New APX4000 notes

[ee1993]

I had some training on the new APX 4000 radios at NESA and our squadron was just issued a kit, so I want to give a few notes on what to expect.

These are very nice radios. They are smaller and lighter than the EJ Johnson handhelds and have a color display, GPS, Bluetooth, and a clock.  The radios are issued as a kit that must remain together. Thanks to a good deal from Motorola, the kit will contain six radios, rather than the two originally planned.  The kit comes in a big, rugged waterproof case with wheels and a foam insert cut with pockets for storage of each piece.  The kit will have six radios, six antennas, twelve Impress 2 batteries, and a six-position Impress 2 gang charger.  The kit must always stay together when the radios are not in active use.  The radios must not be individually issued.  The kit is for ground missions and training (including activities such as air shows). 
We were not asked to turn in our existing EF Johnson handhelds, so we now have a good supply of radios.
 
The controls and menus are a bit different, so some training may be needed. A user's guide can be found by searching online.

Two batteries are supposed to get you through a full shift. However, GPS and Bluetooth drain the battery faster.  No need for Bluetooth, so best to turn it off.  Also, turn off GPS unless it's needed and then only long enough the get a reading.  It seems to take a lot longer for GPS to initialize the first time when compared to the GPS in a smartphone.  This is because the phone gets help from the network to initialize.  Expect about five hours for a full battery with GPS, but eight hours with GPS off.  The supplied antenna has a built in GPS antenna along with the VHF, so use only that antenna with the APX4000
. 
The clock must be set manually if you want to use it (GPS does not set it). 
Zones will be in different positions when compared to the EF Johnson code plug. The national code plug now includes a Federal zone (IR) for VHF Incident Response Federal Interoperability.
 
The batteries must undergo a reconditioning cycle every three months.  The charger will recognize when a cycle is due and show a yellow light when the battery is inserted.  This cycle can take up to 18 hours so the cycle can be bypassed by removing the battery and then re-inserting it within five seconds.  It will then charge normally.  Perform the reconditioning later.   

Maj. Bob Morris  CAP
Communications Officer
SC Group 2 and Grand Strand Composite Squadron MAR-SC-114
W0EG  cell 336 402-3039