AOR AR800 Operating Manual

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Keep your memory banks tidy - for best scan speed
In order to achieve the maximum scanning speed, it is advisable to keep all
similar frequencies and modes grouped together within the memory banks.
The greater the frequency change between memory channels,  then the further
the receiver’s VCO (Voltage Controlled Oscillator) has to travel and the slower
the scan rates.  Similarly, when many changes of mode are called for the more
switching has to be accomplished and the scan speed may be reduced.
Memory channel data may be entered in duplicate into several channels.
This will ensure the channel data is scanned more frequently to increase
the chances of activity being detected.
Limitations of SCAN mode
Should a number of different modes and wide range of frequencies be used,
then the SCAN process may be affected by noise or differences in squelch
characteristic on some frequencies and modes.
To help provide the best operation of SCAN, additional facilities have been
provided when in EXPERT status.  Should you listen to noisy frequencies or
bands containing carriers, make liberal use of the AUDIO and FREE scan
parameters.
10-4 SCANNING a memory bank...
Let’s assume that you wish to SCAN the contents of memory bank “A”
(channels 00-49) which have been previously stored with memory data.
There are two ways to start scanning:
Firstly
From “VFO” or “SEARCH” modes: Press [SCAN] to enter “MEMORY
RECALL” mode then press [SCAN] again to start scanning.
From “MEMORY RECALL” mode: Press [SCAN] once only to start
scanning.
Secondly
From “VFO” or “SEARCH” modes: Press [FUNC] [SCAN].
The legend “SCAN” is displayed on the top left of the LCD to indicate that the
SCAN process has been initiated.
When SCAN has been selected, ALL MEMORY CHANNELS WHICH
CONTAIN DATA in the memory will be SCANNED irrespective of mode and
frequency.  ANY BLANK (empty) MEMORY CHANNELS which contain no data
will be ignored (skipped). 
						

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The memory bank identifier (such as “A”) will be displayed on the left of the
third line of the LCD and memory bank “A” will be scanned with channel
numbers changing.
When an “active” channel has been located (busy so the squelch opens) the
scan process will temporarily pause on the active channel and the full memory
location (such as “A03”) will be displayed on the left of the third line of the LCD
with any identifying accompanying text to the right.
Finally when the channel becomes clear again (the signal disappears) and
squelch closes, the receiver will wait for an additional two seconds (in default /
NEWUSER status) to allow for a reply on the channel before resuming the
scanning process.
Note: The key sequence [2VFO] [FUNC] [SCAN] should achieve SCAN
regardless of what the receiver is doing).
When stopped on an active channel, press [ENT] to transfer the memory
data (frequency, mode, step, step offset & attenuator) to the VFO where
you may tune away from the channel or listen to it indefinitely until you
decide otherwise.
10-5 Selecting a single memory bank to scan...
The memory bank which is currently being scanned will be displayed on the left
of the third line of the LCD (for example “B”) and channel number will be
changing.
Should you wish to scan a different memory bank, select a different bank using
the numeric keypad.
For example, to select memory bank “A” press [1A].  The letter “A” will be
displayed on the left of the third line of the LCD and memory bank “A” will be
scanned with channel numbers changing.
10-6 Memory bank linking “SET M-SCAN / BNK.LK” for scanning ALL
memory banks...
When shipped from the factory using default settings all memory banks are
UNLINKED so may only be scanned on an individual basis by selecting the
scan bank identifier via the numeric keypad (“A”, “B”, “C” etc).
It is possible to quickly link ALL memory banks together so they will be
scanned as one group.  Alternatively it is possible to select any number of
banks to be scanned as a group such as A, C, H, c, e, i.
Note: Of course you may only select the password protected banks if you
have keyed in the PASSWORD or have not set the password facility.
To LINK ALL memory banks for scanning the “SET M-SCAN” menu is used.
To access the menu press first ensure the receiver is in SCAN mode (“SCAN” 
						

