A World Without Wires® UNIDEN MARINE 2-WAY VHF RADIO MHS450 OWNER’S MANUAL
Making a Distress Call For future reference, write your boat’s name & call sign here: Speak slowly -- clearly -- calmly. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Make sure your radio is on. Press the 16/9-TRI button to switch to Channel 16 (156.8 MHz). (If the corner of the display does not show 16, press the 16/9-TRI button again until it does.) Press the PUSH TO TALK button and say, “MAYDAY --MAYDAY-- MAYDAY.” Say, “THIS IS {name or call sign of your boat}.
Table of Contents Making a Distress Call.................................... (inside front cover) Introduction.....................................................................................1 Features.......................................................................................1 Manual conventions......................................................................1 Getting Started................................................................................2 What’s included................
Mounting on a flat surface.....................................................18 Mounting on a wall.................................................................18 Using Your Radio..........................................................................19 Setting the volume......................................................................19 Setting the squelch level.............................................................19 Changing the channel...................................................
Introduction Features The MHS450 provides the following key features: • Submersible design Complies with JIS8 water-resistant standards, which means the radio can be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes without damage. • Memory scan mode Lets you save channels to memory and monitor them in quick succession. • Transmitter rower level select Lets you boost the transmitter power from 1 Watt to 2.5 or 5 Watts for added transmission distance. • Battery level display and low battery alert.
Getting Started What’s included Antenna Charging Cradle (RSC550) DC Adapter (DC550) Lithium Ion Battery (BP550) MHS450 Radio AC Adapter (AD-0007) Alkaline Battey Case (BT550) (batteries not included) Belt Clip (CLIP550) Mounting Hardware Wrist Strap If any pieces are missing or damaged, contact Uniden (see back cover for contact information).
Parts of the MHS450 Front view Antenna VOLUME-POWER knob Jack for external microphone or speaker LCD display (Turn clockwise to increase volume.) SQUELCH knob (Turn clockwise to decrease channel noise.) Wrist strap anchor PUSH TO TALK CHANNEL UP & DOWN buttons button 16/9-TRI (triple/dual watch) button WX-ALERT (weatheralert) button MENU button ENTER button Microphone Speaker SCAN-MEM (scanmemory) button 1/2.
Press to... BUTTON PUSH TO TALK 16/9-TRI MENU ENTER CHANNEL UP CHANNEL DOWN WX-ALERT 1st press: Go to Channel 16. 2nd press: Go to Channel 9. 3rd press: Go back to the original channel. Display the radio menu. Choose an option on a menu. Move up one channel at a time or move up one option at a time in a menu screen. Move down one channel at a time or move down one option at a time in a menu screen. Listen to the current weather conditions in your area.
Back view Belt clip PUSH TO TALK button (BACKLIGHT/ KEY LOCK) button Battery charging contacts Battery latch BUTTON Press to... PUSH TO TALK BACKLIGHT/ Turn on the LCD and keypad backlight. KEY LOCK Press and hold to... Transmit on a channel. Note: You cannot transmit while the radio is in the charger. Lock and unlock the keypad.
Parts of the charger Screw holes for wall mounting Power input jack (DC 12V-13.8V ) Screw holes for flat surface mounting charging latch charge LED Lights while the battery is charging and turns off when the battery is fully charged. (If a fully charged battery is placed in the cradle, the LED does not light.) Use ONLY the AC or DC adapter that came with your Power input jack radio! The DC adapter must connect to a 12-13.8V (DC 12V-13.8V) power supply with a negative ground.
Status message table Message (Channel Name) TRANSMITTING RELEASE PTT KEY CHANNEL SCAN TRIWATCH TRIWATCH SCAN DUALWATCH DUALWATCH SCAN BATTERY LOW Displays When No other status message is needed (see the channel lists starting on page 28) You press the PUSH TO TALK button. You press the PUSH TO TALK button but you cannot transmit at the moment (for example, because you are on a receive-only channel). You turn on scanning mode. You turn on triple watch mode. You turn on triple watch mode while scanning.
How It Works The MHS450 radio has three main operation modes, normal mode, scan mode, and weather mode. Mode What it does Use it when you want to...: a single marine Normal Monitors a channel or channel and lets you talk Monitor mode talk to another radio. on that channel a small group Scan Monitors all the channels Check of regularly-used mode you save into memory channels for traffic To turn it on/off (default mode) Press SCANMEM.
