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West Marine VHF650 Owner's Manual

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  • Page 2: Making A Voice Distress Call

    Making a Distress Call Lift the red cover. Press and hold the button for three seconds. The DISTRESS VHF650 transmits your boat’s location every few minutes until you receive a response. NOTE: If the radio displays Enter User MMSI, cancel the automatic distress call and make a normal voice distress call.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Table of Contents Making a Distress Call ....Choosing Triple Watch or Dual Making a voice distress call ..i Watch ........21 Using FIPS codes for weather Table of Contents ......alerts ........21 Introduction........4 Changing display and sound Features ........4 options........23 Manual overview ......4...
  • Page 4 Table of Contents (Cont'd) Installing the Hardware ....40 Channel by type of message ..56 Channel and frequencies .... 57 Mounting the radio ....40 Alert codes and event levels ..63 Connecting the radio ....42 NMEA Operation ......66 Connecting accessories ...44 NMEA Input .......

  • Page 5: Introduction

    Introduction Introduction Features • Submersible Design Complies with JIS7 water-resistant standards, which means the radio can be submerged in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes without damage. • Large, dot matrix display • Advanced DSC Class D functions • Built-in PA feature •...

  • Page 6: List Of Tables Table 1 - Terms Used In This Manual

    Introduction Table 1 - Terms used in the manual Digital Selective Calling. A VHF radio standard for communicating among boats and sending automated distress calls. FIPS Federal Information Processing Standard. A set of location codes roughly equivalent to your county codes.

  • Page 7: Getting Started

    Getting Started Getting Started What's included VHF650 Radio DC Power Cable Accessory Cable Mounting Bracket and knobs Mounting Hardware Microphone Hanger Spare Fuse 250V 6A...

  • Page 8: Parts Of The Radio

    Getting Started Parts of the radio Antenna Accessory Heat sink connector connector (SO238) ANTENNA 13.8V DC Power connector Table 2 - Rear panel connector functions Connector Connects to For details, see Antenna connector Connecting the radio, a male PL259 (SO238) page 42.

  • Page 9: Table 3 - Front Panel

    Getting Started VOLUME (power) knob SELECT (turn clockwise 1W/25W to increase button display volume) & CHANNEL UP buttons DOWN Microphone cord 1 Watt Memory Scanning Channels 01A,03A,05A,06,07A,08 ALERT MENU knob SQUELCH (weather) (public (turn clockwise button 16/9- address) to decrease (triple/ SCAN button...

  • Page 10: Table 4 - Microphone Button

    Getting Started Button Press to... Press and hold to... WX-ALERT Listen to the current weather Monitor the weather conditions in your area. channels for alerts in any area. MENU-PA Display the radio menu. Use the public address (PA) function. SCAN-MEM Start scanning the channels saved Save a channel into in memory.

  • Page 11: Turning On The Radio

    Canadian (Canada mode), or international (Intl mode). Press the button. The radio activates the new channel SELECT-1W/25W How It Works The VHF650 has three basic modes of operation: Operation mode What it does: Use it when: To turn it on/off:...

  • Page 12: Normal Mode Operation

    Getting Started In addition to the three main operation modes, the VHF650 also provides three different “watch” modes which you can activate during any of the three Watch mode What it does: Use it when: To turn it on/off: Weather Alert...

  • Page 13: Using The Radio In Normal Mode

    Getting Started Table 5 - Normal mode status messages Message Meaning GPS Data OK The radio is receiving valid GPS data. Check GPS The radio is not receiving valid GPS data: check the GPS status screen and the GPS connection. Input Position The radio has been unable to receive valid GPS data for at least four hours;...

  • Page 14: Normal Mode With Triple And Dual Watch

    Getting Started Press and hold the button for two seconds to turn Weather Alert WX-ALERT Watch on or off. Normal mode with Triple and Dual Watch If you activate Triple Watch while operating in normal mode, the radio checks channels 16 and 9 every two seconds; with Dual Watch turned on, the radio only checks channel 16.

  • Page 15: Scan Mode

    Getting Started Scan mode You can save channels into memory and then use scan mode to monitor those channels. When the radio detects a signal on a channel, it pauses on that channel as long as the signal is received; when the transmission stops, the radio will continue scanning.

