User's Manual
POWER LEVEL
Retevis RA86 provides two transmit power levels: HI and Lo. The Lo power level is generally suitable when
operating under optimal conditions. The HI power level is recommended to ensure you get maximum range from
your radio.
▪ Short press the MENU button in standby mode until the Power Level menu is displayed;
▪ Set high/low power by the volume keys on the mic(HI/LO);
▪ Short press the MENU button to save the settings and enter the next function menu, long press the MENU
button to save the settings and exit the menu.
NOTE: Since the 01-07 channel is fixed as low power, when the radio is in the 01-07 channel, the Power Level
menu will not be displayed.
BANDWIDTH
▪ In standby mode, short press the MENU button until the Band menu is displayed;
▪ Set wide/narrow band by the volume keys on the mic(Wide/Narrow);
▪ Short press the MENU button to save the settings and enter the next function menu, long press the MENU
button to save the settings and exit the menu.
NOTE: Since the 08-14 channel is fixed as a narrowband frequency and is in a forbidden state, when the radio is
in the 08-14 channel, the Band menu will not be displayed.
CTCSS/DCS
Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) and Digitally Coded Squelch (DCS) are systems that allow
several users to share the same channel without disturbing each other. When CTCSS or DCS is enabled for a
selected channel, the channel is muted to all incoming signals unless they carry the correct CTCSS or DCS tone.
When a transmission with the correct tone is received, the mute is removed and the voice audio can be heard.
When the transmission ends the channel is muted again. Transmissions that do not have the correct tone are not
heard.
The RA86 has 260 Privacy Codes (50 CTCSS, 105 DCS-N and 105 DCS-I ), which can be applied to any
channel. If desired, you can select a different Privacy Code for each channel. See CTCSS/DCS frequency Chart
for lists of available Privacy Codes.
IMPORTANT! To communicate between two radios, both radios must be set to the same channel (see Selecting
the Active Channel) and Privacy Code selections.
The transmitter and receiver CTCSS/DCS are set independently using the TX-CODE and RX-CODE menus. You
can set different or same transmitter and receiver CTCSS/DCS for each channel. When the radio is in standby or
receiving state, the LCD shows the receive CTCSS/DCS, when pressing PTT, it will show the transmit
CTCSS/DCS.
TX-CODE
▪ In the standby state, short press the MENU button until the TX code menu is displayed;
▪ Use the volume keys on the microphone to set the transmit CTCSS/DCS (see CTCSS/DCS frequency Chart);
▪ Short press the MENU button to save the settings and enter the next function menu, long press the MENU
button to save the settings and exit the menu.
NOTE:
1.When in the transmitting state, the LCD will display the set transmitting CTCSS/DCS.
2.In the CTCSS/DCS setting interface, you can switch the display CTCSS/DCS number or CTCSS/DCS
frequency by short pressing the SCAN/MON key, and then short press the MENU key to confirm the display
mode.
RX-CODE
▪ In the standby state, short press the MENU button until the TX code menu is displayed;
▪ Use the volume keys on the microphone to set the transmit CTCSS/DCS (see CTCSS/DCS frequency Chart);
▪ Short press the MENU button to save the settings and enter the next function menu, long press the MENU
button to save the settings and exit the menu.
NOTE:
1.When the radio is in standby or receiving state, the LCD will display the set receiving CTCSS/DCS.
2.In the CTCSS/DCS setting interface, you can switch the display CTCSS/DCS number or CTCSS/DCS
frequency by short pressing the SCAN/MON key, and then short press the MENU key to confirm the display
mode.
If you select the CTCSS/DCS number, It prevents others from easily know your CTCSS/DCS frequency, This
prevents you from receiving a lot of unwanted voice signal. If you want to know the frequency represented by the
number, you can switch to frequency freely. This is a different display way, you can switch freely depending on
the usage environment.
SQUELCH
07