![](/images/new-backgrounds/1301205/30120517x1.webp)
Operating Your Radio
Backlight/Key Lock Button
Key Locked Buttons
Key Lock Icon
Channel Up/Down Buttons
Currently On Channel 88
Getting Started
Backlight/Key Lock Button
The LCD will be illuminated by the backlight as long as any button is pressed and will remain On for 10 seconds after the button is released.
To Display the Backlight Momentarily:
Press the Backlight/Key Lock button. The backlight will remain On for 10 seconds. If the backlight is already On, a press of the Backlight/Key Lock button will turn it Off.
Key Lock
To prevent accidental changes to your settings, you can lock all of the buttons on the front of the the radio along with the Squelch Defeat button.
To Lock or Unlock the Buttons:
Press and hold the Backlight/Key Lock button for two (2) seconds. The Key Lock icon will appear or disappear in the LCD. When Key Lock is On, pressing any of the buttons on the front of the radio will result in a three (3) beep error message.
Both the Backlight/Key Lock button and the Talk button are active — you can Receive (Rx) or Transmit (Tx) a message with Key Lock On, but you cannot change the channel.
Channel Up/Down Buttons
Your radio will Receive (Rx) and Transmit (Tx) VHF signals on the channel indicated on the LCD display. You can change the channel at any time using the Channel Up/Down buttons.
To Change Channels:
Press the Channel Up/Down buttons.
If you are on Channel 88, pressing the Channel Up button will advance to Channel 01. If you are on Channel 01, pressing the Channel Down button will advance to Channel 88.
You can press and hold the Channel Up/Down button for fast advance. The beep sound will occur only at the first press of the buttons and not during fast advance.
If the new channel selected is restricted to low power, the radio will automatically switch to Low Power mode and the Low Power icon will appear on the LCD.
Operating Your Radio
Scan Button
HI/LO Power Button
Getting Started
SCAN Button
Press and release the SCAN button to scan all channels. The SCAN icon will display on the LCD display. Scanning begins at lower channels, and scans to higher channels. Press Channel Up/Down button to change the scan direction.
When a signal is received in SCAN mode, the radio will pause 10 seconds before resuming SCAN operation. The scan will stop when the Talk button is pressed.
NOTE
Memory channels need to be saved to effectively enter the Memory Channel mode and scan all memory channels. See page 25.
High/Low (HI/LO) Power Button
Your radio can transmit selectively at 1 or 3 watts of power. Cobra suggests you maintain the low power setting for
to a signal sent at 1 watt.
To Toggle Between HI/LO Power Modes:
Press the Power Level/Weather button. The LCD will show which mode is in effect. Some channels are restricted for a maximum use of 1 watt. Your radio will automatically set the power to Low Power mode when you select those channels.
NOTE
Some channels, frequency bands and countries of use might not be able to operate in High Power mode.
12 English
If the radio is in the Key Lock mode, the channel will not change and the three (3) beep error signal will sound.
Nothing Comes Close to a Cobra® 13