VHF Marine Radio Protocols
Operating Your Radio
30 English
Weather Mode Programming
Introduction
VHF Marine Radio Protocols
Operating Your Radio
Standby/Receive and Transmit
•
Marine Standby and Receive (Rx) Mode
Marine Standby
mode is the default mode for the radio whenever it is turned on. From
this mode, you can change current settings by becoming familiar with the different key
functions in
Marine Standby
mode. While in
Marine Standby
mode, the user will be able
to transmit by pressing the
Push to Talk (Talk)
button. Signals in
Receive (Rx)
mode
will be received on the selected channel(s), and alerts broadcast by NOAA will activate the
corresponding NOAA weather alert channels in your radio.
NOTE
Coast Guard alerts are broadcast on Channel 16. You must have the
WX Alert
enabled to receive NOAA weather alerts. While in
Marine Standby
mode, you will
receive any voice messages sent on the channel to which you are tuned.
31
Nothing
Comes Close to a Cobra
®
Transmit (Tx) Mode
Transmit (Tx)
mode gives you the ability to interact with safety
services, other vessels and shore stations. When you use this
capability, be sure to follow the procedures and to observe the
courtesies that govern its use so everyone benefits. See the
Appendix to help you select the proper channels.
To Transmit a Message:
1.
Check to see that your radio is set to a proper channel for the
type of message you plan to send.
2.
Select the desired
Low, Med or High Power
setting.
3.
With the microphone about 2 in. [51 mm] from your
mouth, press and hold the
Talk
button and speak into the
microphone. The
Transmit
icon will appear on the LCD.
4.
Release the
Talk
button when you are finished speaking. Your
radio can only operate in either
Transmit (Tx)
or
Receive
(Rx)
mode at any given time. You will not hear the response to
your message unless the
Talk
button is released.
Transmit Mode
Check Channel Number
Talk Button
Weather (WX) Alert Programming
Standby/Receive
and Transmit
Receive Mode
NOAA Weather Channels and Alert
•
Monitoring the weather will probably be a frequent use of your radio. NOAA provides continuous,
around-the-clock broadcasts of the latest weather information. Taped weather messages run
every four (4) to six (6) minutes and are revised every two (2) or three (3) hours, or as needed.
The Coast Guard also announces weather and other safety warnings on Channel 16. Smart
boaters keep an eye on safety and an ear to the radio — and never let the weather catch them
unaware.
NOAA Emergency Weather Alert
In the event of a major storm or other weather condition requiring vessels at sea or on other
bodies of water to be notified, NOAA broadcasts a 1050 Hz tone that receivers such as your
CobraMarine VHF radio can detect and warn you of a weather alert condition. When the
Weather Alert mode on your radio is set toOn, this signal will produce a loud tone from the
speaker in the radio and will automatically switch to the alerting weather channel
so the alert broadcast can be heard.
NOAA Test Alert System
To test this system, NOAA broadcasts the 1050 Hz signal every Wednesday sometime between
11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in each local time zone. Any receiver that can detect the weather alert tone
may use this service to verify that this system is functioning properly.
