TETRA GUIDE Quick Start Guide SC21 Series Hand-portable radio Going further in critical communications
Original Instructions: ENGLISH Document Number: MOD-17-2176 Issue 2.0 Copyright © Sepura plc. 2002–2017 All rights reserved. No part of the information contained herein and the other referred documents may be copied, distributed or transmitted by any means to any other party without prior written permission of Sepura plc. The distribution of this document may require a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) between Sepura plc. and their agents or customers.
CONTENTS General information 1 Your radio at a glance 2 Battery 5 Charging the battery 5 Fitting the battery 6 Removing the battery 7 Operational overview Keys, buttons and knobs 8 8 LED indicators 10 Home screen 11 Status icons 12 Antenna and radio coverage 14 Menu 14 SmartMenus 16 Getting Started 18 Power on 18 Power off 18 Locking and unlocking the keypad 18 Adjusting the volume 19 Shortcut Bar 19 Notifications 20 Selecting TMO and DMO 21 Selecting a talkgroup 2
Receiving an Alarm call 27 Clearing an Alarm call 27 Power on Alarm call 28 Contacts Searching and filtering contacts 29 Creating contacts 30 Editing contacts 31 Calls 33 Group calls 33 Individual calls 34 Text entry Character sets Features 36 36 39 Connector Protector 39 User profiles 39 Man Down 40 Lone Worker 41 Messages 42 Inbox 42 Create a text message 42 Read a new message 42 Reply to a message 43 Send a message 43 Send a status message 44 Personalising your r
Adjusting the backlight 45 Day/Night mode 46 Adjusting text and icon size 47 Setting the display language 47 Tips & Tricks Quick Start Guide 49 v
vi SC21 Series – 10/2017
General information This user guide describes the default operation and features of the SC21 Series radio. Your service provider or organisation may have customised your radio to optimise its performance to suit your individual needs. There may be differences between this guide and the way your product operates. Contact your service provider or organisation for information about the customisation of your radio.
Your radio at a glance 26 25 16 24 17 23 22 18 21 20 19 Item Description 1 Emergency Button. Press and hold (2 seconds) to initiate an Alarm call. 2 Antenna. 3 Rugged Accessory Connector (sRAC). Provides connection for accessories. Remove the cover to fit the accessory. Refit the cover when an accessory is not in use. 4 Centre context key (Groups, Status, Profiles). Press to activate the feature or option that appears directly above the key. 5 Right context key.
Item Description 7 Alphanumeric keypad with backlight and microphone behind. 8 Navigation keys. Press to scroll through lists and move the cursor when writing text. 9 Select/Send key. Press to initiate a phone call. 10 Left context key. Press to activate the feature or option that appears directly above the key. 11 Colour display with backlight. 12 Earpiece and microphone. Earpiece is active during phone calls when the radio is held like a Smartphone against the ear.
Item Description 23 RFID tag for monitoring and auditing purposes. 24 Mounting clip attachment points 25 Loudspeaker used during Group calls when an audio acccessory is not connected and the radio is held in the hand. 26 Radio user label area for attaching an asset label (optional).
Battery For your safety, inspect the battery regularly for any signs of damage, such as cracks or surface damage caused by an impact or the battery being dropped. Fit a new battery if there are any signs of damage. Warning: Risk to personal safety. Sepura TETRA radios have been tested and certified using Sepura approved batteries.
may not power on, or may indicate a low battery status icon or low level of charge. Battery chargers Only use Sepura approved battery chargers. Use of non-approved chargers may not fully charge the battery or damage it. Always read the user documentation supplied with the charger for additional safety instructions and how to use it. Charging methods The radio may be powered on or off during charging.
To attach the battery, insert the battery into the battery compartment as shown. Press the battery downwards until it clicks into position. Removing the battery Caution: Power off before removing the battery. If a Belt clip or Shirt/Pocket clip is attached, lift the clip before removing the battery. Push the safety latch on the bottom of the battery. Lift the battery upwards and remove.
Operational overview Keys, buttons and knobs Emergency button Press and hold (2 seconds) to initiate an Alarm Call. If the radio is powered off, press and hold (3 seconds) to power on and initiate an Alarm Call. It may take several seconds for the radio to complete its power on process before initiating the Alarm call. PTT (press-to-talk) button Press and hold to transmit (speak) during a Group call. Release to receive and listen to other radio users.
Press to move through characters when writing text. Context keys Context labels appear at the bottom of the screen, directly above each context key. These labels show the action of the key when it is pressed; either activating a feature or performing a function such as clearing a call (Clear) or selecting an option (Select). The labels and actions of the context keys in the Home screen are: Context key Label Action Left Menu Press to enter the main menu. Groups Press to change the talkgroup.