  • Page 16: Scan Mode With Weather Alert Watch

    Getting Started • To remove a channel from memory, set the radio to that channel, then press and hold the button for two seconds. Memory will no SCAN-MEM longer show on the display. • To activate scan mode, press the button.

  • Page 17: Scan Mode With Both Weather Alert And Triple/Dual Watch

    Getting Started Scan mode with both Weather Alert and Triple/Dual Watch You can activate Weather Alert Watch and Triple/Dual Watch at the same time. The radio performs both checks at their scheduled time: Memory Channel Scan Ev e ry 2 second s , Ev e ry 7 second s , th e rad i o ch e cks th e rad i o ch e cks...

  • Page 18: Weather Mode With Weather Alert Watch

    Getting Started • To turn off the radio’s alert tone, press any button. • To cancel weather mode and return to the previous marine channel, press the button again. WX-ALERT Weather mode with Weather Alert Watch Because weather mode already monitors the weather channels, you don’t need Weather Alert Watch to check the weather channel every seven seconds.

  • Page 19: Using Your Radio

    Using Your Radio Using Your Radio MENU-PA To display the radio menu, press the button. The menu has the following options: MENU Individual DSC Call SELECT Group All Ships POS Request Position Send Directory Standby Receive Log Exit Setup USA/CAN/INT SELECT Dual/TriWatch GPS Setup...

  • Page 20: Making A Voice Mayday Call

    Using Your Radio • • Press the button on the radio or the + button on the micro- CHANNEL UP phone to move up a line in the menu; if you are at the top line in the menu, the cursor jumps to the bottom of the menu. •...

  • Page 21: Changing The Channel

    Using Your Radio While listening to a channel, adjust the knob until the noise is SQUELCH with a lot of noise or with a weak transmission, you may need to adjust the squelch level again. NOTE: Setting the squelch level too high may prevent you from hearing setting the squelch level lower.

  • Page 22: Choosing Triple Watch Or Dual Watch

    Using Your Radio NOTE: By default, when you change to channel 16, the radio automatically boosts the power to 25 Watts. Be sure to change the power back to 1 Watt if you are not making an emergency transmission. transmission to 1 Watt so that there is less interference between boaters attempting to use the channel at the same time.
  • Page 23 Using Your Radio • For more information about how the NWS uses FIPS codes, see the NWS website: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): www.itl.nist. • For information on the Canadian implementation of FIPS codes, called Canadian Location Codes, see the website of the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC): http://www.msc.ec.gc.

  • Page 24: Changing Display And Sound Options

    Changing display and sound options Contrast The VHF650 display has 10 levels of contrast. To adjust the contrast, press while the radio is idle. Select System and then Contrast. Use MENU-PA buttons to change the contrast to your...
  • Page 25 Using Your Radio Display the menu and choose the Setup sub-menu. Select GPS Setup and then choose Position Set. The cursor highlights the hour. Use the CHANNEL UP CHANNEL buttons to set the displayed hours to match coordinated DOWN universal time (UTC, also call Greenwich Mean Time and Zulu Time). When the display matches UTC time, press the button.

  • Page 26: Using Digital Selective Calling (Dsc) Features

    The DSC standard dedicates a VHF channel—channel 70—to digital transmissions only. Since digital transmissions require less bandwidth voice transmissions, channel 70 avoids the problems of busy voice channels. Advanced DSC features The VHF650 supports the following DSC features: Feature Menu Item Function...

  • Page 27: Getting An Mmsi Number

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Getting an MMSI number In order to use DSC features, you must be assigned an MMSI number and program that number into your radio. There are two kinds of MMSI numbers: individual numbers for use by single boats and group numbers for use by You can get more information on MMSI numbers at these resources: •...

  • Page 28: Group Mmsi Number

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Use the CHANNEL UP CHANNEL DOWN the nine digits; the button increases the number and the CHANNEL UP button decreases the number. CHANNEL DOWN button. The SELECT-1W/25W MMSI number in the same way. When the ninth digit is correct, press the button.

  • Page 29: Using The Directory

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features When the ninth digit is correct, press the button. The SELECT-1W/25W To save this MMSI number, select Yes. To cancel this MMSI number, select No. The radio returns to the Setup menu. Using the directory The directory lets you store up to 20 MMSI numbers of other stations so you can call them quickly.

  • Page 30: Table 6 Order

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Table 6 - Character and text entry order button button CHANNEL UP CHANNEL DOWN Capital letters (A through Z) One blank space Lower-case letters (a through z) Numbers (0 through 9) Punctuation (/ ‘ + -) Punctuation (/ ‘...