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on the top left of the LCD, if it is not in SCAN mode then press [2VFO] [FUNC]
[SCAN] which should achieve SCAN regardless of what the receiver is doing).
While in SCAN mode press [FUNC] [SCAN].  The legend “SET M-SCAN”
confirms selection.  The highlight cursor will be flashing on the left of the
second line of the LCD, to the right of the cursor is the selection of bank link
“BNK.LK” which is default OFF (no banks linked).  To link ALL banks rotate the
[DIAL] (either direction will have the same effect) to select “ON”.
ALL scan bank identifying letters will appear on the
third line (ABCDEFGHIJ) and fourth line (abcdefghij)
of the LCD to indicate that ALL banks have been
selected (this is the default setting).
Press [ENT] to accept the new setting of “BNK.LK
ON” BANK LINK ON.
The receiver will return to SCAN mode when ALL
banks and channels containing data will be scanned.
10-7 Specifying memory bank linking for certain memory
banks only...
When The BANK LINK option has been selected “ON” (as per section 10-6
of this manual) ALL memory banks are linked.  However, it is possible to
de-select and re-select memory banks for scanning through the “SET M-SCAN”
menu.
To access the menu first ensure the receiver is in SCAN mode (“SCAN” on the
top left of the LCD, if it is not in SCAN mode then press [2VFO] [FUNC]
[SCAN] which should achieve SCAN regardless of what the receiver is doing).
While in SCAN mode press [FUNC] [SCAN].  The legend “SET M-SCAN”
confirms selection.  The highlight cursor will be flashing on the left of the
second line of the LCD, to the right of the cursor is the selection of bank link
“BNK.LK” which must be “ON” (as per section 10-6 of this manual).
Should you wish to group only a few banks for scanning use the UP/DOWN
keys to move to the third and fourth lines of the LCD and the numeric keys to
de-select / re-select the desired banks for scanning.  The [.] may also be used
to move between the third and fourth line and the [CLEAR] key used to abort
entry should an error be made.
While the bank identifying letters are displayed then
the bank will be scanned.  When bank identifiers have
been replaced by the character “-” (when deselected)
they will not be scanned as a group.
* In NEWUSER status no further parameters may be
changed using this menu.
Press [ENT] to accept the new group of banks to be
scanned.  The receiver will return to SCAN mode 
						

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when only the selected banks which contain data will be scanned.
* Refer to section 10-12 for further SCAN options which are available in
EXPERT status.
10-8 Scanning a memory bank which is not selected in BANK LINK
It is still possible to SCAN a single deselected bank by manually bypassing the
BANK LINK programming.  To SCAN 
any deselected bank simply key the
desired identifying bank letter through the keypad.
If initially the bank selected is not linked and does not contain data, the sub
menu “SCAN SELECT” will appear.  Select the desired bank identifying letter
(which does contain data) using the keypad and [.Aa] key as appropriate.  The
receiver will scan only the selected single unlinked bank over and over and will
not attempt to scan the group of banks as specified in BANK LINK.
10-9 SCAN channel PASS (lockout)
Should the AR8000 stop on an active channel while scanning and for some
reason you do not wish to monitor it any longer, simply press the UP/DOWN
keys or rotate the [DIAL] to force the SCAN process to resume in the direction
selected.
However, should the receiver continually stop on the same channel you may
wish to PASS (lockout) the channel so that it will be skipped over when the
bank is next scanned.
Memory scan channels may be PASSED (locket out) either when the receiver
stops in scan mode (when they are active and the receiver has stopped
scanning) or by recalling them in memory recall mode.
10-10  Memory scan PASS while scanning
To PASS a channel when scanning, wait for the channel to become active then
press [PASS].  A lower case (small) letter “p” will be added to the left of the
frequency display on the second line and the scan process will move on to the
next channel.  This process will happen so quickly that you will not see the “p”
for PASS being added.  However, should the memory channel subsequently be
recalled, the “p” will be displayed to signify channel PASS.
10-11  Memory scan PASS & review using Memory Recall (M.RE) mode
Memory scan channels may be “tagged” for “PASS”, un-tagged or reviewed
using memory recall mode.
Press [SCAN] to place the receiver into memory recall mode (M.R).  The
legend “M.RE” appears on the top left of the LCD to confirm operation. 
						

