Every key on a short press and a long press, all nine menus in one place, and the features this radio has that its smaller brother does not. Covers the RT-6D and the RT-6D Pro.
| Key | Short press | Long press |
|---|---|---|
| PTT | Transmit, or exit | |
| Side key 1 | Assignable. Can be made a second PTT for the B frequency with Slaver PTT, which disables its other functions. | |
| Side key 2 | Assignable short and long. Default in VFO switches analog and digital. | |
| Yellow key | Assignable short and long | |
| MENU | Confirm, or enter the menu. DTMF code A. | |
| EXIT, the arrow | Cancel or leave the menu. DTMF code D. Deletes. | |
| A/B | Switch which of A or B is the main band | |
| VFO/MR | Switch VFO frequency mode and channel mode. Also deletes characters. | |
| Up | Frequency, channel or menu up. DTMF code B. | Scroll quickly |
| Down | Frequency, channel or menu down. DTMF code C. | Scroll quickly |
| 0 | Digit 0, or a space in text | Assigned function |
| 1 to 9 | Digits, and letters in text entry | Assigned function |
| * | In channel mode, cycle the display between frequency, channel number and channel alias | Lock the keypad |
| # DTMF | Analog: DTMF input. Digital: dial call, and press again to cycle Individual, Group and All Call. Also activates text input and switches input method. | Quick entry of the transmit frequency |
Twenty indicators. The ones worth recognising:
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CXX | Digital color code. On analog the same position shows DCS or CTC subtone, ENC for an encrypted analog channel, or MUT for a decoded subtone. |
| T1 or T2 | Digital timeslot. On analog it shows AM or FM modulation. |
| H or L | High or low power |
| DMR D | The current channel is digital |
| RR or TR | RR is offline, TR is backward frequency |
| A or B | Current region |
| Also shown | Keypad lock, beep, scan, unread SMS, digital call hold, battery, prompt content area, channel alias, channel number or frequency, main frequency icon, analog signal strength or last digital call record, S9 field strength meter |
Press VFO/MR for VFO mode, then key the frequency in. Whether it wants six digits or eight is a setting, and getting it wrong is why entry sometimes seems not to work.
Menu > Basic Set > 28 Freq Input, choose 6 bits or 8 bits.
Through the menu: Channel Set > 16 Offset Freq for the difference, then Channel Set > 15 Offset Dir for the direction. Upward means TX equals RX plus the offset, Downward means TX equals RX minus the offset.
The quick way: long press # to open the TX frequency screen, key the transmit frequency directly, and press MENU to save.
Menu > Basic Set > 18 Main PTT TX. Area A always transmits on A. Main Area always transmits on whichever is currently active.
To transmit on B from a side key, turn on Menu > Key Define > Slaver PTT. Side key 1 then becomes a PTT for the B frequency and loses its other assigned function.
On receive, a digital call shows the caller ID, caller name and call type, with the group ID on a group call.
Assignable to side key 1 short and long, side key 2 short and long, the yellow key, and a long press on each of 0 to 9.
