Standard Horizon HX270S Handheld Tranciever Operating Instructions

							HX270SPage 9
3.5 BATTERY SAFETY
Battery packs for your transceiver contain Ni-MH batteries. This type of bat-
tery stores a charge powerful enough to be dangerous if misused or abused,
especially when removed from the transceiver. Please observe the follow-
ing precautions:
DO NOT SHORT BATTERY PACK TERMINALS
Shorting the terminals that power to the transceiver can cause sparks, se-
vere overheating, burns, and battery cell damage. If the short is of sufficient
duration, it is possible to melt battery components. Do not place a loose
battery pack on or near metal surfaces or objects such as paper clips, keys,
tools, etc. When the battery pack is installed on the transceiver, the termi-
nals that transfer current to the transceiver are not exposed.
DO NOT INCINERATE
Do not dispose of any battery in a fire or incinerator. The heat of fire may
cause battery cells to explode and/or release dangerous gases.
Caution
Never short-circuit the connection terminals on the bat-
tery or charger !
CONTAINS NICKEL-METAL-HYDRIDE BATTERY.
MUST BE RECYCLED OR DISPOSED OF PROP-
ERLY.
Ni-MH 
						

							HX270SPage 10
HX270S
VOL
Figure 3
Controls and Connectors
4. CONTROLS AND INDICATORS
NOTE
This section defines each control of the transceiver. For detailed oper-
ating instructions, refer to section 5 of this manual. Refer to Figure 3 for
the location of the following controls, indicators, and connections. 
						

							HX270SPage 11
4.1 CONTROLS AND CONNECTIONS
Antenna Connector
The supplied CAT460 flexible antenna is attached here.
POWER SWITCH/VOLUME CONTROL
Turns the transceiver on and off, and adjusts the volume.
PUSH-TO-TALK (
PTT)
 SWITCH
Activates transmission.
SQUELCH (
SQL)
 SWITCH
Sets the point at which random noise on the channel does not activate
the audio circuits but a received signal does. This point is called the
Squelch threshold. Further adjustment of the squelch control will de-
grade the reception of wanted transmissions.
BUSY/TX INDICATOR
This indicator glows green when a signal is being received and red when
transmitting.
UP (

)
 KEY
Used to select a desired channel. Each press increases the channel
number. When held down, the channels increase continuously.
DOWN (

)
 KEY
Used to select a desired channel. Each press decreases the channel
number. When held down, the channels decrease continuously.
16/9 KEY
Immediately recalls channel 16 from any channel location. Holding down
this key recalls channel 9. The 16/9 key is also used to revert to the
channel selected before pressing the 16/9 key.
Example: select Ch68, press 16/9 key (Ch16 appears), press the 16/9
key again and Ch68 is shown. 
						

							HX270SPage 12
WX KEY
Immediately recalls the last-used NOAA Weather Channel from any chan-
nel location. Recalls the previously- selected working channel when the
WX key is pressed again.
Secondary use: When the 16/9 key is held and the WX key is pressed,
the radio will change modes between the USA, International, and Cana-
dian channel bands.
H/L KEY
Toggles the transmitter power level between High (5 Watts), Medium
(2.5 Watts), and Low (1 Watt) of output. Does not operate on “low power
only” and transmission-inhibit channels.
When operating on Canadian channel 13, or USA channels 13 or 67,
pressing this key momentarily toggles the power level from Low power
to Medium or High power.
Hold down this key to lock the displayed channel functions (except the
H/L, PTT, and SQL keys) so that they are not accidentally changed. The
key lock symbol “
” will appear, to indicate that the functions are locked.
Hold down until the key lock symbol “
” disappears to unlock the ra-
dio.
SCAN KEY
Starts scanning and Priority scanning of programmed channels. When
scanning, press and hold this key to turn on and off Priority scan (P is
shown on the left side of the display during Priority scanning).
PRESET KEY
Immediately recalls one of up to eight user preset memories for opera-
tion (shown as 1-8 on the LCD). Pressing this key repeatedly scrolls
through the preset memory channels.
MEM KEY
Press to select a channel for scanning. Press this key again to delete a
memorized channel. (“MEM” appears on the LCD display during memory
operation).     
						

							HX270SPage 13
4.2 INDICATORS
Figure 4
Indicators
Channel Display
The operating channel is shown on the LCD in both the transmission and
reception modes.
A Indicator
Signifies ship-to-ship channels in USA or Canadian mode (whose counter-
part in the International mode is a public correspondence (marine operator)
channel).
USA/INTL/CAN Indicator
Denotes the “band” of operation for the particular channel. “USA” indicates
the USA band; “CAN” indicates the Canadian band; and “INTL” indicates
the International band.
// Indicators
“” indicates High power (5 Watts); “” indicates Medium power (2.5 Watts);
and “
” is for Low power (1 Watt). “Blank” in this location indicates a re-
ceive-only channel.
P Indicator
Ch16 Priority Scan is activated.
DW Indicator
Dual watch is activated.
SCN Indicator
Scan is activated.
TX Indicator
Appears during transmission.   
						

							HX270SPage 14
WX Indicator
A NOAA weather channel is selected.
MEM Indicator
The channel is in the transceiver’s “Scan Memory.”
Battery Indicator
When the battery charge is almost depleted, a “” icon will appear on the
display. When this icon appears, it is recommended that you charge the
battery soon.
No IconEnough battery power
Lower battery power
Nearing depletion
 (Blinking) Prepare to charge the battery
NOTE: The battery indicator should be used only as a guide in charging the
FNB-83 battery.
KEY Lock Indicator
When the “” symbol is shown on the LCD, all keys are disabled except
for the H/L, PTT and SQL keys.           
						

