VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL P1 P2 P3 P4 VERTEX STANDARD CO., LTD. 4-8-8 Nakameguro, Meguro-Ku, Tokyo 153-8644, Japan VERTEX STANDARD US Headquarters 10900 Walker Street, Cypress, CA 90630, U.S.A. YAESU UK LTD. Unit 12, Sun Valley Business Park, Winnall Close Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 0LB, U.K. VERTEX STANDARD HK LTD. Unit 5, 20/F., Seaview Centre, 139-141 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong VERTEX STANDARD (AUSTRALIA) PTY., LTD. Normanby Business Park, Unit 14/45 Normanby Road Notting Hill 3168, Victoria, Australia Congratulations!
You now have at your fingertips a valuable communications tool: a Vertex Standard two-way radio! Rugged, reliable and easy to use, your Vertex Standard radio will keep you in constant touch with your colleagues for years to come, with negligible main-
tenance downtime. Please take a few minutes to read this manual carefully. The information presented here will allow you to derive maximum performance from your radio. Were glad you joined the Vertex Standard team. Call on us anytime, because commu-
nications is our business. Let us help you get your message across. NOTICE !
There are no owner-serviceable parts inside the transceiver. All service jobs must be referred to an authorized Vertex Standard Service Representative. Consult your Authorized Vertex Standard dealer for installation of optional accessories. SAFETY/WARNING INFORMATION WARNING - DO NOT operate the VX-4500/-4600 radio when any person(s)
(bystanders) outside the vehicle are within the distances shown in the chart at the bottom of this section. Safety Training information:
Antennas used for this transmitter must not exceed an antenna gain of 3 dBi. The radio must be used in vehicle-mount configurations with a maximum operating duty cycle not exceeding 50 %, in typical Push-to-Talk configura-
tions. This radio is restricted to occupational use, work related operations only where the radio operator must have the knowledge to control the exposure limits of passengers and bystanders by maintaining the minimum separation distance shown below. Failure to observe these restrictions will result in exceeding the FCC RF expo-
sure limits. Antenna Installation:
For rear deck trunk installation, the antenna must be located at least the fol-
lowing distance away from rear-seat passengers in order to comply with the FCC RF exposure requirements. For roof top installations, the antenna must be placed in the center of the roof. Unsafe Radiation Distance VHF Model 1.85 Feet (0.56 m) UHF Model 2.08 Feet (0.64 m) INTRODUCTION P1 P2 P3 P4 The VX-4600 Series are full-featured FM transceivers designed for flexible mobile and base station business communications in the VHF or UHF Land Mobile bands. These transceiver are designed for reliable business communications in a wide vari-
ety of applications with a wide range of operating capability provided by their lead-
ing-edge design. The 128-channel memories can each be programmed with a 8-character channel name. Important channel frequency data is stored in EEPROM and flash memory on the CPU, and is easily programmable by dealers using a personal computer and the VER-
TEX STANDARD Programming Cable and CE115 Software. The pages which follow will detail the many advanced features provided on the VX-
4600 Series transceiver. After reading this manual, you may wish to consult with your Network Administrator regarding precise details of the configuration of this equip-
ment for use in your application. For North American Users Regarding 406 MHz Guard Band The U.S. Coast Guard and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration have requested the cooperation of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in preserving the integrity of the protected frequency range 406.0 to 406.1 MHz, which is reserved for use by distress beacons. Do not attempt to program this apparatus, under any circumstances, for operation in the fre-
quency range 406.0 - 406.1 MHz if the apparatus is to be used in or near North America. VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL 1 CONTROLS & CONNECTORS Front Panel Important! - All buttons located on the Front Panel are Programmable Function (PF) Buttons, configured according to your network requirements and programmed by your VERTEX STANDARD dealer. The instructions below describe a typically-
configured radio.
P1 P2 P3 P4
PWR (
) Button Press and hold in this button for 2 seconds to toggle the transceivers power on and off.
VOL Knob Turn this control clockwise to increase the volume.
Microphone Jack Connect the microphone plug to this jack.
[P1] - [P4] Buttons (Programmable Function Buttons) These buttons can be set up for special applications, such as High/Low power selection, Monitor, Talk-Around, etc., as determined by your network require-
ments and programmed by your VERTEX STANDARD dealer.
