Hytera Communications TC-508U2 Two-way Radio User Manual
Hytera Communications Corporation Ltd. Two-way Radio
User Manual
Preface
Thank you for purchasing Hytera TC-508 portable radio. TC-508 is endowed with compact appearance,
durable structure, practical functions and reliable performance. It will bring you perfect communication.
To derive optimum performance from your radio, please read this manual and the supplied Safety
Information Booklet carefully before use
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Instructional Icons
The following icons are available through this manual:
Caution: indicates situations that could cause damage to your radio.
Note: indicates tips that can help you make better use of your radio.
Term Explanation
The following terms will appear through this manual:
Key Operation
Short press: to press a key and release it quickly.
Long press: to press and hold down a key for above 1 second.
Hold down: to press a key and remain holding it down.
User Mode
Refers to the mode entered after you turn on the radio directly.
CTCSS/CDCSS
The signaling can help you prevent unwanted conversations at the same frequency.
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Copyright Information
Hytera, CRS and HYT are the trademark or registered trademark of Hytera Communications Corporation
Limited (hereinafter referred to as “Hytera”) in PRC and other countries and/or areas. Hytera retains the
ownership of its trademarks and product names. All other trademarks and/or product names that may be
used in this manual are properties of their respective owners.
The Hytera product described in this manual may include Hytera computer programs stored in memory
or other media. Laws in the PRC and/or other countries or areas preserve for Hytera exclusive rights for
Hytera computer programs. The purchase of this product shall not be deemed to grant, either directly or
by implication, any rights to the purchaser regarding Hytera computer programs. Any Hytera computer
programs may not be copied, modified, distributed, decompiled, or reverse-engineered in any manner
without the prior written consent of Hytera.
Disclaimer
Hytera endeavors to achieve the accuracy and completeness of this manual, but no warranty of
accuracy or reliability is given. All the specifications and designs are subject to change without prior
notice due to continuous technology development. No part of this manual may be copied, modified,
translated, or distributed in any manner without the express written permission of Hytera.
If you have any suggestions or would like to learn more details, please visit our website at:
http://www.hytera.cn.
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RF Energy Exposure Compliance
● Your radio is designed and tested to comply with a number of national and international standards and
guidelines (listed below) regarding human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic energy. This radio
complies with the IEEE and ICNIRP exposure limits for occupational/controlled RF exposure environment at
operating duty factors of up to 50% transmitting and is authorized by the FCC for occupational use only. In
terms of measuring RF energy for compliance with the FCC exposure guidelines, your radio radiates
measurable RF energy only while it is transmitting (during talking in VOX and PTT mode), not when it is
receiving (listening) or in standby mode.
● The device complies with SAR and/or RF field strength limits of RSS-102 requirement and contact
information where the user can obtain Canadian information on RF exposure and compliance.
Your radio complies with the following of RF energy exposure standards and guidelines
● United States Federal Communications Commission, Code of Federal Regulations; 47CFR part 2 sub-part J
● American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) C95.
1-1992
● Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) C95. 1-1999 Edition
● International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) 1998
Operational Instructions and Training Guidelines
To ensure optimal performance and compliance with the occupational/controlled environment RF energy exposure
limits in the above standards and guidelines, users should transmit no more than 50% of the time and always
adhere to the following procedures:
Transmit and Receive
To transmit (talk), push the Push-To-Talk (PTT) key; to receive, release the PTT key.
EU Regulatory Conformance
The equipment is in compliance with the essential requirements and other relevant provisions of the Directive
1999/5/EC.
Note: The above information is applicable to EU countries only.
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FCC Licensing Information
Part 15 Compliance
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part
15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed
and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and
on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
FCC Licensing Requirements
A license from Federal Communications Commission is required prior to use. Your dealer will program each radio
with your authorized frequencies, signaling codes, etc., and will be there to meet your communications needs as your
system expands. Contact your dealer for more information.
