West Mountain Trail Map

and radio operating information

Vertex Radio Operations and Procedures

Handhelds

Turn the radio off at the end of the day, and place it in the charger unit. When the radio cabinet doors are open, the chargers are turned off. When the doors are closed at the end of the day, the chargers are turned on and will charge the radios.

The volume knob is located on the top, away from the antenna. It will feel “stiff”. This is by design, to prevent the volume from changing or turning off the radio. 

The channel selection switch is located between the volume and antenna. It needs to be slightly lifted to change the channel. This feature will need not be used too often. It is up to each and every patroller to monitor the correct channel at all times. We will be using channel 1 as our primary channel, and channel 2 as a back up. You will see that there are other channels available, which are for special use only. 

Before transmitting, the Push to Talk (PTT) button must be held for one second prior to speaking. At the end of the transmission, the PTT must be held for an additional one second to avoid clipping the end of your statement. This is necessary for the privacy feature.

There is a 2 minute time out on the transmitter. If you accidentally key the PTT for more then two minutes (you are sitting on it, or it’s rubbing against something in your jacket), or if you are long winded, the radio will shut the transmitter portion off. This feature will minimize the “open microphone” problem we sometimes have. To reset, you need to release the PTT, and then click it for one second.

Base Station

To transmit from the base, the monitor button on the left must be depressed first, and held through out the transmission. If you release the monitor button, your transmission will be cut off. You can lock the monitor button in place, which will allow the base station to hear all radio traffic, including traffic from other agencies, such as the school buses, etc. Once locked, you will also be able to broadcast. 

Channels

It is your responsibility to be on the correct channel. Please make sure your radio is on the correct channel when you leave the first aid room, and that it is turned up enough so you can hear it. The PL code is what blocks out traffic from radios other then our own.