[]/[] Buttons (Programmable Function Buttons) In the factory default, pressing either button changes the current channel (and displayed channel number or name). Holding in either button for more than 1.5 second causes the radio to begin stepping (repeatedly) upward or downward through the channels. 2 VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL CONTROLS & CONNECTORS
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) The display includes a 8-character alpha-numeric section showing Channel name tags/identity information and error messages, and an upper icon row displaying feature status (see below).
TX/BUSY Indicator Indicates transceivers Transmit/Receive Status
: Scan is activated
: Priority Scan is activated Call indicator Dual Watch is activated Receiver Monitor Audio Compander is activated Talk-Around is enabled Low Transmt Power Mode ON AUX A Port is activated Encryption is enabled Voice Message is received Priority Channel Channel Zone Number RSSI Indicator (four steps) Zone Scan is enabled 8 Character Alpha-numeric Display VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL 3 CONTROLS & CONNECTORS Rear Panel
Antenna Socket The 50-Ohm coaxial feedline to the antenna must be connected here, using a mini-UHF plug.
13.6V DC Cable Pigtail with Connector The supplied DC power cable must be connected to this 2-pin connector. Use only the supplied fused cable, extended if necessary, for power connection.
External Speaker Jack An external loudspeaker may be connected to this 2-contact, 3.5-mm mini-phone jack. Caution: Do not connect either wire of this line to ground, and be certain that the speaker has adequate capability to handle the audio output (12 W) from the radio.
D-Sub 15-Pin Accessory Connector External TX audio line input, PTT (Push To Talk), Squelch, and external RX audio line output signals may be obtained from this connector for use with accessories such as data transmission/reception modems, and external Channel control input etc. 4 VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL BASIC OPERATION OF THE TRANSCEIVER Important! - Before turning on the radio the first time, confirm that the power connec-
tions have been made correctly and that a proper antenna is connected to the an-
tenna jack. Switching Power ON/OFF
Press and hold in the PWR(
) button for 2 seconds to turn the radio on. The display will become illuminated.
Press the []/[] button to choose the desired operating channel. A channel name will appear on the display. If you want to select an operating channel from a different group, press the PF (Programmable Function) button which is pro-
grammed to the Group Up/Down feature to select the group you want before selecting the operating channel. See page 7 for more information on the Pro-
grammable Function keys. Setting the Volume
Turn the VOL knob clockwise to increase the volume, and counterclockwise to decrease it. Transmitting
To transmit, monitor the channel and make sure it is clear. THIS IS AN FCC REQUIRMENT!
Press the PF button which is programmed to the Monitor feature to listen for channel activity.
When receiving a call, transmit only after the incoming call ends. The radio cannot receive a call and transmit simultaneously.
Press the PTT switch.
If the channel is clear, the TX/BUSY indicator will glow red. The radio is now transmitting. While holding in the PTT switch, speak across the face of the micro-
phone in a clear and normal voice. For best transmission, hold the microphone about 1-1/2 to 2 inches away from your mouth. Release the PTT switch to receive.
If the Busy Channel Lockout feature has been programmed on a channel, the radio will not transmit when a carrier is present. Instead, the radio will generate a short beep three times and indicate * ERROR * on the display. Release the PTT switch and wait for the channel to be clear of activity.
