GME TX685 User Manual
Page 8
PA G E 8
I N S T R U C T I O N M A N UA L
T X 6 1 5 0 / T X 6 8 5
Charging the battery Pack
The TX685 is supplied with a desktop charger. The desktop charger will charge a fully discharged
2000 mAh battery pack to full capacity in around 7 – 8 hours.
The TX6150 is supplied with a rapid desktop charger. The charger will charge a fully discharged
2200 mAh battery pack to full capacity in around 3 hours.
To charge the battery pack:
1. Plug the included plug pack power supply into a standard 240 volt AC outlet.
2. Connect the plug pack’s DC connector to the socket under the base of the desktop charger.
Route the lead through the slot under the charger’s base.
3. Place the radio with battery attached, into the cradle. The RED ‘CHG’ LED will light to indicate
the battery is charging.
4. When the battery has charged, the GREEN ‘FULL’ LED will light.
battery low Alert
When the battery icon blinks on the radio’s display, the battery level is low and the battery pack
should be recharged. If the battery is not charged, an audio tone will then sound to warn the user
that the battery is almost discharged.
battery usage
The time taken to discharge the battery pack will depend on how you use the radio. The battery
pack supplied is powerful enough for a full day’s use under average conditions.
Conserving battery Power
The radio has built-in power saving features to help you get the maximum amount of time between
charges from your Li-Ion battery pack. If you need to operate your radio in a situation where you
require maximum battery life (e.g. a remote site where there is no convenient recharging facility
nearby) the following hints can greatly reduce the amount of power drawn from the battery pack.
standby Mode
The radio will automatically enter the ‘Standby’ mode when it is inactive (i.e. not transmitting or
receiving signals).
While in Standby mode it will still check for incoming signals but it will draw considerably less power
from the battery pack. As soon as a signal is heard or the keys are pressed the radio will ‘wake up’
again. This Standby mode is automatic and by itself can extend the battery life by many hours.
using CTCss/DCs
If you are expecting to receive signals on a busy channel, you can program that channel for CTCSS/
DCS operation and get the other person to call you using the same CTCSS/DCS tone. Your radio will
then remain in Standby and ignore all other signals until your selected CTCSS/DCS tone is received.
scanning
The radio draws more power from the battery pack when scanning than when monitoring a single
channel. This is because it must ‘wake up’ more often to monitor each channel for activity. You
can ‘squeeze’ that extra bit of life from the battery pack by avoiding any unnecessary scanning. In
addition, scanning increases the chance of finding a signal thereby keeping the receiver ‘awake’
and the squelch open more often.
low Transmit Power settings
The transmitter has both high and low power settings. If you are only operating over short distances,
are in a reasonably high location or are close to a local repeater, try using the Low transmitter power
setting. This reduces the transmitter power to 1 watt effectively doubling the talk time available.