EXPLORER QRZ-1 5W VHF/UHF Handheld Transceiver User Manual

QRZ-1 5W VHF/UHF Handheld Transceiver

-1

User’s Manual

Dot-Matrix LCD Display

Multiple Key Lock Setting Multi-Display

Mode Dual Band Dual Wait Dual Standby 200 Channels

Battery Saving

CTCSS

THANK YOU
for purchasing the Explorer QRZ-1 Transceiver. After reading this manual you will have an understanding of the
features of this radio.

Main Features
Dual band, dual display, dual standby DOT-MATRIX LCD display A/B band independent operation 200 channels storage and scanning FM Radio and 24 stations memory Wide/Narrow band selectable VOX 0-7 level setting CTCSS and scanning Shortcut menu operation mode Multiple keys lock settings Multi display mode

WHAT’S IN THE BOX———————————————————————– 02 CHARGING BATTERY PACK————————————————————- 04 INSTALLATION OF ACCESSORIES—————————————————- 06 THE BASICS———————————————————————————-
Simplex—————————————————————————– 10 Repeaters———————————————————————– 11-12 Transmit Frequency————————————————————- 13 Offset—————————————————————————- 13-14 Offset Direction——————————————————————- 14 CTCSS—————————————————————————— 15 Squelch—————————————————————————– 17 Carrier Squelch——————————————————————- 17 CTCSS—————————————————————————— 17 USING THE RADIO————————————————————————Radio Illustration————————————————————– 19-20 LCD Display——————————————————————- 21-22 Working Mode—————————————————————- 23-24

MENU STRUCTURE———————————————————————– 25-28 Tone Mode—————————————————————————– 25 Tone Sel——————————————————————————– 25 Repeater——————————————————————————- 25 Squelch——————————————————————————– 25 Dual RX——————————————————————————– 25 Lamp Mode————————————————————————— 25 Brightness—————————————————————————– 25 Beep———————————————————————————— 25 Power———————————————————————————- 26 Battery——————————————————————————— 26 VOX———————————————————————————— 26 VOX Level—————————————————————————– 26 Scan Mode—————————————————————————- 26 Scan———————————————————————————— 26 TX Block——————————————————————————- 26 Offset———————————————————————————– 27 Welcome——————————————————————————- 27 RX Sleep—————————————————————————— 27

MENU STRUCTURE (CONT.) Time Out——————————————————————————- 27 Step————————————————————————————- 27 Nar/Wide——————————————————————————- 27 Tone Scan—————————————————————————– 27 Lock Mode—————————————————————————– 28 Disp Mode—————————————————————————– 28 Dual Watch—————————————————————————- 28 Reset———————————————————————————– 28 Firmware—————————————————————————— 28
KEYPAD LOCK——————————————————————————— 29 CHANNEL STORAGE AND DELETE————————————————– 30-32 SPECIFICATIONS————————————————————————– 34-35 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS—————————————————————– 36-37 WARRANTY————————————————————————————– 38

WHAT’S IN THE BOX
-1
02

Charging Precaution The supplied battery pack of this radio is a high- performance Li-ion with 7.4V standard voltage 1400mAh high capacity in a very compact package. Under normal use, the battery pack has an expected life span of 500 charge cycles. If you have a battery pack that has diminished capacity, replace the battery and dispose of the old one properly.
Do not short-circuit the battery terminals or expose to fire. Do not disassemble the battery. The battery should be charged only when the ambient temperature is between 32°F and 110°F. Turn off the transceiver when charging. Do not charge when the battery or the radio is wet. Allow the radio and battery to completely dry before charging to avoid damage.
Do not allow conductive metals, such as jewelry, coins or keys, -1
to come in contact with the battery terminals. It is especially dangerous to carry the battery in your pocket.
04

Charging Operation :
The light on the charger will indicate the charging status.
Battery Tips: · Charge the battery before using for the first time. The battery is not fully charged at the factory. · A new battery will reach its optimal performance after two or three charging cycles. · To optimize battery life, do not operate when the battery voltage is below 7.3 VDC (approximately 20%) and do not store the battery for more than a couple of days with the battery voltage above 8.2 VDC (approximately 80%).
05