If CTCSS or Digital Coded Squelch (DCS) Lockout has been programmed on a channel, the radio can transmit only when there is no carrier being received or when the carrier being received includes the correct CTCSS tone or DCS code. VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL 5 BASIC OPERATION OF THE TRANSCEIVER Automatic Time-Out Timer If the selected channel has been programmed for automatic time-out, you must limit the length of each transmission. While transmitting, a beep will sound 10 seconds before time-out. Another beep will sound just before the deadline; the red TX indicator will disappear and transmission will cease soon thereafter. To resume trans-
mitting, you must release the PTT switch and wait for the penalty timer to expire (if you press the PTT switch before this timer expires, the timer restarts, and you will have to wait another penalty period) Key Lock In order to prevent accidental frequency change or inadvertent transmission, various aspects of the VX-4600s keys may be locked out. To activate the Locking feature, press and hold in the [P1] key while turning the radio on. To disable the Locking feature, repeat this power-on procedure. ADVANCED OPERATION Programmable Function (PF) Buttons The VX-4600 Series includes six Programmable Function (PF) Buttons. The PF but-
ton functions can be customized, via programming by your Vertex Standard dealer, to meet your communications/network requirements. Some features may require the purchase and installation of optional internal accessories. The possible PF button programming features are illustrated below, and these functions are explained on the pages to follow. For further details, contact your Vertex Standar dealer. For future reference, check the box next to the function that has been assigned to each PF button on your particular radio, and keep it handy. 6 VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL ADVANCED OPERATION PF Button (PRESS KEY/PRESS AND HOLD KEY) P1 P2 P3 P4
Function MONI SQL OFF SQL SET DIMMER Channel Up Channel Down Continuous Ch Up Continuous Ch Down Zone Up Zone Down SCAN SCAN SET Zone SCAN Zone SCAN SET DW (Dual Watch) Follow-Me SCAN Follow-Me DW LOW TA (Talk Around) TA SCAN Encryption Emergency RESET CALL 1 CALL 2 CALL 3 DTMF CODE SET Code Up Code Down Code SET Speed Dial Public Address EXT. ACC1 EXT. ACC2 Direct CH#1 Direct CH#2 AF Min Vr Lone Worker HA (Horn Alert) Key Lock SET
: Requires optional unit VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL 7 ADVANCED OPERATION Description of Operating Functions MONITOR (MONI) Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to cancel CTCSS- and DCS-controlled squelch; the TX/BUSY indicator will glow green SQUELCH (SQL) OFF Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to open the SQL to hear background noise (unmute the audio); the TX/BUSY indicator will blink green. SQUELCH (SQL) SET You can manually adjust the squelch level using this function:
Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key. A tone will sound, and the current squelch will level appears on the display.
Press the []/[] button to select the desired squelch level.
Press this key again. A tone will sound, and the display will revert to the normal channel indication. DIMMER Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to select the brightness level of the display. Available selections are four levels. CHANNEL UP/DOWN Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key (generally the []/[]
button) to select a different channel within the current group. CC UP/DOWN (CONTINUOUS CH UP/DOWN) Press and holding in the assigned programmable key causes the radio to begin step-
ping (repeatedly) upward or downward through the channels. ZONE UP/DOWN Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to select a different zone of channels. 8 VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL ADVANCED OPERATION CHANNEL SCAN (SCAN) The Scanning feature is used to monitor multiple channels programmed into the trans-
ceiver. While scanning, the transceiver will check each channel for the presence of a signal, and will stop on a channel if a signal is present. To activate scanning:
Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to activate scanning on the current group.
The scanner will search the programmed channels, looking for active ones; it will pause each time it finds a channel on which someone is speaking.
Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key again to disable scan-
ning. Operation will revert to the programmed revert channel. Note: Your dealer may have programmed your radio to stay on one of the follow-
ing channels:
Current channel (Talk Back)
Last Busy channel
Priority channel
Scan Start channel SCAN SET Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to delete the Current Memory channel from the Scanning. When you delete a Group or channel, - SKIP - will appear on the LCD for one second after pressing the assigned programmable key. To restore a particular channel to your scanning list, press (or press and hold) the as-
signed programmable key again; - STOP - will appear on the LCD for one second after pressing the assigned programmable key. ZONE SCAN The Scanning feature is used to monitor multiple channels programmed into the transceiver. While scanning, the transceiver will check each channel of the programmed zone for the presence of the signal, and will stop on a channel if a signal is present. Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to activate the scanning on the selected zones. VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL 9 ADVANCED OPERATION ZONE SCAN SET You may wish to have the Scanner pass through more than one Zone during the scanning process (normally, scanning is performed within the current zone only). To include the current Zone in the scanning loop, press (or press and hold) the as-
signed programmable key. To remove a Zone from Zone Scan, press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key again. DUAL WATCH (DW) The Dual Watch feature is similar to the SCAN feature, except that only two channels are monitored:
The current operating channel; and
The Priority channel. To activate Dual Watch:
Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key.
The scanner will search the two channels; it will pause each time it finds a channel on which someone is speaking. To stop Dual Watch:
Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key.
