Talk Range
Your radio is designed to maximize performance and improve transmission range. Do not use the radios closer than five feet apart.
Power Boost
To boost your radio’s power up to high power, press the top
portion of the 
button when talking. If you know your party is close by, you can conserve your battery’s energy by pushing the
lower part of the 
button to use less power.
Note: If you are on an FRS only channel (see Channels and Frequencies table) the radio will only use low power when either
portion of the 
is pressed.
Monitor Button
Pressing and holding 
for three seconds allows you to listen to the volume level of the radio when you are not receiving. This allows you to adjust the volume, if necessary. You can also press 
to check for activity on the current channel before you talk.
Push to Talk 
Timeout Timer
To prevent accidental transmissions and save battery life, the radio emits a continuous warning tone and stops transmitting if you press 
for 60 continuous seconds.
Menu Options
Selecting the Channel
Your radio has 22 channels. The channel is the frequency the radio uses to transmit. Channels 8-14 are FRS 0.5 watt only and all other channels are GMRS. (See the "Channels and Frequencies" table on overleaf for details.)
1. With the radio on, press 
. When the radio is on a 0.5
watt channel, | displays. When the radio is on a 1.5 watts |
channel, 
displays. The current channel flashes.
2.Press 
or 
and select an unused or quiet channel.
3.Press 
to save the channel setting or 
to continue set up.
Selecting the Interference Eliminator Code
Interference Eliminator Codes help minimize interference by blocking transmissions from unknown sources. Your radio has 121 Interference Eliminator Codes. Codes 1 – 38 are the standard analog codes that appear on other FRS/GMRS radios. Codes 39 – 121 are additional digital codes added for superior interference protection. 0 is the off position, no analog or digital codes are enabled.
To set the code for a channel:
1.Press 
until the code starts to flash.
2.Press 
or 
to select the code.
3.Press 
to save the code setting or 
to continue set up.
You can set a different code for each channel using this procedure. An extended press of 
or 
allows you to scroll through the Interference Code rapidly so you can quickly reach the code you want.
Note: You must set the Interference Eliminator Code to 0 on a radio that uses Interference Eliminator Codes to communicate with radios that do not have Interference Eliminator Codes. Select 0 for “no tone, no code” and OFF will flash on your radio’s display.
Setting and Transmitting Call Tones
Your radio can transmit different call tones to other radios in your group so you can alert them that you want to talk. Your radio has 20 call tones from which to choose.
To set a call tone:
1.Press 
three times until the current call tone setting flashes and 
appears.
2.Press 
or 
to change and hear the call tone.
3.Press 
to set the new call tone or 
to continue set up.
To transmit your call tone to other radios set to the same channel and Interference Eliminator Code as your radio, press 
.
Note: Setting the call to 0 disables the call tone feature.
Hands-Free Use Without Accessories ( | ) |
You can use the iVOX feature to transmit hands-free without the need for any headset accessories. Once iVOX is turned on, the radio detects your voice and transmits when you speak into the internal microphone.
1. Press 
until appears on the display. The current setting On/Off will flash.
2.Press 
or 
to select On or Off.
3.Press 
to set or 
to continue set up.
Hands-Free Use With Accessories ( | ) |
You can transmit hands-free more reliably with the use of optional headset accessories. Once VOX is turned on, the radio detects your voice and transmits when you speak.
Many accessories (sold separately) are available for your radio. For more information, visit our Web site at www.motorola.com or shop.giantintl.com.
1.Turn the radio off and plug the VOX accessory into the accessory port.
2.Turn the radio on. VOX shows on the display.
3.Adjust the volume appropriately by rotating 
. Lower the volume before placing the accessory on your head or in your ear.
4.To turn off, simply remove accessory.
Note: There is a short delay between the time you start talking and when the radio transmits. There is a short delay before the transmission is completed.
Setting the Sensitivity Level When in | Mode |
Adjusting the radio’s sensitivity level helps minimize the possibility of unintended noises triggering a transmission and helps the radio pick up soft voices.
1.Press 
until VOX and the level setting (1 - 3) appear on the display.
2.Press 
or 
to select the sensitivity level.
3.Press 
to set or 
to continue set up.
3 = High Sensitivity for quiet environments
2 = Medium Sensitivity for most environments
1 = Low Sensitivity for noisy environments
Note: When you connect a headset, the radio is automatically set to the last chosen sensitivity level.
Extended Battery Save
This feature puts the radio into a low power "sleep" mode for cycle periods of 1, 2, or 3 seconds. The radio will briefly check for any channel activity after each sleep cycle. The sleep cycle repeats until a key is pressed or a call is received.