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Contents
Checking Items in the Package ................................................................................................................6
Product Overview .....................................................................................................................................7
Programmable Keys..........................................................................................................................8
Before Use ...............................................................................................................................................9
Charging the Battery .........................................................................................................................9
Assembling the Accessories............................................................................................................10
Status Indication.....................................................................................................................................12
Basic Operations ....................................................................................................................................13
Turning the Radio On/Off ................................................................................................................13
Adjusting Volume ............................................................................................................................13
Selecting a Channel ........................................................................................................................13
Transmitting / Receiving..................................................................................................................13
Functions and Operations ......................................................................................................................14
CTCSS/CDCSS ..............................................................................................................................14
Time-out Timer (TOT)......................................................................................................................14
Adjusting the Power Level...............................................................................................................14
Monitor ............................................................................................................................................14
Squelch Off .....................................................................................................................................15
Scan................................................................................................................................................15
VOX.................................................................................................................................................16
Battery Strength Indicator................................................................................................................17
Low Battery Alert .............................................................................................................................17
Channel Lock ..................................................................................................................................17
Battery Save....................................................................................................................................18
Busy Channel Lockout ....................................................................................................................18
Troubleshooting......................................................................................................................................19
Care and Cleaning .................................................................................................................................21
Optional Accessories..............................................................................................................................22
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Checking Items in the Package
Please unpack carefully and check that all items listed below are received. If any item is missing or
damaged, please contact your dealer.
Battery Rapid-rate Charger (for Li-Ion battery) Power Adapter
Antenna Belt Clip Strap
Owner’s Manual & Safety Information Booklet Radio Unit
Note:
The above pictures are for reference only. Actual products may vary slightly.
The antenna may vary with different frequency bands. And the frequency band is marked on the
label of antenna; if not, please refer to the label on the radio for frequency band information.
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Product Overview
Radio Overview
10
9
3
2
1
17
16
15
14
11
8
7
456
13
12
No. Part Name No. Part Name
○
1 PTT Key ○
10 Battery Latch
○
2 SK1 (programmable) ○
11 Accessory jack cover
○
3 SK2 (programmable) ○
12 Accessory Jack
○
4 Antenna ○
13 Strap Hole
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○
5 Channel Selector Knob ○
14 Belt Clip
○
6
Radio On-Off/Volume
Control Knob
○
15 Battery
○
7 Speaker ○
16 Screw of Belt Clip
○
8 Microphone ○
17 Charging Piece
○
9 LED Indicator
Programmable Keys
For enhanced convenience, you may request your dealer to program the keys SK1 and SK2 as
shortcuts to the functions listed below:
No. Shortcut Keys Function
1 Power Adjustment
To adjust power level through one button
press.
2 Monitor
3 Monitor Momentary
To adjust the condition for incoming signal
match
4 Squelch Off
5 Squelch Off Momentary
To always unmute speaker no matter
whether carrier is present or not
6 Scan To receive signals on other channels.
7 VOX
The radio can automatically begin to
transmit when you speak.
8 Battery Power Indicator To indicate the battery strength
9 Channel Lockout
The current channel can not be switched by
rotating the Volume Control / Channel
Selector knob.
Note: Long and short press of a key can be a different functions by your dealer.
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Before Use
Charging the Battery
Use only the charger and battery specified by Hytera. Charger LED can indicate the charging process.
■ Charge Diagram
3
3
2
1
■ Procedures
1. Connect the power adapter to AC source. See arrow 1.
2. Plug the power adapter into the rear socket of the charger. See arrow 2.
3. Place the radio with the battery attached, or the battery alone, into the charger. See arrow 3.
4. The charging process initiates when LED glows red, and is completed when LED glows green.
Note: To achieve optimal battery performance, please charge the battery for 5 hours before initial
use.
Charge Indicator
LED Indicator Charge Status
Red LED glows. Charging
Orange LED glows. Approximately charged completely
Green LED glows. Fully charged
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When battery power runs low, the LED will flash red, and the low-pitched tone will sound periodically. In
this case, please replace or charge the battery.
