top of the belt clip. Insert the battery
pack into the battery compartment 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.”
r To remove the battery, turn the radio off and remove
any protective cases. Open the Battery Pack latch on
the bottom of the radio, then slide the battery downward and out from the radio while holding the Belt
Clip.
Caution!
Do not attempt to open any of the rechargeable NiCd packs, as they could explode if accidentally
short-circuited.
VERTEX STANDARD CO., LTD.
4-8-8 Nakameguro, Meguro-Ku, Tokyo 153-8644, Japan
VERTEX STANDARD
US Headquarters
17210 Edwards Rd., Cerritos, CA 90703, U.S.A.
!
Low Battery Indication
r As the battery discharges during use, the voltage gradu-
ally becomes lower. When the battery voltage reaches
6.3 volts, substitute a freshly charged battery and recharge the depleted pack. The TX/BUSY indicator
on the top of the radio will blink red when the battery
voltage is low.
r Avoid recharging Ni-Cd batteries often with little use
between charges, as this can degrade the charge capacity. We recommend that you carry an extra, fullycharged pack with you so the operational battery may
be used until depletion (this “deep cycling” technique
promotes better long-term battery capacity).
Operation
Preliminary Steps
r Install a charged battery pack onto the transceiver, as
described previously.
r Screw the supplied antenna onto the Antenna jack.
Never attempt to operate this transceiver without an
antenna connected.
r If you have a Speaker/Microphone, we recommend
that it not be connected until you are familiar with
the basic operation of the VX-160/-180.
Operation Quick Start
r To turn the top panel’s
VOL/PWR knob clockwise to turn on the radio
on.
r Turn the top panel’s CH
selector knob to choose
the desired operating
channel.
r Rotate the VOL/PWR
knob to set the volume
level. If no signal is
present, press and hold
the MONITOR key (the
lower button on the left
side) more than 2 seconds; background noise will now be heard, and you
may use this to set the VOL/PWR knob for the desired audio level.
r Press and hold the MONI-
TOR key more than 2
seconds (or press the
MONITOR key twice) to
quiet the noise and resume normal (quiet)
monitoring.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules.
Operation is subject to the condition that this device does not cause harmful interference.
r To transmit, press and
hold the PTT switch.
Speak into the microphone area of the front
panel grille (lower lefthand corner) in a normal
voice level. To return to
the Receive mode, release the PTT switch.
r If a Speaker/Microphone is available, remove the plas-
tic cap and its two mounting screws from the right
side of the transceiver, then insert the plug from the
Speaker/Microphone into the MIC/SP jack; secure
the plug using the screws supplied with the Speaker/
Microphone. Hold the speaker grille up next to your
ear while receiving. To transmit, press the PTT switch
on the Speaker/Microphone, just as you would on the
main transceiver’s body.
Note:Save the original plastic cap and its mounting
screws. They should be re-installed when not using
the Speaker/Microphone.
Key Functions (VX-180 only)
The VX-180 have the
[A], [B]
and MONITOR key. These Soft keys functions can be
customized, via programming by your VERTEX STAN-
DARD dealer, to meet your communications/network requirements. Some features may require the purchase and
installation of optional internal accessories. The possible
Soft key programming features are illustrated below, and
their functions are explained next chapter. For further details, contact your VERTEX STANDARD dealer.
For future reference, check the box next to each function
that has been assigned to the Soft key on your particular
radio, and keep it handy.
Function
Monitor
Scan
Dual Watch
Talk Around
TX Save Off
Follow-me Dual Watch
Channel Up
Channel Down
Call/Reset
Lamp
Speed Dial
Low Power
Lock
Add/Del
None
[A] [B] [C]
, and
Soft Key
[C]
function keys
MONITOR
Description of Operating Functions
Monitor
Press the assigned Soft key momentarily to disable the
Tone squelch.
Press and hold the assigned Soft key more than 2 seconds to disable the Noise and Tone squelch. Repeatedly
press and hold the assigned Soft key more than 2 seconds (or press the assigned Soft key twice) to resume the
Noise and Tone squelch.
Scan
The Scanning feature is used to monitor multiple channels programmed into the transceiver. While scanning,
the transceiver will check each channel for the presence
of a signal, and will stop on a channel if a signal is present.
r To activate scanning:
Press the assigned Soft key.
