Motorola Alpha CB PRO - Radio User Manual

Motorola Alpha CB PRO - Radio User Manual

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Motorola Alpha CB PRO - Radio User Manual

Introduction

The Motorola CB PRO operates on the Citizen Band Radio Service (CBRS) UHF frequencies. It requires no service fees or licenses, and can be used by anybody in Australia or New Zealand.

The CB PRO supports 40 channels. Channels 5 and 35 are designated for emergency communications ONLY, and non-urgent communications must be confined to the other channels. Channels 22 and 23 are receive only channels; thus, no voice transmissions are allowed on these channels.

Channels 1 to 8 designated as repeater output channels; Channels 31 to 38 are the corresponding designated repeater input channels. Channel 1 to 8 can be activated at a press of a button to operate in Talkaround mode (point to point, single frequency communications) when not used in the locality of repeaters.

Getting Started

Before you start using your radio, please make sure to do the following.

  1. After unpacking your radio from the box, attach the battery and antenna to the radio as shown.
  2. Charge your radio (see "Charging your Radio" for details).
  3. Set the squelch level to a suitable level based on your environment (see "Squelch Level" at "Function Buttons (A, B, C, D)" or "Accessing Programming Mode Parameters" for more details).

NOTE: If a particular channel receives many unwanted calls coming from radios that do not belong to your communications group and are some distance away, or the "background noise" is excessive, you can try to filter out these transmissions by tightening the channel's squelch. However, tightening the squelch could cause calls from members of your communications group that are farther away to be filtered out as well.

Using PL and DPL Codes

PL and DPL codes allow you to create several communication groups within a single channel. All radios on that channel with the same set of PL/DPL Receive and Transmit codes are able to communicate with each other. In most cases, other radios on that channel not set with any code, or are set with different codes will not participate in the communications.

NOTE: PL/DPL codes do not offer complete privacy, as any radio user can listen into the communications on that channel by pressing the Monitor button.

You have a choice of selecting 001, 002, ..., 042, PL1, PL2, PL3 for PL codes, and 043, 044, ..., 126 for DPL codes. Please refer to the "Accessing Programming Mode Parameters" section for details in setting the PL/DPL Receive and Transmit codes for your desired channels.

PL Frequencies and Codes

PL Frequencies and Codes - Part 1
PL Frequencies and Codes - Part 2

DPL Codes

DPL Codes - Part 1
DPL Codes - Part 2

Attaching and Removing the Antenna

Attaching and Removing the Antenna

To Attach Antenna

  1. Fasten the antenna to the radio by placing the threaded end of the antenna into the Antenna Connector.
  2. Rotate the antenna clockwise until tight.

To Remove Antenna

  1. Turn the antenna in a counter-clockwise direction until it disengages from the radio.

Attaching and Removing the Battery

Attaching and Removing the Battery

To Attach Battery

  1. Fit the battery slots with the grooves on the radio.
  2. Slide the battery upwards until a click is heard.

To Remove Battery

  1. Slide the battery clasp away from the radio.
  2. Slide the battery downwards.
  3. Pull the battery away from the radio.

Attaching and Removing the Belt Clip

Attaching and Removing the Belt Clip

To Remove Belt Clip

  1. Insert the end of a key between the release tab and the back surface of the radio.
  2. Lift the release tab.
  3. Slide the belt clip upwards.

To Attach Belt Clip

  1. Align mounting rails of the radio with the grooves of the belt clip.
  2. Slide the belt clip downwards until it clicks into place.

Charging your Device

Charging your Device

  1. Turn off your radio and the A/C power supply to your charger (if they are turned on).
  2. Place your radio in the charger pocket.
  3. Turn on the charger's A/C power supply.
  4. Charge your radio until the charger's LED shows a steady green light (around 2 hours later).
  5. Turn off the charger's A/C power supply, and remove the radio from the charger pocket.
  6. Turn on your radio; you should see all 3 bars of the Battery Level Indicator illuminated.

Scan

Scan allows you to monitor multiple channels and receive calls that are transmitted on them.
Scan operation

During scan, when activity is detected that meets the unsquelch condition, the radio stops scanning and switches to that channel; the indicator is illuminated, and the channel number is displayed. When no activity is detected for a pre-set time, the radio resumes scanning.

The radio transmits on the Home Channel (the channel, the radio was monitoring, before the user activated scanning), if PTT is pressed during scanning. If the radio has stopped scanning, and changed to a particular channel, all transmit and receive activities is performed on that channel.