Align the two grooves of the battery to the guide rail on the back of the aluminum

shell, then push the battery up until the battery latch locks. (Figure1)

To remove the battery, make sure the radio is off, then push the battery latch

down and slide the battery out from the radio. (Figure 2)

Figure 1

Figure 2
06

1. Align the threaded end of the antenna and the threaded hole at the top of the radio, then rotate the antenna clockwise until it is secured. (Figure 3)
2. To remove the antenna, rotate it counter-clockwise until the antenna is detached.(Figure 4)

Align the two holes in the belt clip with the two holes in the radio and attach using the supplied M2.5×5 screws. (Figure 5)

Figure 3

Figure 4

07

Figure 5
08

THE BASICS
-1

THE BASICS
If you are new to two-way radio, there are some basic concepts that you should be familiar with before using this device. By becoming familiar with these general ideas, you can avoid the improper operation of the device which can be harmful, injurious to health, or possibly illegal. Please be familiar with these terms:
Simplex : Simplex is a mode of operation where two radios talk directly to each other, without any intervening assistance. Simplex is the classic “walkie-talkie” mode that most people use when communicating with friends that are nearby.
At the frequencies used by this radio, nearby obstructions matter. For example, a signal will travel farther in an open field than it will in a forest. Trees, buildings, concrete, all of these things will absorb some of your transmitted and received radio signals. The rule of thumb is that for effective communications, there must be a line-of-sight path between the participants. It doesn’t have to be physically transparent, i.e. the signal can easily penetrate a thin, nonmetallic surface. Therefore, line-of-sight refers to radio wave propagation and not light.
One of the best ways to provide line-of-sight reception is to have one of the two radios located at a higher elevation than the other. A person standing on a small hilltop can therefore have line-of-sight propagation with everything seen below.
10

THE BASICS
Radios still work in the forest, but not as well as when you’re on a hilltop.
To use SIMPLEX mode, it is only necessary to set both radios to the same frequency. (if you use tone options, they must also match) Each user in a SIMPLEX group transmits and receives on the same frequency. Be careful when choosing simplex frequencies because most of the available frequencies are already occupied, even though you may not hear anything.
Repeaters : A repeater gives the benefit of line-of-sight to multiple users at once. Repeaters are unattended devices that receive signals on one frequency (the INPUT frequency), and they retransmit everything that is heard on another frequency (the OUTPUT frequency). Repeaters place their antennas atop a high structure or hill so that it has an excellent line-of-sight over a large area. Any user that is within the coverage area that is reached by the repeater will hear a clear, strong signal. This enables users to communicate with each other despite not having a clear line of sight between them.
A repeater is an unattended radio that simply repeats everything it hears. It has a listening (INPUT) frequency and a transmit (OUTPUT) frequency. All users are tuned and listen to the repeater’s OUTPUT frequency. When users want to speak, they transmit on the repeater’s INPUT frequency.
11

The difference between an INPUT and and OUTPUT frequency is sometimes called a `split’, but more accurately referred to as the repeater’s OFFSET, which is specified as some distance, plus or minus, from the repeaters OUTPUT frequency. There are standards for this and at VHF frequencies the standard offset is ±600 khz and at UHF frequencies the standard offset is ±5 mhz.
In addition to frequency and offset, many repeaters require a specific tone to be transmitted to enable the output. This tone is called CTCSS. You can’t hear CTCSS normally because it’s a very low (sub-audible) tone. When the repeater hears the tone coming from your transmitter, it will open its output.
Information you will need to program a repeater into your radio. 1) Repeater’s transmit frequency (“Output” frequency) 2) Offset 3) Offset Direction 4) CTCSS
12