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The receiver will display a memory channel, mode, frequency, text and scan
PASS status.
If the desired memory channel to be PASSED (locked out) is not immediately
displayed, the [DIAL] may be rotated to review specific memory scan
channels.  Alternatively the memory channel location may be quickly recalled
by keying in the required location using the keypad.
For example, to recall memory channel “A00” type [1A] [0] [0] there is no
need to press enter.  When keying, the “M.RE SELECT” menu automatically
appears when the [1A] key (or any other bank identifier) is pressed so that the
frequency and comments are displayed on the third and fourth lines of the LCD
for easy recognition.
When the memory channel has been selected, a
lower case (small) letter “p” to the left of the
frequency on the second line of the LCD indicates
SCAN MEMORY CHANNEL PASS.  Pressing [PASS]
when in memory recall mode toggles the status of
the displayed memory channel scan pass (lockout),
“p” = PASS.
The receiver will monitor whatever memory channel is
displayed in “M.RE” mode when manually selected
whether the “p” PASS indicator is shown or not.
Note: If you have activated the PASSWORD protection, it is not possible
to access memory banks a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j until the password has
been keyed in each time the set has been switched On.  Please refer to
section 9 of this manual for further information.
10-12  Additional SCAN options in EXPERT status
It is possible to alter the sequence of scanning events when in EXPERT
status depending upon the SCAN CONFIGURATION as defined in the
“SET M-SCAN” sub menu.
There are 5 scanning which may be changed to suit your preferences and
requirements.  The list of scanning defaults is shown below:
SCAN TYPE NEWUSER EXPERT
DELAY 2.0 seconds 0.0 (OFF) - 9.9 seconds
AUDIO OFF OFF/ON
FREE OFF 00 (OFF) - 99 seconds
LEVEL OFF 0 (OFF) - 7 in 7 steps
MODE ALL ALL/WFM/NFM/AM/USB/LSB/CW
* It is possible to mix combinations of all five parameters. * 
						

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It is strongly recommended that NEWUSER mode is used during
familiarisation of the AR8000, use EXPERT status only if you have
fully familiarised yourself with all operations.
To select EXPERT configuration the CONFIGURATION menu is used.  To
access the menu press [FUNC] [LOCAL] and the “INITIAL SET” menu will be
displayed.
Select the NEWUSER/EXPERT option of the fourth line of the LCD, the cursor
will be to the right of the “NEWUSER” setting which is the default.  To change
the setting to “EXPERT” rotate the [DIAL] (on the top panel) one click, the
direction is unimportant.  The legend “EXPERT” confirms selection.
The new setting may be saved by pressing [ENT] at this point.
If you have selected “EXPERT” status then further options become available by
pressing the [DOWN] key.  These include AUTO-STORE, POWER-SAVE and
REMOTE.  These options are covered later in the operating manual.
To access the additional options of “SET M-SCAN”
Once in EXPERT status five additional options are available.  To access the
“SET M-SCAN” menu first place the receiver into SCAN mode (“SCAN”
displayed in the top left of the LCD) then press [FUNC] [SCAN].
Press the [DOWN] key three times (only one press is required if bank link is
OFF) to select the first of the five options.  Continue using the [DOWN] key
until the required option is selected.  When you are happy with the changes
press [ENT] to accept the changes and the receiver will revert to SCAN mode.
Note: Make 
small changes and assess the effect as incorrect setting may
degrade the effectiveness of SCAN capabilities.  If things appear to go
wrong, return the settings to their defaults or return to NEWUSER mode
which forces the AR8000 back to SCAN defaults.
In extreme cases, reset the microprocessor which will revert the scan
options back to defaults by placing the receiver into NEWUSER mode.
SCAN - DELAY time
The DELAY scan parameter affects the time the receiver will remain on an
active channel in scan mode once the received signal has disappeared and the
squelch closed.
This is particularly useful for customising how long the receiver will wait for a
reply before continuing to scan.  For example, when communications are
passed back and fore between a control tower / aircraft which may take a few
seconds.  If you are scanning duplex channels then a small delay or no delay at
all may be preferable.
The limits are 0.0 to 9.9 seconds with 0.0 being interpreted as DELAY OFF. 
						

