Button/Switch assignments

[human8472]

What do people find are the best button and switch assignments to use for Motorola radios? I am interested in learning what has worked well for others.

 

[kg6nlw]

The orange button is ALWAYS the EMERGENCY button! Besides that, Purple on an HT is MONitor. First dot is light. Second dot is talkaround...

For a mobile, Zone/Dir/TGRP or MPL/Scan/Nuis usually works for me. The second row is a mix of PWR/KEY/SEC/PHONE.

Regards,

-Frank C.

 

[K2NEC]

The orange button is ALWAYS the EMERGENCY button!

Depends who you ask. I've seen it used for everything EXCEPT mandown

For my personal radios, it changes between radios (not the smartest idea, I know)

 

[kg6nlw]

It should be, @K2NEC, it's the best button for it and placed so easily!

Regards,

-Frank C.

 

[K2NEC]

It should be, @K2NEC, it's the best button for it and placed so easily!

Regards,

-Frank C.

Lol yea you're right. Some people dont use emergency and then some people dont know how to program right.

 

[kg6nlw]

Exactly!

Regards,

-Frank C.

 

[a417]

What do people find are the best button and switch assignments to use for Motorola radios? I am interested in learning what has worked well for others.

too vague, too many possibilities.

certain radio users might need different buttons based on usage patterns. depends on too much.

 

[mmckenna]

What do people find are the best button and switch assignments to use for Motorola radios? I am interested in learning what has worked well for others.

Yeah, really depends on the application. Some users need more functions, some need less. I've standardized most of my work radios so they can be interchanged between users without relearn time.

For personal radios, again, depends on the application. When I was active on GMRS, I had a bunch of HT1000's I used. I had most of them set up for on/off/volume, channel select and PTT. Everything else was disabled. Sometimes giving users too many options can lead to confusion. A confused radio users is going to get frustrated and stop using the radio.

In other words, you have to play to the audience. There is no one solutions that works for everyone.

 

[a417]

Yeah, really depends on the application. Some users need more functions, some need less. I've standardized most of my work radios so they can be interchanged between users without relearn time.

For personal radios, again, depends on the application. When I was active on GMRS, I had a bunch of HT1000's I used. I had most of them set up for on/off/volume, channel select and PTT. Everything else was disabled. Sometimes giving users too many options can lead to confusion. A confused radio users is going to get frustrated and stop using the radio.

In other words, you have to play to the audience. There is no one solutions that works for everyone.

Agreed.

Our chiefs had selcal menu, direct channel selection, radio check, scan list edit, kitchen sink...

Line officers had scan list edit, scan on-off, monitor toggle...

mortals had monitor toggle and scan on-off...

That was one agency, another agency had fleet wide assignments...third agency just didn't use them.

 

[N4KVE]

Everyone has their own system. For me the orange top button is nuis del. Side top is zone. Next down is lamp. [5 seconds]. Lowest side is scan. If radio has 3 position switch like XTS3K-5K pos 1 is blank. Pos 2 is lo power. Pos 3 is PL decode off.

 

[human8472]

Everyone has their own system. For me the orange top button is nuis del. Side top is zone. Next down is lamp. [5 seconds]. Lowest side is scan. If radio has 3 position switch like XTS3K-5K pos 1 is blank. Pos 2 is lo power. Pos 3 is PL decode off.

What will the PL decode provide you? Will it just open the squelch to all traffic on the frequency?

 

[human8472]

too vague, too many possibilities.

certain radio users might need different buttons based on usage patterns. depends on too much.

I didn’t ask for the best button assignments but rather some examples of button assignments so I could see what other people use.

 

[N4KVE]

What will the PL decode provide you? Will it just open the squelch to all traffic on the frequency?

Exactly.

 

[mmckenna]

I didn’t ask for the best button assignments but rather some examples of button assignments so I could see what other people use.

OK.
I usually put a 'monitor' button right under the PTT. On some services, like GMRS, it's suggested to open the squelch and make sure the channel is clear before transmitting (yeah, I know, few do this…).

On radios with two buttons under the PTT, I often set one to a keypad lock. Keeps things from getting accidentally changed.

And there's some situations where less is more. Especially if you are giving a radio to someone unfamiliar with it. Making it fool proof is a good idea. Less chance of them accidentally changing the channel or something.

The rest of it really depends on the exact application. Public safety will have different needs. Even within that, PD will have different needs than fire.

 

[N4KVE]

I have a few non display radios that I loan to non hams to use in simplex at car races, county fairs, or transporting 2 cars together etc to keep in touch. On those all buttons are unprogrammed so if they press one by accident, nothing happens.

 

[merlin]

Really a matter of users function. Something easy to remember, basic needs, etc.
Red/Ora emergency button is dedicated on many radios or limited programming.
Volume min/max levels as needed for its use.
Channel selector, mine set for TGs, can select zones or systems.
Switches are somewhat variable, my toggle is undefined, concentric is TX inhibit.
Side button 1 is my backlight (both modes)
#2 is my scan (both modes)
#3 is monitor for conventional analog mode
Menu * is my clock,, ** battery, *** mute alert tones
Home-self explanatory
Nav for menu functions
Everything else is unassigned.
The radio set up for P25p1 NAS scanning.
73s

 

[chrismol1]

Hobby radios, Light, that's pretty much it. All my radios have displays and front buttons for the menu to do everything, automatic scan, no scan button. Orange button is nuisance delete, when I'm ready reset simply change zones/channel. I had an XTS1500 M1.5 where the switch A & C was set to scan program, B was blank so either A or C went into scan program and purple top button was zone change as it had no keypad. My VHF MT2000 switch position B is scan, I'd often take that for railfanning so A or C was scan off for the defect detectors. Side button above PTT was monitor in that case

 

[captaincab]

On our department radios our orange button is emergency our side buttons top and bottom are set to revert to channel 1 our middle button is the light our toggle switch is scan and talk around and our concentric switch is lock. We also program 1st and last channel the same in each radio in case of a emergency fire fighter down etc all they have to do is turn the knob in either direction till it stops and they are on a fire operations channel

 

[a417]

What do people find are the best button and switch assignments to use for Motorola radios?

I didn’t ask for the best button assignments but rather some examples of button assignments so I could see what other people use.

Oh. My mistake.


Have a good day.

 

[rescue161]

None of the non-first responder radios on our system are programmed for the emergency button. Too many people like to play games and it becomes a never ending task to clear emergencies on consoles and reiterate to the end-users that they are not to play with the big orange button. We have a 911 talkgroup that our PSAPs monitor that is on channel 1 on every non-first responder radio on our system and if they have a true emergency, they know to go to that talkgroup and ask for help.

On my personal ham stuff, I set the emergency button to MPL.