THE BASICS

1. Transmit Frequency : Repeaters can receive and transmit simultaneously by using different frequencies for each. Your radio will receive signals from the repeater by tuning to the repeater’s transmit or OUTPUT frequency. There are several directories listed below that publish these frequencies. Your radio will transmit to the repeater using a different frequency. This will allow you to talk to the repeater’s receive or INPUT frequency. The difference, between these two frequencies, expressed in MHz, is called the offset.
   To manually select a new frequency in the QRZ-1, you must be in VFO mode (press to toggle between VFO mode and Memory mode). Use the number keypad to enter
   the repeater’s transmit frequency.
2. Offset : Fortunately, the difference between these frequencies has been standardized and is referred to as the “offset” or “split.” In the USA, the 2 meter band offset is 600 kHz, and the 70 cm band offset is 5 MHz
   13

If the repeater you intend to use has a nonstandard offset, you can adjust the offset in the

QRZ-1, by pressing

and using

to go to menu #16 (Offset).

Press

again to select the frequency value field and use the number keypad to enter

the repeater’s offset frequency. The frequency value field is in MHz, so an offset of 600

kHz would be entered as “0 0 0 6 0 0 0”. The display will indicate 0.60000 MHz.

Press

to save your change and then the PTT button to exit the menu.

3. Offset Direction :

Depending on the repeater’s OUTPUT frequency, the offset described above will be

negative or positive. This is the offset direction.

To select the offset direction in the Explorer QRZ-1, go to menu #3 (Repeater) by pressing

followed by the number 3. Use

to choose the offset direction for

the repeater, press

to save your change, and then the PTT button to exit the menu.

Offset and Offset Direction Table :

Repeater Transmit Frequency (MHz) 145.2 – 146.97

Offset (Split) -600 kHz

147 – 147.39

+600 kHz

442 – 445

-5 MHz

447 – 450

+5 MHz

Example: The repeater you want to use has a transmit frequency of 146.94 MHz and a standard offset. Finding this frequency in the chart above, we know that the offset is 600 kHz (0.6 MHz), and the offset direction is negative. So, for this repeater, you use the default offset of 0.600 MHz (menu #16) and an offset direction of “-” (menu #3).
14

4. CTCSS : To ensure that repeaters only receive/transmit intended signals, they are protected by a system called Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS), sometimes referred to as “PL tone.” This is a sub-audible tone sent from your radio along with your signal and tells the repeater to receive and re-transmit your signal. Without the proper CTCSS setting, the repeater will ignore the signal from your radio, even if it is programmed with the correct transmit frequency.

To enter the repeater’s CTCSS information in the QRZ-1, go to menu #1 (Tone Mode) by

pressing

followed by the number 1 and selecting “TX” mode using

, then press

to save your change and press the PTT button to exit

the menu. Then go to menu #2 (Tone Sel) by pressing

followed by the number 2.

Use

to select the correct tone frequency for the repeater, press

to save your change, and press the PTT button to exit the menu.

70cm Band 5 MHz Negative Offset Example
447.725 MHz: Your Listen (Repeater Transmit)
447.725 MHz: Your Talk (Repeater Receive)

Repeater Directories :

RFinder

www.rfinder.net

RepeaterBook www.repeaterbook.com

RadioReference www.radioreference.com

15

16

Squelch : Squelch is a circuit in the radio that can be adjusted to suppress the audio of the radio when receiving undesired weak signals or static noise.
Carrier Squelch (Noise Squelch) : This is the most basic form of squelch and operates only on signal strength. In the Explorer QRZ-1, use menu #4 (Squelch) to adjust the received signal strength needed to unmute or break the squelch threshold on the receiver. The setting range is 0 through 9 with a default of 5. In normal operation, the user will adjust the squelch setting downward until the noise is heard and then increase the setting only until the noise is suppressed or squelched. This setting will allow even weak signals to be heard through the speaker. If desired, the squelch setting can be increased to allow only stronger signals to be heard.
CTCSS (Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System) : CTCSS is a system that adds a tone to transmissions that is filtered out by the receiving radio. The CTCSS system includes about fifty tones ranging from 67 Hz to 254 Hz. If the same frequency is being used by more than one group of users, the CTCSS will only allow signals with the correct tone to be received by the radio. When menu #1 (Tone Mode) is set to “TX+RX” or “RX”, the user will then use menu #2 (TONE SEL) to select the tone required by the repeater being used or the tone desired by a group of users on the same channel.
17

