Uniden MHS245, Owner'S Manual

Page 1: ...MHS245 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver For more exciting new products please visit our website Australia www uniden com au ...

Page 2: ...gitude from your GPS 6 State the nature of your distress e g are you sinking medical emergency man overboard on fire adrift etc 7 State the type of assistance you need medical towing pumps etc 8 Give number of persons aboard and conditions of any injured persons 9 Estimate present seaworthiness of your ship e g how immediate is the danger due to flooding or fire or proximity to shore 10 Briefly de...

Page 3: ...h for 1hr Note this is not suitable for scuba diving The MHS245 will only meet this rating if fully assembled and all rubber seals are well maintained and correctly fitted This means that the carabiner clip is not connected and the battery cover securely fastened NOTE After your radio is submerged in water you might notice that the sound is distorted This is because there is still water remaining ...

Page 4: ... Setup Menu 17 Call Menu 17 DSC Setup Menu 18 GPS Menu 18 GPS Setup Menu 19 Operation Modes 20 Normal Mode 21 Normal Mode with Triple Watch or Dual Watch 21 Scan Mode 21 Using the Radio in Scan Mode 21 Scan Mode with Triple or Dual Watch 22 Setting up the Hardware 23 Attaching the Antenna 23 Installing the Battery 23 Using the Alkaline Battery Tray 23 Mounting the Charger 24 4 Handheld VHF Marine ...

Page 5: ... Key Beep On and Off 28 Making a Transmission 29 Changing the Transmission Level 29 Changing the Channel 30 Saving Channels to Memory 30 Using the Strobe SOS Light Flashlight 30 Using DSC Features 31 Digital Selective Calling 31 Advanced DSC Features 31 MMSI Numbers 32 Using the Directory 35 Making DSC Calls 36 Making an Automatic Distress Call 38 Receiving a DSC Call 39 Receive Log 39 TEST Calls ...

Page 6: ...ooting 49 Specifications 51 Channels and Frequencies MHz 53 US Channel Frequencies and Names 53 Canadian Channel Frequencies and Names 55 International Channel Frequencies and Names 57 Regulations and Safety Warnings 59 Warranty 60 6 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 ...

Page 7: ... The Battery Save feature automatically turns off RX power at regular intervals to save battery power SOS Strobe Flashlight A high intensity strobe LED can be set to blink an SOS pattern or to be steady on Emergency 16 67 Channel monitoring Set unit to scan one or both of these emergency channels regularly within normal scanning cycles Key Lock Locks keys to prevent accidentally changing channels ...

Page 8: ...u lock onto the current position when a Man Overboard situation occurs Compass Display Lets you determine the way you want the radio to display your course by showing your course and direction or by showing location on an north south east west display Automatically auto plots to a received DSC distress call 8 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Introduction ...

Page 9: ...tery Tray batteries not included AC Adaptor DC Charging Adaptor Mounting Hardware Belt Clip If any item is missing or damaged contact your place of purchase immediately Never use damaged products Need help Get answers at our website www uniden com au for Australian model 9 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Not Shown External speaker microphone ...

Page 10: ...ING FLOATING MHS245 Radio 10 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Antenna LCD INST SQL GPS SOS RIGHT CLR VOL Microphone Speaker SCAN MEM LEFT MENU CALL 16 67 TRI STROBE SOS Light DISP ENT H M L PTT BOOST Power Channel Up Channel Down ...

Page 11: ...ss Go back to the starting channel Turn Triple Watch on and off SCAN MEM Select Scan function Move a cursor to left in Menu Mode Save a channel into memory or delete a channel from memory MENU CALL Access MENU Select the DSC Call menu Channel Up Move up channel or squelch volume one step at a time Move up quickly the channels squelch volume steps 11 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Be...

Page 12: ...L Select Display mode Select MENU items To change TX power INST SQL Instant CH Call Enter Exit squelch level setting condition GPS SOS Access GPS mode Move Cursor to right in menu mode Activate strobe SOS light CLR VOL Exit menu screen Enter exit volume setting Controls and Indicators 12 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 ...

Page 13: ...ng on what you are doing This sample screen shows some of this information The following table shows all the possible icons and what they mean 13 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Charging Contacts Charging latches NMEA contacts Screw holes for mounting Power jack Cigarette DC or Wall AC plug ...