  • Page 31: Making Dsc Calls

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Making DSC Calls There are essentially four different types of DSC voice calls: Call type What it does When to use it Distress Alerts all stations that you need In an emergency only. assistance and sends them your current position.

  • Page 32: Calling A Single Station (Individual Call)

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Suppose you are coordinating safety for a sailboat race. Before the race starts, you instruct all the racers to enter your group MMSI number into their radios. During the race: • Throughout the race, you use group calling to update the racers on the time, race status, and any course corrections.

  • Page 33: Calling A Particular Group Of Stations (Group Call)

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features • When the other station accepts the call, both radios switch to the se- lected response channel for voice transmission. • If the other station cannot respond on the channel you selected, the radio displays Not support CH. Calling a particular group of stations (Group Call) Group calling calls all the stations that share your group MMSI.

  • Page 34: Making An Automatic Distress Call

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Making an automatic distress call If you have programmed your MMSI number, the VHF650 can transmit an automated distress call with your current location and nature of the distress. The radio then monitors the channel 16 for a response and repeats the distress call every few minutes until it receives an acknowledgement.

  • Page 35: Receiving A Dsc Call

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Receiving a DSC call If your radio receives an individual DSC call from another station, it sounds an incoming call tone and displays the name or MMSI number of the station calling you. To respond to the call, select Send: Able-Comply; the radio sends an acknowledgement and automatically switches to the designated response channel.

  • Page 36: Returning A Call

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Table 7 - Receive Log DSC Call Type Receive Log Information Distress MMSI (or name), position, time, nature code. Distress Acknowledge MMSI (or name), distress MMSI, position, time, nature code. Distress Relay MMSI (or name), distress MMSI, position, time, nature code.

  • Page 37: Receiving A Position Request (Position Reply)

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Press the button to display the menu. MENU-PA Choose the DSC Call sub-menu, then select POS Request. The radio displays the names listed in your directory; use CHANNEL UP buttons to highlight the directory entry you want to CHANNEL DOWN contact and press the button.

  • Page 38: Sending Your Own Position (Position Send)

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features Press the button to display the menu. MENU-PA Select Setup and then POS Reply. Highlight Auto and press the button. The radio will SELECT-1W/25W automatically transmit your position when it receives a position request. To disable automatic position reply, repeat the steps above and select Manual.

  • Page 39: Disabling Automatic Channel Switching

    Using Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Features 1 Watt MENU DSC Call Memory SELECT Standby DSC Standby SELECT Unattended Display the menu and choose the DSC Call sub-menu. Select Standby to place your radio in standby mode. The radio displays the standby screen, above. To cancel standby and return to the mode your radio was in, press any button.

  • Page 40: Renaming Channels

    Renaming Channels Renaming Channels If you discover that a marine radio channel has a different common name in your local area, you can change the name of that channel to make it easier for you to use (see the channel list on page 53 for the default channel names).

  • Page 41: Installing The Hardware

    Installing the Hardware Mounting the radio The VHF650 can sit at any angle in the mounting bracket so it can easily accommodate the best location. First, determine the best place to mount the 0.9 kilograms. You may need to use some type of anchor with the mounting screws to hold the radio, depending on the surface.
  • Page 42 Installing the Hardware Position the radio into the desired location. Mark the edges of the bracket on the mounting surface. Remove the mounting bracket drill template from the back of the manual, and use the template to mark the drill holes on the mounting surface.

  • Page 43: Connecting The Radio

    Installing the Hardware Connecting the radio To operate correctly, your VHF650 requires two electrical connections: • providing it with power from the boat’s electrical system • connecting a VHF-FM marine antenna to the antenna connector Power supply requirements VHF antenna requirements Nominal 13.8 VDC power supply with...
  • Page 44 3 feet from any occupied location; antennas over 3 dB should be installed at least 6 feet away.) Connect the PL-259 connector from the antenna lead-in wire to the SO238 connector labeled ANTENNA on the back of the VHF650. Radio connector, Antenna lead-in...

  • Page 45: Connecting Accessories

    DSC call. The VHF650 supports a standard NMEA0183 input from a GPS receiver. Follow the steps below to connect the VHF650 to your GPS receiver: Accessory connector...

