Lowrance electronic LVR-250 manual

L VR-250 VHF Radio Installation and Opera tion Instructions Pub . 988-0158-051 www.lowranc e.com[...]

Copyright © 2008 Navico All rights reserved. Lowrance® is a r egistered trademark of Navico No part of this manual may be copied, reproduced, r epublished, transmitted or distributed for any purpose, without prior written consent of L owrance Electronics. Any unauthoriz ed commercial distribution of this manual is strictly prohibited. Lowrance El[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 3 T able of Contents T able of Contents Ins tal lati on ........................................................................................................6 Installation Options ...........................................................................................................[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 4 2-5 GPS Data and Time (GPS/D A T A) ................................................................................................. 23 2-5-1 Manually Enter Position and UT C Time (MANU AL) .................................................................. 23 2-5-2 Local Time ( TIME OFF[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 5 5-2-3 Acknowledgement of an Individual I ncoming Call (INDIV ) ............................................... 37 5-2-4 Recall the Most Recent I ncoming Call (LAST ) ............................................................................. 37 5-2-5 Call a Group (GROUP) ..............[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 6 Installation This Lowrance radio is desig ned to generate a digital maritime distress call to facilitate sear ch and rescue. T o be effective as a safety device, this radio must be used only within the geo- graphic range of a shore-based VHF marine Channel 70 distr ess and safety watch [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 7 Mounting gimbal for the VHF radio 1. Pow er supply cable with in built 7 Amp 2. fuse External speaker connec tion cable with 3. white (+) wire and black (-) wire GPS connection cable 4. T wo mounting knobs 5. Microphone bulkhead mount 6. F our self-tapping screws for the 7. mounting gimb[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 8 Gim bal In stall ation Hold the mounting gimbal at the chosen location and use a soft pencil to mark the 1. screw hole positions onto the mounting surface. If you can’ t reach behind the mounting surface to attach the nuts, use the self-tapping 2. screws instead of the flat screws sho[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 9 that will be covered by the radio fascia after installation.) Drill the 4 mounting holes. Remove the installation template and slide the radio into the cavity . 3. Screw each M5x32 screw through the screw hole in the mounting bracket, then attach 4. the stopper . I f your bulkhead exceed[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 10 Connec t the Rad io Cables The connectors are on the rear of the base unit, as f ollows: GPS/COM c onnector . 1. F or connection to GPS device via NMEA. See the following table for wiring and color codes. (If you ’re not using this , be sure to put the protective cap securely over the[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 11 CAUTION Y ou can’t make any DSC transmissions until you ’ve obtained a user MMSI and entered it into your L VR-250. Set Up t he Radio The user MMSI is a unique nine digit number , similar to a personal telephone number . I t is used on marine transceivers that are capable of using D[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 12 The Compl eted In stalla tion Battery VHF Antenna GPS product Antenna connection cable External speaker Black power cable F use on Red power cable External speaker connection cable Base unit with microphone[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 13 Note s:[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 14 Sec tion 1 - General Information 1 - 1 Featu res Congratulations on your pur chase of a Lowrance L VR-250 marine band VHF radio. It provides the following useful f eatures: Pr ominent channel display • Adjustable contrast settings for the L CD • Adjustable keypad backlighting [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 15 1 - 2 Custom izin g your Lowranc e VHF Rad io Y ou can customize the radio to suit your individual prefer ences. Some prefer ences can be set directly through the keys as explained in this Section. Other preferences are set up thr ough the built-in menus and these are explained in the o[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 16 This simulation show s the locations of all the following informa tion symbols: Symbol Meaning TX T ransmitting. HI L O T ransmission power . H igh (HI) 25W or Low (L O) 1W. WX Weather channel . L VR-250 US only . WX AL T Weather Alert. Alarm beeps will sound. L VR-250 US only. BUSY Rec[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 17 1 - 6 Bas ic Ope ration a nd Key F unc tions All possible key s and their functions are listed here. Note that some of the k eys ma y not be available depending on your L owrance VHF radio model. Key F unction VOL/PWR Volume and P