Page 14: ...at s position to the destination This icon appears when Favorite mode is active USA CAN or INT Indicates if the radio is set for US channels CANadian channels or INTernational channels VOL or SQ This icon appears when Audio Volume Setup or Squelch Setup mode is active TRIWATCH or DUALWATCH TRIple Watch or DUAL Watch is turned on MEM The current channel is saved in memory F C Temperature display is...

Page 15: ... Switch is Off N E S W A Compass icon shows when a DSC distress call has been received a Favorite location has been selected or the Compass main display screen has been selected Position mark Indicates the target point 15 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 ...

Page 16: ... the way your radio operates The GPS SOS button lets you set up your GPS features and save GPS locations to a favorites list to use again later MENU CALL Menus You can set up the radio s physical displays and operation modes Normal menu and how you want to receive and send various types of calls Call menu The Normal menu provides access to the Radio Setup submenu and the Call menu provides access ...

Page 17: ...egrees Fahrenheit or Celcius Key Beep Set unit to sound a beep tone with each key press ON OFF Channel Name 12 characters that allow custom channel names to be used Key Lock Locks the keypad so the selected channel is not accidentally changed Radio Setup Select this option from the Normal menu to set up the radio itself Call Menu Press and hold MENU CALL to display options under the Call Menu The ...

Page 18: ...ew vessel ID Auto CH SW Select ON or OFF to enable disable Automatic Channel Switch Auto CH SW lets you automatically change channels if an Urgent or Safety DSC call comes in POS Reply Lets you elect to respond automatically or manually Test Reply Lets you elect to respond to a test request automatically or manually Group MMSI Allows you to program the 9 digit Group MMSI setting User MMSI Allows y...

Page 19: ...gs Time on or off SOG Unit Lets you set the Speed Over Ground measurement in knots miles per hour or kilometers per hour Compass Set Compass display setting to either Course Up or North Up NMEA Out Allows you to select any or all of the following NMEA sentences for output GGA GSA GSV and RMC The DSC and DSE sentences are always sent How it Works 19 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Fav...

Page 20: ... any operation mode In the watch modes the radio briefly checks for activity on a specific channel then returns to its previous operation Watch mode What it does To turn it on off Dual Watch Checks Instant Channel for activity every few seconds Select dual watch from the Normal Dual TriWatch menu and press and hold 16 67 Tri for 2 seconds Triple Watch Checks emergency channels 16 and 67 for activi...

Page 21: ... checks channels 16 and 67 every few seconds with Dual Watch turned on the radio only checks only instant channel The radio will not check channels 16 67 or instant channel while you are actively transmitting it waits until your transmission is finished and then checks the channels Scan Mode You can save any channel except Weather channels into memory and then use Scan mode to monitor those channe...

Page 22: ... UNIDEN MHS245 To remove a channel from memory set the radio to that channel then press and hold the SCAN MEM button The MEM icon no longer displays When the radio stays on a channel press Channel Up to leave that channel and resume scanning Press 16 67 TRI again to cancel Triple Watch mode INSTANT Channel Feature Allows you to store one channel to the Instant key for one touch access To Program I...

Page 23: ...remove the battery check the rubber seal around the battery compartment Make sure the seal is seated in the groove and there is no dirt or debris on it If the seal looks worn or damaged contact customer service to order a replacement see front cover page for contact information NOTE Using the Alkaline Battery Tray The radio also comes with an alkaline battery tray that holds four AAA type alkaline...

Page 24: ...ll the alkaline battery tray in your radio just as you do the Li Ion Polymer battery see page 23 Follow these steps to use the alkaline battery tray WARNING The tray is designed to prevent the accidental charging of alkaline batteries Never use alkaline batteries in the radio without the alkaline battery tray Do not attempt to modify the battery tray design NOTE Mounting the Charger 1 Use the two ...

Page 25: ...o gets dirty or wet Charge the battery fully before using the radio When the battery is completely charged the CHARGE LED turns green Don t use the charger when the ambient temperature is below 5 C 41 F or above 40 C 104 F If the radio is powered down the battery can charge in about seven hours If the radio is powered on the battery takes longer to charge Important notes on charging the battery At...

Page 26: ...ase the volume levels Press and hold CLR VOL to save and exit the setting 26 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Entering the User MMSI When you power up your radio for the first time it displays MMSI Not Entered and then displays a Marine mode screen User MMSI numbers are unique and cannot be entered more than once See page 33 for general information about MMSI numbers and how to get yo...

