SeaFit V20 User manual

V20

VHF Radio

Owner’ Manual

Table of Contents

Introduction........................................2

Service...............................................2

Licensing............................................2

LCD Description.................................3

Turning the Radio On........................3

Adjusting the Volume.........................3

Receive Mode....................................4

Changing Channels...........................4

Channel Descriptions.........................5

Changing Between USA,

International and Canadian Modes....5

Adjusting the Squelch........................6

Transmitting a Signal.........................6

Selecting the Transmit Power............7

Battery Level Display.........................8

Weather Mode...................................9

Weather Alert...................................10

16/9 Operation.................................11

Triple Watch Mode...........................12

Scanning Channels..........................12

STEP Mode .....................................15

Keypad Lock....................................16

Restore Factory Settings.................16

Time Out Transmit Setting...............17

Display Back-Light...........................17

Battery Options for the V20.............17

Maintenance ....................................18

Troubleshooting Guide.....................19

USA Frequency Chart......................20

International Frequency Chart.........21

Canadian Frequency Chart .............22

WX Frequency Chart.......................23

Accessories and Parts.....................24

Specifications...................................24

Warnings and Safety Precautions ...25

Emergency Communications...........26

2Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual

Welcome!

Thank you for purchasing the Seafit V20.

This product was designed and built for

boaters to use in the harsh marine envi-

ronment. With proper care this product

should provide you with years of trouble-

free operation.

Your satisfaction with this product is

backed by the entire West Marine organi-

zation worldwide.

Remember:

•Safety and distress calls take priority

over all others.

•You must monitor Channel 16 when

you are not operating on another

channel.

•False or fraudulent distress calls are

prohibited under law.

•Information overheard but not intend-

ed for you cannot lawfully be used in

any way.

•Indecent or profane language is pro-

hibited.

Service:

In the event that the radio fails to per-

form, or needs servicing, please send

directly to our Electronics Repair Center

in Hollister, CA. Be sure to include your

return mailing information and a detailed

accounting of the problems experienced

and/or the service requested.

West Marine

Electronics Repair Center

2395 Bert Court

Hollister, CA 95023

Radio Licenses:

1. Ship Station License

An FCC ship station license is no longer

required for any vessel traveling in US

waters which uses a VHF marine radio,

RADAR, EPIRB, and which is not

required to carry radio equipment. A

license is necessary however for a DSC

MMSI number, or for any vessel required

to carry a marine radio on an international

voyage, carrying a HF single side band

radiotelephone or marine satellite termi-

nal. For more information, see the FCC’s

Fact Sheet PR 5000 #14. FCC license

forms, including applications for ship

(506) and land station licenses can be

downloaded via the Internet at

www.fcc.gov/forms. To obtain a form

from the FCC, call (888) 225-5322.

2. Radio Call Sign

Currently the FCC does not require recre-

ational boaters to have a Ship Radio

Station License. The USCG recommends

that the boat’s registration number and the

state to be used.

3. Canadian Ship Station

Licensing

You do not need a license if your vessel is

not operated in sovereign waters of a

country other than Canada or the USA. If

you do need a license, contact their near-

est field office or regional office or write:

Industry Canada

Radio Regulatory Branch

Attn: DOSP

300 Slater Street

Ottawa, Ontario

Canada, K1A OCA

Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual 3

Fig. 1: Power On Display

LCD Display

MEM Shown when channel is in scan

memory (page 14)

STEP Shown when radio is in STEP

mode (page 15)

TRI Shown when Triple Watch has

been selected (Page 12)

WX Shown when radio is in Weather

(WX) Mode (page 9)

ALERT Shown when radio is in Weather

Alert Mode (page 10)

LCD Description

USA/INTERNATION-

AL/CANADIAN (UIC)

Mode display (page 5)

Channel Number

display (page 4)

Battery Level display

indicator (page 8)

Radio Status Display; shows long and short channel

descriptions, warnings, and radio information (page 5)

MShown when medium transmit

power is selected (page 7)

LShown when low transmit

power is selected (page 7)

LOCK Shown when keypad is locked

(page 16)

TX Shown when transmitting (page

BUSY Shown when radio is receiving a

signal (page 3)

1. Turning the Radio On

Turn the Power/Volume Knob clockwise

until it clicks. The radio will power up in

the same condition as it was last used.

The last Channel Mode (USA/INT/CAN),

Channel, TX Power, Key Lock, Squelch

Level, etc. are restored. The Radio Status

Display will show POWER ON. (Fig. 1)

2. Adjusting the Volume

Turn the Volume Knob clockwise to

increase volume and counterclockwise to

decrease volume.

4Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual

Fig. 3a: Receive Display

3. Receive Mode

When the radio receives a signal, the

Radio Status Display will show the mes-

sage RECEIVE (Fig. 3a) for three sec-

onds before reverting to the channel

description. The BUSY indicator will also

be shown. This is an indication that you

should not transmit until the BUSY indi-

cator is not showing.

When the signal ceases the radio will dis-

play STAND BY. (Fig. 3b)

•After three seconds, the display

returns to the channel name.

Fig. 3b: Stand By Display

Fig. 4: Channel number and memory status

4. Changing Channels

To change channels, press the ▲or ▼

keys.

•If the ▲or ▼key is pressed for

more than one second, the channel

will change rapidly.

•The radio displays memory status

and TX Power status of the channel

as you change the channels. (Fig. 4)

Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual 5

Fig. 6a: Selecting USA Mode

Fig. 6b: Select

International Mode Fig. 6c: Select

Canadian Mode

Fig. 5: Current Channel, MAR OPER Display

5. Channel Descriptions

The Radio Status Display indicates the

type of channel you have selected with

both a long and a short description. (Fig.

5) The long description will scroll from

right to left, and will be replaced by a

shorter description that stays in the Radio

Status Display. There is no universal

agreement on how to describe each chan-

nel, and some channels have different

purposes depending on where you’re

located in the US, but we’ve done our

best to provide helpful information. See

the appendix for a complete list of long

and short channel descriptions (pp. 20-23)

•Channels used by recreational boaters

for ship to ship conversations are list-

ed as NON-COMMERCIAL in the

description. Examples are Channels

68, 69, 71, and 72.

6. Changing Between

USA, International,

and Canadian Modes

Different areas of the world use different

VHF frequencies, although the channel

designation (1–88) may be the same.

There are three modes: USA,

International, and Canadian. Press and

hold the UIC key for two seconds to

change from USA to International to

Canadian Modes in turn.

•When Country Mode is changed,

Channel 16 is automatically selected,

not the last channel used. (Fig.

6a–6c)

•The Radio Status Display will verify

your selection with SEL USA, SEL

INTERNATIONAL, and SEL

CANADIAN.

6Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual

Fig. 7a: Squelch Level Setting Mode

Fig. 7b: Squelch Level Changed display

7. Adjusting the

Squelch

The Squelch Control reduces the static

and noise heard on the radio, but allows

strong signals to be heard clearly. To

adjust the squelch setting, press the

SQL/UIC key quickly. The Radio Status

Display will show SQL - 0X, where Xis

the current squelch setting. (Fig. 7a) Press

the ▲or ▼keys to adjust the squelch set-

ting from 00 to 08. Higher settings allow

only stronger signals will be heard, while

lower settings allow weak signals to be

received (and possibly annoying static).

Generally, the squelch control should be

set for the lowest setting that eliminates

unwanted static.

•Level 00 allows all signals to be

heard.

•After no buttons are pressed for 3

seconds, the radio will return to nor-

mal receiving mode and the Radio

Status Display will show SQUELCH

LEVEL CHANGED. (Fig. 7b)

Fig. 8a:Transmitting at High Transmit Power

8. Transmitting a Signal

To transmit a signal, press the Push-To-

Talk (PTT) button on the left side of the

radio. When PTT button is released, the

radio returns to Receive Mode.

•As soon as the PTT key is pressed,

the Radio Status Display will show

the transmit power selected. (Fig. 8a)

Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual 7

Fig. 9a: High Power Display

•When the PTT key is released, the

Radio Status Display will show TX

END (Fig. 8b)

•You cannot transmit on receive-only

channels like the weather channels or

Channels 15 and 70. If you try, an

error tone will sound, the channel

number and TX indicator will blink

three times and the Radio Status

Display will show REC ONLY (Fig

8c). After 3 seconds, the radio returns

to the normal display, then goes back

to the normal display.

•If the PTT button is pressed when

the battery condition is low, the radio

will send one last transmission, then

it will sound the Error Beep Tone

with BAT LO display. No further

transmission will be allowed. See

page 8.

9. Selecting the

Transmit Power

By law, Marine VHF radios must be able

to transmit at 1 watt power as well as the

radio’s maximum transmit power. The

Seafit V20 radio actually has three trans-

mit powers: 5 watts (HI), 1 watt (MED),

and 0.5 watts (LOW).

The general rule is to use the lowest

transmit power that results in clear com-

munications with whomever you are com-

municating. At distances less than a mile,

for example, 0.5 watts may result in clear

and consistent communications, and will

have the benefit of greatly extended bat-

tery life.