LED indicators Blue LED The blue LED indicates either a missed event, such as a missed call or unread message, or your Bluetooth® status (if enabled). Notifications alerting you to the missed calls, Callouts or unread messages appear in the Shortcut Bar. See Notifications on page 20.
Home screen The top level screen, known as the home screen, appears when the radio powers on and when it is idle. Tip: To quickly get back to the home Screen, press and hold (2 seconds) the Cancel/Home key. The status line, at the top of the screen, displays various icons to indicate the state of operation or when certain functions such as keypad lock have been activated. It can also be configured to display the Network Name when the radio is idle.
# Description 1 Status line showing the radio coverage signal strength, battery charge indicators, and operational status icons. 2 Information area containing information that only appears on the Home screen. This is customised by your service provider or organisation. It may show date and time, your selected talkgroup, folder and network name (Mobile Network Code Alias). 3 Context key options (available in the Home screen).
Icon Description Trunked Mode Operation (TMO) Outgoing TMO call in progress You are in a call that you initiated. Incoming TMO call in progress You are in a call that was initiated by another person or your dispatcher on the TMO network. Missed incoming TMO call You have missed an incoming TMO call. The blue LED flashes. Broadcast Call A high-priority group call (point-to-multi-point) initiated by your Dispatcher to all network radio users. You cannot reply to the caller.
Icon Description Battery Strength Indicates the level of charge in your battery. More bars indicates more charge. Low battery warning Appears when there is less than 12% charge remaining in the battery. Keypad locked Transmit Inhibit Indicates that you have activated transmit inhibit and the radio is unable to transmit (overridden when Emergency mode is activated). Antenna and radio coverage Caution: The antenna must be attached to the radio at all times.
To open the main menu, in the Home screen press Menu. To open a sub-menu or menu option, scroll to the option (highlight it) and press Select. To return to a higher level menu, press Back. To return to the Home screen at any time within the menu hierarchy, press and hold (2 seconds) the Cancel/Home key. Menu options The following icons are used to identify the sub-menus that provide access to further options. Icon Menu option Phone Add, edit and delete your personal contacts within your personal folder.
Icon Menu option Applications Your radio may be customised with a number of applications such as Man-down and Lone Worker. Your service provider or organisation may have installed specific applications (Short Data Applications) to help you in your role. Access WAP sites. Networks Manage your network connections and DMO options. Change your operating mode (TMO/DMO). Enable/disable Transmit Inhibit mode when working in RF sensitive areas.
SmartMenus are assigned to a soft key, either a Side key or one of the keys on the keypad. To open a SmartMenu, press the Side key or press and hold (1 second) the assigned key on the keypad. Use the navigation keys to scroll the list of options on the SmartMenu. Options are labelled with a number, shown to the right of the option. To select the option, press the key that corresponds to the number of the option, for example to select option 3, press the 3 key.
Getting Started Power on To power on, press and hold (2 seconds) the Cancel/Home key. Your radio attaches to the last selected talkgroup when it is powered off (if it is 'in service'). This is customisable. Note: A message may be displayed relating to the authenticity of your battery or attached accessory. A message may appear if your software licence has or is about to expire.
The Navi-knob, and the PTT and Emergency buttons remain unlocked so you can still adjust the adjust the volume, make a Group or Alarm call when the keypad is locked. To lock/unlock the keypad: Press the * (star) key (or a designated soft key), then press the OK context key to lock/unlock the keypad. If you press any other key while the keypad is locked no action is taken. A message is displayed to remind you that the keypad is locked. Adjusting the volume Rotate the Navi-knob to adjust the volume.
# Description 1 Use the navigation keys to scroll through the notifications and features. Notifications always appear to the left of features. Press the Right navigation key to continue scrolling right to view more shortcuts (if available). 2 To open a notification or feature, highlight it and press the Select context key. 3 Press the Back context key to close the Shortcut Bar without opening a feature. The Shortcut Bar cannot be closed if there are notifications.
press the Select context key. Use the feature in the usual way, for example, read an unread message or respond to a missed call. The notification automatically closes and disappears from the Shortcut Bar. Selecting TMO and DMO In Direct Mode Operation (DMO), radios communicate directly with other TETRA radios without using a network. Coverage depends on the position of the caller and the receiving radio. When you switch to DMO mode your radio leaves the network and tunes to the selected DMO talkgroup.
Tip: If you want to change to another talkgroup within the same folder, simply enter the number of the talkgroup, or select the All Folder which contains all the talkgroups and enter the number of the talkgroup. 2. Use the Left and Right navigation keys to move between folders at the same level. Use the Up and Down navigation keys to move between the folder levels (sub-folders). Rotate the Navi-knob to scroll through the talkgroups within the currently selected folder.