| Function | What it does |
|---|---|
| H/L Power | Toggle high and low power |
| Dual Standby | Toggle dual standby. Power saving does not work while it is on. |
| TX Priority | Edit or Busy. On Busy the main frequency follows the calling frequency and returns when the call ends. |
| Scanning | Start scanning. Any key exits. |
| Backlight On/off, Brightness | Backlight control |
| FM Radio | Enter the broadcast receiver, PTT to leave. Then * switches frequency and channel mode, and a long press on * toggles Single Channel and Full Band search. |
| Talk around | Talk Around transmits on the receive frequency. Frequency Reverse swaps RX and TX. |
| Alarm | Emergency alarm with a sound. Any key exits. |
| Zone Selection | Pick the zone number |
| SQ | Set the squelch level |
| Freq Step | Step size |
| DA Switch (VFO) | In VFO, switch digital and analog |
| Save CH | Save the frequency and tone into a channel |
| Monitor | Open the squelch |
| VOX | Set the VOX level |
| Roger Beep | Set the end of transmission tone |
| Freq Detect | Frequency counter, or one click copy of a nearby signal |
| CTC/DCS scan | Scan for the subtone in use |
| Send Single Tone | Sends a single tone, the repeater wake tone, on the current frequency. Any key exits. |
| RX Modulation | On analog channels, switch the demodulation between AM and FM |
| Spectrum | Analog spectrum function |
| NOAA Mode | NOAA scanning. Up and down change channel. It starts scanning by itself after six seconds of no operation. |
| Remote Monitor | Digital and individual call only. A 15 second call to listen to the surroundings of the far radio. |
| Remote Stun, Kill, Wake Up | Digital and individual call only. See the warning below. |
| Online Check | Digital only. Check whether the far radios are on and on the same channel. |
| Promiscuous | Toggle promiscuous mode. See below. |
| New SMS | Straight into the message editor |
| Jump to SMS Menu | Straight into the message inbox |
| Dual Slot On/off | Dual time slot on or off |
| Slot Switch | Switch time slot 1 and 2 |
| CC Switch | Switch color code |
| DMR Enc off | Set the DMR encryption keys |
| Jump to TG List | Straight to the receive talk group list |
| GPS, GPS Manual Rec, Query GPS Track, APRS Beacon | Pro version only |
Forty two items. The ones that matter, and the ones that are new compared with the RT-4D.
| Item | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Radio Name | Edit | Callsign or alias. * deletes, # switches input method. |
| 02 to 08 | Voice prompt, key beep, lock timer, light timer, brightness 0 to 4, menu exit timer, dual standby | |
| 09 TX priority | Edit, Busy | Edit always transmits on the main band. Busy makes the busy channel the main one. |
| 10 Freq Step | 0.25, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 6.25, 10, 12.5, 20, 25, 50, 100, 500 kHz, 1 M, 5 M | |
| 11 Talk Around | Off, Talk Around, Invert Frequency | Talk Around is direct communication without the repeater. Invert swaps transmit and receive. |
| 12 Save Mode | Off, 1:1 to 1:3 | Does not work while dual standby is on |
| 13 Scan Mode | CO, TO, SE | CO resumes once the signal ends, with a 2 second delay. TO holds a set time then resumes even if the signal is still there. SE stops the scan and stays. |
| 14 to 17 | Scan direction, dwell 0 to 30, interval 0 to 30, and return to Original or Current channel | |
| 18 and 19 Scan Start and End Freq | The band limits for a frequency scan | |
| 20 Carrier LED | On, Off | |
| 21 Alarm Type | Local, Remote, Local and Remote | Remote also sets off other radios |
| 22 to 27 | Area A and Area B each have Mode (CH, Zone, Freq), Show (CH No, Freq, Alias) and Zone 1 to 256 | |
| 28 Freq Input | 6 bits, 8 bits | How many digits a frequency entry expects |
| 29 CT/DCS Code Show | On, Off | Show the actual value, such as 67.0 or D023N, on the main display |
| 30 CH Alias Color | Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, White, Fuchsia, Pink, Orange, Tomato, CyanGolden | Color of the channel name |
| 31 Reverse CH | On, Off | Reverses the direction the channel knob and the up and down keys move through channels |
| 32 RX RSSI Refresh | Off, 100 to 2000 ms | How often the signal meter updates while receiving |
| 33 and 34 APO | On, Off, plus timer | Automatic sleep |
| 35 and 36 AWU | On, Off, plus timer | Automatic wake up |
| 37 Save CH | CH-0001 to CH-1024 | |
| 38 Delete CH | CH-0001 to CH-1024 | |
| 39 Initialization | Yes, No | Frequency data returns to the last programmed state |
| 40 to 42 | Radio version and time, DMR version, Flash IC capacity |
