Standard Horizon Marine Tranciever GX1256S Operating Instructions

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6  BASIC OPERATION
6.1  RECEPTION
1. After the transceiver has been installed, ensure that the power supply
and antenna are properly connected.
2. Press and hold the VOL/PWR knob until the radio turns on.
3. Turn the SQL knob fully counterclockwise. This state is known as “squelch
off”.
4. Turn up the VOL/PWR knob until noise or audio from the speaker is at a
comfortable level.
5. Turn the SQL knob clockwise until the random noise disappears. This
state is known as the “squelch threshold.”
6. Press the [
UP]
 or [
DOWN]
 key to select the desired channel. Refer to the
channel chart on page 60 for available channels.
7. When a message is received, adjust the volume to the desired listening
level. The “BUSY” indicator in the LCD is displayed indicating that the
channel is being used.
6.2  TRANSMISSION
1. Perform steps 1 through 6 of RECEPTION.
2. Before transmitting, monitor the channel to ensure it is clear. THIS IS AN
FCC REQUIREMENT!
3. Press the PTT (push-to-talk) switch. The TX indicator on the LCD is dis-
played.
4. Speak slowly and clearly into the microphone.
5. When the transmission is finished, release the PTT switch.
NOTE
This is a noise-canceling microphone. The oval slot on the bottom of
microphone should be positioned within 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the
mouth for optimum performance.
6.3  TRANSMIT TIME - OUT TIMER (
TOT)
When the PTT switch on the microphone is held down, transmit time is limited
to 5 minutes. This limits unintentional transmissions due to a stuck micro-
phone. About 10 seconds before automatic transmitter shutdown, a warning
beep will be heard from the speaker(s). The transceiver will automatically go
to receive mode, even if the PTT switch is continually held down. Before trans-
mitting again, the PTT switch must first be released and then pressed again. 
						

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6.4  SIMPLEX/DUPLEX CHANNEL USE
Refer to the VHF MARINE CHANNEL CHART (page 60) for instructions on
use of simplex and duplex channels.
NOTE
All channels are factory-programmed in accordance with FCC (USA),
Industry Canada (Canada), and International regulations. Mode of op-
eration cannot be altered from simplex to duplex or vice-versa.
6.5  USA, CANADA, AND INTERNATIONAL MODE
1. To change the modes, hold the [
16/9]
 key and press the [
WX]
 key. The
mode changes from USA to International to Canadian with each press of
the [
WX]
 key.
2. “U” will be displayed on the LCD for USA mode, “I” will be displayed for
International mode, and “C” will be displayed for Canadian mode.
3. Refer to the VHF MARINE CHANNEL CHART (page 60) for allocated
channels in each mode.
6.6  NOAA WEATHER CHANNELS
1. To receive a NOAA weather channel, press the [
WX]
 key from any chan-
nel. The transceiver will go to the last selected weather channel.
2. Press the [
UP]
 or [
DOWN]
 key on the microphone or on front panel to
select a different NOAA weather channel.
3. To exit from the NOAA weather channels, press the [
WX]
 key. The trans-
ceiver returns to the channel it was on prior to a weather channel. 
						

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6.7  NOAA WEATHER ALERT
In the event of extreme weather disturbances, such as storms and hurri-
canes, the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) sends
a weather alert accompanied by a 1050 Hz tone and subsequent weather
report on one of the NOAA weather channels. When the Weater Aleart fea-
ture is enabled (see section 8.4 WEATER ALERT), the transceiver is ca-
pable of receiving this alert if the following is performed:
1. Program NOAA weather channels into the transceiver’s memory for scan-
ning. Follow the same procedure as for regular channels under Section
6.15.
2. Press the [
SCAN(
MEM)]
 key once to start memory scanning or hold
down the [
SCAN(
MEM)]
 key during memory scanning to start priority
scanning.
3. The programmed NOAA weather channels will be scanned along with
the regular-programmed channels. However, scanning will not stop on a
normal weather broadcast unless a NOAA alert is received.
4. When an alert is received on a NOAA weather channel, scanning will
stop and the transceiver will emit a loud beep to alert the user of a NOAA
broadcast.
5. Press the [
WX]
 key to stop the alert tone and receive the weather report.
NOTE
If the [
WX]
 key is not pressed the alert tone will be emitted for 5 minutes
and then the weather report will be received.
NOTE
The Weather Aleart feature is also engaged while the transceiver is
received on the one of the NOAA weather channel.
6.8  NOAA WEATHER ALERT TESTING
In the event of a major storm or other appreciable weather condition requir-
ing vessels at sea or other bodies of water to be notified, the NOAA (Na-
tional Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) broadcasts a 1050
Hz tone that some marine VHF radios can detect. (Refer to above section
“NOAA WEATER ALERT” on how to use this feature.) This tone, when de-
tected, will produce a loud beep from the radio speaker to signal that a
weather alert is being broadcast.
In order to test this system, the NOAA broadcasts the 1050 Hz tone every
Wednesday, sometime between 11 AM and 1 PM. 
						

