VRN Procedures and Information

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Introduction

The purpose of this page is to document key procedures for maintaining communications on the Vineyards Radio Network (VRN). Please refer to this page for updated information from time to time. We will do our best to inform you of any changes.

Technical Information

Channel Plan

To change channels, press up/down buttons to left of lighted display.

Function keys

Notes on Battery Usage

Use radio only when needed. It is best to run the battery to exhaustion, then switch to fresh battery and/or recharge until the charging light turns from red to green. DO NOT OVERCHARGE, as this will reduce the useful life of the rechargeable battery.

Battery Voltage. When you press P2, the word "battery" appears, followed by a number between about 7,000 and 12,000. This number represents the battery voltage in millivolts. Thus, a number like 10157 means that your battery voltage is 10.157, or a little over 10 volts.

A reading of 11,000 or higher means that the battery is fully charged. Any number down to about 9,000 is normal. With the rechargeable battery pack, at about 9,500, the remaining battery life is 1 hour or less, depending on usage. Actual remaining life for transmission may be less, because transmitting requires more power. When you are transmitting, the voltage could drop below the minimum needed, and the set could shut down or issue a dual-tone "low battery" announcement.

Below about 8,000, prepare to recharge the spent battery, and/or to switch to a fresh battery. The set will automatically issue a dual tone when battery is exhausted. TURN RADIO OFF BEFORE CHANGING BATTERY OR CHARGING INSTALLED BATTERY.

Battery Life Test - Rechargeable Battery (11 h.). We ran a battery test by periodically checking the battery voltage with the P2 button. We found that, in receive mode, the capacity of the rechargeable battery was about 11 h. This number will decrease according to the amount of transmission.

Loss of AC Power

If AC power goes out, you lose the ability to charge the set with the supplied charging cradle. To cover this eventuality we purchased an 8-AA cell backup battery pack (see figure at right) from VRN, and did some testing.

Battery Life Test - AA Battery Pack (20 h.). In receive mode, a set of 8 Duracell® batteries allowed over 20 hours of operation. To verify that the set was still able to transmit, we periodically made a 1-s., key-only transmission. We found that, after the voltage had dropped below about 8800, transmission was no longer possible.

Note that the 20 hour lifetime will be reduced according to the amount of time spent in transmitting.

Electrical Ratings, from Icom Site

Contact Phone Numbers (Furnished by VRN)

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