  • Page 46: Table 8 - Common Gps Receiver And Connections

    Table 8 - Common GPS receivers and connections GPS NMEA0183 OUTPUT Wire Color Ground Wire Color (Connect to GREEN WIRE (connect to BARE GPS Manufacturer Model Number(s) on VHF650) WIRE on VHF650) Furuno GP1650, GP1850 White Black Furuno GP30, GP36 White Blue Garmin...

  • Page 47: Configuring The Gps

    Installing the Hardware When the GPS receiver is correctly connected, the display shows GPS Data OK. If there is a problem with the GPS connection, the display shows Check GPS. When the display shows GPS Data OK, press the SELECT-1W/25W button to open the GPS status screen and see detailed GPS data: Time 06/20 11:00:00...

  • Page 48: Connecting To A Charplotter

    GPS Setup menu. Connecting to a charplotter The VHF650 provides a standard NMEA0183 GPS output that you can connect to a chartplotter. When it receives another boat’s position data in a DSC call, the radio sends the position data to the chartplotter so you can see...

  • Page 49: Speaker

    VHF650. electrical connections. Connecting to an external PA speaker If you connect the radio to a PA speaker, you can use the PA feature to make announcements to other boats and people nearby.

  • Page 50: Using The Pa Feature

    (you don’t have to shout). Use the knob VOLUME-PWR on your VHF650 to adjust the volume of the PA speaker. Release the PUSH TO TALK To turn off the PA feature and return to the radio mode you were using, press and hold the button for two seconds again.

  • Page 51: Maintenance And Troubleshooting

    Maintenance and Troubleshooting Maintenance and Troubleshooting Due to its rugged design, the VHF650 requires very little maintenance. However, it is a precision electronic instrument, so you should follow a few precautions: • the case of an emergency. A defective antenna may cause damage to your radio.

  • Page 52: Common Questions

    Maintenance and Troubleshooting Common questions Problem Things to Try The radio won’t power on. Check the power connections. Check the fuse. Check the master battery switch and branch circuit that connect to the radio. The radio won’t transmit. Make sure you are not in weather or scan mode.
  • Page 53 Maintenance and Troubleshooting Problem Things to Try I’m not getting any GPS data on my Make sure your GPS receiver is display. correctly connected (see Connecting to a GPS receiver). Make sure your GPS receiver is working properly. Make sure that your GPS receiver sup- ports the NMEA parameters described in NMEA Operation on page 60.

  • Page 54: Engine Noise Suppression

    Engine Noise Suppression Interference from the noise generated by the electrical systems of engines is sometimes a problem with radios. The VHF650 has been designed to be essentially impervious to ignition noise and alternator noise. However, in some installations it may be necessary to take measures to further reduce the effect of noise interference.

  • Page 55: Specifications

    Specifications General Controls , Squelch OLUME Status Indicators Transmit power, Scan mode, Triple Watch mode, Battery High, Battery low, USA, CAN, INT, Alert, Memory, Weather band, GPS status and Channel Display Display Buttons WX-Alert, 16/9-Tri, Scan-Mem, Channel Up, Channel Down, Menu-PA, Select-1W/25W, and Distress. Connectors Antenna, accessory, and DC power Size...
  • Page 56 Specifications Receiver Frequency Range 156 to 158 MHz Sensitivity 0.25 µV for 12 dB SINAD Circuit Dual Conversion Super Heterodyne PLL (Crystal for DSC) Squelch Sensitivity 0.2 µV Threshold Spurious Response 75 dB Adjacent Channel Selectivity 78 dB @ ±25 kHz Audio Output Power Power Requirement 340 mA @ 13.8V DC at squelched, 860 mA @ 13.8V DC...

  • Page 57: Table 10 - Channel By Type Of Message

    Specifications Channel and frequencies Table 10 - Channel by type of message Type of Message Appropriate Channel(s) DISTRESS SAFETY AND CALLING - Use this channel to get the attention of another station (calling) or in emergencies (distress and safety). INTERSHIP SAFETY - Use this channel for ship-to-ship safety messages and for search &...