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6.9  EMERGENCY (
CHANNEL 16 USE)
Channel 16 is known as the Hail and Distress Channel. An emergency may
be defined as a threat to life or property. In such instances, be sure the
transceiver is on and set to CHANNEL 16. Then use the following procedure:
1. Press the microphone push-to-talk switch and say “Mayday, Mayday,
Mayday. This is 
      ,       ,       ” (your vessel’s name).
2. Then repeat once: “Mayday, 
      ” (your vessel’s name).
3. Now report your position in latitude/longitude, or by giving a true or mag-
netic bearing (state which) to a well-known landmark such as a naviga-
tion aid or geographic feature such as an island or harbor entry.
4. Explain the nature of your distress (sinking, collision, aground, fire, heart
attack, life-threatening injury, etc.).
5. State the kind of assistance your desire (pumps, medical aid, etc.).
6. Report the number of persons aboard and condition of any injured.
7. Estimate the present seaworthiness and condition of your vessel.
8. Give your vessel’s description: length, design (power or sail), color and
other distinguishing marks. The total transmission should not exceed 1
minute.
9. End the message by saying “OVER”. Release the microphone button
and listen.
10. If there is no answer, repeat the above procedure. If there is still no
response, try another channel.
6.10  CALLING ANOTHER VESSEL (
CHANNEL 16 OR 9)
Channel 16 may be used for initial contact (hailing) with another vessel.
However, its most important use is for emergency messages. This channel
must be monitored at all times except when actually using another channel.
It is monitored by the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards and by other ves-
sels. Use of channel 16 for hailing must be limited to initial contact
only. Calling should not exceed 30 seconds, but may be repeated 3 times at
2-minute intervals. In areas of heavy radio traffic, congestion on channel 16
resulting from its use as a hailing channel can be reduced significantly in
U.S. waters by using channel 9 as the initial contact (hailing) channel for
non-emergency communications. Here, also, calling time should not exceed
30 seconds but may be repeated 3 times at 2-minute intervals.
Prior to making contact with another vessel, refer to the channel charts in
this manual, and select an appropriate channel for communications after
initial contact. For example, Channels 68 and 69 of the U.S. VHF Charts are 
						

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some of the channels available to non-commercial (recreational) boaters.
Monitor your desired channel in advance to make sure you will not be inter-
rupting other traffic, and then go back to either channel 16 or 9 for your initial
contact.
When the hailing channel (16 or 9) is clear, state the name of the other
vessel you wish to call and then “this is” followed by the name of your
vessel and your Station License (Call Sign). When the other vessel returns
your call, immediately request another channel by saying “go to,” the num-
ber of the other channel, and “over.” Then switch to the new channel. When
the new channel is not busy, call the other vessel.
After a transmission, say “over,” and release the microphone’s push-to-talk
(PTT) switch. When all communication with the other vessel is completed,
end the last transmission by stating your Call Sign and the word “out.” Note
that it is not necessary to state your Call Sign with each transmission, only
at the beginning and end of the contact.
Remember to return to Channel 16 when not using another channel.
6.11  MAKING TELEPHONE CALLS
To make a radiotelephone call, use a channel designated for this purpose,
The fastest way to learn which channels are used for radiotelephone traffic
is to ask at a local marina. Channels available for such traffic are designated
Public Correspondence channels on the channel charts in this manual.
Some examples for USA use are Channels 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 84, 85, 86,
and 87. Call the marine operator and identify yourself by your vessel’s name,
The marine operator will then ask you how you will pay for the call (tele-
phone credit card, collect, etc.) and then link your radio transmission to the
telephone lines.
The marine telephone company managing the VHF channel you are using
may charge a link-up fee in addition to the cost of the call.
6.12  OPERATING ON CHANNELS 13 AND 67
Channel 13 is used at docks and bridges and by vessels maneuvering in
port. Messages on this channel must concern navigation only, such as meet-
ing and passing in restricted waters.
Channel 67 is used for navigational traffic between vessels.
By regulation, power is normally limited to 1 Watt on these channels. Your 
						