Normal mode operation • To transmit, remove the radio from the charger, then press and hold the PUSH TO TALK button. Release the button when you are finished talking. • For the best sound quality, hold the microphone about two inches from your mouth while you’re talking. • Press the CHANNEL UP button to move up one channel at a time. Press and hold the button to scroll quickly up the channels. • Press the CHANNEL DOWN button to move down one channel at a time.
Normal mode with Triple Watch or Dual Watch If you activate Triple Watch while operating in normal mode, the radio checks channels 16 and 9 every two seconds; with Dual Watch turned on, the radio only checks channel 16. The radio will not check channels 16 or 9 while you are actively transmitting; it waits until your transmission is finished and then checks the channels. Monitoring Channel 25 09 16 09 16 09 16 Triple Watch on: Every 2 seconds, the radio checks channels 9 & 16.
Scan mode operation You can save channels into memory and then use scan mode to monitor those channels from lowest to highest. If the radio detects a signal on a channel, it stays on that channel as long as the signal is received; when the signal stops, the radio continues scanning. When it detects a signal, the radio stays on the channel until you press the CHANNEL UP button or the signal stops. Resume scan 08 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 20 The radio scans about 5 channels in 0.5 seconds.
Scan mode with Weather Alert Watch If you activate Weather Alert Watch while in scan mode, the radio checks the most recently-used weather channel every seven seconds, then continues scanning the next channel in memory: Memory Channel Scan 08 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 20 24 Every 7 seconds, the radio checks the last-used weather channel, then scans the next channel.
Both Weather Alert and Triple/Dual Watch in scan mode You can activate Weather Alert Watch and Triple/Dual Watch at the same time. The radio performs both checks at their scheduled time: Memory Channel Scan 08 10 11 Every 2 seconds, the radio checks channels 9 & 16, then scans the next channel. Triple Watch on 12 13 09 16 14 15 17 20 24 Every 7 seconds, the radio checks the last-used weather channel, then scans the next channel.
Weather mode with Weather Alert Watch Because weather mode already monitors the weather channels, you don’t need Weather Alert Watch to check the weather channel every seven seconds. If you activate Weather Alert Watch while operating in weather mode, it operates as a type of “sleep mode”: the radio stays on the weather channel and mutes the speaker. If an alert is detected for your area, the radio sounds an alert tone and turns the speaker back on.
Setting Up the Hardware Attaching the antenna The antenna detaches from the radio for easy shipping or storage. To attach the antenna to your radio, screw it tightly onto the anchor post at the top of the radio. Installing the battery Your MHS450 comes with a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. For shipping safety, the battery is not installed at the factory; the empty alkaline battery case is installed as a placeholder. Note: Charge the battery fully before using the radio. 1.
3. 4. Lower the battery until it rests flat in the compartment. Bring the battery latch up and snap it into place. Using the alkaline battery case The radio also comes with a battery case that holds four AAA type alkaline batteries (not supplied). You can use alkaline batteries as a backup for the Li-Ion battery, so you can still use your radio while your Li-Ion battery is recharging. For best performance, Uniden recommends using extra-strength alkaline batteries, such as Duracell Ultra® batteries.
5. seal is seated in the groove and there is no dirt or debris on it. If the rubber seal looks worn or damaged, contact customer service to order a replacement (see back cover page for contact information). Install the alkaline battery case in your radio just as you do the Li-Ion battery (see page 15). Warning: The case is designed to prevent the accidental charging of alkaline batteries. Never use alkaline batteries in the radio without the battery case. Do not attempt to modify the battery case design.
Mounting the charger You can mount the charger on any flat surface or on a wall. Mounting on a flat surface 1. Use the three holes at the base of the charger as a template to mark the drill holes. 2. Using a ⅛ inch (or 3 mm) drill bit, drill three holes ½ inch (13 mm) deep. 3. Use the provided screws to attach the charger to the surface. Mounting on a wall Before wall-mounting the charger, be sure the wall material is strong enough to hold the weight of both the radio and charger.
Using Your Radio Setting the volume Turn the VOLUME-POWER knob clockwise to increase the speaker volume; turn it counter-clockwise to decrease the volume. Setting the squelch level The squelch feature reduces static on the Strong signals speaker by filtering out any background Weak signals channel noise. At the lowest squelch level, the speaker plays all Noise signals, including any channel noise.
Making a transmission Remove the radio from the charger, then press and hold the PUSH TO TALK button. Release the PUSH TO TALK button when you’re finished talking to let the other party respond. • To prevent stuck microphone problems or situations where the PUSH TO TALK button is pushed accidentally, the radio limits your talk time to 5 minutes in a single transmission. If you talk for over 5 minutes continuously, the display shows RELEASE PTT KEY.