USING THE RADIO
-1

Power/Volume Knob

Menu key Number key

Menu

Tone

Code

Rptr

Sql

Dual

Lamp

Bright

Beep

Pwr

Volt Radio

19

FLASHLIGHT
Press and hold to transmit and release
to receive.
Pressing this key disables the noise squelching
allowing you to hear very weak signals near the background noise level

This jack provides a connection for the optional speaker microphone, earpiece microphone, and programming cable.
20

You will see various icons shown on the screen when powered on.
21

Battery fully charged Battery fully depleted
22

WORKING MODE

Frequency Mode (VFO)

Press the PTT button to return to the main screen. The operating band is indicated by an

arrow next to the frequency and can be either the A or B band. If the operating band is in

VFO Mode, this will be indicated on the display beside the operating frequency. If the band

is in Memory Mode (displaying a preset channel number) as shown below, press the Radio

to switch to VFO Mode. In this mode, you can use

keys to change the

frequency, or you can input the frequency directly by using the keypad.

Frequency Mode (VFO)

Memory Mode (MR)

Memory Mode (MR)

If the operating band is currently in VFO mode, press the Radio to enter MR mode.

The channel number will be indicated next to the frequency on the main screen. Use the

keys to navigate through the saved channel numbers or enter the

channel number directly using the keypad.

FM Radio Mode

Long press Radio to enter and exit the FM Radio mode. FM Radio mode enables the radio

to receive the FM broadcast band from 65 to 108Mhz.

MENU Mode

Press the

to enter MENU mode. See page 25-28 for a complete list of menu items.

23

24

MENU STRUCTURE
Menu Items 1-10 can be accessed by using desired number keys.
Menu Items 11-27 can be accessed by using

Tone Mode
Tone Sel Repeater Squelch Dual RX Lamp Mode Brightness Beep

TX/RX Tone Coder Off: Disable CTCSS TX+RX: Radio will transmit the CTCSS and only open the squelch if the CTCSS is present on the receiving signal RX: Radio will not transmit CTCSS and will only open the squelch if the CTCSS is present on the receiving signal. TX: Radio will transmit the CTCSS but does not require CTCSS for receiving signals
If tone mode is not “off”, then select the tone frequency to be used for the selected tone mode
Repeater Offset Direction
Carrier Squelch Level Setting. See page 17 for more information.
Monitor both the primary (operating) band and secondary band signals at the same time
Set screen backlight mode. On: Always on Auto: on for 5 seconds after any key press Off: No backlight function
Adjust brightness of LED screen
Enable sound when keypad buttons are pressed

Off/TX+RX/RX/TX
62.5/67.0/69.3/71.9/74.4/77.0 /79.7/82.5/ +/-/Off 0-9 On/Off
On/Auto/Off 0-7 On/Off

25

VOX Level Scan Mode
Scan TX Block

Select low (1W) medium (2W) or high (5W) TX power. Power settings can be stored in each memory location.

Displays battery voltage

Provides automatic transmit/receive switching based on voice input. With VOX enabled, it is not necessary to press the PTT switch to transmit.

When the VOX function is enabled, this setting

0-7

adjusts the sensitivity (higher levels are more

sensitive)

Select the method in which the scanner will stop on a signal. Carrier: In this mode, the scanner will halt on a signal and will hold there as long as the station is active. After the carrier has dropped, scanning will resume. Time: In this mode, the scanner will halt on a signal and will hold there for some time. If the Menu key is not pressed to stop the scan within the time period, scanning will resume even if the station is still active. Stop: In this mode, the scanner will halt on a signal and will not restart automatically. Re- initiate the scan if desired.

Carrier/Time/Stop

In VFO Mode: Initiates a scan of the entire operating band starting with the currently selected frequency. In MR Mode: Initiates a scan of all memory channels starting with the currently selected channel.