| Item | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 01 SQ level | 0 to 10 | 0 fully opens the squelch. Higher is tighter but less sensitive. The manual recommends the middle. |
| 02 TX Start Tone | On, Off | |
| 03 TX End Tone | Off, Roger Beep 1, Roger Beep 2, Radio Name | Radio Name sends your alias at the end of a transmission |
| 04 Single Tone | 1750 Hz default | The repeater wake tone. Assign Send Single Tone to a key to use it. |
| 05 to 07 VOX | On/Off, threshold 0 to 254, delay 0 to 5 | |
| 08 Detect Range | Frequency range | The band the frequency counter searches. Assign Freq Step to a key afterwards. |
| 09 Repeater Delay | 0 to 2000 ms | How long the repeater stays active after the incoming signal stops |
| 10 Mic Gain | 0 to 31 | Large change per step |
| 11 DAC Gain | 0 to 15 | Band A speaker volume |
| 12 A SPK Gain | 0 to 63 | Band B speaker volume |
| 13 B SPK Gain | 0 to 63 | Raise it if reception is blocked during calls, lower it if there is frequent interference |
| 14 Glitch TH | 0 to 10 | Same idea: raise for blocked reception, lower for interference |
| 15 to 23 DTMF | Delay 0 to 2000 ms, interval and duration 30 to 200 ms, mode Off or TX start or TX end or Both, select code 1 to 16, display on or off, TX gain 0 to 127 (recommended 64), RX threshold 0 to 127 (recommended 24), and DTMF Control on or off |
| Item | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 01 Personal ID | 1 to 16776415 | Your DMR ID |
| 02 and 03 | On, Off | Call tone and call end tone |
| 04 Group Hold | ms | How long after a group call you can still reply directly |
| 05 Single Hold | ms | The same for an individual call |
| 06 SQ level | 0 to 16 | Digital squelch. Lower opens easier but stops power saving in standby. |
| 07 to 09 | 0 to 15 | Mic gain, band A speaker gain, band B speaker gain |
| 10 Contacts Set | Add, delete, modify | IDs 1 to 16777415. There is one All Call contact and it cannot be changed or deleted. |
| 11 TG List Set | Talk group list | The receive group list. MENU selects a member, which turns black, Return deselects. |
| 12 Encryption Set | Key 1 to 256 | |
| 13 Send DTMF | On, Off | |
| 14 Called Hold | 0 to 60 | |
| 15 to 17 | Call Log shows caller IDs, Clear All Log, Address Book |
| Item | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 01 to 03 CTC/DCS | Off, CTC, DCS, plus separate RX and TX | * switches subtone type |
| 04 TX Freq | Transmit frequency | |
| 05 DCS Encrypt | Standard, Encrypt 1 to 3, Mute Code | Encrypt 1, 2 or 3 encrypts using standard DCS and works for DCS only. Mute Code 1, 2 or 3 makes the subtone of the current channel invalid and uses that instead. |
| 06 Mute Code | Decodes non-standard digital subtone, a one click privacy decode | |
| 07 Band Width | Wide, Narrow | 25 or 12.5 kHz |
| 08 Tail Tone | Off, 55 Hz, No Shift, 120, 180, 240 degree shift | Squelch tail elimination |
| 09 Scrambler | Off, 1 to 8 | Voice inversion |
| 10 Busy Lock | Off, Carrier Match, CTC/DCS Match | |
| 11 TX Power | High, Low | |
| 12 Scan Add | Add, Remove | Remove means this channel is skipped in a scan |
| 13 TOT | Off, 5 to 600 sec | |
| 14 CH Alias | Name | |
| 15 Offset Dir | Plus, minus | Set the offset frequency first |
| 16 Offset Freq | Frequency | Set it to 0 to turn the offset off |
| 17 RX Demodulation | FM, AM, SSB | SSB. This is the field that makes the RT-6D useful on the HF and air bands within its receive range. |
| 18 Limit RX/TX | RX and TX, Only RX, Only TX |
| Item | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 01 DMR Mode | Dual Slot off, Dual Slot on | With Dual Slot off, radios talk as long as frequency and color code match. With it on, the time slot must match too. |
| 02 DMR Slot | Slot 1, Slot 2 | |
| 03 Color Code | 0 to 15 | |
| 04 Contacts | All Call, or a contact | |
| 05 RX TG List | Off, or a list | |
| 06 Encryption | Off, Key 1 to 256 | |
| 07 TX Politely | Impolite, Carrier Match, CC match | Impolite transmits regardless. Carrier Match blocks while any signal is present. CC match blocks only on a matching color code. |
| 08 to 14 | TX power, scan add, TOT, channel alias, offset direction, offset frequency, TX frequency | |
| 15 Promiscuous | On, Off | See below |
| 16 and 17 Channel ID | Set ID, select Radio ID or Channel ID | Lets a channel use an ID of its own rather than the radio's |
| 18 Limit RX/TX |
What it actually changes
Off: the radio receives on one time slot and one talk group. Voice from other talk groups on the same channel, even on the same frequency and color code, is not decoded and not played.