1.Signals received during the sleep period will not be heard until after the timer period expires. The first 1-3 seconds of
speech can be missed. Do not use 
(battery save) 1, 2, or 3 settings when immediate response may be required.
2.SCAN, VOX, iVOX, and QT modes are not available with extended battery save modes. Using SCAN, VOX, iVOX, or
enabling QT will necessarily disable the extended sleep cycle battery settings.
3.Maximum battery life savings may be achieved only when usage is primarily in standby mode and very little TX or RX (talking or listening) use occurs. When RX or TX are often used, little or no battery life extension will occur.
QT Noise Filtering
The QT noise filtering feature helps to ensure uninterrupted communication with other Motorola radios that have this feature. This feature filters out unwanted transmissions from other radios. This is useful in places where there is heavy radio traffic, such as amusement parks or ski resorts.
Note: QT noise filtering is not available when the radio is scanning.
To turn QT and extended battery save modes on or off:
1.Press 
until QT and 
displays. The current setting ON/OFF and 0, 1, 2, 3 will display.
2.Press 
or 
to select one of the following settings for QT and extended battery save mode:
3.Press 
to confirm your selection or 
to continue set up (or wait 5 seconds).
To transmit to a radio that has QT noise filtering turned on:
1.Select the same channel and Interference Eliminator Code as the other radio
2.Press 
to send a call tone. This allows your voice to pass through the QT noise filter on the receiving radio
3.Press 
and speak normally.
Note: If you skip step 2, the beginning of your message may not be heard on the receiving radio. For a 30-second period, starting after the last transmission, all transmissions received on the selected channel and code will pass through the QT noise filter.
VibraCallTM Alert
VibraCallTM is a vibrating alert that notifies you that your radio is receiving a message. This is useful in noisy environments. When the alert is on, the radio vibrates once every 30 seconds when you receive a message on the channel and code you set.
1. To turn vibrating alerts on, press 
until is displayed. The current setting will flash.
2.Press 
or 
to change the setting to On/Off.
3.Press 
to set or 
to continue set up.
Keypad Tones
You may enable or disable the speaker key tones. You will hear the key tone each time a button is pushed.
1.Press 
until 
appears. The current setting On/Off will flash.
2.Press either 
or 
to turn On or Off.
3.Press 
to confirm or 
to continue set up.
Note: When the key tone feature is off, the following are not disabled:
•Transmit timeout alert tone
•Call tone
•Low battery alert tone or
•The transmitted talk confirmation tone
Transmitting a Talk Confirmation Tone
You can set your radio to transmit a unique tone when you finish transmitting. It is like saying “Roger” or “Over” to let others know you are finished talking.
1. With the radio on, press 
until the appears. The current setting On/Off flashes.
2.Press 
or 
to turn On or Off.
3.Press 
to set or 
to quit menu mode.
Special Features
Emergency Alert Mode
The Emergency Alert feature can be used to signal members in your group of your need for urgent help. MR series radios will operate in an automatic “hands-free” emergency control mode for a total of 30 seconds after activating the Emergency Alert. MR series radios in your group will automatically advance the speaker volume to the maximum setting and sound a warbling alert tone for 8 seconds. The alert tone is emitted from your own radio speaker and the receiving radios in your group. After the 8 second alert, any spoken words or incidental sounds at your end will be transmitted to the group for 22 seconds. For the 30 second duration of Emergency Alert mode, MR series radio controls and buttons will be locked to maximize reception of the emergency message.
1.Press and hold the Emergency Alert button for 3 seconds.
2.Release the button after the LED Indicator glows red and the alert tone begins to sound. There is no need to continue to hold the Emergency Alert button or use PTT for your message to be transmitted.
3.After the alert tone ends you may speak into the microphone. Your voice or incidental sounds will be transmitted. The LED indicator will continue to glow for the duration of the 22 second period.
4.After 30 seconds your radio speaker will emit a Talk Confirmation Tone and the LED Indicator will extinguish. Operation then returns to normal two-way mode.
Note: All Motorola Talkabout EM, MJ, and MR series radios are fully compatible with the Emergency Alert feature. Radios other than EM, MJ, MR series can receive the emergency alert signal, but will not respond with adjusted volume settings, locked controls, or a warbling alert tone. Users of other radio models set to the same channel and Interference Eliminator Code will hear a steady tone for 8 seconds followed by the voice transmission for 22 seconds.