Caution: Be sure to read the Safety Information Booklet, to get necessary safety information.
Assembling the Accessories
Assembling the Antenna
Turn the antenna clockwise to fasten it.
To remove the antenna, rotate it counter-clockwise.
Assembling the Battery
1. Slide the battery into the radio’s slot.
2. Slightly press the bottom of the battery until a click is heard.
To remove the battery, turn off the radio first. Slide the battery latch upward to release the battery.
Assembling the Belt Clip
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1. Remove the screws.
2. Align the screw holes on the belt clip with those on the radio’s body, and then tighten the screws.
To remove the belt clip, loosen the screws.
Assembling the Audio Accessory/Programming Cable
1. Open the accessory jack cover.
2. Plug an accessory into the accessory jack, and then tighten the screw.
To remove accessories, loosen the screw first.
Caution: When you are using an external accessory, waterproof performance of the radio may
get affected.
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Status Indication
The top LED indicator will help you easily identify the current status of your radio.
LED Indicator Radio Status
Red LED glows. Transmitting
Red LED flashes. Low battery alert
Green LED glows. Receiving
Green LED flashes. Scanning
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Basic Operations
Turning the Radio On/Off
Rotate the Radio On-Off/Volume Control knob clockwise/counter-clockwise until a click is heard to turn
the radio on/off.
Adjusting Volume
You may adjust call volume through the knob. Rotate the knob clockwise to increase the volume, or
counter-clockwise to decrease the volume.
Selecting a Channel
The radio supports up to 16 channels. You can rotate the Channel Selector knob to select a desired
channel. White mark on the knob corresponding to the channel shall be the current channel.
Note: When the radio is currently on a blank channel, it sounds beep tones continuously.
Transmitting / Receiving
To transmit a signal, press and hold down the PTT, and speak into the microphone. During transmission,
the LED glows red.
To receive, just release the PTT. When a signal is received, the LED glows green.
Note:
To ensure optimal volume of the receiving radio, hold the palm microphone approximately 2.5
to 5 centimeters away from your mouth.
Communication range may get affected in rainy days or forest locations.
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Functions and Operations
CTCSS/CDCSS
CDCSS/CTCSS can be used to prevent unwanted conversations at the same frequency. If
CTCSS/CDCSS is set on a certain channel, you can only receive voice calls from radios with matching
CTCSS/CDCSS. Otherwise you will receive voice calls from all users operating at the same frequency.
You may request your dealer to program corresponding parameters. For detailed information, please
contact your dealer.
Time-out Timer (TOT)
The purpose of TOT is to prevent any user from occupying a channel for an extended period. When the
preset time expires, the radio will automatically terminate transmission and keep beeping. To stop
beeping, please release the PTT key. You must wait for a certain time period (preset by your dealer) to
initiate another transmission.
If the Pre-alert function is activated by your dealer, your radio will alert you to the TOT expiration in
advance.
Adjusting the Power Level
With this feature, you may switch power levels quickly. Generally, we recommend you to adopt low
power for battery saving. However, if you cannot communicate with radios located at a distant place with
low power, please select high power.
Operation:
Press the programmed Adjust Power Level key to switch between high power and low power
( from high power to low power a low-pitched tone sounds; from low power to high power a
high-pitched tone sounds).
Monitor
To reduce match conditions for signal receiving, you can enable the feature.
Operation:
Press the programmed Monitor key to activate this function (an alert tone sounds); press it
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again to deactivate the function (the alert tone sounds twice). Or
Press the programmed Monitor Momentary key to activate this function (an alert tone sounds);
press it again to deactivate the function (the alert tone sounds twice).
Squelch Off
This feature allows you to unmute the speaker to receive all audio signals on current channel.
