What every key does on a short press and a long press, the whole menu in one place, and the parts of this radio the manual buries.
| Key | Short press | Long press |
|---|---|---|
| PTT | Transmit, or leave the current screen | |
| Side key 1 | Assignable. Can also be set as a second PTT, which transmits on the B channel. | |
| Side key 2 | Assignable, short press and long press separately | |
| Menu | Menu, and confirm. DTMF code A. | |
| Left arrow | Analog: DTMF input. Digital: dial call. DTMF code B. | |
| Right arrow | Cancel or exit the menu, and switch A and B channel. Deletes a character in DTMF or dial call. | |
| Up and Down | Frequency, channel or menu. DTMF codes C and D. | |
| 0 | Digit 0, or a blank in text. DTMF code 0. | Assigned function |
| 1 to 9 | Digits, letters in text entry. DTMF codes 1 to 9. | Assigned function |
| * | Cycle what the channel line shows: number, number and frequency, or name | Lock the keypad. Long press again to unlock. DTMF star. Deletes text. |
| # | DTMF hash. In text entry, turns text input on and off and switches input method. | Switch between channel mode, frequency mode and zone mode |
| Element | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Top left line | VFO MODE, CH MODE or Zone-XXX, where XXX is the current zone |
| Triangle marker | Points at the main working band |
| D-XXXX or A-XXXX | D is a digital channel, A is analog, XXXX is the channel number |
| T1 or T2 | Digital timeslot. On analog it shows AM or FM modulation instead. |
| CXX | Digital color code. On analog this position shows CTC or DCS subtone. ENC means the analog channel is encrypted, MUT means decoded subtone. |
| H or L | High or low power |
| W or N | Wide or narrow band |
| HD | Digital call hold status |
| R or T | R is reverse frequency, T is talk around |
| Other icons | System time, battery, alert voice, dual frequency standby, unread SMS, scanning, keypad locked, signal |
| To do this | Do this |
|---|---|
| Enter a frequency | Press # for frequency mode, then key the eight digits. It completes on the eighth. |
| Set up a repeater | Channel Set 12, Offset Dir for the direction, then Channel Set 13, Offset Freq for the split. |
| Lock the keypad | Long press *. Same again to unlock. |
| Change what the channel line shows | Short press * |
| Switch channel, frequency or zone mode | Long press # |
| Swap the A and B channel | Right arrow |
| Place a digital call by ID | Press the left arrow for the dial screen, pick the call type with the right arrow, key the ID, then PTT. |
| Save the current frequency to a channel | Basic Set 27, Save CH, channels 0001 to 1024. It stores the tone with it. |
| Delete a channel | Basic Set 28, Delete CH |
| Get the manual | Basic Set 29, Instruction shows a barcode to scan |
| Item | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Radio Name | Edit name | Your callsign or alias. * deletes, # switches input method. |
| 02 Voice Prompt | On, Off | Spoken prompts |
| 03 Key Beep | On, Off | Keypad beep |
| 04 Lock Timer | Off, 5 to 600 sec | Automatic keypad lock |
| 05 Backlight | On, Off | Display backlight |
| 06 Light Timer | Off, 5 to 600 sec | Backlight timeout |
| 07 Brightness | 0 to 4 | Backlight level |
| 08 Menu Exit | Off, 5 to 600 sec | Automatic menu exit |
| 09 State Timer | Off, 5 to 600 sec | How long voltage, time and date show |
| 10 Dual Standby | On, Off | Dual or single standby |
| 11 TX priority | Edit, Busy | Edit always transmits on the main band. Busy switches to the busy channel as main. |
| 12 Freq Step | 0.25, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 6.25, 10, 12.5, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500 kHz, 1 M, 5 M | Frequency and scan step |
| 13 Talk Around | Off, Talk Around, Invert Freq | Repeater or simplex |
| 14 Save Mode | Off, 1:1 to 1:3 | Power saving ratio. Does not work while dual standby is on. |
| 15 Scan Mode | CO, TO, SE | CO holds until the signal drops then waits 2 seconds. TO holds a preset time then resumes even if the signal is still there. SE stops the scan and stays put. |
| 16 Scan Direction | Up, Down | |
| 17 Scan Dwell | 0 to 30 | Stop time for TO mode |
| 18 Scan Return | Original CH, Current CH | Which channel you land on after scanning |
| 19 Alarm Type | Local, Remote, Local and Remote | Local sounds on this radio, Remote also makes other radios sound |
| 20 Main PTT TX | Area A, Main Area | Transmit in the main area, or always in A |
| 21 Area A Mode | CH, Zone, Freq | |
| 22 Area A Show | CH No, Freq, Alias | |
| 23 Area A Zone | Zone 1 to 256 | |
| 24 to 26 Area B | Same three settings for B | |
| 27 Save CH | CH-0001 to CH-1024 | Save the current frequency and tone |
| 28 Delete CH | CH-0001 to CH-1024 | |
| 29 Instruction | Barcode | Scan it to get the manual |
| 30 Version | Firmware version | |
| 31 LCD Contrast | Higher is deeper | Needs a restart to take effect |
| 32 Initialization | Cancel, Ensure | Factory reset. Frequency data returns to the last programmed state. |
Assignable positions: Slaver PTT on or off, which makes side key 1 a second PTT for the B channel; Side key 1 short and long; Side key 2 short and long; and a long press function on each of 0 through 9.