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Either use the [DIAL] to change the value or key in a two digit number through
the numeric keypad.  [0] [0] is accepted as 0.0 seconds (OFF) and [5] [3] as
5.3 seconds.  The decimal point is automatically added by the AR8000.  The
[ENT] key toggles the setting of DELAY between OFF and 2.0 seconds
(default).
Note: Setting DELAY to 0.0 turns the delay OFF.  Under this condition, the
receiver may start to scan before the transmission has finished due to
signal level changes such as mobile flutter or signal fading.
To accept the changes to DELAY scan, you must first use the UP/DOWN keys
to change the cursor position to another line then press [ENT] to return to
SCAN mode.  This is because the [ENT] key has a special function in DELAY
programming as mentioned above.
Alternatively you may move to the next option (AUDIO SCAN) by pressing the
[DOWN] key.
SCAN - AUDIO scan
The AUDIO scan parameter determines the way in which an “active” channel is
determined.  When the AUDIO scan is “ON”, the scan will only stop on active
channels which have modulation (such as voice) present.  The AR8000 will not
remain on unmodulated channels (such as blank carriers).
You may find this facility useful for skipping over STRONG signals but
WEAKER noisy signals may “fool” the receiver into thinking that modulation is
present.
The options are ON or OFF, the default is OFF.  Rotate the [DIAL] to toggle
the option On / OFF.
To accept the changes to AUDIO scan press [ENT] to return to SCAN mode.
Alternatively you may move to the next option (FREE SCAN) by pressing the
[DOWN] key.
SCAN - FREE scan
The FREE scan parameter determines how long the receiver will remain on an
“active” channel before resuming scanning channels.
This is useful if you wish to gain a picture of what is happening on the memory
channels without the receiver being tied to a busy channel for long periods of
time (such as when monitoring active amateur band repeaters etc).  Free scan
saves you having to manually intervene to force the scan to continue or use
PASS channels.
The limits are 00 to 99 seconds with 00 being interpreted as FREE scan OFF. 
						

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Either use the [DIAL] to change the value or key in a two digit number through
the numeric keypad.  [0] [0] is accepted as 00 seconds (OFF) and [4] [1] as 41
seconds.
To accept the changes to FREE scan press [ENT] to return to SCAN mode.
Alternatively you may move to the next option (LEVEL SCAN) by pressing the
[DOWN] key.
SCAN - LEVEL scan
The LEVEL scan causes the receiver to check the signal strength of “active”
channels and to only stop when the signal strength is above a predetermined
level which is programmable in 7 steps plus OFF.
The limits are 0 to 7 levels with 0 being interpreted as LEVEL scan OFF.
Note: It is possible that false signal levels may upset the operation of
LEVEL scan due to local noise or the close proximity of computer
systems.
Either use the [DIAL] to change the value or key in a one digit number through
the numeric keypad.  [0] is accepted as 0 (OFF) and [4] as level 4.
To accept the changes to LEVEL scan press [ENT] to return to SCAN mode.
Alternatively you may move to the next option (MODE SCAN) by pressing the
[DOWN] key.
SCAN - 
MODE scan
The MODE scan parameter determines whether ALL specified memory
channels will be scanned or only those of a certain receive mode.
This can be very useful if for example you have a mixture of VHF AM Civil
airband frequencies in a memory bank along with VHF NFM Marine.  Rather
than having to scan ALL channels or PASS (lock out) certain channels, a
particular mode ONLY can be quickly selected and scanned.
The options available are: ALL (ALL modes), WFM, NFM, AM, USB, LSB &
CW.  Setting the option to “ALL” will cause the scan process to stop on all
“active” channels regardless of mode.
Rotate the [DIAL] to change the option.  To accept the changes to MODE scan
press [ENT] to return to SCAN mode. 
						

