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• You cannot transmit while the radio is in weather mode or scan mode.
• See the channel lists beginning on page 30 for a list of receive-only channels.
Boosting the Transmission Power
In most situations, the 1 Watt transmission power is all you need. If you find yourself far away from other stations and have trouble
getting a response, you may need to boost the transmission power from 1 Watt to 25 Watts:
1. Select the channel you want to transmit on.
2. Push and hold ENT-1W/25W for two seconds. The display shows 25 Watts in the upper left hand corner.
3. The transmit power remains at 25 Watts until you change the setting back. Push and hold ENT-1W/25W for two seconds. The
display shows 1 Watt.
NOTE: Don't forget to change the transmission setting back to 1 Watt when you move closer to other stations.
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.
Some channels (for example, channels 13 and 67) limit the power of transmission to 1 Watt so that there is less interference between
boaters attempting to use the channel at the same time. If you switch to one of these channels, the radio changes back to 1 Watt
automatically. See the channel lists beginning on page 30 for a list of power-restricted channels.
Choosing Triple Watch or Dual Watch
In Triple Watch mode, the radio briefly checks channels 16 and 9 every two seconds. In Dual Watch mode, the radio checks channel
16 only. Generally, Triple Watch is used in areas where channel 9 is used as a hailing frequency while Dual Watch is used in areas
where channel 16 is used for distress and hailing. Your radio comes set to use Triple Watch; if you want to use Dual Watch instead,
you will have to select it in the setup:
CALL
1.
Press and hold CALL MENU to display the normal menu.
2. Select Setup and then Dual/Tri Watch.
3. Choose Dual Watch and press ENT-1W/25W. The radio activates the new setting and returns to the Setup menu.
4. To reactive Triple Watch, repeat the procedure described above, but choose Triple Watch in step 3.
Using FIPS Codes for Weather Alerts
The US National Weather Service established 6-digit Federal Information Processing System (FIPS) codes to issue weather alerts
in specific areas. You can choose which areas you want to hear alerts for by entering these FIPS codes in your radio. This can
prevent you from being bothered by events that are far from where you are boating. The radio only sounds the alert tone if an
incoming FIPS code matches one of the areas you selected.
• For more information about how the NWS uses FIPS codes, see the NWS website: www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwsfipschg.htm.
• To see an index of FIPS codes by state, see the website of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): www.itl.
nist. gov/fipspubs/co-codes/states.htm.
ENT
1W/25W
ENT
1W/25W
VHF490 RADIO
10
1-800-BOATING
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