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radio is programmed to automatically reduce power to this limit on these
channels. However, in certain situations it may be necessary to temporarily
use a higher power. See page 18 ([
H/L(
POS)]
 key) for means to temporarily
override the low-power limit on these two channels.
6.13  PROHIBITED COMMUNICATIONS
The FCC prohibits the following communications:
• False distress or emergency messages:
• Messages to “any boat” except in emergencies and radio tests;
• Messages to or from a vessel on land;
• Transmission while on land;
• Obscene, indecent, or profane language (potential fine of $10,000).
6.14  DUAL WATCH (
TO CH16)
1. Adjust the SQL knob until the background noise disappears.
2. Select the channel you wish to dual watch to Ch16.
3. Press the [
DW(
IC)]
 key. The display will scan between CH16 and the
channel that was selected in step 2.
If a transmission is received on the channel selected in
step 2, the QUEST+ will dual watch to Ch16.
4. To stop Dual Watch press the [
DW(
IC)]
 key again.
6.15  MEMORY SCANNING (
M-SCAN)
NOTE
• During scanning, the dot matrix area of the LCD will show M-SCAN or
P-SCAN depending on the scan mode selected.
• If GPS position is displayed this icon will be hidden.
1. Adjust the SQL knob until background noise disappears.
2. Select a desired channel to be scanned using the [
UP]
 or [
DOWN]
 key.
Press and hold the [
SCAN(
MEM)]
 key, “MEM” will ap-
pear on the LCD which indicates the channel has been
programmed into the transceivers memory.
3. Repeat step 2 for all the desired channels to be scanned.
4. To DELETE a channel from the transceiver ’s memory,
press and hold the [
SCAN(
MEM)]
 key, “MEM” will disappear in the LCD.
5. To start scanning, press the [
SCAN(
MEM)]
 key. Scan-
ning will proceed from the lowest to the highest pro-
grammed channel number and will stop on a channel
when a transmission is received. 
						

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(Latitude) (Longitude)
(No GPS Signal)
6. The channel number will blink during reception.
7. To stop scanning, press the [
SCAN(
MEM)]
, [
16/9]
, [
WX]
, or PTT key.
6.16  PRIORITY SCANNING (
P-SCAN)
1. The priority channel is set to channel 16.
2. For priority scanning during M-SCAN, press and hold
the [
SCAN(
MEM)]
 key, until P-SCAN appears in the LCD.
Scanning will proceed between the memorized chan-
nels and the priority channel. The priority channel will
be scanned after each programmed channel.

: When DSC Scanning method is enabled. Default is DSC scan is ON.
3. The scanning will be performed while receiving the MEM
CH (memorized channel).
4. To stop scanning, press the [
SCAN(
MEM)]
, [
16/9]
, [
WX]
,
or PTT key.
NOTE
Triple watch (T/W) means the radio is watching CH70 for DSC Calls.
Dual watch (D/W) means the radio is not watching CH70 for DSC Calls.
6.17  POSITION INDICATION
The transceiver has the ability to display the vessel’s position (LAT/LON) for
Confirmation of the data, if connected to a GPS receiver.
1. Press and hold the [
H/L(
POS)]
 key, dis-
plays “LAT” and “LON” information al-
ternately every two seconds.
If the GPS receiver receives no signal,
the display will be as shown in the illus-
tration.
2. To hide the position information, press and hold the
[
H/L(
POS)]
 key again.
MEM CH.CH. 16
CH. 70MEM CH.CH. 16
CH. 70 
						

