Maritime Radio Services Operation Warning! This transmitter will operate on channels/frequencies that have restricted use in the United States. The channel assignments include frequencies assigned for exclusive use of the U.S. Coast Guard, use in Canada, and use in international waters. Operation in these frequencies without proper authorization is strictly forbidden. For frequencies/channels that are currently for use in the U.S.
Contents Uniden SOLARA DSC ............................................................................2 Included with your SOLARA DSC ..........................................................3 Controls and Indicators...........................................................................4 Installation...............................................................................................7 Choosing a Location..........................................................................
Uniden SOLARA DSC The Uniden SOLARA DSC VHF marine radio has been designed to give you a rugged, reliable instrument that will provide you with years of trouble-free service. With proper care and maintenance, your marine radio could outlast your present vessel and serve you well on-board. The full features and flexibility designed into this quality transceiver will prevent it from becoming obsolete regardless of changes in craft or geographic locations.
Included with your SOLARA DSC SOLARA DSC Owner s Manual SOLARA DSC Radio Mounting Bracket and Knobs Mounting Hardware 3 Microphone Hanger and Screws Spare Fuse 250V 6A
Controls and Indicators Front panel/Microphone 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. PTT Switch - Press to transmit and release to receive. CHANNEL/▲/▼- These keys are used to change the channel number up/down. These buttons are also used to move the cursor in DSC Menu mode. SELECT - In the DSC Menu mode this is used to select the DSC menu options. PWR/VOL (On/Off/Volume) - Turns the unit On or Off and adjusts the speaker volume. DSC - Press this key to activate DSC Menu mode.
Rear Panel Connectors 1. DC Cord 2. ACC Cable 3.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. TX (Transmit) - Indicates transmitting. HI (High) - Indicates transmit output is 25 Watts. LO (Low) - Indicates transmit output is 1 Watt. SCAN - Indicates Scan Mode has been activated. ALERT - Indicates Weather Alert Mode has been activated. WX - Indicate Weather Channel Mode has been activated. USA - Indicates US Channel Mode. CAN - Indicates Canada Channel Mode. INT - Indicates International Channel Mode. DSC - Indicators the radio is in the DSC mode.
Installation Caution: The SOLARA DSC will only operate with a nominal 13.8 volt negative ground battery system. It is important to carefully determine the most suitable location for your radio on your vessel. Electrical, mechanical, and environmental considerations must all be taken into account. You should select the optimum relationship among these considerations. Keep in mind the flexibility designed into the SOLARA DSC so that you can most conveniently use it. Features which should be considered are: 1.
Engine Noise Suppression Interference from the noise generated by the electrical systems of engines is sometimes a problem with radios. The SOLARA DSC has been designed to be essentially impervious to ignition noise and alternator noise. However, in some installations it may be necessary to take measures to further reduce the effect of noise interference.
Installing the SOLARA DSC After you have carefully considered the various factors affecting your choice of location, position the radio (with the bracket, microphone, power cord, antenna and any auxiliary cables installed) into the selected location to assure there is no interference with the surrounding items. Mark the location of the mounting bracket. Remove the bracket from the radio and use it as a template to mark the holes to be drilled for the mounting hardware.
Operation POWER On/Off Turn the unit On by rotating the PWR/VOL control clockwise. Adjust the volume to a comfortable level. When you turn the unit On, you will hear a beep. Note: When you turn On the radio for the first time after purchase, the channel 16 will appear on the LCD. Last Channel Memory The SOLARA DSC memorizes the last channel selected before you turn Off the radio. For example, if you turn Off the radio on CH 12, the CH 12 will be on that channel when turned back On.
SQUELCH Turn SQUELCH fully clockwise. This raises the “Squelch Gate” so high that only very strong signals can get through. Strong Signals Medium Signals Weak Signals Noise Turn SQUELCH fully counterclockwise until you hear a hiss. This lowers the “Squelch Gate” so that everything gets through - noise, weak signals, and strong signals. Strong Signals Medium Signals Weak Signals Noise Turn SQUELCH back clockwise until the hiss stops. Now the “Squelch Gate” allows strong, medium, and weak signals through.
COAST GUARD CHANNEL 16/CHANNEL 9 COMMUNICATIONS To access Coast Guard Channel 16 or Channel 9 communications, press 16/9. You can access Coast Guard 16 CH instantly while tuned to another channel. Press 16/9 again for Channel 9 Calling communications. Press 16/9 a third time to return to the channel selected prior to accessing Coast Guard Channel 16/Channel 9 communications. The display will indicate the selected channel.
All Channel Scan To turn Scan On, press and hold HI/LO/SCAN/UIC for 2 seconds. To turn Alert Scan On, press and hold WX/ALERT/UIC for 2 seconds. While all channels are scanned, WX CH is scanned every 7 seconds. ALERT appears on the LCD. Weather Alert The Weather Alert mode can be activated to alert you of dangerous weather. When Weather Alert is turned On, and a warning signal is received, an emergency siren will sound.
SETTING THE TRANSMIT (TX) POWER The SOLARA DSC transmits on fifty-six marine frequencies and receives on eighty-one marine frequencies. Channel 70 of the USA, International, and Canadian frequencies, and channel 15 of the USA frequencies, and WX CH – are for receiving only. The radio transmits on channel 70 when sending DSC information. Your radio will not transmit on these channels. For your reference, a listing of all the available marine channels are located on pages 22 - 24.
RECOMMENDED EMERGENCY BROADCAST INSTRUCTIONS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Make sure your radio is on. Tune to channel 16. Press the microphone button and, speaking slowly – clearly – calmly, say: a. "MAYDAY – MAYDAY – MAYDAY" for situations involving Immediate Danger to Life and Property: or b. "PAN – PAN – PAN" for urgent situations where there in No Immediate Danger to Life or Property.