The scanner will search the channels, looking for active ones; it will pause each time it finds a channel on
which someone is speaking.
r To stop scanning:
Press the assigned Soft key.
Operation will revert to the channel to which the CH
knob is set.
Dual Watch
The Dual Watch feature is similar to the Scan feature,
except that only two channels are monitored: The current
operating channel; and the “Priority” channel.
r To activate Dual Watch:
Press the assigned Soft key.
The scanner will search the two channels; it will pause
each time it finds a channel on which someone is
speaking.
r To stop Dual Watch:
Press the assigned Soft key.
Operation will revert to the channel to which the CH
knob is set.
Talk Around
Press the assigned Soft to activate the Talk Around feature when you are operating on duplex channel systems
(separate receive and transmit frequencies, utilizing a “repeater” station). The Talk Around feature allows you to
bypass the repeater station and talk directly to a station
that is nearby. This feature has no effect when you are
operating on “Simplex” channels, where the receive and
transmit frequencies are already the same.
Note that your dealer may have made provision for “Talk
Around” channels by programming “repeater” and “Talk
Around” frequencies on two adjacent channels. If so, the
key may be used for one of the other Pre-Programmed
Functions.
TX Save Off
Press the assigned Soft key to disable the Transmit Battery Saver, if you are operating in a location where high
power is almost always needed.
The Transmit Battery Saver helps extend battery life by
reducing transmit power when a very strong signal from
an apparently nearby station is being received. Under
some circumstances, though, your hand-held radio may
not be heard well at the other end of the communication
path, and high power may be necessary at all times.
Follow-Me Dual Watch
To set up a “Dual Watch” frequency pair using the “Follow-Me” feature, select a channel using the CH selector
knob. Now press the assigned Soft key; pressing the assigned Soft key locks the current channel as the Userassigned Priority Channel. Now rotate the CH selector
knob to another channel (not the “Scanning Start” channel). Your radio will now switch back-and-forth between
the currently-selected channel (shown on the CH selector knob) and the User-assigned Priority Channel.
During “Follow-Me” scanning (after you have pressed
the key), you can set up the “Dual Watch” feature by rotating the CH selector knob to another channel. The radio will then scan back and forth between the original
User-assigned Priority Channel and the newly-selected
channel.
The Priority Channel you have assigned (before pressing
the key) will be retained in memory until you change it.
Channel Up
Press the assigned Soft key to increase operating channel.
Channel Down
Press the assigned Soft key to decrease operating channel.
Call/Reset
When the 2-tone selective calling unit is installed, press
the assigned Soft key to silence the receiver and reset for
another call, when a communication is finished.
Lamp
Press the assigned Soft key to illuminate the LCD for
five second.
Speed Dial
Your Dealer may have pre-programmed Auto-Dial telephone number memories into your radio.
To dial a number, just press the Dealer-assigned Soft key
for Speed Dialing. The DTMF tones sent during the dialing sequence will be heard in the speaker.
Low Power
Press the assigned Soft key to set the radio's transmitter
to the "Low Power" mode, thus extending battery life.
Press the assigned Soft key again to return to “High
Power” operation when in difficult terrain.
Lock
Press the assigned Soft key to lock the Soft key, CH knob,
and PTT switch (except Lock key); this can be enabled
to prevent radio settings from being disturbed.
Add/Del
Add/Del feature can be arranged Scan list by the User.
Press the assigned Soft key to delete/restore the current
channel to/from your scanning list.
When you delete a current channel, “-SKIP-” will appear
on the LCD for one second after pressing the Soft key.
When you restore a current channel, “-STOP-” will appear on the LCD for one second after pressing the Soft
key.
Accessories & Options
FNB-64 7.2 V 700 mAh Ni-Cd Battery
FNB-V57 7.2 V 1100 mAh Ni-Cd Battery
FBA-25 Alkaline Battery Case
NC-77B 120 VAC Overnight Desktop Charger
NC-77C 230-240 VAC Overnight Desktop Charger
NC-77U 230 VAC Overnight Desktop Charger
VAC-800 Rapid Charger
B4B
MH-45
MH-37
VC-25 VOX Headset
CT-42 PC Programming Cable
CT-27 Radio to Radio Programming Cable
CE44 Programming Software
Speaker/Microphone
A4B
Earpiece Microphone
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