ower. Turn clockwise to power on. Continue t o turn unti[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 18 WX W eather Channel. L VR-250 US only. In USA and Canadian waters , press to hear the most recently selected weather station. The WX symbol is displayed on the L CD. Rotate the dial or + / - on the microphone to change to a diff erent weather channel. P ress WX again to return to the m[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 19 designate a skipped channel. Note that it is not possible to skip over the priority channel. Pr ess SCAN to stop at the current channel. PUSH TO SELECT Enter (ENT ) . Use ENT when navigating menus , to confirm entries and edits. EXIT Escape (ESC) . Use EXIT when navigating menus, to cl[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 20 Sec tion 2 - The R adio Menu (MENU) 2- 1 Radi o Menu O ptions (M enu) The following options ar e available through MENU key : Maintain your buddy list. See Section 2-2. Set radio sensitivity. See Section 2-3. Set backlight level. See Section 2-4. Set contrast level. See Section 2-4. Set[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 21 Selec t BUDD Y LIST . Press ENT to displa y the list of entries. 1. Scroll down (if requir ed) to the incorrect entr y and press ENT . 2. Select EDIT. The cursor is at the first character of the name. 3. Edit the buddy name or , to edit only the MMSI, press ENT r epeatedly until the cu[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 22 2- 2-3 De lete a n Entr y Select BUDDY LIST . Press ENT to display the list of entries. 1. Scroll down (if requir ed) to the entr y you want to delete and pr ess ENT . 2. Select DELE TE then select YES. 3. The entry is deleted immediately and the buddy list is displayed again. 4. 2-3 Lo[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 23 2- 4- 1 Se t the Ba ckl ight ing Leve l Select BACKLIGHT . 1. Select a comfortable back light level using + or - to change 2. the setting. Pr ess ENT to enable the setting and return to the menu. 3. Note: The DISTRESS key backlighting cannot be switched off. 2. 4. 2 Set t he Contra st [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 24 2-5-2 Loca l Time ( TIM E OFFSE T) The local time can be set by entering the time offset between UT C and local time as follows. Select GPS/DA T A, then SE T TING. 1. Select TIME OFFSET to enter the differ ence between UTC and local time. Half hour 2. increments can be used with a max[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 25 Select GPS/DA T A, then SE T TING. 1. Select TIME FORM A T . 2. Select 12 Hr or 24 H r as desired. In this example, 12 hour f ormat has been selected and 3. so the L CD shows the AM or PM suffix. 2-5- 4 Ti me Di spl ay Opt ion s (TIM E DIS PLAY) If you have entered the time manually as [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 26 2-5-7 GPS Al ert O pti ons (ALE RT) The GPS alert is usually set to ON (on) so that if the GPS navigation receiver is disconnected, the alarm sounds. Select GPS/DA T A, then SE T TING. 1. Select GPS ALERT. 2. Select ON (on) or OFF (off ) as 3. desired. 2- 6 GPS Simu lator (SIM ULA TOR)[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 27 Sec tion 3 - R adio Setup Menu (RADIO SETUP) 3- 1 Ra dio Setu p Menu (R ADIO SE TUP) The following options ar e available through MENU key : Sections 1-3 and 1-4 explain how to navigate around the menu and enter , save and change data. 3-2 Channel (UIC) T oggle between USA, I nternation[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 28 3-3 Chann el Name s (CH NAME) The channel charts are listed in Appendix C with their default name tags. CH NAME gives y ou the option to edit or delete the channel name tags displayed on the scr een. Select RADIO SE TUP , then CH NAME. 1. Use + or - to step through the channels with the[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 29 Select RADIO SE TUP , then INT 1. SPEAKER. Select ON (on) or OFF (off ) then 2. press ENT to enable the setting and return to the menu. 3- 6 Set t he Priorit y Chann el (WA TCH MODE) If you have L VR-250 EU, watch mode is similar to a dual watch, scanning between the priority channel a[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 30 Sec tion 4 - DSC Setup Menu (DS C SETUP) 4 - 1 DSC Setup - M enu Op tions The following options ar e available through MENU key : Sections 1-3 and 1-4 explain how to navigate around the menu and enter , save and change data. 4 - 2 Ente r Y our USE R MMS I (USER MM SI) This is a once- on[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 31 Pr ess ENT to store your user MMSI. 3. Enter your user MMSI again as a password check, then press ENT to permanently stor e 4. the user MMSI and return to the menu. Y ou can view your stored user MMSI at anytime by selecting USER MMSI in the main menu. 4 -3 Maintai n Y our G roup s ( GR[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 32 Edit the buddy name or , to edit only the MMSI, press ENT r epeatedly until the cursor 3. moves to the MMSI line. When you are finished, pr ess ENT (repeatedly if necessary) to display the next screen. 4. Pr ess ENT to store the changes and return to the GROUP SETUP screen. 5. 