  • Press the Scan button to begin channel scanning. The indicator blinks to indicate that the radio is scanning. The LCD Screen shows the Home Channel where the scan began.
  • Press the + button to scan the channels in the ascending order, and the - button to scan in the descending order.
  • Press Scan button to stop scanning.

Deleting a Nuisance Scan Channel

A channel with unwanted activity is called a Nuisance Channel. You can remove a Nuisance Channel from the scan list temporarily. To remove a Nuisance Channel

  • Press the Nuisance Channel Delete button, when your radio stops on a Nuisance Channel. A highpitched tone is heard.

You cannot remove the Home Channel from the scan list. If attempted, a low-pitched tone is heard, and no action is taken.
To reinstate the deleted channel(s) into the scan list, restart scan, or simply turn off your radio and turn it on again.

Battery Gauge Indicator Details

Indicator Battery Level
Good
Sufficient
Low
Very Low

(flashing)
Need to Recharge your battery

Frequencies Available for Your Unit

Ch. Freq. (Hz) Ch. Freq. (Hz) Ch. Freq. (Hz) Ch. Freq. (Hz) Ch. Freq. (Hz)
1 476.425* 9 476.625 17 476.825 25 477.025 33 477.225
2 476.450* 10 476.650 18 476.850 26 477.050 34 477.250
3 476.475* 11 476.675 19 476.875 27 477.075 35 477.275
4 476.500* 12 476.700 20 476.900 28 477.100 36 477.300
5 476.525*,† 13 476.725 21 476.925 29 477.125 37 477.325
6 476.550* 14 476.750 22 476.950 30 477.150 38 477.350
7 476.575* 15 476.775 23 476.975 31 477.175 39 477.375
8 476.600* 16 476.800 24 477.000 32 477.200 40 477.400

*. Repeater Channels.
†. Frequencies dedicated for emergency use only.
‡. Receive only frequencies.

Parts and Controls

Parts and Controls

LED Indicators

LED Colour State Indication
Red Illuminated Radio is transmitting.
Blinking Battery voltage is low.
Green Illuminated Radio is receiving.

On/Off and Volume Knob

  • If the radio is off, turn this knob clockwise to turn the radio on.
  • If the radio is on, turn this knob counter-clockwise to turn the radio off.
  • Turn this knob clockwise to increase the volume.
  • Turn this knob counter-clockwise to decrease the volume.

Monitor Button

  • Used to monitor the channel for any activity; squelch is disabled.

Push-to-Talk (PTT) button

  • Press and speak to microphone to send message.
  • Release and listen to receive messages.

Microphone

  • Speak into the microphone when sending message.

+/- Button

  • Used to select a channel in Normal Mode.
  • Used to select a parameter in Programming Mode.
  • Used to change the scanning direction.

LCD Screen

  • Displays selected channel, programming parameters, status messages and any error or information messages.
LCD Indicator Description Function
Keypad lock indicator Illuminates when your keypad is locked.
Battery level indicator Shows remaining charge in battery based on how many bars are displayed (see "Battery Gauge Indicator Details").
Power level indicator "L" illuminates to indicate radio transmits in low power; "H" illuminates to indicate radio transmits in high power; "E" illuminates to indicate radio is on economy low power.
Monitor indicator Illuminates when monitoring a selected channel.
Programming Mode indicator Illuminates when in Programming Mode.
Scan indicator Blinks when scan is activated. Illuminates when there is some activity on a channel.
Signal Strength Indicator Shows the signal strength. Six bars indicate the strongest signal.
Talkaround Indicator Shown when the user presses the Talkaround programmable button to enable Talkaround mode (user chooses NOT to use the repeater, but to enable pointto-point communications). Not shown when user presses the Talkaround programmable button again to disable Talkaround mode.

Function Buttons (A, B, C, D)

  • The following functions are assigned as short press (press and release) or long press (press and hold for 1 second).
Button Function
Backlight Turns on the backlight display or toggles backlight display between On and Off, depending on programmed settings (see "Programming Mode").
Keypad Lock * Locks or unlocks all buttons except PTT, Monitor and On/Off/Volume Knob.
Nuisance Channel Delete Removes unwanted channel(s) temporarily from scan list during scan.
Power Select * Selects required power level: High, Low, or Economy Low.
Scan * Starts or stops channel scan.
Squelch Level * Selects desired squelch level. Use the +/- button to choose desired level (Level 0 will unsquelch radio unconditionally, whereas Level 15 will set tightest squelch).
No Operation No function is programmed to this button.
Talkaround Enables or disables radio to transmit in Talkaround mode.