One catch
Turn Slaver PTT on and the preset functions on side key 1 stop working, because the key becomes a PTT.
| Item | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 01 SQ level | 0 to 10 | 0 opens the squelch entirely. Higher is tighter but less sensitive. Middle is the sensible place. |
| 02 TX Start Tone | On, Off | Tone before transmitting |
| 03 TX End Tone | Off, roger beep 1, roger beep 2, radio name | Roger beep, or your alias sent at the end |
| 04 Single Tone | 1750 Hz default | The tone burst frequency. Edit it here. |
| 05 Mic Gain | 0 to 31 | |
| 06 SPK Gain | 0 to 63 | |
| 07 Detect Range | Frequency range | The range the frequency counter searches |
| 08 Repeater Delay | 0 to 2000 ms | |
| 09 DTMF Delay | 0 to 2000 ms | |
| 10 DTMF Interval | 30 to 200 ms | |
| 11 DTMF Duration | 30 to 200 ms | |
| 12 DTMF Mode | Off, TX start, TX end, Both | When the DTMF code is sent |
| 13 DTMF Select | 01 to 16 | Which of the 16 stored codes |
| 14 DTMF Display | On, Off | Show a received DTMF code on screen |
| 15 DTMF TX Gain | 0 to 127 | Suggested 64 |
| 16 DTMF RX TH | 0 to 127 | Decode threshold, suggested 24 |
| 17 DTMF Control | On, Off | Must be On for remote monitor, stun, kill and activate to work |
| 18 Time Calibrate | On, Off | Remote time calibration |
DTMF TX gain and RX threshold exist because brands differ. If another make of radio will not decode your DTMF, or you will not decode theirs, these two are the adjustment. 64 and 24 are the manual's recommended starting points.
| Item | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Personal ID | 1 to 16776415 | Your DMR ID |
| 02 Call Tone | On, Off | |
| 03 Call End Tone | On, Off | |
| 04 Group Hold | ms | How long after a group call ends you can still reply without redialling |
| 05 Single Hold | ms | The same for an individual call |
| 06 SQ level | 0 to 16 | Digital squelch. Lower opens easier, but power saving will not work in standby. |
| 07 Mic Gain | 0 to 15 | |
| 08 SPK Gain | 0 to 15 | |
| 09 Contacts Set | Add, delete, modify | IDs 1 to 16776415. There is one All Call contact and it cannot be changed or deleted. |
| 10 Group List Set | Add, delete, modify | The receive group list. Left arrow selects a member and it turns black, right arrow deselects. |
| 11 Encryption Set | Key 1 to 256 | Voice encryption keys |
| Item | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 01 DMR Mode | Dual Slot off or on | Double Capacity Direct Mode. With Dual Slot off, radios talk to each other as long as frequency and color code match. With it on, the slot has to match too. |
| 02 DMR Slot | Slot 1, Slot 2 | Only meaningful with Dual Slot on |
| 03 Color Code | 0 to 15 | |
| 04 Contacts | All Call, or a contact | The call contact for this channel |
| 05 RX Group | Off, or a group list | The receive group list for this channel |
| 06 Encryption | Off, Key 1 to 256 | |
| 07 TX Politely | Impolite, Carrier Match, CC match | Impolite transmits regardless. Carrier Match blocks transmit while any signal is present. CC match blocks only when the color code matches. |
| 08 TX Power | Low, High | |
| 09 Scan Add | Add, Remove | Whether this channel is scanned |
| 10 TOT | Off, 5 to 600 sec | Time out timer |
| 11 CH Alias | Channel name | |
| 12 Offset Dir | Off, Upward, Downward | Upward is TX = RX plus offset, Downward is TX = RX minus offset |
| 13 Offset Freq | Frequency | Set it to 0 to turn the offset off |
CTC/DCS, RX CTC/DCS and TX CTC/DCS set the subtone, and * switches type. DCS Encrypt set to Encrypt 1, 2 or 3 encrypts with standard DCS and only works for DCS. Mute Code 1, 2 or 3 sets the subtone of the current channel. Mute Code 1/2/3 also decodes non-standard digital subtone, a one click privacy decode.
256 zones, each holding up to 1024 channels. Each zone name and its channel list are editable. Use the left arrow to choose members and the right arrow to confirm.
New SMS, Inbox, Outbox, Drafts, Default SMS and Clear All SMS. Up to 256 messages in the inbox and 256 in the outbox, 256 drafts, and 16 preset messages.
