West Marine VHF500 Specifications

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10NOTES: "POS SEND", "LOCAL TIME ADJUST", "DAYLITE SAVINGS", and "ALARMCLOCK" are not displayed in Menu when e

11InstallationCaution: The VHF500 will only operate with a nominal 12 volt negativeground battery system.Keep in mind the flexibility designed into th

126. Select a location well away from the ship’s compass. Auxiliaryspeakers also should be located away from the compass.UT01920ZB_0 8/16/05 12:34

13Engine Noise SuppressionInterference from the noise generated by the electrical systems ofengines is sometimes a problem with radios. The VHF500 ha

14Installing the VHF500After you have carefully considered the various factors affecting yourchoice of location, position the radio (with the bracket,

15POWER On/OffTurn the unit On by rotating the PWR/VOLcontrol clockwise. Adjust the volume to acomfortable level.When you turn the unit On, you will h

16Turn SQUELCH fully clockwise. This raises the “Squelch Gate” so highthat only very strong signals can get through.Turn SQUELCH fully counterclockwi

17HAILING AND DISTRESS CHANNEL 16/CHANNEL 9COMMUNICATIONSTo select Channel 16 or Channel 9, press the 16/9/TRI key. The firstpress of the 16/9/TRI key

18SELECTING A CHANNELTo manually select a channel, press CH ▲ or ▼ briefly. Communicationchannels are located on channel 01-28 and 60-88. Weather chan

19WEATHER CHANNELSTo select Weather Channels 0-9, pressWX/ALERT briefly. The radio will go to thelast selected Weather Channel. Press CH ▲or ▼ brief

This transmitter will operate on channels/frequencies that haverestricted use in the United States. The channel assignmentsinclude frequencies assign

20MEMORY CHANNEL SCANThis feature will allow you to scan only the channels of your choice.Memory Channel Scan can only be activated if channels have p

21WEATHER ALERTWeather Alert is a safety function that allows the radio to monitor thelocal weather channel for NOAA Weather Alert broadcasts, whileal

221. Press WX/ALERT for more than twoseconds when WX ALERT is Off. The radio turns the WX ALERT On andthe icon appears.2. If the radio receives a 1050

23SETTING THE TRANSMIT (TX) POWERThe VHF500 transmits on fifty-four marine frequencies and receives on eighty marine frequencies. Channel 70 of the US

24Menu OperationMENUDSC CALLINDIVIDUALGROUPALL SHIPSPOS REQUESTPOS SENDSTANDBYCALL WAITEXITSETUPALARM CLOCKLOCAL TIME ADJUSTDAYLITE SAVEDIRECTORYFIPSA

251. DIGITAL SELECTIVE CALLING (DSC)Digital Selective Calling is the latest in Marine Radio technology. DSCis a process of establishing a radio call

262. The Distress call is transmitted and itwaits for about 210 - 270 seconds for anacknowledgement from the Coast Guardbefore the Distress call is re

273. INDIVIDUAL appears.Press SELECT briefly.4. Select the individual you want to contactusing CH ▲ and ▼.Press SELECTbriefly to transmit the individu

28Note: If there is not any data registered in the directory you cannotproceed to the 2nd step. See the SETUP section for directory,setup instruction

292. Press CH ▼ twice to select ALLSHIPS.3. Press SELECT briefly. URGENCYappears.4. Select the category of your call usingCH ▲ and ▼ (URGENCY, SAFETY,

West Marine VHF500 ...5Included with your VHF500 ...

305. Press SELECT briefly to transmit theALL SHIPS DSC signal.When sending either an URGENCY orSAFETY message, all radios willautomatically move to ch

313. Press SELECT briefly. The individualdirectory appears.4. Select the name to request theindividual’s position using CH ▲ and ▼.5. Press SELECT bri

322. Press CH ▼ four times to select POS SEND.3. Press SELECT briefly. The individualdirectory appears.4. Press SELECT briefly to send yourposition in

331-F. STANDBYThe DSC STANDBY function allows the VHF500 to answer DSC callswith the UNATTENDED message and record the calls for response atanother ti

342. Press CH ▼ repeatedly to select CALL WAIT.3. Press SELECT briefly. The CALL WAITdirectory appears.4. Select the options you want to viewusing CH

355. Press SELECT briefly.6. If a DISTRESS call is received in CallWait, the following display appears.If an INDIVIDUAL call is received in CallWait,

361. Press H/L/MENU for more than twoseconds to enter Menu Operation.2. Press CH ▼ once to display SETUP,and press SELECT briefly.SETUP has 9 options

376. Select AM or PM using CH ▲ or ▼, thenpress SELECT briefly.7. A confirmation screen appears.2-A-2. ALARM ONThis feature allows you to turn the ala

382-A-3. ALARM OFFThis feature allows you to turn the alarm OFF.1. Press SELECT briefly at SETUP(To enter SETUP, see page 36).2.ALARM CLOCK appears.3.

392-B. LOCAL TIME ADJUSTThis feature allows you to fine tune the Local Time for any location inNorth America. The feature enables you to adjust the Lo

Setup ...36Alarm Clock...