Operation will revert to the Dual Watch Start channel. FOLLOW-ME SCAN Follow-Me Scan feature checks a User-assigned Priority Channel regularly as you scan the other channels. Thus, if only Channels 1, 3, and 5 (of the 8 available chan-
nels) are designated for Scanning, the user may nonetheless assign Channel 2 as the User-assigned Priority Channel via the Follow-Me feature. To activate Follow-Me scanning, first select the channel you want to designate as the User-Assigned Priority Channel and press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key. Then press (or press and hold) the Channel Up/Down key (gen-
erally the []/[] button) to recall to the Scanning Start channel which has been programmed by your dealer to activate the scanner. When the scanner stops on an Active channel, the User-assigned Priority Channel will automatically be checked every few seconds; if activity is found on the User-assigned Priority Channel, the radio will switch between it and the Dealer-Assigned Priority Channel, if any. 10 VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL ADVANCED OPERATION FOLLOW-ME DUAL WATCH (DW) To set up a Dual Watch frequency pair using the Follow-Me feature, select a channel using the Channel Up/Down key (generally the []/[] button). Now press
(or press and hold) the assigned programmable key; pressing the assigned program-
mable key locks the current channel as the User-assigned Priority Channel. Now press (or press and hold) the Channel Up/Down key to select another channel (not the Scanning Start channel). Your radio will now switch back-and-forth between the currently-selected channel and the User-assigned Priority Channel. During Follow-Me scanning (after you have pressed the key), you can set up the Dual Watch feature by pressing (or press and holding) the Channel Up/Down key to another channel. The radio will then scan back and forth between the original User-assigned Priority Channel and the newly-selected channel. The Priority Channel you have assigned (before pressing the key) will be retained in memory until you change it. LOW POWER (LOW) Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to set the radios transmit-
ter to the Low Power mode. Press (or press and hold) the key again to return to High Power operation when in difficult terrain. When the radios transmitter is set to Low Power mode, the indicated on the display. icon will be TALK AROUND (TA) Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to activate the Talk Around feature when you are operating on duplex channel systems (separate receive and transmit frequencies, utilizing a repeater station). The Talk Around feature allows you to bypass the repeater station and talk directly to a station that is nearby. This feature has no effect when you are operating on simplex channels, where the re-
ceive and transmit frequencies are already the same. When the TA function is activated, the icon will be indicated on the display. Note that your dealer may have mode provision for Talk Around channels by pro-
gramming repeater and Talk Around frequencies on two adjacent channels. If so, the key may be used for one of the other Pre-Programmed Functions. VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL 11 ADVANCED OPERATION TA SCAN The TA SCAN is one of DW Scan between Rx and Tx frequency. It works the Rx channel as priority channel and the radio will always transmit on the Tx Channel if the PTT is pressed in the TA SCAN mode. Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to activate/deactivate the TA SCAN feature. ENCRYPTION (OPTION) When the Voice Scrambler feature is enabled, press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to toggle the voice encryption on and off. When the Voice Scrambler feature is activated, the display. icon will be indicated on the EMERGENCY The VX-4600 series include an Emergency feature which may be useful if you have someone monitoring on the same frequency as your transceivers channel. Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to initiate an emergency call. For further details contact your Vertex Standard dealer. RESET Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to reset the RFC (Ready for Communication) condition, or to reset the keypad entry condition. CALL 1 TO CALL 3 Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to send a 2-Tone or 5-Tone sequential burst which is pre-defined. DTMF CODE SET Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to start storing the DTMF dialing sequence. After completion to enter all DTMF digits, you can transmit the codes by pressing the PTT key. CODE UP/DOWN Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to select a 2-Tone or 5-
Tone encode code from pre-defined encode list. 12 VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL ADVANCED OPERATION CODE SET Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to change the 5-Tone encodeing digit. To change the tones, select the desired digit using the [P1]/[P2]
keys, then change the number using the []/[] keys. SPEED DIAL Your Dealer may have pre-programmed Auto-Dial telephone number memories into your radio. To dial a number, press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key, then press the microphones key corresponding to the Auto-Dial memory number list pro-
