Regency RH-256 / Wilson WH-2516 Programming Information
Please note that these instructions are intended as a convenience for experienced technicians. I am unable to supply troubleshooting help, parts or additional service information on this equipment.
** NOTE: Use the "10" Key whenever it is necessary to enter a 0, since the keyboard has no zero digit key. **
1- First, make sure radio is ready to be programmed. To do this, turn radio off and solder a jumper at point J401; this jumper point is located just forward of the large IC on the main circuit board, and is next to the diode in that area. The jumper runs lengthwise in a front-rear direction at this spot; the board should have printing at this spot saying "J401" or "JU401". Any reference to J401 or JU401 refers to the same thing.
2- Turn the radio on, and press the PRO PRIOR key and then the 10 key, in that order.
3- Enter the receiver frequency (six digits) without any decimal point
4- Enter whether simplex or duplex (repeater). Simplex = 0, Duplex = 8
5- Enter transmitter enable code. Normal = 0, Receive only = 4
6- Enter receiver ctcss (PL) tone code (two digits, see chart below), then follow with transmitter ctcss (PL) tone code (2 digits). The transmitter PL tone code does not need to be entered if the mode in step 4 selected was SIMPLEX and the tone is the same as the receiver's. The transmitter PL tone code MUST be specified if the mode selected in step 4 was DUPLEX.
7- Enter transmitter frequency (6 digits) without any decimal point. Does not need to be entered if a SIMPLEX channel was selected in step 4.
8- Press ENTER on the keyboard.
9- Press the channel number the data is to be entered into. Repeat as necessary for each channel to be programmed. NOTE: For 16 channel radios, the second digit of the channel number must be pressed within three seconds or the radio will think you intend to program channel 1 instead of the actual entry !
10- Delete any unprogrammed channels by pressing the DELETE button on the keyboard, followed by the ENTER button, and then the channel to be deleted. If deleting more than one channel, the DELETE button only needs to be pressed once followed by the ENTER button, and then the channel number sequence for each channel to be deleted.
THIS COMPLETES THE CHANNEL PROGRAMMING STEPS. IF IT IS DESIRED TO CHANGE THE OPTIONS PROGRAMMING, (ONLY AVAILABLE ON THE RH256 16 CHANNEL RADIOS) CONTINUE AS FOLLOWS:
A- Pick a scan delay code and press one of the following keys: 0 for 0.68 seconds, 2 for 1.3 seconds, and 4 for 2.0 seconds.
B- Pick a time-out transmit timer limit and press one of the following keys: 0 for none, 1 for 30 seconds, 2 for 60 seconds, 4 for 120 seconds.
C- Choose the normal decoder interrupt time (i.e. built in PL). Press the 0 key.
D- Press ENTER then press SCAN . Display should show a "U".
Reviewing the program:
To review the programming job, the radio must still be in the programming mode. Review is the same for all radio models, including RH250 and WH2516.
To review, press the MANUAL button on the keyboard. Then press the channel number to be reviewed. Note that when reviewing channel 1 on a 16 channel radio, a 1 will flash in the tens digit. This is not part of the channel's program; the radio is just waiting for the second digit entry for channels 11 through 16.
The radio will display, using the left digit on the channel display, the programmed data for the selected channel. Each data digit is displayed for two seconds, starting with the receiver frequency through to the transmitter frequency in the same order the channel is programmed.
Reviewing the radio options configuration (16 channel radios only) is done by pressing the MANUAL button on the keyboard followed by the SCAN button. The left digit on the channel display will read out: the scan delay code, the time out timer delay code, and a zero, in that order (each code displays for two seconds).
TO EXIT THE PROGRAMMING MODE, TURN THE RADIO OFF AND THEN REMOVE THE JUMPER AT JU401. PLEASE NOTE THAT FREQUENCY CHANGES OF GREATER THAN THREE MHZ WILL PROBABLY REQUIRE REALIGNMENT OF THE RECEIVER FRONT END STAGE, AND THE TRANSMITTER MAY ALSO REQUIRE ALIGNMENT TOUCH-UP. THE RADIO WILL NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY UNLESS THE JUMPER IS REMOVED !
Note: The radio will only scan when the mike is hung up on a grounded microphone clip. If you pick up the mike during scan, scan stops. You will need to run a ground wire to the microphone clip when the clip is mounted on a plastic or insulated surface. If encountering scan difficulties, make sure that channels have or have not been locked out of the scan list, which is a user front-panel programmable function.
PL TONE CODES:
RELM RH-256N RADIOS:
Please note that the new RELM RH-256N does not program quite the same way as the earlier Regency and Wilson radios. It is intended to be programmed with an IBM PC and a special cable which attaches to the microphone socket and connects to the serial port of the computer. Special programming software is required. However, this model can evidently still be manually programmed as in the earlier versions, according to e-mail I have received. The procedure is the same, but after installing the jumper mentioned in Step 1 above, it is not necessary to next depress the PRO PRIO or the 10 keys as instructed in Step 2. A "P" will show in the display as soon as power is switched on following installation of the jumper, and programming then follows the rest of the instructions above.
This page prepared by Geoff Fors, WB6NVH
(Ver 4/01)