Page 27: ... requires a signal to be stronger to be seen as a transmission If you set the squelch too high you will risk not receiving transmissions that are lower than that threshold Reducing the squelch allows weaker signals to be accepted However if you lower the squelch too much you will hear white noise all the time While listening to a channel press and hold INST SQL to enter Squelch Setting mode The SQ...

Page 28: ...ht background or light characters on a dark background 1 Press MENU CALL and select Radio Setup Contrast RVS press Channel Up or Channel Down to adjust the contrast 2 Pressing Channel Down to turn the contrast all the way off will reverse the background letters Setting the Air or Water Temperature Measurement You can set the temperature to display in Celsius or Fahrenheit 1 Press MENU CALL and sel...

Page 29: ...ENT H M L to change to W Displays 1 2 5 MID 2 5 5 5W 5 1 LOW Don t forget to change the transmission setting back to 1W when you move close to other stations NOTE To prevent stuck microphone problems or situations where the PTT button is pushed accidentally the radio limits your talk time to 5 minutes in a single transmission For the best sound quality hold the microphone about two inches away fro...

Page 30: ... on your radio your radio will blink S O S in international Morse Code This will make it easier for rescuers to find you faster Your radio operates normally when the SOS LED strobe is activated NOTE With the SOS LED in this state Do this For this OFF Press and hold GPS SOS for 2 seconds SOS LED signals SOS in Morse code SOS Press and hold GPS SOS for 2 seconds SOS LED remains on continuously Flash...

Page 31: ...MSI number the nature of your distress and your current position based on data from your GPS receiver The radio repeats the distress call every few minutes until it receives an acknowledgement 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 ...

Page 32: ...to your radio There are two kinds of MMSI numbers individual numbers for use by single boats and group numbers for use by fleets boating organizations event coordinators etc You can get more information on MMSI numbers at these resources The dealer where you purchased the radio To Obtain an MMSI Code in Australia The Australian Maritime Safety Authority allocates MMSI To apply for an MMSI complete...

Page 33: ...mbers When you power up your radio for the first time it displays MMSI Not Entered and then displays a Marine mode screen 1 Press and hold MENU CALL the Enter User MMSI screen displays 2 Press DISP ENT H M L The User MMSI screen displays 3 Enter the MMSI number as described previously to scroll through the numbers When the ninth digit is entered the radio asks if you want to save the number and co...

Page 34: ...dividual MMSI Numbers Follow the steps below to enter individual MMSIs and names of other vessels into the directory 1 Press and hold MENU CALL to display the Call Menu 2 Scroll to DSC Setup and press DISP ENT H M L The DSC Setup menu displays 3 Scroll to Directory and press DISP ENT H M L The Directory menu displays 4 Select New and press DISP ENT H M L 5 Enter the MMSI number as described previo...

Page 35: ...MSI select NEW and follow the procedures for entering an individual MMSI number 5 To edit an existing MMSI number name select the entry and press DISP ENT H M L 6 Select Edit and press DISP ENT H M L The MMSI number and name display Edit accordingly and press DISP ENT H M L when complete A confirmation screen displays 7 Press DISP ENT H M L to accept the edits or CLR VOL to cancel The radio return...

Page 36: ...SC voice calls Using 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 A power boat full of spectators comes too close to the race path You use indivi...

Page 37: ...l select Exit press CLR VOL 6 The radio automatically switches to channel 70 to transmit the call request When the other station accepts the call both radios switch to the selected 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 sta...

Page 38: ...smit an automated distress call with your current location and nature of the distress The radio then monitors channel 16 for a response and repeats the distress call every few minutes until it receives an acknowledgement To send an automatic distress call press and hold DISTRESS for three seconds If no MMSI number has been programmed the radio prompts you to enter your MMSI number If you want to i...

Page 39: ... to see who has tried to contact you The radio displays the last 10 distress calls and the last 50 non distress calls that it received If you have unread incoming DSC calls the radio displays a Message icon When you display all Distress and Other receiving logs the message icon disappears 16 INT Distress Log 123456789 246853790 357911135 Back MENU Exit CLR Select ENT Press and hold Call Menu Recei...