Pressing the H/L key will change the

transmit power from 5 watts (HI) to 1

watt (MED) to 0.5 watts (LOW) and back

to 5 watts with each press. The Radio

Status Display will indicate the newly

selected transmit power as follows:

•When High Power is selected, the

bottom of the screen will Radio

Fig. 8b:Transmission Ended Display

Fig. 8c: Message shown when trying to transmit

on a receive-only channel

Blinking

8Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual

Fig. 9b: Medium Power Display

Fig. 9c: Low Power Display

Status Display will show XMIT HI

for three seconds. (Fig. 9a)

•When Medium Power is selected, the

Radio Status Display will show

XMIT MED for three seconds and the

Mindicator will show. (Fig. 9b)

•When Low Power is selected, the

Radio Status Display will show

XMIT LOW for three seconds and

the Lindicator will show. (Fig. 9c)

Certain channels are limited by law to 1

watt transmit power: USA Mode Channel

13, 17, 67, 77; INT Mode Channel 15, 17;

CAN Mode Channel 13, 15, 17, 20, 66,

77. Therefore, the radio will automatically

select 1 watt power when operating on

these channels, and efforts to change the

transmit power will result in the error tone.

•You cannot change the transmit

power setting on channels which are

receive-only channels: all weather

channels; USA Mode Channel 15,

70; INT Mode Channel 70; CAN

Mode Channel 70.

•Pressing the H/L key while scanning

or while in the Weather Mode will

result in the error tone and transmit

power will not change.

10. Battery Level Display

The battery level is checked periodically

and is shown using the Battery Level

Indicator (1–3 bars). More bars indicate

more battery capacity is left.

•When the battery capacity is very

low, the low battery warning alarm

will sound every 10 seconds, the low

battery message LOW BATT will be

shown on the Radio Status Display,

and the battery indicator will blink.

(Fig. 10)

•When the low battery warning mes-

sage is displayed, the radio allows

one final transmission but it will not

allow further transmissions.

Fig. 10: Low Battery Warning Display

Blinking

Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual 9

Fig. 11a: Weather Mode Display

Fig. 11b: Marine Mode Display

11. Weather Mode

Virtually all areas of the US and many

areas around the world are covered by

VHF weather reports on one of 10 chan-

nels. These reports provide current condi-

tions, forecasts, and warnings of danger-

ous weather 24 hours per day.

Press and release the WX/ALERT key to

toggle between Weather and Marine

Modes. In Weather Mode the Radio

Status Display will show WX MODE for

three seconds and the WX indicator will

be shown. (Fig. 11a) When switching

back to Marine Mode, the Radio Status

Display will show USA MODE or INT

MODE or CAN MODE for three sec-

onds. (Fig. 11b)

•While in Weather Mode, use the ▲or

▼keys to select from ten weather

channels. Most areas of the US are

covered by Weather Channels 01, 02,

and 03. The Radio Status Display

will verify which channel you’ve

selected (WEATHER1) as you

change channels.

•If you press the 16/9/TRI key while

in weather Mode, the radio will

change from the current weather

channel to Channel 16, then to

Channel 9, and then back to the

weather channel. The WX indicator

will flash, indicating that you are still

in weather Mode, while listening to

Channels 16 and 9.

•While in Weather Mode, the MEM,

UIC, SCAN, H/L keys will not work.

If they are pressed , the radio will

sound an error tone.

10 Seafit V20 Radio Owner’s Manual

Fig. 12a: Normal Channel Display

Fig. 12c: Weather Alert Display in Weather

Mode

12. Weather Alert

Weather Alert is a safety function that

allows the radio to monitor the local

weather channel for NOAA Weather

Alerts, while allowing you to listen to

other channels.

To set or cancel the Weather Alert func-

tion, press and hold the WX/ALERT key.

The display will switch from the current

channel display (Fig. 12a) to the Weather

Alert display for three seconds. The Radio

Status Display will show WX ALERT

ON. After three seconds, the display will

switch back to the current channel dis-

play. (Fig. 12b)

While in Weather Alert Mode, the radio

will check the last-used weather channel

for alert tones every seven seconds. When

an alert tone is detected, the radio will

cancel the Alert option and change to the

weather channel. It will also sound an

alert detect alarm at maximum volume for

10 seconds.

•If you’re using Weather Mode, and

the Alert option is on, the radio will

mute the speaker even though there is

a signal, until an alert tone is detect-

ed. This allows you to be aware of

alerts, but without having to listen to

the weather continuously. (Fig. 12c)

•When an alert tone is detected, the

Scan and Triple Watch functions are

cancelled.

Fig. 12b: Weather Alert On

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