Prevents the radio from transmitting if receiving a transmission on the same frequency

Off/Busy

26

Offset Welcome

RX Sleep

19

Time Out

20 Step 21
Nar/Wide

22

Tone Scan

In VFO mode, this funtion sets the magnitude of the repeater shift
Choose options for the welcome screen that is displayed when powering on the radio.

DC/Message/Off

When enabled, this function greatly reduces battery drain during periods of inactivity.

1:1 / 1:2 / 1:4 / Off

This function limits the transmission to the selected value. This can save battery life and prevent interference to others in the case of a stuck PTT switch.
This function sets the interval between frequencies when changing frequencies in VFO mode.
This function sets the FM transmission modulation level. “Wide” (25 kHz)is the default option and is most common for amateur repeaters in the US. The Narrow setting is 12.5 kHz.
In situations where you don’t know the CTCSS tone being used by another station(s), you can use the PL Decode function to scan for the CTCSS tone in use. To scan, press the Menu key and use the up/down arrows to navigate to menu #22 (PL Decode) and press the Menu key again to begin scanning. You can press the PTT switch at any time to halt the scan. You can press the Moni switch while scanning to listen to the signal from the station. When the Moni switch is released, the scan will resume.

OFF/30/60/90/120/150/180/ 210/240/270 seconds
2.5/6.25/10/12.5/25/50/100 (kHz) Wide/Nar

27

23 Lock Mode
24 Disp Mode
25 Dual Watch

Press the “Lock” button for 2 seconds to lock/unlock the keypad. The options control the behavior of the “Lock” button. See page 29 for more information.
When in Memory Recall (MR) Mode, this function allows the choice of displaying the Frequency, Name, or Channel.
When “On”, allows receiving on bands A and B simultaneously. When “Off”, only the active band is received.

All/PTT/Key/Key+S Frequency/Name/Channel On/Off

26 Reset 27 Firmware

“ALL” resets all settings – “VFO” resets all settings VFO mode – “FULL” resets all settings under VFO and Channel Mode (MR). Please see page XX for more information.
Displays the Radio Firmware Version

All/VFO/Full MCU BS1.xx/

28

KEYPAD LOCK

Press the

button for 2 seconds to lock and unlock the keypad. The lock icon will

be displayed at the top of the LCD when the keypad is locked.

To change how the Lock button functions, go to menu #23 (Lock Mode) and select from the options: (ALL/PTT/KEY/KEY+S) The table below shows the behavior for each option.

Lock Functions

ALL PTT KEY KEY+S

Keypad

MONI and Flashlight

PTT

29

CHANNEL STORAGE AND DELETE

Channel Storage

Under VFO mode, input the desired frequency by keypad directly or select one by pressing

and then long-press

. The digits will blink at the top of the LCD

allowing you to select a preset number by inputting directly with the keypad or using

to choose. Press

to store the preset.

Example: To store the frequency: 450.325MHz with CTCSS: 151.4 to the channel 05, the step are as follows:

Under VFO mode, input 4-5-0-3-2-5

Press then press

+ 1 (Tone Mode) and select TX followed by

+ 2

(Tone Sel) and select 151.4 followed by

then

Long press

until the digits blink at the top right of the LCD

4. Press

to select 005.

5)Press the

to store this channel. The LCD display will now show your newly saved

channel in Memory Mode.

30

Channel Delete

Under VFO mode, long-press

until the digits blink on the right side

of the LCD.

Press

or input channel number you want to delete, then

press

to confirm.

After confirming, the radio will skip to the next channel. If you want to delete it,

repeat the operation above.

FM Radio Function

From the home screen, access the FM radio function by long-pressing

Radio button. The word “RADIO” and the frequency will be displayed on the

LCD. Long-pressing Radio button again will return the home screen.

Note: If receiving a signal on the operating band while in FM Radio mode, the radio will switch to the operating band transmission. After 5 seconds of inactivity, the radio will switch back to FM Radio mode.

