The (Chinese) Radio Documentation Project

Chapter 1. Safety Information

The following safety precautions should always be observed during operation, service and repair of this equipment:

• This equipment shall be serviced by qualified technicians only.
• Do not modify the radio for any reason.
• Use only BAOFENG supplied or approved batteries and chargers.
• Do not use any portable radio that has a damaged antenna. If a damaged antenna comes into contact with your skin, a minor burn can result.
• Turn off your radio prior to entering any area with explosive and flammable materials.
• Do not charge your battery in a location with explosive and flammable materials.
• To avoid electromagnetic interference and/or compatibility conflicts, turn off your radio in any area where posted notices instruct you to do so.
• Turn off your radio before boarding an aircraft. Any use of a radio must be in accordance with airline regulations or crew instructions.
• Turn off your radio before entering a blasting area.
• For vehicles with an air bag, do not place a radio in the area over an air bag or in the air bag deployment area.
• Do not expose the radio to direct sunlight over a long time, nor place it close to heating source.
• When transmitting with a portable radio, hold the radio in a vertical position with the microphone 3-4 centimeters away from your lips. Keep antenna at least 2.5 centimeters away from your body when transmitting.

Warning: If you wear a radio on your body, ensure the radio and its antenna are at least 2.5 centimeters away from your body when transmitting.

Chapter 2. Features and functions

• Dual-band handheld transceiver with display function menu on the display LCD.
• DTMF encoded.
• High Capacity Lithium-Ion battery.
• Broadcast FM radio receiver 65-108 MHz.
• 50 CTCSS tones and 105 DCS codes.
• VOX (voice activated transmit).
• Alarm function.
• Up to 128 named memory channels.
• FCC part 90 Narrowband compliance.
• High and low power, selectable.
• Display illumination and programmable keyboard.
• Function beep on the keyboard.
• Dual watch / Dual reception.
• Frequency step, selectable between 2.5 / 5 / 6.25 / 10 / 12.5 / 25 (kHz).
• Programmable repeater offset.
• Battery saving function.
• Transmission time-out timer.
• Selecting the scan mode.
• Function busy channel lock.
• Built-in CTCSS/DCS scan.
• LED flashlight.
• PC programmable.
• Ten (10) levels of Squelch adjustment.
• Crossband reception.
• End of transmission tone, aka "Roger Beep".
• ANI.
• Keylock.

Chapter 3. Unboxing and Setup

What's in the box

This transceiver comes shipped with the following items:

• Radio body
• Lithium-Ion battery pack
• Antenna
• Desk charger (With accompanying wall-wart)
• Optional belt clip
• Optional wrist-strap

Note: Items included may vary depending on country of purchase. For further information please contact your local vendor or dealer.

Assembly

Before the radio is ready for use, attach the antenna and battery pack, and charge the battery.

Antenna

This transceiver is fitted with a Male SMA connector. To mount your antenna (Female SMA connector), align the two connectors and turn clockwise until it stops.

Note:

• Do not over-tighten your antenna to avoid damage to the connectors.
• When installing the antenna, don't grip it by the top. Grip by the base and turn.
• If you use an external antenna, make sure the SWR is about 1.5:1 or lower to avoid damage to the transceiver.
• Do not hold the antenna with your hand or wrap the outside of it to avoid bad operation of the transceiver.
• Never transmit without an antenna.

Belt clip

At the back of the radio, there are two parallel screws mounted above the battery. Remove these and thread them through the holes on the belt clip as you screw them back into the radio body.

Caution: Do not use any form of glue to fix the screws on the battery clip. The solvents in the glue may cause damage to the battery casing.

Battery

Before attaching or removing the battery, make sure your radio is turned off by turning the power/volume knob all the way counter-clockwise.

Installation

Make sure the battery is aligned in parallel with the radio body with the lower edge of the battery about 1-2cm below the edge of the radio.

Once aligned with the guide-rails, slide the battery upward until you hear a click as the battery locks in place.

Removal

To remove the battery, press the battery release above the battery pack, as you slide the battery downward.