4 -3-3 D[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 33 4 -5- 1 Ent er or Ed it YOUR A T IS MM SI An A TIS MMSI always star ts with the number 9. T o enter or edit your A TIS MMSI: Select DSC SE TUP , the A TIS MMSI. 1. If this is the f irst tim e that you are entering your ATIS MMSI, a dashed line ap pears . 2. Enter your A T IS MMSI along [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 34 4 - 6 DSC functi onal ity o ption s (DS C FUNC) DSC functionality can be disabled but this is not recommended. Select DSC SE TUP , then DSC FUNC. 1. Press ENT to sele ct O N and to oper ate the DSC func tiona lity. This will autom atically disa ble A T IS 2. func tio nally . Th e DSC an[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 35 Sec tion 5 - Sending and Receiving DSC C alls 5- 1 W hat is DSC? DSC (Digital Selective Calling) is a semi-automated method of establishing VHF , MF , and HF radio calls. It has been designated as an international standard by the IMO (International Mari- time Organization) and is part o[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 36 5-2- 1 Ma ke a Rout ine Ca ll (Ind ivid ual) Y ou can call any other person that has another DSC equipped radio. Pr ess CALL to enter DSC mode, then select INDIVIDU AL. This allows you to call another 1. person. Pr ess ENT , the arrow is pointing to <ROUTINE>. However , you can se[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 37 5-2-3 Ackno wledg eme nt of an I ndi vidua l Inc omin g Call (I NDI V) The L VR-250 EU requires the operator to manually send an acknowledgement to the request- ing radio. Pr ess ENT to send an acknowledgement or EXIT to cancel. The L VR-250 US will automatically send an ack nowledgemen[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 38 5-2- 6 Call A ll Shi ps (ALL SH IPS) The ALL SHIPS ROUTINE call option is shown on the L VR-250 US. Pr ess CALL to enter DSC mode, then select ALL SHIPS. 1. The p riori ty is se t automatically to URGEN CY . However, you can sele ct o ne of the 2. followin g call prio rities: URGENCY F [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 39 5-2-8 Ca ll us ing th e Dis tres s Log (DIST LOG) The Distress L og contains the Distress Log data for the 10 most r ecent relayed Distress C alls, so that you can call any of them quickly. Alwa ys tr y to make voice contact on CH16 first, as follows: Pr ess CALL to enter DSC mode, the[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 40 Again press, EN T , th en selec t REL A Y . 3. Press ENT , the ar row is printing <INDIV REL A Y> . 4. Press ENT , the IND IV RELA Y menu ap pears, w hich displays the b uddy entr ies you have 5. saved an d <MANU AL NEW> fo r manual number e ntry. Set the c hannel and contin[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 41 5-3 Rece iving DSC Call s Several types of DSC calls can be received from vessels within range at various priority levels: DISTRESS See Section 6. ALL SHIPS Urgency , Safety, Routine or Distr ess priorit y (see Section 5-3-1) INDIVIDUAL Urgency, Saf ety, Routine or Distress priority (se[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 42 The c aller shoul d respond to you r acknow ledge ment by makin g voice contac t on the 3. designated ch annel. If this do es not happ en, you ca n press PT T to init iate voice c onta ct ins tead . The call data is stored in the Call L og (see Section 5-2-7). 5-3-3 Re ceiv ing a Gr oup[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 43 Sec tion 6 - Distress Calls 6 - 1 Send ing a Di stres s Call Open the red cover labelled DISTRESS. 1. If time is available to specify the nature of the distress, go t o step 2. Other wise, go directly to step 3. Pr ess the DISTRESS key to display the following categories. Scroll to the [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 44 The radio selects CH16 automatically so that you can hear any incoming voice contacts from search and r escue authorities or other vessels within range. Press EXIT if you need to c ancel the distress c all. This is the only key that oper ates in distress mode. 6 - 2 Rece iving a D istre[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 45 Appendix A - T e chnical Specications L OWRANCE L VR-250 GENERAL Pow er Supply : 13.6V DC. Current drain: T ransmit 6 A at 25 W T x / 1.5A at 1W T x Receive Less than 250mA in standby Usable channels: International, USA, Canada, Weather (country specific) Mode: 16K0G3E (FM) / 16K0G2[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 46 Local/Distant control: Y es Position polling: Y es Group Call: Y es Call logs: Y es - 20 individual and 10 distress DSC mode: SC101 (USA) Class D (Europe) Channel Naming: Y es T ri watch, F avourite channel scan, All scan: Y es User programmable MMSI: Y es MMSI and NAME directory : Y es[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 47 Appendix B - T roubleshooting The transc eiver will not power up . 