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(11)  SELECT SCAN - special “select scan list” overview
While scanning memory banks, you may decide that some memory channels
are MORE INTERESTING than others and become frustrated at having to
manually force the SCAN passed uninteresting but active channels.  Of
course it is possible to PASS these uninteresting channels but you will
need to reinstate them at a later time.
A better method is to use SELECT SCAN which is made up of a specially
“selected list” of “tagged” memory channels which may be scanned as a group.
This is a very useful facility which allows rapid selection of memory channels
from any memory bank regardless of frequency, mode or pass status.
Up to a total of 100 memory channels may be “tagged” for SELECT SCAN and
taken from any of the 20 memory banks.
One great advantage is that the contents of the SELECT SCAN list may be
deleted in one simple sequence (using the [FUNC] [9] SELECT DEL /
SEL-SCAN menu) making the list blank and ready for use over and over again.
There are three ways in which memory channels may be “tagged” for SELECT
SCAN.
1. SELECT SCAN channels may be “tagged” while in SCAN MODE and
stopped on an active channel by pressing [FUNC] [PASS].
2. SELECT SCAN channels may be “tagged” while in MEMORY RECALL
(M.RE) MODE by first selecting the desired memory channel then press
[FUNC] [PASS].
3. SELECT SCAN channels may be chosen (“tagged”) and “EDITED” via a
special “SELECT SCAN” menu accessed while in VFO MODE by
pressing [FUNC] [PASS].
To initiate a SELECT SCAN once a selection of channels has been made press
[FUNC] [5].
SELECT SCAN will scan only the memory channels
which have been chosen (“tagged”) and will adopt the
current SCAN PARAMETERS which have been
selected (DELAY, AUDIO, FREE, LEVEL & MODE).
In the default state, the scan will remain on an active
channel then wait a further two seconds after the
signal has disappeared before resuming SCAN.  If
you have altered the SCAN PARAMETER OPTIONS
(section 10-12 of this manual) then the new
parameters will be employed.
If no memory channels have been “tagged” for SELECT SCAN then the
message “NOT FOUND” will be briefly displayed on the first line of the LCD. 
						

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11-1 SELECT SCAN - while in SCAN MODE (tagging and un-tagging)
While the receiver is scanning it will stop on active frequencies and you will
soon decide that some are “interesting” and some “uninteresting”.
To build up your select scan list of interesting channels, start to “tag” the
interesting channels while the scan sequence pauses on active memory
channels by pressing [FUNC] [PASS].
A lower case (small) letter “s” will be displayed on second line of the LCD to
the far left with the frequency to the right of the same line.
Each time the sequence [FUNC] [PASS] is keyed then the SELECT SCAN
status “s” is toggled so that the channel may be “tagged” (chosen / registered)
and “un-tagged” at will.
“Tagging” a memory for SELECT SCAN will not force the scan to continue nor
affect the way in which the memory channel or SCAN mode operates at this
time.  Simply when the signal disappears normal SCAN mode is resumed.
11-2 SELECT SCAN while in MEMORY RECALL (M.RE) mode (tagging
and un-tagging)
SELECT SCAN channels may be “tagged” or “un-tagged” while in memory
recall mode by first selecting the desired memory channel then press [FUNC]
[PASS].
Press [SCAN] to place the receiver into memory recall mode (M.R).  The
legend “M.RE” appears on the top left of the LCD to confirm operation.
The receiver will display a memory channel, mode, frequency and text.  You
may now choose and “tag” the memory channels you wish to add to the
SELECT SCAN list from any of the 20 memory banks.  Of course, if the
PASSWORD of banks is in force you must first enter you password code to
access the protected banks.
If the desired memory channel is not immediately displayed it may be
RECALLED be keying in the required location.
To recall memory channel “A00” type [1A] [0] [0] there is no need to press
enter.
The “M.RE SELECT” menu automatically appears when the [1A] key is
pressed so that the frequency and comments are displayed on the third and
fourth lines of the LCD for easy recognition.
Alternatively, the [DIAL] may be rotated to review, hunt for and select memory
channels to be “tagged” or “un-tagged” for SELECT SCAN.
When the memory channel has been “tagged” using the sequence [FUNC]
[PASS], a lower case (small) letter “s” will be displayed on second line of the
LCD to the far left with the frequency to the right of the same line.