Charging and battery maintenance

Charging

Follow these steps to hook up and use the charger:

1. Plug the DC connector of the power adaptor into the charger base.
2. Plug the AC connector of the power adaptor into a mains wall socket.
3. Place the radio in the charging slot on the charger.
4. Make sure the radio is making contact with the charger. When the red LED comes on steady, your radio is charging.
5. The radio is fully charged once the charger's green status LED goes steady. Remove the radio at that time to avoid over-charging your battery.

Table 3.1. Charger LED codes

Tip: The charger and battery are fitted with matching notches so that you can charge your battery on its own! Practical if you have two batteries. That way you can charge one battery while still using your radio.

Battery Maintenance

The battery for your radio comes uncharged from the factory. Please let it charge for at least four to five hours before you start using your radio.

Warning:

• Use only batteries approved by the original manufacturer.
• Never attempt to disassemble your battery pack.
• Do not expose your batteries to fire or intense heat.
• Dispose of batteries in accordance with local recycling regulations. Batteries do not belong in your trash can!

Prolonging the life of your battery

• Only charge batteries in normal room temperatures.
• When charging a battery attached to the radio, turn the radio off for a faster charge.
• Do not unplug the power to the charger or remove the battery and/or radio before it's finished charging.
• Never charge a wet battery.
• Batteries wear out over time. If you notice a considerably shorter operating time with your radio, please consider purchasing a new battery.
• Battery performance will be reduced in temperatures below freezing. When working in cold environments, keep a spare battery on you. Preferably inside your jacket or in a similar location in order to keep the battery warm.
• Dust can interfere with the contacts on the battery. If necessary, wipe the contacts with a clean cloth to ensure proper contact with radio and charger.

Tip: If your battery has become wet, remove it from the radio, wipe it dry with a towel and put it in a plastic bag with a handful of dry rice. Tie the bag up and let it sit over night. The rice will absorb any remaining moisture in the battery. This method is only effective against minor splashes (light rain for instance). A soaked radio may very well be beyond repair.

Storage

Fully charge your battery before long time storage in order to prevent damage from over-discharge.

To avoid severe capacity degradation of your battery while in long time storage, please cycle the battery at least every six (6) months.

Store your batteries in a cool and dry place, never above normal room temperatures.

Chapter 4. Basic Operation

Getting to know your radio

Your radio is made out of unicorns.

Power and volume

Before turning the power on, make sure you have attached the battery and antenna as described in chapter 3.

Turning the unit on

To turn the unit on, simply rotate the volume/power knob clockwise until you hear a "click". The backlight and display should now have come on.

Turning the unit off

Turn the volume/power knob counter-clockwise all the way until you hear a "click". The unit is now off.

Adjusting the volume

To turn up the volume, turn the volume/power knob clockwise.

To turn the volume down, turn the volume/power knob counter-clockwise. Be careful not to turn it too far, as you may inadvertently turn your radio off.

Tip: By using the monitor function, enabled from the [moni] key below the PTT, you can more easily adjust your volume by adjusting it to the un-squelched static.

Channel selection

Use the [up] and [down] keys to navigate between channels.

Making a call

Press and hold the PTT button on the side of the radio body to transmit. While transmitting, speak approximately 3-5cm from the microphone. When you release the PTT, your transceiver will go back to receive mode.

Chapter 5. Advanced operation

Appendix A. Menu definitions

Glossary

VFO

Variable-frequency oscillator

Squelch

A circuit used to cut out noise.

PTT

Push-To-Talk. The button used to make a call.

ANI

Automatic Number Identification. A system used in dispatch environments to let dispatch know which field radio was keyed.

PTT-ID

See ANI.

CTCSS

Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System. Also known as "Private Line" (a Motorola trademark).

DCS

Digital-Coded Squelch. Also known as "Digital Private Line" (a Motorola trademark).

DTMF

Dual-Tone Multiple-Frequencies.

Standing Wave Ratio

Standing Wave Ratio.

Index

This section is typically used for an alphabetical listing of terms and page numbers, but no content is provided here.