							HX270SPage 15
Installing the Quick Draw Belt Clip
1. Connect the hanger to the rear of the HX270S, with the notch point-
ing directly up, using the supplied screw (Figure 6-a).
Use only the screw included
with the clip to mount the clip
to the back of the transceiver!
2. Clip the Quick Draw Belt Clip to
your belt (Figure 6-b).
3. To install the HX270S into the
Quick Draw Belt Clip, align the
hanger with the Quick Draw Belt
Clip and slide the HX270S into
its slot until a click is heard.
4. To remove the HX270S from the
Quick Draw Belt Clip, Rotate the
HX270S 180 degrees, then slide
the transceiver out from the Quick
Draw Belt Clip (Figure 6-c).
5. OPERATION
5.1 INITIAL SETUP
1. Install the belt clip on the transceiver, if desired.
2. Install the battery pack on the transceiver (see
figure 1 and section 3.2).
3. Install the antenna onto the transceiver.
NOTE
Water resistance of the transceiver is assured
only when the battery pack and antenna are
attached to the transceiver.
Figure 5
Antenna Installation
Figure 6 (a)
(b)(c)
belt


HX270S

 
						

							HX270SPage 16
5.2 RECEPTION
1. Turn the POWER/VOLUME CONTROL knob clockwise to turn the trans-
ceiver on.
2. Press the SQL key, then press the [
]
 key until the
SQL level is 00.
3. Turn up the POWER/VOLUME CONTROL knob until
the noise or audio from the speaker is at a comfort-
able level.
4. Select a channel that has no signal being received (no one is transmit-
ting on the channel) and where only noise is heard.
5. Press the SQL key, then press the [

]
 key and stop immediately after
the noise disappears. This condition is known as the “Squelch Thresh-
old.” If the squelch
 is set to a higher level, weak signals may not be
received.
6. To change channels, press the [

]
 or [
]
 key.
7. The LCD and keypad are illuminated for 5 seconds when any key is
pressed. The lamp automatically turns off in 5 seconds.
8. To “lock” the channel so that it is not accidentally changed, hold down
the H/L key for about one second. This locks the [

]
 and [
]
 buttons
and all the front panel controls except the H/L, PTT and SQL keys. The
“
” symbol will appear on the display to indicate
that the keypad is locked. Hold down the H/L key for
about one second to unlock the keys. The “
” sym-
bol will disappear from the display.         
						

							HX270SPage 17
5.3 TRANSMISSION
NOTE
Never key the transceiver without an antenna connected, as this may
cause damage to the transceiver.
1. Perform steps 1 through 7 of the RECEPTION discussion above.
2. Before transmitting, monitor the channel and make sure it is clear.
THIS IS AN FCC REQUIREMENT!
3. For communications over short distances, press the H/L key until “
” is
displayed on the LCD. This indicates Low power (approximately 1 Watt).
NOTE
Transmitting on 1 Watt prolongs battery life. Low power (1 Watt)
should be selected whenever possible.
4. If using Low power is not effective, select Medium power (2.5 Watts) or
High power (5 Watts) by pressing the H/L key until
“
” (Medium power) or “” (High power) is dis-
played.
5. When receiving a signal, wait until the incoming signal stops before trans-
mitting. The transceiver cannot transmit and receive simultaneously.
6. Press the PTT (Push-To-Talk) switch to transmit. The “TX” indicator is
displayed during transmission.
7. Speak slowly and clearly into the microphone. Hold the microphone about
½ to 1 inch away from your mouth.
8. When the transmission is finished, release the PTT switch.
5.4 TRANSMIT TIME - OUT TIMER (TOT)
While the PTT switch is held down, transmission time is limited to 5 minutes.
This prevents prolonged (unintentional) transmissions. About 10 seconds
before automatic transmitter shutdown, a warning beep sounds from the
speaker. The transceiver automatically switches to the receiving mode, even
if the PTT switch is held down. Before transmitting again, the PTT switch
must first be released, then pressed again. This Time-Out Timer (TOT) pre-
vents a continuous transmission that would result from an accidentally stuck
PTT switch.   
						

							HX270SPage 18
5.5 USA, CANADIAN, AND INTERNATIONAL BANDS
1. To change the operating band (channel set) of the transceiver, hold down
the 16/9 key and press the WX key. The band will change from USA, to
International, and to Canadian with each press.
2. “USA” appears on the LCD for the USA band, “INTL”
appears for the International band, and “CAN” ap-
pears for the Canadian band.
5.6 NOAA WEATHER CHANNELS
1. To receive a NOAA weather channel, press the WX key. The transceiver
changes to the weather channel mode. This mode consists of a special
pre-set memory bank containing the standard NOAA weather channels.
2. The transceiver will be set to the last-used NOAA weather channel.  Press
the [

]
 or [
]
 key to change to other weather channels.
3. To exit from the weather channel mode, press the
WX key. The transceiver will revert to the channel
you were using prior to switching to the weather chan-
nel mode.
5.6.1 NOAA WEATHER ALERT
In the event of extreme weather disturbances such as storms and hurri-
canes, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) sends a
“weather alert” consisting of a 1050 Hz tone, followed by weather reports on
the weather channels. The transceiver is capable of receiving this alert if the
following is performed:
1. Program your area’s weather channels into the transceiver’s scan
memory. Follow the same procedure as for regular channels under Sec-
tion 5.7.
2. Press the SCAN key to start the scan.
3. The memorized weather channels are scanned along with the regular
memorized channels. Scanning will not stop, however, on the (continu-
ous) weather broadcast channels unless the weather alert tone is re-
ceived.
4. When an alert is received on a weather channel, scanning stops and the
transceiver emits a beeping tone that will stay on for 5 minutes or until
the user presses the WX key to listen to the Weather Alert.