Operation:
Press the programmed Squelch Off key to activate this function; press the key again to
deactivate it. Or
Press the programmed Squelch Off Momentary key to activate this function; release the key
to deactivate it.
Note: When this function is enabled on current channel, you will hear audio signals (if any);
otherwise, background noise will be heard.
Scan
The function “Scan” allows you to listen to communication activities on other channels so that you can
keep a close track of your team members. You can request your dealer to create the scan list.
Operation:
1. Scan Start
Press the programmed Scan key to activate this function; Or
Switch to a channel for which the feature “Auto Scan” is enabled via the programming software.
Note: The radio will not start scan if there are less than two channels in the scan list.
2. After the feature is enabled, your radio will scan according to the scan list set for the channel on
which scanning starts. The scanning process is as follows:
The LED flashes green during scanning.
When activities are detected on a channel, the radio will stay on the channel to receive current
activities, and the LED glows green.
If the Talk Back feature is enabled by your dealer, press the PTT to reply when the radio stays
on a certain channel.
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You can scan the frequently used channel if the priority scan feature is enabled. When staying
on a non-priority channel, the radio will keep detecting activities on the priority channel. Once
any activity is detected, it will jump to the priority channel immediately. For more information,
please contact your dealer.
3. Methods to Exit Scanning
Press Scan key again, Or
Switch to a channel where Auto Scan feature is not enabled; Or
Turn the radio off.
Note:
The Scan Start Alert and the Scan End Alert can be enabled / disabled by the dealer.
During scanning, the radio will still respond to operation of pressing the following keys: PTT key,
Squelch Off key, Squelch Off Momentary key, Monitor and Monitor Momentary keys.
VOX
This feature allows you to transmit your voice with no need to press the PTT. However, you must employ
a dedicated earpiece to realize this function.
Operation:
1. Set the PTT/VOX Switch on the earpiece to VOX;
2. Plug the earpiece into the accessory jack;
3. Press the programmed VOX key to activate this function.
4. Speak into the microphone (on the earpiece) to transmit your voice, and transmission will stop
automatically when you stop talking;
5. Power the radio off or press the VOX key again to deactivate this function.
Note:
If the PTT/VOX Switch on the earpiece is set to PTT, you can only transmit by pressing the
external PTT, no matter whether VOX is activated.
When the PTT/VOX Switch is set to PTT, you are not allowed to switch it from PTT to VOX
directly; otherwise, continuous transmission may occur. If continuous transmission occurs
unexpectedly, you can restore the radio to normal operation by toggling the switch from VOX to
PTT, or turning the radio off and back on.
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You can select an appropriate VOX sensitivity according to the environment. In case of heavy
noises, continuous transmission may occur if VOX feature is activated.
Battery Strength Indicator
This feature allows you to know the current battery strength.
Operation:
Press and hold down the programmed Battery Strength Indicator key, and the LED glows to
indicate remaining battery strength by different colors (see table below). Release the key to exit.
The table lists different colors representing different battery strength levels.
LED Indicator Battery Strength
Green LED glows. High
Orange LED glows. Medium
Red LED glows. Low
Low Battery Alert
This feature allows you to know the low battery status. When battery power runs low, the LED will flash
red, and the low-pitched tone will sound periodically. In this case, please replace or charge the battery.
Note: When the battery strength is insufficient, the programmed Battery Strength Indicator key
will become unavailable. However, when the battery strength is drained, transmission will
be prohibited; if you press PTT in such situations, the radio will sound an alert to warn you.
Channel Lock
The feature is for channel lock, so as to prevent misoperation on the Channel Selector knob.
Operation:
Press the programmed Channel Lock key to enable the feature (the alert tone sounds once). To
disable the feature, press this key again (the alert tone sounds twice). When this function is enabled,
your current operating channel will remain unchanged even if you rotate the Channel Selector
Knob.
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Note: This function will be deactivated if the radio is powered off and back on, or it is
programmed.