  • Page 58: Table 11 - Usa Channel Frequencies And Channel Tag

    Specifications Channel and frequencies Table 11 - USA Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag Ch No. RX Freq (MHz) TX Freq (MHz) Status Full Name 1 “A” 156.0500 156.0500 Commercial 3 “A” 156.1500 156.1500 Coast guard, Govt only 5 “A” 156.2500 156.2500 Commercial 156.3000...
  • Page 59 Specifications Table 11 - USA Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag (cont'd) Ch No. RX Freq (MHz) TX Freq (MHz) Status Full Name 156.5750 156.5750 Non commercial 156.6250 156.6250 Non commercial (ship- ship) 156.6750 156.6750 Port operation 156.7250 156.7250 Port operation 156.775 156.7750 Port operation...

  • Page 60: Table 12 - Canadian Channel Frequencies And Channel Tag

    Specifications Table 12 - Canadian Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag Ch No. RX Freq TX Freq Status Full Name 160.6500 156.0500 Marine operator 160.7000 156.1000 Marine operator 160.7500 156.1500 Marine operator 4 “A” 156.2000 156.2000 Canadian coast guard 5 “A” 156.2500 156.2500 156.3000...
  • Page 61 Specifications Table 12 - Canadian Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag (cont'd) Ch No. RX Freq TX Freq Status Full Name 156.6250 156.6250 Non commercial 156.6750 156.6750 Port operation 156.7250 156.7250 Port operation 156.7750 156.7750 Port operation 156.8250 156.8250 Port operation 156.8750 156.8750 Port operation...

  • Page 62: Table 13 - International Channel Frequencies And Channel Tag

    Specifications Table 13 - International Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag Ch No. RX Freq TX Freq Status Full Name 160.6500 156.0500 Marine operator 160.7000 156.1000 Marine operator 160.7500 156.1500 Marine operator 160.8000 156.2000 Marine operator 160.8500 156.2500 Marine operator 156.3000 156.3000 Inter-ship safety 160.9500...
  • Page 63 Specifications Table 13 - International Channel Frequencies and Channel Tag (cont'd) Ch No. RX Freq TX Freq Status Full Name 156.6250 156.6250 Non commercial 156.6750 156.6750 Port operation 156.7250 156.7250 Port operation 156.7750 156.7750 Port operation 156.8250 156.8250 Port operation 156.8750 156.8750 Port operation (ship-ship)

  • Page 64: Alert Codes And Event Levels

    Specifications Table 14 - Weather Channel Frequencies Ch No. RX Freq Channel Name WX01 162.5500 162.550 MHz WX02 162.4000 162.400 MHz WX03 162.4750 162.475 MHz WX04 162.4250 162.425 MHz WX05 162.4500 162.450 MHz WX06 162.5000 162.500 MHz WX07 162.5250 162.525 MHz WX08 161.6500 161.650 MHz...
  • Page 65 Specifications Table 15 - CEA2009-S.A.M.E. Event Code (cont'd) Standard Event Code (LCD Display) Event Level WARNING Emergency Action Termination Statement Earthquake Warning WARNING Immediate Evacuation WARNING Evacuation Watch Watch Food Contamination Warning WARNING Flash Flood Watch Watch Flash Flood Statement Statement Flash Flood Warning WARNING...
  • Page 66 Specifications Table 15 - CEA2009-S.A.M.E. Event Code (cont'd) Standard Event Code (LCD Display) Event Level Required Monthly Test Test Required Weekly Test Test Special Marine Warning WARNING Special Weather Statement Statement Shelter In-Place Warning WARNING Severe Thunderstorm Watch Watch Severe Thunderstorm Warning WARNING Severe Weather Statement Statement...

  • Page 67: Nmea Operation

    Specifications NMEA Operation This radio supports NMEA0183 version 3.01. NMEA Input Table 15. Table 16 - NMEA Input Parameters The radio supports RMC, GLL, GNS, Baud rate 4800 bps GGA and ZDA sentences. When Data bits these sentences are received, the radio displays latitude/longitude, Parity None...

  • Page 68: Regulations And Safety Warnings67

    PVC coated cords in our products and accessories. Antenna Selection and Installation Your VHF650 has been designed to accommodate all of the popular marine VHF antennas. However, the selection and the proper installation of the antenna is the responsibility of the user or installer.

  • Page 69: Three Year Limited Warranty

    ELEMENTS OF WARRANTY: West Marine warrants, for three years, to the original retail owner, this West Marine Product to be free from defects in materials and crafts- WARRANTY DURATION: This warranty to the original user shall terminate and be of no further effect 36 months after the date of original retail sale.

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