GME TX680 - Manual (Page 9)

TX680 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Page 9
Battery Low Alert
When the battery icon blinks on the
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
TX680. The1000 mAh battery pack
supplied is powerful enough for a full days
use under average conditions.
Conserving Battery Power
The TX680 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 TX680 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 TX680 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 TX680 will ‘wake up’
again. This Standby mode is automatic
and by itself can extend the battery life by
many hours.
Using CTCSS
If you are expecting to receive signals on
a busy channel, you can program that
channel for CTCSS operation and get the
other person to call you using the same
CTCSS tone. Your radio will then remain in
Standby and ignore all other signals until
your selected CTCSS tone is received.
Scanning
The TX680 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 from 3 watts to 1 watt effectively
doubling the talk time available.