402-C. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS On/OffThis feature enables you to select the automatic Daylight Savings clocksetting.To set DAYLIGHT SAVINGS On/Off1. Press SE

412-D. DIRECTORYThis function will allow you to send an individual call, etc. The Directoryfunction memorizes the name and MMSI number of 20 other ve

422-D-1. NEWThis function will allow you to enter new information into thedirectory.1. Press SELECT briefly at NEW. Theregistering screen appears.2. Y

431. Press SELECT briefly at the individualyou want to edit.2.EDIT appears, then press SELECTbriefly.3. You can now edit the person’s name.Press CH ▲

442-D-3. DELETEIf you want to delete the directory1. Press SELECT briefly at the individualyou want to delete.2. Press CH ▼ once. DELETE appears,then

452-E. FIPSThe 6-digit Federal Information Processing System (FIPS) codeestablished by the National Weather Service (NWS) identifiesgeographic areas i

461. Press SELECT briefly at the code thatyou want to edit.2.EDIT appears, then press SELECTbriefly.3. You can now edit the FIPS code. PressCH ▲ incre

474. When you finished editing the last digit,the confirmation screen appears.2-E-3. DELETEIf you want to delete a directory entry1. Press SELECT brie

482-F. AUTO CHANNEL SWITCH This feature is to allow you to disable the automatic channel change thathappens when receiving a DSC call. This feature i

492-G. POSITION REPLYWhen the calling radio has requested the position information of yourradio, you can decide to transmit an acknowledgment automati

5The West Marine VHF500 is of all solid-state design with conservativelyrated, rugged components and materials compatible with the marineenvironment.

50Example: OnWhen the radio receives a positionrequest, the following screen appears.Example: OFWhen the radio receives a positionrequest, the followi

512-H. CHANNEL NAMEThis feature allows you to name each marine channel.1. Press SELECT briefly at SETUP (Toenter SETUP, see page 36).2. Display CH TAG

524. Press SELECT for more than two seconds when you enter the last digit.1. Press SELECT briefly at the individualchannel you want to edit. EDIT appe

532-I. WHAM (Wireless Handheld Access Microphone)This feature, from the setup menu, will allow you to connect the WHAM.Note: When you use the WHAM in

541. Press SELECT at BASE ID, thefollowing screen appears.2. Press CH ▲ to increase the number, CH▼ to decrease. The number will beentered when SELECT

551. Press CH ▼ once at BASE ID. LINK CH appears.2. Press SELECT briefly to enter theediting mode.3. Press CH ▲ to increase the number, CH▼ to decreas

562-J. GROUP MMSIGroup MMSI is the Group ID to contact a group of specific vessels usingDSC and to automatically switch to a desired channel. This fun

572-K. USER MMSIFederal MMSI's are issued by the National Telecommunications andInformation Administration. Non-Federal MMSI's are issued b

584. You can now enter the USER MMSIcode. Press CH ▲ to increase thenumber, CH ▼ to decrease. The numberwill be entered when SELECT ispressed briefly,

593. SYSTEM1. Press H/L/MENU for more than twoseconds to enter Menu Operation.2. Press CH ▼ twice to display SYSTEM,and press SELECT briefly.SYSTEM ha

6Included with your VHF500VHF500Owner s ManualVHF500 Radio Microphone Hangerand ScrewsMounting Bracketand KnobsDC CordSpare Fuse250V 6AAccessory Cable

603-B. LAMP ADJUST1. Press SELECT briefly at SYSTEM.(To enter SYSTEM, see page 59.)2. Press CH ▼ once to select LAMPADJUST.3. Press SELECT briefly to

613-C. KEY BEEP1. Press SELECT briefly at SYSTEM.(To enter SYSTEM, see page 59.)2. Press CH ▼ twice to select KEY BEEP.3. Press SELECT briefly to ente

62• Flush mounting bracket for “in dash” installation.(White = 500FMW, Black = 500FMB)Contact your West Marine store or dealer from whom you purchased

63VHF FM Marine Radio TelephoneChannel and Functions(USA Channels)CHANNEL FREQUENCY (MHz)TYPE OF TRAFFICSHIP TO SHIP TOCH Name FULL NAMEDESIGTRANSMITR

64VHF FM Marine Radio TelephoneChannel and Functions(International Channels)CHANNEL FREQUENCY (MHz)TYPE OF TRAFFICSHIP TO SHIP TOCH Name FULL NAMEDESI

65VHF FM Marine Radio TelephoneChannel and Functions(Canadian Channels)CHANNEL FREQUENCY (MHz)TYPE OF TRAFFICSHIP TO SHIP TOCH Name FULL NAMEDESIGTRAN

66NWR-SAME EVENT CODEEvent Code Standard EVENT LEVEL (Siren Type) Radio Status Warning Watch Statement Test DisplayEmergency Action Notification EAN 0

67GeneralChannels : Transmit 54Receive 77 Marine/10 WeatherControls : On-Off/Volume, SquelchStatus Indicators : TX (Transmit), TRI (Triple Watch), HI

68In the event that the radio fails to perform, or needs servicing, pleasesend directory to our Electronics Repair Center in Hollister, CA. Be sureto

69CAUSEYou are on a channelwhich is limited to 1watt transmit power(e.g. Ch. 13) or youare on a "receiveonly" channel (e.g.WX).CAUSE 1: Noca

7Front panel/Microphone1. PTT Switch - Press to transmit and release to receive.2.12.16/9/TRI - Press this key briefly to instantly change to Channel

70Your VHF500 is a precision of electronic equipment and you should treatit accordingly. Due to the rugged design, very little maintenance isrequired.

71WARRANTOR: WEST MARINE AMERICA CORPORATION (“West Marine”)ELEMENTS OF WARRANTY: West Marine warrants, for three years, to theoriginal retail owner,

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8Rear Panel Connectors23411. DC Jack2. ACC Connector3. Remote Connector4. Antenna ConnectorTo VHF500Note: DC13.8V and GND are for GPS ANT.ACC Connecto

91. TX (Transmit) - Indicates transmitting.2.HI (High) - Indicates transmit output is 25 Watts.3.C - Indicates Canadian Channel Mode.4.DSC - Indicates