Learing to Use Your* Radio (That's not a Baofeng UV5R)

Not a Baofeng

There are only a few settings on a ham radio that you need to know to make it work and use it on the VHF and UHF bands  

These may have different buttons or slightly different names on different radios, but the principles are the same.  To learn your radio,  simply google YouTube videos on how to use your radio,  be it Yaesu, Alinco, Kenwood, Icom, Lincoln, Anytone, etc.  Usually, someone will have produced a video showing you how to operate it (I don't have every radio out there, so there's a possibility that some radios don't have a video about them.  If that's the case and you're feeling ambitious...you can make a YouTube video on how to use your particular radio, you may have to just refer to the manual in such cases).

It helps to Google the owners manual and print it out and read it.  You want to print it out and have a hard-copy because in a disaster, you may need it and won't be able to look it up on the internet.  It also helps to practice, practice, practice with it, at least weekly with the stake. Take the time to read your owner's manual.  You are learning an entirely new skill-set (we all are), it takes some time and practice, there's no way around that, but with a bit of diligence you will get it pretty quickly.

If you're really confused and feel your radio is a real mess and you just need to start over,  look up how to reset or restore it in the manual.  This will restore factory settings and you can start over.

Basics: 

VFO -  Variable Frequency  Operation,  or being able to simply adjust the frequency up or down or enter the frequency in the keypad.  (The frequency is variable, changeable, adjustable - VFO).

Memory/Channel - instead of adjusting the frequency you have frequencies assigned to channels, like on the TV or your car stereo.  If a radio is in memory/channel mode, you can only switch between preprogrammed  channels.  You'll need to switch back to VFO (on many radios this is a "V/M" button) if you wish to tune to frequencies not in your memory channels.  Refer to your owner's manual on how to tell if your radio is in channel or VFO mode.

Shift -  When you're using a repeater, you can't transmit on the same frequency that the repeater is broadcasting on. Radios come with a feature that will shift the frequency up or down when you key the mic. You can set it to be positive (up)  or negative (down)  or off. For simplex, or radio to radio, you'll want it off. For repeater operation you'll want it up or down depending on the repeater (see Step 2, getting tuned in).  Some radios call this "repeat mode" others call it SFT-D, you will have to look in your radio manual to know how they decided to label it in yours.

Offset - how much of a shift you want when you have shift turned on.  For VHF this is usually 0.6MHz.  For UHF it is usually 5.0MHz. You do not need to change it to 0.00 if you wish to operate in simplex mode, just turn the shift off. Then when you go to use a repeater, just turn the shift to positive or negative, up or down, as you need to operate a particular repeater.

Tone - the tone needed to "unlock" the repeater. Often called CTCS or  Continuous Tone Coded Squelch, or PL  for Private Line. For more information on repeater operations, see this entry: https://ontariostakeerc.blogspot.com/2022/10/ham-radio-basics-repeaters-and-radio.html

Power - Whether your radio is operating at high or low power. Some radios you can actually set how many watts you wish to put out. Most simply have "low" or "high," or "low," "medium," and "high."   For simplex operations, you're probably going to want to operate at higher power.  For repeater operations you may be able to operate on medium or low, you'll have to test if you are activating the repeater.   Lower power conserves your batteries which can be critical in a disaster.  When I'm mobile in my vehicle on the radio, I usually have my power set to "high" if I'm headed any significant distance from the repeater.

Squelch -  This blocks out unwanted static or interference. If you have it too high you may not hear anybody.. If you're operating simplex ex and you're trying to hear other people on a handheld some distance away, you're going to want to turn this down. I've found for my radios having it turned between 1 and 4 usually works to keep the noise down while still allowing me to hear other people.

A\B -  Most radios come with dual channels meaning you can have 2 channels/frequencies on the screen at once. If you're set to talk on the "B" channel/frequency, but are looking at the "A" channel/frequency, you may wonder why nobody can hear you.  

It took me a while to learn my radios, and I'm nowhere near knowing all of the features on them all.  I just have most of the basics down that allow me to operate within the stake and a bit for fun.  Again, there isn't any substitute for diligence, perseverance or repetition, but if you ask Heavenly Father for some help and keep at it, you will get it, and this should get you started.  Join us on the weekly nets and keep practicing!