Some channels (for example, channels 13 and 67) limit the power of transmission to 1 Watt so that there is less interference between boaters attempting to use the channel at the same time. If you switch to one of these channels, the radio changes back to 1 Watt automatically. See the tables starting on page 28 for a list of power-restricted channels. Choosing Triple Watch or Dual Watch In Triple Watch mode, the radio checks channels 16 and 9 every two seconds.
Changing channel names If you discover that a marine radio channel has a different common name in your local area, you can change the name of that channel to make it easier for you to use (see the channel lists starting on page 28 for the default channel names). To rename a channel, follow the steps below: 1. Open the menu and choose Channel Name.The screen displays the list of channels. 2. Use CHANNEL UP and CHANNEL DOWN buttons to highlight the channel you want to change and press the ENTER button. 3.
only sounds the alert tone if an incoming FIPS code matches one of the areas you selected. • For more information about how the NWS uses FIPS codes, see the NWS website: www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwsfipschg.htm. • To see an index of FIPS codes by state, see the website of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/co-codes/states.htm. Note: If you travel outside the areas you have entered into your radio, you may not hear alerts that effect your new location.
7. use the CHANNEL UP and CHANNEL DOWN buttons to change each of the six digits. When you are satisfied with the list of FIPS codes, select Exit to close the menu screen. Changing display and sound options Contrast The display has 10 levels of contrast. To adjust the contrast: 1. With the radio idle, open the Contrast menu and select Contrast. Adjust 2. Use the CHANNEL UP and CHANNEL DOWN buttons to change the contrast to your desired level. 3. Press ENTER to set the new contrast level and exit the menu.
Turning the key beep on and off Key beep is the tone that sounds when you press a key or a button. To turn off the key beep, press the MENU button while the radio is idle. Select Key Beep and then Off. Press ENTER to save the new setting. Using the external speaker/mic jack You can connect an optional external speaker-mic to this watertight jack. Unscrew the cap, which is held by the rubber cap-keeper to prevent loss.
Common questions Problem Things to Try The radio won’t power Check the battery power level.. on. Make sure you are not in weather or scan mode. Make sure you are not trying to transmit on a receive-only channel or that you are transmitting The radio won’t at the correct power level for this channel (see transmit. the channel lists starting on page 28). Make sure the duration of each transmission is less than 5 minutes. Noise comes out of the Adjust the squelch level; it is probably too low.
Specifications General Channels Transmit: 54 US/International/Canada Receive: 89 US/International/Canada Weather: 10 Freq. Control PLL Freq. Tol. Transmit: 1.5 PPM (at 25°C) Receive: 1.5 PPM (at 25°C) Oper. Temp. -4°F (-20°C) to +122°F(+50°C) Antenna Flexible Whip Microphone Built-in Electret type Display Liquid Crystal Display Speaker 8Ω 0.7 Watt Rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery Power Source 7.4V 1400 mAh 3.8 (H) x 2.4 (W) x 1.
Channels and Frequencies US channel frequencies and names US Marine Channels Ch RX Freq TX Freq 1A 156.0500 156.0500 3A 156.1500 156.1500 5A 156.2500 156.2500 6 7A 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18A 19A 20 20A 21A 22A 23A 24 25 26 27 28 61A 63A 64A 65A 66A 67 68 156.3000 156.3500 156.4000 156.4500 156.5000 156.5500 156.6000 156.6500 156.7000 156.7500 156.8000 156.8500 156.9000 156.9500 161.6000 157.0000 157.0500 157.1000 157.1500 161.8000 161.8500 161.9000 161.9500 162.0000 156.0750 156.1750 156.2250 156.
Ch 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78A 79A 80A 81A 82A 83A 84 85 86 87 88 88A US Marine Channels RX Freq TX Freq Status Full name 156.4750 156.4750 Simplex Non Commercial 156.5250 Inhibit Receive Only Digital Selective Calling 156.5750 156.5750 Simplex Non Commercial Commercial (Ship156.6250 156.6250 Simplex Non Ship) 156.6750 156.6750 Simplex Port Operation 156.7250 156.7250 Simplex Port Operation 156.7750 156.7750 Simplex, 1W Port Operation 156.8250 156.8250 Simplex, 1W Port Operation 156.8750 156.