DISTRESS Note: You must set the user MMSI in order to send a Distress call. Please see page 20 to set the MMSI. This feature will allow you to transmit a Distress call. 1. In order to transmit a Distress call, press and hold DISTRESS for 5 seconds. When DSC appears on the display, press SELECT to send the Distress call. 2. The Distress call is transmitted and it waits for about 210 - 270 seconds for an acknowledgement from the Coast Guard before the Distress call is resent.
DIGITAL SELECTIVE CALLING (DSC) Digital Selective Calling is the latest in Marine Radio technology. DSC is a process of establishing a radio call and has been chosen by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as an international standard for establishing VHF, MF and HF radio calls. Digital Selective Calling has also been selected as part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
ALL SHIPS This radio has the ability to send 3 types of all ships calls. The following are examples of what these types of calls would be used for: Urgency - This call is for a vessel not yet in Distress, but may have a serious problem. Safety - This call is used for a reason like debris in the Water. Routine - This call is used for normal calls. 1. Press DSC. 2. Press CH ▼ or CH ▲ to select (ALL SHIPS). 3. Press SELECT. appears.
4. Note: Select the category of your call using CH ▲ and ▼ URGENCY , ROUTINE , SAFETY . ROUTINE calls tune to the previously selected channel. 5. Press SELECT to transmit the ALL SHIPS DSC signal. When sending either an URGENCY or SAFETY message, all radios will automatically move to channel 70 until all of the data is received. 6. After selecting URGENCY or SAFETY ALL SHIPS call is transmitted, the radio will switch to Channel 16.
USER MMSI Federal MMSI's are issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Non-Federal MMSI's are issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). You will need to obtain a nine digit MMSI number and program it into the SOLARA DSC. The information obtained from the application is useful to the U.S. Coast Guard to help in search and rescue operations. To obtain an MMSI number, contact your authorized Uniden dealer or visit one of the following websites: http://wireless.fcc.
NMEA Technical Setup SOLARA DSC NMEA0183 GPS Input Connection Specification This section is useful when attaching an external GPS to the SOLARA DSC radio. Many GPS units have a setup menu to be able to configure the NMEA0183 serial data output. This output can be used to supply information to other devices on the vessel, such as the SOLARA DSC VHF radio, auto pilots, chart plotters, etc. To setup the GPS to be used with the SOLARA DSC radio, the following items need to be considered for proper operation: 1.
VHF FM Marine Radio Telephone Channel and Functions (USA Channels) CHANNEL DESIG WX0 WX1 WX2 WX3 WX4 WX5 WX6 WX7 WX8 WX9 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 FREQUENCY (MHz) TRANSMIT RECEIVE TYPE OF TRAFFIC SHIP TO SHIP SHIP TO SHORE — — — — — — — — — — 156.050 163.275 162.550 162.400 162.475 162.425 162.450 162.500 162.525 161.650 161.775 156.
VHF FM Marine Radio Telephone Channel and Functions (International Channels) CHANNEL DESIG WX0 WX1 WX2 WX3 WX4 WX5 WX6 WX7 WX8 WX9 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 FREQUENCY (MHz) TRANSMIT RECEIVE — — — — — — — — — — 156.050 156.100 156.150 156.200 156.250 156.300 156.350 156.400 156.450 156.500 156.550 156.600 156.650 156.700 156.750 156.800 156.850 156.900 156.950 157.
VHF FM Marine Radio Telephone Channel and Functions (Canadian Channels) CHANNEL DESIG WX0 WX1 WX2 WX3 WX4 WX5 WX6 WX7 WX8 WX9 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 FREQUENCY (MHz) TRANSMIT RECEIVE — — — — — — — — — — 156.050 156.100 156.150 156.200 156.250 156.300 156.350 156.400 156.450 156.500 156.550 156.600 156.650 156.700 156.750 156.800 156.850 156.900 156.950 157.000 157.
Specification General Channels Controls Status Indicators Channel Display Buttons Connectors Size Weight Supply Voltage Standard Accessories Antenna Impedance Microphone Speaker Operating Temperature Range Shock and Vibration FCC Approvals Transmitter Power Output Power Requirement Modulation Hum and Noise Signal-to-Noise : All International, U.S.A.
Troubleshooting If the SOLARA DSC does not perform to your expectations, try the suggestions listed below. If you cannot get satisfactory results, call the Uniden Technical Support at (800) 586-0409, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Central Standard Time, Monday through Friday. SYMPTOM Won’t power On. CAUSE No or low voltage. REMEDY Check for proper voltage getting to the set. When the PTT is pressed - Tx comes on and another radio can hear a “click” but no audio is heard. Bad mic element. Send in for repair.
Care and Maintenance Your SOLARA DSC is a precision of electronic equipment and you should treat it accordingly. Due to the rugged design, very little maintenance is required. However, a few precautions should be observed: • If the antenna has been damaged, you should not transmit except in the case of an emergency. A defective antenna may cause damage to your radio. • You are responsible for continued FCC technical compliance of your radio.
Note : 28
Three Years Limited Warranty WARRANTOR: UNIDEN AMERICA CORPORATION (“Uniden”) ELEMENTS OF WARRANTY: Uniden warrants, for three years, to the original retail owner, this Uniden Product to be free from defects in materials and craftsmanship with only the limitations or exclusions set out below. WARRANTY DURATION: This warranty to the original user shall terminate and be of no further effect 36 months after the date of original retail sale.
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