From the Home screen, press Menu then select Groups> Folders to display the current selected folder containing the selected talkgroup. From the Home screen, press Groups. Depending on the customisation of your radio, either the current selected folder opens displaying all talkgroups within the folder, or the Talkgroup Selection box opens displaying the selected talkgroup and folder. To select a folder using the folder list: 1.
2. Use the Left and Right navigation keys to move between folders at the same level. Use the Up and Down navigation keys to move between the folder levels (sub-folders). Rotate the Navi-knob to scroll through the talkgroups within the currently selected folder. The directional arrows under the talkgroup name indicate the rotational direction of the Navi-knob. 3. Press Select to select the folder and attach to the talkgroup.
To select a talkgroup using the Talkgroup Selection box: 1. From the Home screen, press Groups. The selected talkgroup and folder appear in the Talkgroup Selection box. The current talkgroup appears in bold typeface. 2. Rotate the Navi-knob to scroll through the talkgroups within the currently selected folder. The directional arrows under the talkgroup name indicate the rotational direction of the Navi-knob. 3. Press Select to attach to the talkgroup. The talkgroup appears in bold typeface.
Emergency operation The red button on the top of your radio can be programmed to initiate an Alarm call at any time when your radio is in operation. This button is known as the Emergency Button.
Making an Alarm call You can still make an Alarm call if the keypad is locked. 1. Press and hold (2 seconds) the Emergency button; a confirmation beep sounds. 2. Release the button and speak into the microphone.
To cancel the Alarm call, press the Call Clear key, the Clear context key or the Cancel/Home key. Alternatively, your radio may be customised to use the Emergency button to cancel the Alarm call. To cancel the Alarm call, press Warning: Depending on which network is being used, if the TETRA Alarm call is a group call, then—although both of the TETRA Alarm call exit functions will clear the TETRA Alarm call on the call originator’s radio—it will not remove the alarm from the system.
Contacts Details of regularly used contacts are stored in a phone book. The phone book has a series of folders labelled Menu, Search, All and Personal. Your radio may have additional folders containing contacts programmed into your radio during customisation. The Personal folder contains contacts you create (personal contacts). This folder only appears when you create your first personal contact. The All folder contains both personal contacts and contacts programmed into your radio.
To search for contacts and numbers within the phone book: 1. Select Menu > Phone > Contacts. Navigate to the Search folder. 2. Press the Up navigation key to open the Search Bar. 3. Enter a search string (see Text entry on page 36) and press the Search context key. 4. When the search is complete, any folder containing a possible match to your search (and the number of possible matches within that folder) appear in the Search folder. To open a folder, select it and then press the Open context key. 5.
3. Enter the contact name (see Text entry on page 36) then press the Save context key. 4. Select a dial mode for this contact, either TETRA Network (default) or telephone/mobile network. To change the dial mode, press the Up navigation key to select the dial mode line then use the Left or Right navigation keys to switch dial modes. Press the Down navigation key to continue entering the number.
To edit a number: 1. Select the number and then press Options. Select Edit and press Select. 2. Make changes: to add additional digits press the number keys; to delete digits press the Left navigation key. 3. After making changes press Save. To delete a contact: 1. Select the contact and press Open. 2. Press Options. 3. Select Edit > Delete contact, then press Select.
Calls The various types of voice and data calls that are supported by your radio, and the acoustic and visual alerts that accompany a call, depend on your radio's customisation. Group calls Group (point-to-multipoint) calls are calls where you talk to other users within a nominated group of radio users (a talkgroup). In a group call only one person can talk at any one time (known as half-duplex mode).
Individual calls Individual calls (point-to-point) are private calls between you and one other person. You can make individual calls in two modes: individual calls (half-duplex mode)—where only one person can talk at a time using the PTT button. individual ‘phone’ calls (full-duplex mode)—where both parties can talk simultaneously. Making individual calls (half-duplex mode) Calling a contact: 1. Select Menu > Phone > Contacts to open the contacts menu. 2.
Making individual phone calls (full-duplex mode) Calling a contact: 1. Select Menu > Phone > Contacts to open the contacts menu. 2. Navigate to a contacts folder (such as the All folder) and select your contact. Press the Open context key, then choose the phone number. 3. To initiate the ‘phone’ call press the Dial context key. 4. To end the call, press the Clear context key . Calling by dialling: 1. From Home Screen, dial the number of the person you are calling. 2. Press Send to initiate the call. 3.
Text entry Writing and editing text on your radio is similar to most Smartphones. Text edit mode is automatically activated when you select certain functions, such as creating a message or adding a contact to your phone book. To enter characters: Press a key repeatedly to highlight a character in its Character Selection Box at the bottom of the screen, then press the Select context key (or wait for the character to be auto-inserted).
