I've been seeing a lot of postings lately about marine VHF radios and, in particular, the Apelco VHF520 handheld and figured I should put in my two cents worth. Mostly to help out fellow paddlers by sharing my experience with marine VHF products but also because I have a vested interest. I'm the VHF product line manager for Raytheon Marine in Manchester, N.H. I'm glad to hear that most of you like your 520 but I also read about some concerns. The most prominent one was about the battery level indicator. Let me give a short explanation of how that works and then I'll show you how to modify it to suit your requirements. The battery level indicator on the VHF520 LCD consists of the "BATT" indicator and 3 bars. When fully charged, all 3 bars are displayed. As the battery is drained, the bars will disappear according to the voltage that the processor (CPU) detects at the battery. The processor software has an averaging formula (algorithm) which determines when each of the bars is to illuminate or disappear. This averaging can be modified in the Utility Menu which is accessed via front panel controls. I'll run you through the procedure to get into the Utility Menu and set up the battery level indicator so that you get a truer representation of the battery level. 1) With the radio off, press and hold the Push-To-Talk (PTT) switch and the 16 PLUS key, and turn the radio on. 2) You should see "CL" on the LCD with t0 in the lower right hand corner. (There are 5 menu screens in the Utility menu, t0, t1, t2, t3, and t4. Each press of the 16 PLUS key advances through these screens) 3) Press the 16 PLUS key once. Some number (-9 to 9) will appear and t0 will change to t1. 4) Use the Channel Select Up or Down keys until -1 is on the main display. 5) Press the 16 PLUS key again (a number -9 to 9 and t2 will display). 6) Again using Channel Select Up or Down keys, select -5. 7) Press the 16 PLUS key twice (t4 in the lower right hand corner) and either Cd or AL will appear on the main display. This is where to select the type of battery you are using. Since the NiCad (Cd) and Alkaline (AL) batteries output slightly different voltages and have different capacities, the processor needs to know which one is in use and will adjust the battery level indicator accordingly. The Channel Select keys will toggle between the Cd and AL settings. 8) Once the correct battery type is displayed, press the MON/TX key once and a 1 second "beep" will sound. That indicates that the level indicator and battery type selections just made are now stored into memory. The settings reside in what's known as "flash" memory which means that even if you remove the battery pack from the radio, it will still remember those settings. If anyone has any questions (or comments) about any marine equipment (Raytheon or otherwise), regulations, requirements, etc., just zip me an E-MAIL here at Raytheon or at home and I'll be more than happy to get back to you. Work: John_P_Stohrer_at_raytheon.com Hone: svengruber_at_aol.com You can also take a look at our products on our website at: www.raymarine.com One last thing. The Apelco brand name was retired permanently this past January but the Apelco VHF520 has been rebranded under the Raytheon name as the RAY102. They are exactly the same radio so if you do find a VHF520, don't worry about not being able to get service or parts or accessories or anything. It will be around for a good long time just under another moniker. Happy paddling. JP Stohrer 17' Turquoise Skerray *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
John_P_Stohrer_at_raytheon.com wrote: > This averaging can be modified in the Utility Menu which is accessed > via front panel controls. I'll run you through the procedure to get > into the Utility Menu and set up the battery level indicator so that > you get a truer representation of the battery level. > > 1) With the radio off, press and hold the Push-To-Talk (PTT) switch > and the 16 PLUS key, and turn the radio on. > > 2) You should see "CL" on the LCD with t0 in the lower right hand > corner. (There are 5 menu screens in the Utility menu, t0, t1, t2, > t3, and t4. Each press of the 16 PLUS key advances through these > screens) > > 3) Press the 16 PLUS key once. Some number (-9 to 9) will appear and > t0 will change to t1. > > 4) Use the Channel Select Up or Down keys until -1 is on the main > display. > > 5) Press the 16 PLUS key again (a number -9 to 9 and t2 will display). > > 6) Again using Channel Select Up or Down keys, select -5. > > 7) Press the 16 PLUS key twice (t4 in the lower right hand corner) and > either Cd or AL will appear on the main display. This is where to > select the type of battery you are using. Since the NiCad (Cd) and > Alkaline (AL) batteries output slightly different voltages and have > different capacities, the processor needs to know which one is in > use and will adjust the battery level indicator accordingly. The > Channel Select keys will toggle between the Cd and AL settings. > > 8) Once the correct battery type is displayed, press the MON/TX key > once and a 1 second "beep" will sound. That indicates that the > level indicator and battery type selections just made are now > stored into memory. > > The settings reside in what's known as "flash" memory which means that > even if you remove the battery pack from the radio, it will still > remember those settings. > When I had an Apelco 520 I did play with the settings you suggest above which were largely in the added slip of paper that came in the box. Later I stumbled on something that I wonder might be a short cut to all of this that allows you to switch calibration between the alkaline pack and Nicad pack. a) Hold down MON button (monitoring) just prior to turning the radio on. Turn it on. The window will show either AL (alkaline) or CD (NiCad). b) To change from AL to CD or vice versa: -- turn off radio -- hold down MON button -- turn radio back on. The opposite will show, i.e. if you were on AL it will switch to CD. If you were on CD it will switch to AL. I think this also recalibrated but I am not certain of that. Anyway it seemed a shortcut to the complex instructions and if it works as well would be much easier to remember in the field if your Nicad pack has finally lost its charge and you are switching to AA alkaline battery pack. I want to add that while I was disatisfied with the Apelco 520 after a month or so, Raytheon was absolutely splendid in taking it back when the mail order house I ordered from refused to (in its fine print, Defender Ind. says no return on electronic gear whatsoever). They even covered the cost of shipping I incurred in buying the radio. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
John: While I usually refrain from "thanks" posts, I feel the list owes you and Raytheon thanks for monitoring a list where your consumers hang out, and for giving us tech support. It's a great radio, as I noted before, and I'm especially glad Raytheon supports its products. -- Rob Gendreau Oakland, California gendreau_at_ccnet.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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