1. A fuse may have blown OR ther e is no voltage getting to the transceiver . Check the power cable for cuts , breaks, or squashed sections. a. After checking the wiring, replace the 7 Amp fuse (1 spare fuse is supplied)[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 48 Appendix C - VHF Marine Cha nnel Char ts C - 1 I nternat ional Ch annel C hart CH TX (MHz) RX (MHz) MODE TRAFFIC T YPE SHIP T O SHIP SHIP TO SHORE NAME T AG REMARK 01 156.050 160.650 D Public Corr espondence No Y es TELEPHONE 02 156.100 160.700 D Public Corr espondence No Y es TELEPHONE[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 49 Spe cia l Notes o n Inte rnat iona l Chan nel U sage 1 . L OW POWER (1W ) only. 2 . L OW POWER (1W ) initially. Override to HIGH POWER by holding down H/L key before transmitting. Used normally in bridge-to -bridge communications. 3 . Channel 70 is desig nated for use exclusiv ely for D[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 50 C -2 USA Channel Ch art CH T X (MHz) RX (MHz) MODE TRAFFIC T YPE SHIP TO SHIP SHIP TO SHORE NAME T AG REMARK 01A 156.050 156.050 S Port Operations, Selected VTS Areas Y es Y es PORT OPS/VTS 03A 156.150 156.150 S US Government , Coast Guard Y es Y es UNAUTHORIZED 4 05A 156.250 156.250 S [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 51 Spe cia l Notes o n USA Cha nne l Usag e 1 . L OW POWER (1 W ) only. 2 . Receiv e Only. 3 . L OW POWER (1 W ) initially. Override to HIGH POWER by holding down H/L key before transmitting. Used normally in bridge-to -bridge communications. 4 . Lightly shaded simplex channels 03A, 21A, 2[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 52 C -3 CANADA Chan nel Cha rt CH T X (MHz) RX (MHz) MODE TRAFFIC T YPE SHIP TO SHIP SHIP TO SHORE NAME T AG REMARK 01 156.050 160.650 D Public Correspondence No Y es TELEPHONE 02 156.100 160.700 D Public Correspondence No Y es TELEPHONE 03 156.150 160.750 D Public Correspondence No Y es T[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 53 Spe cia l Notes o n Cana da Chan nel U sage 1 . L OW POWER (1 W ) only. 2 . Receiv e Only. 3 . L OW POWER (1 W ) initially. Override to HIGH POWER by holding down H/L key before transmitting. Used normally in bridge-to -bridge communications. 4 . Lightly shaded simplex channels 21A, 23A[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 54 5 . T he letter “ A” illuminated by the channel number indicates the Canada channel is simplex. This same channel is always duplex when selecting International. There is no “ A ” reference for International channels. The letter “B” is only used for some Canadian “R eceive [...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 55 Appendix D - EU Inland W a terway Channels Country Specic table F or specific channel information for your country, please r efer to local authorities. CH SPECIFIC FOOT- NOTES TRANSMITTING FREQUENC Y (MHZ) SHIP- TO-SHIP SHIP- TO PORT NAUTICAL INFORMA TION SHIP LAND 60 a) 156.025 160[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 56 General remarks to C ountry Specic table: 1 The channels f or ser vice categories ship-to-ship and nautical information may also be used for vessel traffic -sys tems by traffic centres . 2 In some countries, frequencies certain channels are used for an other ser vice catego- ry or ot[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 57 Explanation of specic footnotes in C ountry Specic table: a. In the countries mentioned under remark 2, it is stric tly prohibited t o use this channel. b. T his channel is not allowed to be used between Rhine km 150 and k m 350. c. In the Nether lands, this channel is used by f o[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 58 Note: Lightly Shaded Simplex channel CH00 is only available in the UK to Coast Guard users 1. with written authorization. The special channels above maybe fitted t o your radio. These are only licensed for use in 2. the country indicated. No attempt should be made to use them in any ot[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 59 Appendix E - MMSI and License Information Y ou must obtain a user MMSI (M arine Mobile Ser vice Identity) and enter it into your L VR-250 in order to use the DSC functions. Contact the appropriate authorities in your country. If you are unsure who to contact, consult your L owrance deal[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 60 Navico F ull T wo- Y ear Lowranc e VHF W arrant y “ W e, ” “ our , ” or “us ” refers to NA VICO, the manufacturer of this L owrance VHF product. “You ” or “your ” refers to the first person who purchases this pr oduct as a consumer item for personal, family or house[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 61 How to Obtain Service In th e USA We back y our investment in quality products with quick, exper t ser vice and genuine Lo w- rance replacement parts. If you’ re in the United States and you ha ve technical, return or repair questions, please contact the F actory Customer Ser vice Dep[...]

Lowrance - L VR-250 Installation and Operation Instructions 62 Acces sor y Orde ring In formati on for al l count ries T o order Lowrance accessories, please contact: Y our local mar ine dealer or consumer electronics stor e. Most quality dealers that handle 1. marine electronic equipment or other consumer electronics should be able to assist you w[...]

Note s:[...]

Lowrance P ub. 988-0158-051 Printed in China - 100708 Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reser ved Navico MN000794B-G 0560[...]