Motorola Astro Saber 3 Manual

							General Radio Operation
25
General Radio Features
•Radio Lock (Non-Secure Radios)
The radio-lock feature enables you to 
select a unique numeric password. If the 
feature is enabled (programmable through 
the radio service software), you will see 
“
RR R R
AA A A
DD D D
II I I
OO O O
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D” on the display when 
the radio is turned on.
1.Enter your numeric password (1 to 8 characters).
2.As you enter the password digits, the radio will
display dashes.
If a digit is mistakenly entered, 
< will function as a backspace key. 
3.Once the correct password is entered, the radio will unlock.
To Change Your Password:
1.Press 
> until the PP P P
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D softkey appears on the display.
2.Press 
M directly below PP P P
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D.
3.The display changes to show “
OO O O
LL L L
DD D D
      
PP P P
AA A A
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
OO O O
RR R R
DD D D.”
4.Enter the correct old password.
5.If it is correct, the display will show “
NN N N
EE E E
WW W W
      
PP P P
AA A A
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
OO O O
RR R R
DD D D.”
6.You then must enter the new password and press the 
Select Button.
In the event you forget the numeric password, you must have the 
radio’s codeplug replaced by a qualified service technician and a 
new password programmed at that time through the radio service 
software.
RR R R
AA A A
DD D D
II I I
OO O O
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D
____
See page 2
for your
radio’s
feature-
control 
programming.
A
B
C
Note 
						

							26
General Radio Operation
•Radio Lock (Secure Radios Only)
By definition, this feature changes your radio to a more robust security 
system, which protects the use of the secure encryption keys. If this 
feature is enabled (programmable through the radio service software), you 
will see “
RR R R
AA A A
DD D D
II I I
OO O O
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D” on the display when the radio is turned on.
1.Enter your numeric password (8 characters  
maximum; minimum determined through
radio service software).
2.As you enter the password digits, the radio
will display dashes.
If a digit is mistakenly entered, 
< will function as a backspace key.
3.Once you have entered all the digits, press 
the Select Button.
RR R R
AA A A
DD D D
II I I
OO O O
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D
____
See page 2
for your
radio’s
feature-
control 
programming.
A
B
C 
						

							General Radio Operation
27
4a.If the password is 
correct, the radio 
will unlock.
In the event you forget the numeric 
password, or enter in 15 or more 
incorrect passwords, enter in eight 
asterisks (“********”) and press the 
Select Button (see page 2). 
This action:
•unlocks your radio, 
•erases all encryption keys, and 
•the password will revert to the factory 
default password of “01234567”.
To Change Your Password:
1.Press 
> until the PP P P
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D softkey appears on the display.
2.Press 
M directly below PP P P
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D.
3.The display changes to show “
OO O O
LL L L
DD D D
      
PP P P
AA A A
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
OO O O
RR R R
DD D D.”
4.Enter the correct old password and press 
M directly below SS S S
EE E E
LL L L.
5.If it is correct, the display will show “
NN N N
EE E E
WW W W
      
PP P P
AA A A
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
OO O O
RR R R
DD D D.”
6.Enter the new password and press 
M directly below SS S S
EE E E
LL L L.
Note
4b.If the password is 
incorrect, the radio 
will remain locked. 
After you enter three 
incorrect passwords, 
the radio will display 
“
DD D D
EE E E
AA A A
DD D D
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D,” and 
you must turn the radio off and then on in 
order to enter another password.
If you enter a total of 
15 consecutive 
incorrect passwords 
(turning the radio off 
and on does not reset 
the number of 
incorrect tries), the 
radio will automatically erase all of its 
encryption keys and will display “
RR R R
AA A A
DD D D
II I I
OO O O
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D
.” 
DD D D
EE E E
AA A A
DD D D
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D
RR R R
AA A A
DD D D
II I I
OO O O
      