Character set Description Auto-capitalisation (Abc) The first letter is entered in upper-case, with all following characters in lowercase. New sentences start with a capital letter and end with a full stop (.), question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!) followed by one or more spaces. Upper case (ABC) All characters are entered in uppercase. Lower case (abc) All characters are entered in lowercase. Numeric (123) All characters are numbers. Special characters(!.
character selection box—in the same place as the strokes described above—and the set of possible matching characters is displayed above the Context keys. When the right and/or left arrow icons are displayed in the character selection box, use the Left and Right navigation keys to select from the characters displayed. To see further characters press the Down navigation key, and press the Up navigation key to return to characters already viewed. The characters are displayed in sets of seven.
Features Your radio can be customised for various advanced features and can have various soft keys assigned to frequently used features. Connector Protector When working in salt water environments or in an area with high saltladen humidity such as sea mist or fog, enabling the Connector Protector feature will protect the Digital Accessory connector (sDAC) from potential corrosive damage when an accessory is not attached.
profiles may be configured for your radio. Example user profiles could be Normal, Lone Worker and Covert. To change the user profile: 1. From the Home screen, press the Groups context key 3 times ( User Profiles). 2. Use the navigation keys or the Navi-knob to scroll through the user profiles. 3. Press the Select context key to activate the selected user profile. Man Down Man Down is a licensed customisable feature which uses motion sensors to detect motion in three dimensions.
A message (‘Man Down Starting’) is displayed and an alert sounds (a succession of beeps). 2. Attach your radio in a comfortable wearing position on your body. When a two second continuous tone finishes the radio’s ‘normal’ wearing position has been recorded. An icon indicates that Man Down is switched on and which sensors are active. To deactivate Man Down, either select a user profile which does not use Man Down, or press the customised soft key to toggle Man Down off. Man Down options 1.
Messages Your radio supports status messages, text (SDS) messages and picture messages. All message types are available from the Messages menu. Inbox Incoming messages are displayed in the Inbox with the most recently received messages at the top. Unread messages appear in Bold. The icon next to the message indicates the type of message received and whether the message is read or unread. The Inbox can store up to 50 messages.
message use the Down navigation key to continue reading, and the Up navigation key to return to the top of the message. When you have finished reading the message, you can choose to reply to the message (see Reply to a message below), delete it or save it. To delete the message, press the Options context key, select the Delete option and press the Select context key. Select the Delete Message option and press the Select context key.
To dial the number of a known contact, select Dial. Enter the ISSI (Individual Short Subscriber Identity) for your contact and press the Send context key. Send a status message Your service provider or organisation may customise your radio with status messages. These are pre-defined short messages that are uniquely identified by a status code. They are used to notify others of your current status. To send a status message, from the Home screen press the Groups context key 2 times.
Personalising your radio You can personalise your display settings (such as text size, backlight, inverting the screen and change languages) and create a personal phone book containing your own contacts. Invert the display When you are wearing the radio on your shoulder, attached to a belt or to a body vest, you may want to flip the display upside down to make it easier to read. The Invert Display option rotates all screen elements by 180 degrees. To invert the display: 1.
To adjust brightness: 1. Select Menu > Options > Settings > Display Settings > Day/Night Mode. 2. Select Backlight Level. 3. Rotate the Navi-knob to adjust the intensity of the backlight and the keypad illumination on a scale of 1–7 (max.). Day/Night mode When a call or message is received, and when you press any key, the backlight lights up the display and keypad. A bright display can be a potential distraction, particularly when driving at night or in poor lighting conditions.
Adjusting text and icon size Your radio uses the default size for the text and icons set during customisation, however it also supports a number of different size modes that control how text and icons are displayed, which can make them easier to see from a distance. Caution: When selecting larger modes, some prompts or icons may not appear on the radio display. Your radio supports the following modes: Normal Mode allows the maximum amount of information available to be displayed in a compact character size.
language if the radio is only customised for a single language, or the currently selected language if two languages are programmed. To change the language: 1. Select Menu > Options > Settings > Language. 2. Scroll to the language option, and then press the Select context key. The Home screen appears and the display shows the selected language.
Tips & Tricks Home Screen To quickly get back to the Home Screen, press and hold (2 seconds) the Cancel/Home key. Keypad lock/unlock To quickly lock/unlock the keypad, press and hold (2 seconds) the * (star) key. Change talkgroup From the Home screen, press the Groups context key. Use the navigation keys to change the folder, then rotate the Navi-knob to select the talkgroup. Press Select to attach to the talkgroup. Send status message From the Home screen, press Shortcut to open the Shortcut Bar.
function. Automatic scrolling using the navigation keys To scroll a list quickly, press and hold the Up or Down navigation key. Making a phone call Instead of using the context keys to initiate and end a call, use the Select/Send key to make a call and the Cancel/Home key to end the call. View recent calls To view recent calls, from the Home screen press Menu > Phone > Call History.
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