Send to a contact list entry or by keying the number, as an Individual or Group Call, with the left arrow switching type. Received messages can be replied to, forwarded or deleted. Sent messages can be resent, forwarded or deleted.
Work Mode is frequency or channel. 16 zones of 16 channels. RX Standby on lets the radio still take calls on the main frequency while the FM radio plays. Scan Mode One Station stops at the first station found and saves it, All Range searches for all 16.
Press a defined key to enter FM, PTT to leave. # switches FM frequency and channel mode. * switches Single Channel and Full Band searching. Long press Up or Down to search.
APO on or off with a power off timer, system time, and four independent clock alarms, each set to Off, once, or every day. Plus a schedule list of 128 entries.
| Function | What it does |
|---|---|
| Monitor (Analog) | Analog channels only. Opens the receiver and plays whatever is there. |
| H/L Power | Toggle high and low power |
| Dual Standby | Toggle dual standby. Power saving stops working while it is on. |
| TX Priority | Switch between Edit and Busy. On Busy, the main frequency follows the calling frequency automatically until the call ends. |
| Scanning | Start scanning. Any other key stops it. |
| Backlight On and Off | |
| Roger Beep | Switch RX and tone types |
| FM Radio | Enter the FM broadcast receiver |
| Talkaround | Switch the repeater frequency to talk around or frequency reverse. Under talk around you transmit on the receive frequency. |
| Alarm | Emergency alarm status with an alarm sound. Any key exits. |
| Freq Detect | Frequency counter and subtone decoder for a nearby signal. * switches between frequency detect and subtone decode. Right arrow or PTT exits, # switches bands. Up arrow re-detects. Left arrow saves the result to a VFO channel. |
| CTC/DCS scan | Subtone scan |
| Single tone | Analog only. Sends a single frequency signal, the repeater wake tone, at the current frequency. |
| Status query | Time and battery |
| Remote Monitor | Digital channels and individual call only. Opens a 15 second monitor of the surrounding sounds at the far end. |
| Color code scan | Digital only. Scans color codes to find the code of a nearby digital signal. |
| Remote Stun, Kill, Wake Up | Digital channels and individual call only. See the warning below. |
| Online check | Digital only. Checks whether the far radio is switched on and reachable. |
| LCD brightness | 0 is darkest, 4 is brightest |
| NOAA mode | Enter NOAA scanning. Up and down switch channels. The radio starts scanning NOAA automatically after six seconds of no operation. |
You can also just press keypad digits while already transmitting on analog. With DTMF Display on, an incoming code is shown on the screen.
Stun, Kill and Activate, read before using
Set the codes for stun, kill and activate, then turn DTMF Control on. Another radio sending the matching code can stun or kill this one.
A killed radio cannot be used until the activate code is received. It still receives, but nothing on the keypad works and it cannot transmit. The same is true in stun status.
Set the Activate code at the same time as the Stun and Kill codes. The manual is explicit: if you do not, the radio cannot be brought back.
The radio offers ARC4, AES128 and AES256 for digital voice. Two radios will only talk to each other encrypted when all three of these match:
Encryption on amateur frequencies is a regulatory question, not just a technical one. Check what applies to you before turning it on.
| 1 | 162.55000 | 2 | 162.40000 | 3 | 162.47500 |
| 4 | 162.42500 | 5 | 162.45000 | 6 | 162.50000 |
| 7 | 162.52500 | 8 | 161.65000 | 9 | 161.77500 |
| 10 | 161.75000 | 11 | 162.00000 |
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Receive, FM broadcast | 64 to 108 MHz |
| Receive, AM air band | 108 to 136 MHz |
| Receive, analog | 136 to 520 MHz |
| Receive, digital | 136 to 174 and 400 to 470 MHz |
| Transmit, USA | Analog 144 to 148 and 420 to 450 MHz. Digital the same. |
| Transmit, Europe | Analog 144 to 146 and 430 to 440 MHz. Digital the same. |
| Channel capacity | 1024 channels plus 2 VFO channels |
| Channel spacing | Analog 25 or 12.5 kHz, digital 12.5 kHz |
| Voltage | 7.4 V DC |
| Frequency stability | 2.5 ppm |
| Temperature range | minus 20 to plus 60 C |
| Size and weight | 112 x 61 x 38 mm, about 198 g |
| Modulation | Analog F3E, digital 4FSK |
| Deviation | 5 kHz wide, 2.5 kHz narrow |
| SNR | 45 dB wide, 40 dB narrow |
| TX current | Less than 1500 mA |
| Sensitivity | 0.22 uV wide, 0.25 uV narrow, 12 dB SINAD |
| Audio output | 1 W into 16 ohms |
| RX current | Less than 350 mA, standby less than 70 mA |
| Antenna | Removable |
Condensed from the Radtel RT-4D User's Manual, Xiamen Radtel Electronics Co. Ltd. This sheet is a summary and does not replace the manual, and the safety and RF exposure section in the manual should be read before use. Transmit ranges differ by region, so check the version you have.