Page 40: ...n channel number Test MMSI or name category code Test Acknowledge MMSI or name category code Pos Reply MMSI or name position time category code Pos Request MMSI or name category code Pos Send MMSI or name position time category code 6 From the log menu select Exit to close the receive log and return to the mode you were in Using DSC Features Returning a Call from Receive log You can return individ...

Page 41: ...hen switches back to the last used channel 7 When the other station acknowledges the test call the radio displays an acknowledgement screen Using DSC Features Receiving Test Call Setup When another station sends you a test call you can select options to answer the test call manually or have the radio answer automatically 1 Press and hold MENU CALL to display the Call menu 2 Select DSC Setup and th...

Page 42: ...ves a position request 4 To disable automatic position reply repeat the steps above and select Manual Any time you need to know where another boat currently is to find your boating partners to respond to a request for assistance etc you can send a position request to their radio Acknowledging a Test Call Receipt Different screens display depending on whether you set the Test Reply to Auto or Manua...

Page 43: ...5 When the other station responds the radio displays the MMSI number the longitude and the latitude of the other station If your radio is connected to a chartplotter through the NMEA OUT connection see page 47 the position information will also be displayed on the plotter screen 6 If the other station does not have valid GPS data the radio displays No Position Position Reply When another station r...

Page 44: ... Send To cancel the transmission select Exit 5 The radio transmits your MMSI number your longitude and your latitude to the other station Putting the Radio into Standby If you are leaving your radio or do not wish to answer any DSC calls you can put your radio in standby mode If your radio receives an individual call it will automatically respond with a message that indicates your radio is current...

Page 45: ...ching and then forgetting it can make it hard for you to receive DSC calls NOTE If you have unread incoming DSC calls the radio displays a message icon You will be able to review who has called The radio displays the last 10 distress calls and the last 50 non distress calls it received see page 39 Using DSC Features 45 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 16 INT Auto CH SW On Off Back MEN...

Page 46: ...n the first position of the Favorites list Favorite Menu The Favorite menu is comprised of the Goto menu and the Add menu The Goto menu adds saves the current GPS position as well as recalls that position and others you have saved to sail back to it Goto Menu The Goto menu allows you to select from a list of saved coordinates or to input coordinates manually To input coordinates 1 From the Goto Fa...

Page 47: ...supports NMEA0183 a standard for data communication between marine instruments If you are connected to a chartplotter and the radio receives another boat s position data sentences in a DSC call the radio sends the position data to the chartplotter so you can see the location NMEA sentences contain different sets of data The MHS245 supports the following sentences DATA RMC GLL GNS GGA ZDA UTC Time ...

Page 48: ... up to 12 characters Use Channel Up or Channel Down to change the name 4 When you finish entering the name the radio displays the new channel name and asks you to confirm To save this new channel name select Save to cancel the change select Exit The radio returns to the channel list 5 To restore a channel back to its original name select the channel and choose Default 6 When you are satisfied with...

Page 49: ... the radio and charger are clean Replace the battery The radio won t transmit Make sure you are not in Scan mode Make sure you are not trying to transmit on a receive only channel or transmit at the wrong power level for this channel see the channel lists starting on page 53 Check the battery power level if it s low charge the battery before trying to transmit Make sure the duration of each transm...

Page 50: ...will flash if the radio is in a Watch mode or in Scan mode Try turning off scanning Triple Watch or Dual Watch see page 20 Where can I find my radio s serial number The serial number is on a plate inside the battery compartment 50 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 ...

Page 51: ...a 6 29 H x 2 40 W x 1 61 D inch 160 H x 61 W x 41 D mm Weight 10 9 oz 309g w battery and antenna Transmitter Frequency Range 156 025 157 425 MHz Frequency Stability 2 5 PPM nominal Power Output 1 0 W 2 5W 5W Spurious Emissions 40dBm Current Drain 1300 mA 5W nominal Receiver Type Double Conversion Super Heterodyne Phase Locked Loop system for Local Oscillator Frequency Range 156 050 162 000 MHz Sen...

Page 52: ...0Hz nominal Adjacent Channel Selectivity 72dB 25 kHz nominal Audio Output Power 600mW 10 THD nominal Current Drain Squelched 65 mA Max Audio 230 mA nominal Inter Modulation 72dB nominal 52 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Specifications ...