vided by your Dealer if the keypad microphone is using, or press the PTT key if the normal (without keypad) microphone is using. The DTMF tones sent during the dial-
ing sequence will be heard in the speaker. PUBLIC ADDRESS Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to use the transceiver as a PA amplifier. When you enable this function, a tone sounds and PUBLIC A will appear on the display. The public address can be used even while scanning and re-
ceiving a call. EXT. ACC1 Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to toggle output port on 1 on and off. EXT. ACC2 Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to toggle output port on 2 on and off. DIRECT CH#1/CH#2 Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to recall the Dealer pre-
programmed channel directly. VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL 13 ADVANCED OPERATION AF MIN VR Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to reduce the audio output to the (lower) level programmed by your Dealer. LONE WORKER Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to toggle the Lone Worker feature On and Off. The Lone Worker feature is designed to emit an alarm for 30 seconds when the Lone Worker Timer (programmed by your Dealer) has expired. If the user does not reset the timer by pressing the PTT switch, the radio switches to the Emergency mode. To revive the radio from the Emergency mode, just press (or press and hold) the programmable key which is assigned the Emergency feature or turn off the radio. HA (HORN ALERT) Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to turn the Horn Alert function ON or OFF. If you receive a call from the base station with 2-Tone, 5-
Tone or DTMF signaling, horn alert will be activated and your vehicles horn will sound. When you turn the Horn Alert ON, a tone will sound and the HORN ALT will appear on the display. KEY LOCK Press (or press and hold) the assigned programmable key to lock the various aspects of the VX-4600s keys. The precise lockout configuration must be programmed by your Vertex Standard dealer. SET Press the assigned programmable key to activate the User Set (Menu) Mode. 14 VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL ADVANCED OPERATION ARTSTM (Auto Range Transpond System) This system is designed to inform you when you and another ARTSTM-equipped station are within communication range. During ARTSTM operation, when the radio receives an incoming ARTSTM signal, a short beep will sound, and IN SVC (In Service) will be displayed on the LCD for 2 seconds. If you move out of range for more than two minutes, your radio senses that no signal has been received; a short triple-beep will sound, and OUT SVC
(Out of Service) will be displayed on the LCD for 2 seconds. If you subsequently move back into communication range, as soon as the other station transmits, a short beep will sound and In will be displayed again on the LCD for 2 seconds. DTMF Paging System
(Requires the optional FVP-25 Encryption/DTMF Pager Unit) This system allows paging and selective calling, using DTMF tone sequences. When your radio is paged by a station bearing a tone sequence which matches yours, your radios squelch will open and the alert will sound. The three-digit code of the station which paged you will be displayed on your radios LCD. VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL 15 USER SET MODE The VX-4600 Series includes a User Set (Menu) Mode which allows the user to define or configure various settings, such as Squelch, Display contrast, etc. To acti-
vate the User Set (Menu) Mode:
Press the programmable key assigned to the SET function.
Select the User Set Mode item you wish to change using the [P1]/[P2] keys, then use the []/[] keys to adjust the setting of the selected item.
Press the [P1] or [P2] key to store the new configuration.
Press the programmable key assigned to the SET function to exit to normal operation. DISPLAY SQL BEEP BELL LIGHTING GROUP SCAN DW TA ENCRYPT AF MINVR BEEP VR CONTRAST DIMMER DESCRIPTION Sets the Squelch level. Enables/Disables the Key Beeper. Enables/Disables the Bell function.
(alert tone activated by incoming subaudible CTCSS/DCS tone) Enables/Disables the BUSY/TX LED. Select the desired Channel Group. Engages/Disengages Scanning (same as the programmable [SCAN] key). Engages/Disengages Dual Watch (same as the programmable [DW] key). Engages/Disengages Talk Around (same as the programmable [TA] key). Enables/Disables the disabling the Encryption Unit temporarily. ENB: Enables the disabling the Encryption Unit. DIS: Disables the disabling the Encryption Unit. Sets the minimum Audio Volume level. Sets the Beep Volume level. Sets the LCD Contrast level. Sets the brightness of the LCD backlighting.
: Requires optional unit 16 VX-4600 SERIES OPERATING MANUAL Part 15.21: Changes or modifications to this device not expressly ap-
proved by Vertex Standard could void the users authorization to oper-
ate this device. Copyright 2010 VERTEX STANDARD CO., LTD. All rights reserved. No portion of this manual may be reproduced without the permission of VERTEX STANDARD CO., LTD. Printed in Japan