*. Parameter values are preserved, even after the radio is turned off.

  • The default functions assigned to your radio are described in the table below.
Press Type Button A Button B Button C Button D
Short Press Scan Squelch Level Talkaround Backlight
Long Press Nuisance Channel Delete Power Select Keypad Lock No Operation

Programming Mode

This mode allows you to change feature parameters to enhance the use of your radio.

Entering Programming Mode

If your radio is turned on, turn it off. Press and hold the Monitor button, and turn on your radio. A ringing tone is heard, indicating that your radio is in Programming Mode. The K indicator illuminates and RW is displayed.

Accessing Programming Mode Parameters

Programming Mode parameters are grouped into two main categories: RW (Radio Wide) and Channel (CH 001 - CH 040). Use + or - to select RW or the desired channel:
RW <--> CH 001 <--> CH 002 <-->.... <--> CH 040

Once you have made the appropriate selection, press PTT or the Monitor button to scroll through the features available. Press the +/- button to scroll through the parameters for each feature.

Features available Radio Wide (default settings shown in bold where applicable):

Feature Range Remarks
Squelch Level (SQL-XX) SQL-00, ..., SQL-06, ..., SQL-15 Select low level when you need to receive very weak signal, and select high level when the communications distance is near.
Scan List 1
(SCANLST1)
1-01-XXX, ..., 1-16-XXX, XXX denotes channel number.

You can include up to 16 channels in the scan list. When scanning is activated, only these 16 channels are scanned. Press + or - to move from one scan list member to another. To include a channel into the scan list, first, use Button A to scroll in the ascending order, or Button C to scroll in the descending order to the required channel; then, press PTT to include this channel in the scan list.

To erase a channel from the scan list, press Button D.

Time Out Timer
(TOT-XXX)
TOT-OFF, TOT-001, ..., TOT-010 This determines the maximum duration (in minutes) that you can transmit continuously.
Battery Saver
(BS-XXXX)
BS-OFF,
BS-NORM,
BS-ENH
Battery Saver helps to extend your battery life. When enabled, it turns off radio receiver circuitry periodically when no activity is detected. BS-NORM (Normal) turns off the radio less frequently. BS-ENH (Enhanced) turns off the receiver for a longer duration; select this if you want to maximize battery saving.
Battery Type (BT-XXXX) BT-NIMH,
BT-NICD,
BT-ALK
Selects the type of battery that your radio uses. For CB PRO models, only NIMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) battery is available. NICD (Nickel Cadmium) or ALK (Alkaline) batteries are not applicable.
Alert Tone Volume
(BEEP-X)
BEEP-OFF, BEEP-1,
BEEP-2,
BEEP-3
Selects the alert tone volume needed. Select BEEP-OFF, if you require quiet operation, or BEEP-3, if working in a noisy environment.
Prime Channel Select
(PRM-XXX)
PRM-OFF, PRM-001, ...., PRM-040 The Prime Channel is the channel that you wish to spend most of your time monitoring. The radio will always switch back to the Prime Channel if it is idle for more than the preprogrammed hang-time in other channel, and each time the radio is turned on.
Backlight Select
(LGT-XXXX)
LGT-AUTO, LGT-TOGL Selecting LGT-TOGL makes the Backlight button a toggle to control the ON/OFF status of the LCD backlight. Selecting LGT-AUTO turns off the backlight automatically, if there is no keypress for more than 5 seconds. Pressing the Backlight button prolongs illumination time.

Features available per Channel (default settings shown in bold):

Feature Range Remarks
Channel Receive
PL/DPL
(RPL-XXXX)
000, 001, ..., 126, PL1, PL2, PL3 This is the PL or DPL code that the channel will use to unsquelch the receive message. 000 indicates that no PL/ DPL is used for receive, i.e., radio operates in carrier squelch mode. Press + or - to select the desired PL/DPL.
Channel Transmit PL/DPL
(TPL-XXXX)
000, 001, ..., 126, PL1, PL2, PL3 This is the PL or DPL code that the channel will use to transmit the message. 000 indicates that no PL/DPL is used for transmit. Press + or - to select the desired PL/DPL.

Exiting Programming Mode

Turn off the radio to exit Programming Mode.

© 2002, 2003, 2004 by Motorola, Inc.
Motorola Technology Sdn. Bhd. (Co. No. 455657-H)
Plot 2, Bayan Lepas Technoplex Industrial Park,
Mukim 12, S.W.D.,11900 Penang, Malaysia

Printed in Malaysia. 12/04. All Rights Reserved.

Documents / Resources

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