Page 53: ...750 Inhibit Receive only Environmental 16 156 800 156 800 Simplex Distress safety and calling 17 156 850 156 850 Simplex 1W Govt maritime control 18A 156 900 156 900 Simplex Commercial 19A 156 950 156 950 Simplex Commercial 20 161 600 157 000 Duplex Port operation 20A 157 000 157 000 Simplex Port operation 21A 157 050 157 050 Simplex Coast guard only 22A 157 100 157 100 Simplex Coast guard 23A 157...

Page 54: ...57 125 157 125 Simplex Coast Guard 83A 157 175 157 175 Simplex Government 84 161 825 157 225 Duplex Marine Operator 85 161 875 157 275 Duplex Marine Operator 86 161 925 157 325 Duplex Marine Operator 87 157 375 157 375 Simplex Marine Operator 88 157 425 157 425 Simplex Commercial Ship Ship 54 Handheld VHF Marine Transceiver UNIDEN MHS245 Channels and Frequencies MHz US Marine Channels Ch RX Freq T...

Page 55: ...Vessel Traffic System 15 156 750 156 750 Simplex 1W Environmental 16 156 800 156 800 Simplex Distress safety calling 17 156 850 156 850 Simplex 1W State Control 18A 156 900 156 900 Simplex Commercial 19A 156 950 156 950 Simplex Canadian Coast Guard 20 161 600 157 000 Duplex 1W Port Operation 21A 157 050 157 050 Simplex Canadian Coast Guard 22A 157 100 157 100 Simplex Canadian Coast Guard 23 161 75...

Page 56: ...x Inter Ship 79A 156 975 156 975 Simplex Inter Ship 80A 157 025 157 025 Simplex Inter Ship 81A 157 075 157 075 Simplex Canadian Coast Guard 82A 157 125 157 125 Simplex Canadian Coast Guard 83 161 775 157 175 Duplex Canadian Coast Guard 83A 157 175 157 175 Simplex Canadian Coast Guard 84 161 825 157 225 Duplex Marine Operator 85 161 875 157 275 Duplex Marine Operator 86 161 925 157 325 Duplex Marin...

Page 57: ...l traffic system 15 156 750 156 750 Simplex 1W Environmental 16 156 800 156 800 Simplex Distress safety calling 17 156 850 156 850 Simplex 1W Govt maritime control 18 161 500 156 900 Duplex Port operation 19 161 550 156 950 Duplex Commercial 20 161 600 157 000 Duplex Port operation 21 161 650 157 050 Duplex Port operation 22 161 700 157 100 Duplex Port operation 23 161 750 157 150 Duplex Marine op...

Page 58: ...hip ship 78 161 525 156 925 Duplex Port operation 79 161 575 156 975 Duplex Port operation 80 161 625 157 025 Duplex Port operation 81 161 675 157 075 Duplex Port operation 82 161 725 157 125 Duplex Port operation 83 161 775 157 175 Duplex Port operation 84 161 825 157 225 Duplex Marine operator 85 161 875 157 275 Duplex Marine operator 86 161 925 157 325 Duplex Marine operator 87 157 375 157 375 ...

Page 59: ...manual Using another charger may damage the battery or cause the battery to explode NOTE Li Ion Polymer batteries must be recycled or disposed of properly Avoid exposing the battery whether attached to the radio or not to direct sunlight heated cars or temperatures below 4 F 20 C or above 140 F 60 C Exposing the chemical contained within the battery pack to temperatures above 140 F 60 C may cause ...

Page 60: ...original country of purchase for a Product first purchased either in Australia or New Zealand Product 3 Years Battery Pack Accessories 1 Year If a warranty claim is made this warranty will not apply if the Product is found by Uniden to be A Damaged or not maintained in a reasonable manner or as recommended in the relevant Uniden Owner s Manual B Modified altered or used as part of any conversion k...

Page 61: ...NSUMER GUARANTEES ACT New Zealand as the case may be none of which can be excluded Procedure for obtaining warranty service Depending on the country in which the Product was first purchased if you believe that your Product does not conform with this warranty you should deliver the Product together with satisfactory evidence of your original purchase such as a legible copy of the sales docket to Un...

Page 62: ......

Page 63: ......

Page 64: ... 2015 Uniden Australia Pty Limited Printed in Vietnam U01UT645CZZ 0 ...