LL L L
OO O O
CC C C
KK K K
EE E E
DD D D 
						

							28
General Radio Operation
7.The display will then show “CC C C
OO O O
NN N N
FF F F
II I I
RR R R
MM M M.”
8.Re-enter the new password and press 
M directly below SS S S
EE E E
LL L L.
9a.If the two passwords match, 
the radio will unlock.
•Radio-Lock Enable/Disable (Secure Radios Only)
This feature (programmable through radio service software) allows you to 
enable/disable the radio-lock feature using the radio’s keypad.
To Enable or Disable the Radio-Lock Feature:
1.Press 
> until the LL L L
OO O O
GG G G
FF F F (for “LOG OFF”softkey appears on the display.
2.Press 
M directly below LL L L
OO O O
GG G G
FF F F.
3.The display changes to show the current selected state, “
PP P P
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D
      
EE E E
NN N N
AA A A
BB B B
LL L L
DD D D” 
or “
PP P P
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D
      
DD D D
II I I
SS S S
BB B B
LL L L
DD D D.”
4a.To enable the radio-lock feature, 
press 
M directly below EE E E
NN N N
AA A A
BB B B. 
OR
ORPP P P
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D
      
EE E E
NN N N
AA A A
BB B B
LL L L
DD D D
EE E E
NN N N
AA A A
BB B B
      
      
      
      
DD D D
SS S S
AA A A
BB B BPP P P
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D
      
DD D D
II I I
SS S S
BB B B
LL L L
DD D D
EE E E
NN N N
AA A A
BB B B
      
      
      
      
DD D D
SS S S
AA A A
BB B B
9b.If the two passwords dont match, the 
display will show “
NN N N
EE E E
WW W W
      
PP P P
AA A A
SS S S
SS S S
WW W W
OO O O
RR R R
DD D D.” 
You then need to repeat the 
previous steps.
You cannot change your 
password if you have 
entered three incorrect old 
passwords. The radio will 
exit the radio-lock feature 
and will not allow you to 
press the 
PP P P
SS S S
WW W W
DD D D softkey-
related button again until 
the radio is turned off and 
on again.
Note
4b.To disable the radio-lock 
feature, press 
M directly 
below 
DD D D
SS S S
AA A A
BB B B. 
						

							General Radio Operation
29
•Muting the Keypad Tones
The radio’s keypad tones, normally heard each time a keypad key is 
pressed, can be turned off (muted) or on (unmuted) at your discretion.
Muting Keypad Tones Using the Keypad-Mute Switch:
The Keypad-Mute Switch is programmable 
through radio service software. 
To turn the keypad tones off, put the Keypad-Mute 
Switch in the “tones off” position. 
To turn the keypad tones on for normal operation, 
put the Keypad-Mute Switch in the “tones on” 
position.
Muting Keypad Tones Using the Softkey Feature:
1.Press 
> until the MM M M
UU U U
TT T T
EE E E softkey appears on the 
display.
2.Press 
M directly below MM M M
UU U U
TT T T
EE E E.
3.The display changes to show the current mute state: “
TT T T
OO O O
NN N N
EE E E
SS S S
      
OO O O
NN N N” = tones 
unmuted; “
TT T T
OO O O
NN N N
EE E E
SS S S
      
OO O O
FF F F
FF F F” = tones muted.
4.Press 
M below the desired mute state (OO O O
NN N N
 or OO O O
FF F F
FF F F).
Pressing 
O or the PTT Switch will exit this display menu 
without changing the keypad tones muting selection.
See page 2
for your
radio’s
feature-
control 
programming.
A
B
C
Note
TT T T
OO O O
NN N N
EE E E
SS S S
      
OO O O
NN N N
OO O O
NN N N
      
      
      
      
      
      
OO O O
FF F F
FF F F
      TT T T
OO O O
NN N N
EE E E
SS S S
      
OO O O
FF F F
FF F F
OO O O
NN N N
      
      
      
      
      