On: the radio receives and decodes every talk group on the current frequency and time slot. As long as the color code and time slot match, you hear whatever is passing.
Set per channel at Channel Set > 15 Promiscuous, or put it on a key.
You can also press keypad digits while already transmitting to send tones live. With DTMF Display on, incoming codes appear on screen.
Set a monitor code and turn Analog Set > 23 DTMF Control on. When another radio sends that code, this radio transmits automatically for 60 seconds so they can hear its surroundings.
Stun, Kill and Activate, read before using
Configure the Stun, Kill and Activate codes and enable DTMF Control. Another radio sending the matching code can then stun or kill this one.
Stun: the radio can still receive but cannot transmit or take keypad input.
Kill: completely unusable until reactivated.
Activate: restores normal operation from either state.
Always set an Activate code when you set Stun or Kill codes. The manual states plainly that otherwise the radio cannot be restored once disabled.
ARC4, AES128 and AES256. Two radios only communicate encrypted when all three match, none of them optional: the same encryption type, the same encryption serial number, and the same key value.
Whether encryption is permitted on the frequency you are using is a regulatory question. Check before enabling it.
Zones: 256 zones, up to 1024 channels each, names and members editable.
SMS: New SMS, Inbox, Outbox, Drafts, Default SMS, Clear All SMS, plus SMS Format Default or Moto, and SMS Font Unicode or GBK. Up to 256 messages in the inbox and 256 in the outbox, 256 drafts, 16 presets. Send to a contact or by dialling the number, as Individual or Group Call. Received messages can be replied to, forwarded or deleted; sent ones resent, forwarded or deleted.
FM radio: RX Standby on lets the radio still take calls while the FM radio plays. 16 FM channels.
RT-6D Pro only
The Extend menu exists only on the Pro version. Everything in this section is absent on the standard RT-6D.
GPS on and off, baud rate, UTC zone, PC Monitor to report to a serial monitoring tool, coordinate format in degrees, degrees and minutes, or degrees minutes seconds, speed, distance and altitude units, fixed latitude, longitude and altitude, total mileage and how it accumulates, clear mileage, manual and automatic position recording with a record interval, and query or clear the track.
APRS on and off, station mode fixed or GPS mobile, beacon setup, beacon mode, digipeater retransmission, receive channel and transmit channel, decode prompt tone, TX and RX data upload to the PC, automatic beacon pop-up after decode, PTT priority, PTT delay, RX channel mute, beacon saving, beacon list, clear beacon list, and initialise APRS.
| 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 | 136 to 174 and 400 to 470 MHz, analog and digital |
| Channel capacity | 1024 channels plus 2 VFO channels |
| Channel spacing | Analog 25 or 12.5 kHz, digital 12.5 kHz |
| Digital protocol | ETSI TS102361-1, -2, -3 |
| Voltage | 7.4 V DC |
| Antenna | External, removable |
| Frequency stability | 2.5 ppm |
| Temperature range | minus 20 to plus 60 C |
| Size and weight | 149 x 64 x 37 mm, about 300 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 |
Three ways: the radio in the dock, the battery alone in the dock, or USB-C on the side of the radio. Red LED charging, green complete. Charge fully before first use, and do not use a fast phone charger on it.
Condensed from the Radtel RT-6D and RT-6D Pro User's Manual, Xiamen Radtel Electronics Co. Ltd. This sheet is a summary and does not replace the manual. Transmit ranges are as printed and differ by region, so check the version you have against local licensing before transmitting.