Battery Save
In Standby mode, when no signal is received / transmitted or no operation (key press) is performed for
10 seconds (programmable), the radio will automatically enter Battery Save mode to reduce power
consumption. The radio may exit the Battery Save mode and get activated as soon as any key is
pressed or any signal is received.
Busy Channel Lockout
If enabled via the programming software, this feature can prevent your radio interfering with other
transmitting radios on the same channel. When the channel is already in use, the radio will keep beeping
and return to RX mode upon pressing the PTT key. To stop beeping, please release the PTT key.
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Troubleshooting
Phenomena Analysis Solution
The battery may be improperly
installed. Remove the battery and attach it again.
The battery may run out. Recharge or replace the battery.
The product can not be
powered on. The battery may suffer from poor
contact caused by dirtied or
damaged battery contacts.
Clean the battery contacts. If the problem can
not be solved, contact your dealer or our
authorized service center for inspection and
repair.
The battery strength may be too
low. Recharge or replace the battery.
The volume may be set to a low
level.
Increase the volume by rotating the Volume
Control knob clockwise.
The antenna may get loose or may
be improperly installed.
Power off the radio, re-install the antenna and
power on the radio again.
During receiving signals, the
voice is weak, discontinuous
or totally inactive.
The speaker may be blocked or
damaged.
Clean surface of the speaker. If the problem can
not be solved, contact your dealer or our
authorized service center for inspection and
repair.
The frequency or signaling may be
inconsistent with that of other
members.
Set your TX/RX frequency and signaling to the
same as that of other members.
The radio may be locked on other
channels.
Deactivate the Channel Lock function and switch
to your desired channel.
You can not communicate
with other members.
You may be too far away from the
group members.
Move towards other members. And make sure
that you are within the communication range.
You may be interrupted by radios
using the same frequency.
Change the frequency, or adjust the squelch
level.
Irrelevant communication
activities or noises are heard
on the channel. The radio may be set with no
signaling.
Set signaling for all member radios to avoid
interference at the same frequency.
You may be too far away from
other members.
Move towards other members, power off your
radio and then restart it.
You may be at an unfavorable
position. For example, your
communication may be blocked by
high buildings or frustrated in the
underground areas.
Move to an open and flat area, and restart the
radio.
The noise is too loud.
You may suffer from external
disturbance (such as
electromagnetic interference).
Stay away from equipment that may cause
interference.
If the above solutions can not fix your problems, or you may have some other queries, please contact us
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or your local dealer for more technical support.
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Care and Cleaning
To guarantee optimal performance as well as a long service life of your radio, please follow the tips
below.
Product Care
Keep the radio far away from substances that can corrode the circuit.
Do not hold the radio by its antenna or earpiece cable directly.
Attach the accessory jack cover when the radio is not in use.
Product Cleaning
Clean up the dust and fine particles on the radio surface and charging piece with a clean and dry
lint-free cloth or a brush regularly.
Use neutral cleanser and a non-woven cloth to clean the keys, control knobs and front case
regularly. Do not use chemical preparations such as stain removers, alcohol, sprays or oil
preparations, so as to avoid surface case damage. Make sure the terminal is completely dry before
use.
Caution: Power off the radio and remove the battery before cleaning.
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Optional Accessories
The following items are the main optional accessories for the product, and please consult your local
dealer for more other accessories.
Li-Ion Battery (1650mAh)
BL1719
Li-Ion Battery (1100mAh)
BL1102
Vehicle Adapter
CHV09
Six-unit Switching
Power PS7002
Earbud with in-Line PTT
& VOX ESM11
Earbud with on-MIC PTT
& VOX ESM12
D-earset with Boom
MIC & VOX EHM16
D-earset with in-Line
MIC & VOX EHM15
Nylon Carrying Case (not
swivel) (black)
Antenna
Caution: Note: Use the accessories specified by Hytera only. If not, Hytera shall not be liable for
any losses or damages arising out of use of unauthorized accessories.