      
OO O O
FF F F
FF F F
 OR
Note 
						

							30
General Radio Operation
•Time-Out Timer
The new ASTRO portable radio is equipped with a programmable time-out 
timer which, upon expiration, will turn off the transmitter. This timer is 
programmable through radio service software and can be set from 0 
seconds (off) to 7.75 minutes (465 seconds), at 15 second increments. The 
ASTRO radios have been programmed at shipment for 60 seconds.
1.A time-out timer warning occurs approximately four seconds before the 
allocated time-out timer expires. The warning is a short, low-pitched 
tone. 
2.If the PTT Switch is held down longer than the time-out timer’s allotted 
time, a continuous, low-pitched tone will sound and the LED will stop 
lighting red, indicating that your transmission has been cut off. This tone 
will continue to sound until the PTT Switch is released. 
3.Release the PTT Switch.
4.To transmit another message, press the PTT Switch. 
•Low-Battery Indication
If the battery voltage falls below the low-voltage level, the  B status 
indicator will appear (flashing).
If a low-battery indication occurs, replace the battery. 
Additional programmable battery status options:
•When the PTT Switch is pressed, the bicolor LED will blink red to 
indicate a low-battery condition.
•When the PTT Switch is released following a transmission, a short, 
high-pitched tone (chirp) will sound to indicate a low-battery 
condition.
•When the radio is in the standby mode and a low-battery condition 
occurs, an alert tone will sound from 30 to 930 seconds 
(programmable through radio service software) at 30 second 
increments. 
B Flashing = Low BatteryFF F F
II I I
RR R R
EE E E
      
CC C C
HH H H
II I I
EE E E
FF F F
55 5 5
55 5 5
55 5 5
-- - -
88 8 8
99 9 9
44 4 4
77 7 7B 
						

							 
31 
3 
Common Radio Features 
Data Calls (Status Calls or Message Calls) 
This feature allows you to send data calls (status calls or message calls) from 
your radio to the dispatcher to indicate a predefined condition. Each 
defined status or message can have a 12-character alias. You can have the 
following maximum number of predefined conditions: 16 message 
conditions; 16 status conditions for conventional; 8 status conditions for 
trunking. 
• Sending a Status Call or Message Call 
1a. Press  
> 
 until the   
SS S S
TT T T
SS S S  
  
or   
MM M M
SS S S
GG G G  
  
softkey appears on the display.
2. Press  
N 
 directly below the type of data call 
you wish to make.  
SS S S
TT T T
SS S S  
  
 for Status Call  
MM M M
SS S S
GG G G  
  
 for Message Call
PP P P
OO O O
LL L L
      
DD D D
II I I
SS S S
PP P P
      
NN N N
WW W W
      
      
      
      
SS S S
TT T T
SS S S
      
PP P P
RR R R
OO O O
GG G G
      
      
      
      
MM M M
SS S S
GG G G
      
PP P P
OO O O
LL L L
      
DD D D
II I I
SS S S
PP P P
      
NN N N
WW W W
      
      
      
      
SS S S
TT T T
SS S S
      
PP P P
RR R R
OO O O
GG G G
      
      
      
      
MM M M
SS S S
GG G G
      
 
1b. Press the   
Status 
Button  
 or   
Message 
Button  
 (if 
programmed,
 see page 2). 
This will 
take you 
directly to 
step 3.
See page 2
for your
radio’s
feature-
control 
programming
A
B
C
 
OR 
						

							 
32
Common Radio Features
 
3.The last acknowledged status call or the first message in the message list 
will be displayed.
If no status has been acknowledged, the first status in the status 
list will be displayed.
4a.Scroll through the list by pressing  
< 
 or  
> 
 until you locate the 
predefined condition you wish to 
send.
5.When you locate the condition you want to send,        
press the  
PTT Switch 
.
6.Upon receipt of the data call, the dispatcher 
will transmit an acknowledge to your radio. 
Your radio will then beep four times, display 
“  
AA A A
CC C C
KK K K
NN N N
OO O O
WW W W
LL L L
EE E E
DD D D
GG G G
EE E E  
,” and 
 then return to normal 
dispatch operation.
If the system does not acknowledge the data 
call, your radio will alternately display “  
NN N N
OO O O
      