Mode selection:

Under FM radio mode, press Radio button to switch between FM memory

mode and FM frequency mode (this function is unavailable when no FM

memory channel has been stored).

31

Frequency selecting

Under FM frequency mode, input the digits directly by keypad or press

arrows to choose the desired frequency. Under FM memory

mode, press

arrows to choose the desired channel.

4. FM radio storage

While in FM frequency mode, long-press

button until the channel

number or storage blinks on the right of the screen. Press

arrows to select the desired channel number, then press Radio to confirm.

5. FM radio channel delete:

While in FM frequency mode, long-press

button until the channel

number blinks. Use

arrows to choose the channel number

you want to delete. Press

button to confirm.

32

SPECIFICATIONS SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
WARRANTY
-1

SPECIFICATIONS
General Channel Operating Voltage Operating Temperature Weight Dimension

200 7.4VDC – 10° C ~ +50° C 106g ( battery and antenna included ) 116x53x36mm

Transmitter
Frequency
Power Modulation Type Spurious Power Modulation Noise Modulation Distortion Frequency Stability Max Freq. Deviation Current Audio Response ( 300-3400Hz ) Adjacent Channel Power

144.000 – 148.000MHz 420.000 – 450.000MHz 5W FM -15db <-40dB <5% 5ppm ±5KHz 1600mA +6.5~-14dB 65dB

34

SPECIFICATIONS

Receiver Frequency
Sensitivity Occupied Bandwidth Selectivity Intermediation Audio Power Audio Distortion Frequency Stability Current Audio Response ( 300-3400Hz )

136.000-174.000MHz 400.000-480.000MHz 65.000 – 108.000MHz 0.2 µV 16KHz 65dB 55dB > 500mW 10% 5ppm standby: 60mA working: 250mA +7~-12.5dB

35

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
WARNING
– Do not remove or charge the battery where flammable conditions exist. – Turn off the radio in hospitals and healthcare facilities. – Disconnect any external antennas when near a thunderstorm. – Do not touch any substance leaking from the battery or LCD display. – To avoid short-circuiting the battery, do not carry or store it together with metal objects
such as jewelry or coins.
CAUTION
– Do not attempt to open the radio. You won’t understand what you see in there and it will be difficult to reassemble.
– Only use the specified voltage to power this product. – Keep the battery terminals clean using a dry cloth. – If the radio, battery, or battery charger emits an odor or smoke. Turn the radio off and
remove the battery pack. Unplug the charger from the outlet. – If a liquid is spilled on the product, immediately turn it off and remove the plug from the outlet.
36

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
– Do not use the radio if any cables, power cords, or connectors are damaged or not fitting securely. Only use the DC power cord provided with this product.
– Know that stray RF and wire cables used for installation can cause automotive airbags to malfunction. Keep the radio and all wiring away from the airbag locations.
– Do not place the radio in wet or moist areas. – When transmitting, keep the radio at least 5cm (2 inches) from your body. – Please refer to the FCC’s RF Safety FAQ at www.fcc.gov
ATTENTION
– To clean the exterior of the radio, use only a clean, dry cloth. Do not use solvents such as benzene, thinner, etc.
– Turn off the radio and remove the battery when storing or during extended periods of inactivity.
– Don’t store the radio near a heater or in the sun.

ONE YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
This Limited Product Warranty is provided by the Dealer where the QRZ-1 was purchased. The Product Warranty extends only to the original purchaser of the product and is valid for a period of one year from the date of purchase. Please keep your dated sales receipt as evidence of the date of purchase. You will need it to receive warranty service.
Your Dealer warrants the product will be free from defects in workmanship and materials under normal use. If the product fails to conform to the warranty and is within the warranty period of one year, contact your original dealer for a return authorization. Your dealer may choose to either repair or replace the non-conforming product.

37

38

References

• RadioReference | Home
• Repeaterbook.com - Home
• RFinder Android Radio

Read User Manual Online (PDF format)

Download This Manual (PDF format)

Download this manual  >>