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6.18  TIME INDICATION
Press and hold the [
16/9]
 and [
H/L(
POS)]
 keys while turn-
ing the transceiver on, the transceiver will display the TIME
on the upper side, if connected to a GPS receiver.
NOTE
The TIME OFFSET should be set to local time in the DSC/RADIO setup
mode when the radio is connected the GPS navigation receiver. To ad-
just TIME OFFSET to your local time, refer to section 7.6 TIME OFF-
SET.
6.19  RESETTING THE TRANSCEIVER’S MICROPROCESSOR
Resetting the microprocessor restores the initial, factory supplied conditions
in the transceiver. These are called the default conditions.
To reset the microprocessor, first turn the transceiver off. Then while press-
ing the [
WX]
 and [
SCAN(
MEM)]
 keys, turn the transceiver on. The default
conditions are:
• No channels in SCAN memory.
• Channel 16 will be selected when the transceiver is turned on.
• WX channel 01 will be recalled when the [
WX]
 key is pressed.
• Key beep will be on.
NOTE
Resetting the microprocessor will not erase DSC MMSI and Directory
information. 
						

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7  DIGITAL SELECTIVE CALLING
7.1  GENERAL
WARNING
This radio is designed to generate a digital maritime distress and safety
call to facilitate search and rescue. To be effective as a safety device,
this equipment must be used only within communication range of a shore-
based VHF marine channel 70 distress and safety watch system. The
range of signal may vary but under normal conditions should be ap-
proximately 20 nautical miles.
Digital Selective Calling is a semi-automated method of establishing a radio
call, it has been designated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
as an international standard for establishing VHF, MF and HF radio calls. It
had also been designated as part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety
System (GMDSS). It is planned that DSC will eventually replace aural watches
on distress frequencies and will be used to announce routine and urgent
maritime safety information broadcasts.
This new system will allow mariners to instantly send a distress call with
GPS position (when connected to the transceiver) to the US Coast Guard
and other vessels within range of the transmission. DSC will also allow mari-
ners to initiate or receive distress, urgency, safety routine, POS Request,
POS Send and Group calls to or from another vessel equipped with a DSC
transceiver.
WARNING STICKER
A DSC Warning sticker is in-
cluded with the QUEST+. To
comply with FCC regula-
tions this sticker must be
mounted in a location that
can be easily viewed from
the location of the QUEST+.
Make sure the chosen loca-
tion is clean and dry before
applying the sticker.
WARNING
STICKER
CAL LSETSCAN H/ LDWWX 
						

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7.2  DSC SCAN
When the radio is shipped from the factory it is programmed so CH70 (the
DSC channel) is scanned at all times. There is a selection in the SETUP
MENU to disable the DSC SCAN. However, turning off DSC SCAN will dis-
able the radio from receiving DSC calls i.e.: Individual Call, All Ships Call,
Distress Call and Position Requests. If you want to use any of the functions
the selection must be left ON.
To Change DSC SCAN Method:
1. Press and hold down the [
CALL/SET(
MENU)]
 key until
“RADIO SETUP” appears.
2. Press the [
DOWN]
 key to select “DSC SETUP.”
3. Press the [
CALL/SET(
MENU)]
 key, then press the [
UP]
or [
DOWN]
 key to select “DSC SCAN.”
4. Press the [
CALL/SET(
MENU)]
 key to enable setting this
item (The number in the display will flash).
5. Press the [
UP]
 or [
DOWN]
 key to select “on” or “oF (off).”
6. Press the [
CALL/SET(
MENU)]
 key to store the selected
setting.
7. Press the [
UP]
 or [
DOWN]
 key to select “EXIT,” then
press the [
CALL/SET(
MENU)]
 key.
8. Press the [
UP]
 or [
DOWN]
 key to select “EXIT,” then
press the [
CALL/SET(
MENU)]
 key to return to the nor-
mal operation.