AA A A
CC C C
KK K K
NN N N
OO O O
WW W W
LL L L
DD D D
GG G G 
” and the currently selected 
predefined condition.
7.Press  
O 
 to exit the data-call feature and return to the home display.
•While the data-call feature is selected, you will not hear normal radio 
communications.
•If the data-call feature (  
SS S S
TT T T
SS S S  
  
 or   
MM M M
SS S S
GG G G 
) is selected and no activity occurs for six 
seconds, an alert tone will sound to indicate to you that the data-call feature 
is active. The alert tone will stop when  
O 
 or the   
PTT Switch  
 is pressed.
Note
FIRST
LAST
LIST
Forward
FIRST
LAST
Backward
LIST
<
AA A A
CC C C
KK K K
NN N N
OO O O
WW W W
LL L L
EE E E
DD D D
GG G G
EE E E
NN N N
OO O O
      
AA A A
CC C C
KK K K
NN N N
OO O O
WW W W
LL L L
DD D D
GG G G
Notes
 
4b.Go directly to a specific 
predefined condition in the 
list by entering the number 
that corresponds to that 
condition’s placement in the 
list. 
OR 
> 
						

							 
Common Radio Features
33 
Emergency 
For radios programmed with the emergency feature, pressing the  
Emergency 
Button 
 (if programmed, see page 2) will send out an emergency signal that 
takes precedence over any other signalling activity in progress on the selected 
channel. There are two types of emergency signals:
• 
Emergency Alarm 
 sends a data transmission to alert the dispatcher to an 
emergency condition and identify the radio sending the emergency 
signal.
• 
Emergency Call 
 is a type of dispatch operation which gives your radio 
priority access to channels (not available on conventional radios). 
“Emergency” signals a critical situation. It should never be used 
for any other reason. 
•Entering the Emergency State 
1.Press and hold the  
Emergency Button 
 (if 
programmed, see page 2). The length of the 
press-and-hold time required is programmable 
through radio service software.
2.The display alternates between showing “  
EE E E
MM M M
EE E E
RR R R
GG G G
EE E E
NN N N
CC C C
YY Y Y 
” and the current 
zone/ channel combination (except for silent-emergency alarm - see step 
3b).
Note
See page 2
for your
radio’s
feature-
control 
programming.
A
B
C
EE E E
MM M M
EE E E
RR R R
GG G G
EE E E
NN N N
CC C C
YY Y Y 
						

							 
34
Common Radio Features
 
3a. 
Emergency Alarm 
During a non-silent 
emergency alarm 
state:
•the LED will 
light,
•a short, 
medium-
pitched tone 
will be heard,
•the display will 
show 
“  
EE E E
MM M M
EE E E
RR R R
GG G G
EE E E
NN N N
CC C C
YY Y Y 
,” 
•when the 
emergency 
alarm is 
acknowledged 
by the 
dispatcher, the 
radio sounds 
four beeps and 
the alarm ends.
• 
For all types of emergency signals 
 — If you change channels while in 
emergency operation, the emergency alarm or call will be moved to, and 
continue on, the new channel if the new channel is also programmed for 
emergency operation. If the new channel is not programmed for emergency 
operation, an invalid-mode tone will sound until the emergency state is 
exited, or you change to a channel programmed for emergency operation.
• 
For emergency-alarm with emergency-call signals 
 — After receiving the 
acknowledgment from the dispatcher, your radio will enter the 
emergency-call state.
• 
For emergency-call signals 
 — While your radio is in emergency-call state, 
it operates in the usual dispatch manner. Or, if enabled in your radio, your 
radio will return to one of the following operations:
• 
Tactical/Non-Revert Operation 
 — you will talk on the channel you 
selected before entering the emergency state.
• 
Non-Tactical/Revert Operation 
 — you will talk on a preprogrammed 
emergency channel, and the emergency alarm will also be sent to this 
preprogrammed emergency channel.
Notes
 
3b.Silent-Emergency Alarm
During a silent-
emergency state:
•the LED will not 
light,
•tones will not be 
heard,
•the display will not 
change, 
•the audio will be 
muted (turned off) 
and will remain so 
until you exit the 
emergency alarm 
state.
The silent-emergency 
state will continue until 
you press the  
PTT 
Switch 
.3c.Emergency Call
Press the  
PTT 
Switch 
.
A
B
C
 
OR
OR