Ch 14 15 16 17 18A 19A 20 21A 22A 23 24 25 26 27 28 60 61A 62A 64 64A 65A 66A 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78A 79A 80A 81A 82A 83 RX Freq 156.7000 156.7500 156.8000 156.8500 156.9000 156.9500 161.6000 157.0500 157.1000 161.7500 161.8000 161.8500 161.9000 161.9500 162.0000 160.6250 156.0750 156.1250 160.8250 156.2250 156.2750 156.3250 156.3750 156.4250 156.4750 156.5250 156.5750 156.6250 156.6750 156.7250 156.7750 156.8250 156.8750 156.9250 156.9750 157.0250 157.0750 157.1250 161.
Ch 83A 84 85 86 87 88 RX Freq 157.1750 161.8250 161.8750 161.9250 161.9750 162.0250 Canadian Marine Channels TX Freq 157.1750 157.2250 157.2750 157.3250 157.3750 157.
Ch 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 RX Freq 160.7750 160.8250 160.8750 160.9250 156.3750 156.4250 156.4750 156.5250 156.5750 156.6250 156.6750 156.7250 156.7750 156.8250 156.8750 161.5250 161.5750 161.6250 161.6750 161.7250 161.7750 161.8250 161.8750 161.9250 161.9750 162.0250 International Marine Channels TX Freq Status Full Name 156.1750 Duplex Marine operator 156.2250 Duplex Marine operator 156.2750 Duplex Marine operator 156.
CEA2009-SAME event codes Received Code ADR AVA AVW BHW BWW BZW CAE CDW CEM CFA CFW CHW DBA DBW DEW DMO DSW EAN EAT EQW EVI EVA FCW FFA FFS FFW FLA FLS FLW FRW FSW FZW HLS HMW Event Code (Scrolling Name) Administrative Message Avalanche Watch Avalanche Warning Biological Hazard Warning Boil Water Warning Blizzard Warning Child Abduction Emergency Civil Danger Warning Civil Emergency Message Coastal Flood Watch Coastal Flood Warning Chemical Hazard Warning Dam Watch Dam Break Warning Contagious Desease Warni
Received Code HUW HWA HWW IBW IFW LAE LEW LSW NAT NIC NMN NPT NST NUW POS RHW RMT RWT SMW SPS SPW SVA SVR SVS TOA TOE TOR TRA TRW TSA TSW VOW WFW WFA WSA WSW Event Code (Scrolling Name) Hurricane Watch High Wind Watch High Wind Warning Iceberg Warning Industrial Fire Warning Local Area Emergency Law Enforcment Warning Land Slide Warning National Audible Test National Information Center Network Notification Message National Periodic Test National Silent Test Nuclear Power Plant Warning Power Outage Advisory
Received Code **A **E **S **W TXB TXF TXO TXP Event Code (Scrolling Name) Unrecognized Watch Unrecognized Emergency Unrecognized Statement Unrecognized Warning Transmitter Backup On Transmitter Carrier On Transmitter Carrier Off Transmitter Primary On Display (16 Charactes) UNRECOGNIZED UNRECOGNIZED UNRECOGNIZED UNRECOGNIZED No event code shown No event code shown No event code shown No event code shown Regulations and Safety Warnings WARNING! Read this information before using the radio.
http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/boater.htm). Here are a few guidelines that affect nearly all boaters. • If you have a VHF radio on your boat, you must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radio is not being used to communicate. Starting in 2004, if a radio is carried, it must be on and set to channel 16 whenever your boat is underway. • If you hear a distress call, wait a few minutes to let a shore station or Coast Guard vessel respond.
human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic energy emitted by FCC regulated transmitters. Those guidelines are consistent with the safety standard previously set by both U.S. and international standards bodies. The design of the radio complies with the FCC guidelines and these international standards. Never allow children to operate the radio without adult supervision and the knowledge of the following guidelines.
Do not charge the rechargeable battery used in this equipment in any charger other than the one specified in the owner’s manual. Using another charger may damage the battery or cause the battery to explode. Li-Ion batteries must be recycled or disposed of properly. Avoid exposing the battery (whether attached to the radio or not) to direct sunlight, heated cars, or temperatures below -4°F (-20°C) or above +140°F (+60°C).
does not conform to this warranty at any time while this warranty is in effect, warrantor will repair the defect and return it to you without charge for parts, service, or any other cost (except shipping and handling) incurred by warrantor or its representatives in connection with the performance of this warranty.
A World Without Wires® QUESTIONS? Visit our website at www.uniden.com or call 1-800-297-1023 during regular business hours (Central time). © 2007 Uniden America Corp., Fort Worth, Texas. Contains additional foreign articles. Printed in China.
