AOR AR-3000 OPERATING MANUAL

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1. Major Features

• The AR3000 covers the frequency range of 100kHz to 2036MHz with no gaps in the tuning range.
• Available modes are: — Narrow FM, Wide FM, AM, USB, LSB and CW.
• Storage of up to 400 memory channels in 4 banks of 100 channels.
• High speed scanning at 20 channels per second.
• Selectable frequency increments in 50 kHz steps from 50Hz to 100kHz.
• Computer control is possible using the built-in communications port.

2. Operating Precautions

• The receiver uses a 12V dc power supply only.
• Always use the correct power cord: make sure that the positive and negative connections are made correctly.
• For home use, a correctly regulated AC power supply with 12 — 14V output is necessary.
• The receiver comes with both a DC power cord and an AC power supply as standard accessories for mobile and home use.
• Disconnect the power supply from the mains if the the receiver is not being used.
• Take care to avoid spillage or leakage of liquids into the receiver.
• Make sure that you prevent liquid entry into the power jack.

3. Preparation

1. Connect the 12V dc supply correctly.
2. Before you press the power switch to 'on', turn the squelch control knob to the 12 o'clock position.
3. Make sure that the LCD does not show any descriptions, e.g. KEYLOCK, SEARCH, PRIORITY, SCAN, etc. when you power on for the first time. If you see descriptions, refer to the respective section in this manual for instructions to clear them.
4. The receiver has one BNC antenna connection on the rear panel. Connect an appropriate antenna to the set according to your requirements.
   Note:
   The squelch control adjusts the broadcast signal level and can stop the scanning/searching process to let you hear the transmission. In the fully counter clockwise position, the squelch is open, and no scanning/searching will happen. Starting from the fully counter clockwise position, turn the squelch control clockwise until background noise from the speaker is cut off. This is the most sensitive setting for the squelch control, but at this setting it is possible for bursts of interference to stop the scanning/searching.
   In this case, turn squelch slightly further clockwise. The correct setting will be easily found by experience.

4. Explanation of Function Keys

Except for 2ND F, UP, DOWN and ENTER, the front panel keys have two functions, each colour-coded in orange and white.
The first function, in orange letters, is the default condition. This means that when you press an orange-lettered key the named function works.
The second function, in white letters, needs you to press the 2ND F key before you press a white-lettered key for that function to work.

First Functions

Key	Function
MODE	Selects the receive mode. Press this key and turn the main knob to select the desired mode on the LCD
SEARCH	Starts (or stops) active frequency search.
DIAL	Press when you want to select a receiving frequency: you can use either the main knob or keypads to do this.
STEP	Press to select a frequency increment. You can select frequency increments in 50 Hz steps from 50Hz to 100kHz.
SHIFT	Press to shift the receiving frequency by a pre-determined margin. This is useful when monitoring repeater channels.
MEMO	Press to recall data stored in memory. You can also use this to start a memory channel scan.
PRIO	Press to toggle priority channel monitoring on or off in scan/search mode. Channel 00 is designated as priority channel.
ENTER	Press to enter information such as frequency, receive mode, search, memory channel, frequency shift and frequency increment.
DOWN UP	Press to manually step forward or backward a receiving frequency, memory channels and search frequencies. Press and hold this key for approximately one second to start scan/search automatically.
0 thru 9	Use these keys to enter numeric information e.g. a receiving frequency, frequency increment, etc.
	Use the Main Knob to select a receiving frequency, a memory channel and the receive mode. Pull the knob once to increase the tuning speed by a factor of ten. Pull the knob once again to decrease the tuning speed to normal.
.	This key represents a decimal point at MHz when entering a frequency, e.g. 151.1125 for 151.1125MHz. However, when entering a frequency increment, this key represents a decimal point at kHz, e.g. 0.05 for 50Hz.

Second Functions

5. Frequency Selection

The AR3000 has two methods of frequency selection:— Direct Mode and Manual Mode.

Direct Mode

To directly enter a frequency in a particular bank, use the front panel keypads.

For example:—

A. To tune the receiver to the radio station at 594kHz in AM mode, do this:—

1. Press DIAL then MODE,
2. Turn the main knob until the LCD shows AM, and then press ENTER,
3. Press . 5 9 4 ENTER.
4. This is what the LCD shows:—

B. To tune the receiver to the radio station at 128.8MHz AM mode, do this:—

1. Press DIAL then MODE,
2. Turn the main knob until the LCD shows AM, and then press ENTER,
3. Press 1 2 8 . 8 ENTER.
4. This is what the LCD shows:—

C. To tune the receiver to the radio station at 7.099MHz LSB mode, do this:—

1. Press DIAL then MODE,
2. Turn the main knob until the LCD shows LSB, and then press ENTER,
3. Press 7 . 0 9 9 ENTER.
4. This is what the LCD shows:—

Manual Mode

Use this mode to look for active frequencies.

For example:—

To tune across the 21MHz band in USB mode at 50Hz steps, do this:—

1. Press DIAL then MODE,
2. Turn the main knob until the LCD shows USB, and then press ENTER,
3. Press 2 1 . 0 ENTER.
4. Press STEP 0 . 0 5 ENTER,
5. Turn the main knob slowly clockwise to tune the frequency upward, and counter clockwise downward. Alternatively, use UP and DOWN to do this.
6. Press and hold either UP or DOWN key for approximately one second and the receiver automatically starts searching.
7. Press DIAL key to stop searching.

6. Memory Storage

The AR3000 has 400 memory channels (4 banks of 100 channels) that can store both receiving frequency and receive mode.

a. In Direct mode
You can store the frequency information into memory by keypads directly.

Firstly select the memory bank you want to use. To do this, press 2ND F and then press BANK. Repeat this procedure until the light next to the desired channel number comes on.

Secondly enter the frequency and receive mode in Direct mode. The LCD is showing the frequency information you want to store in the memory. To enter this information into memory channel 01, for example, press the ENTER key: to confirm this the MCH indicator starts to flash. Press 0 1 ENTER in sequence to complete the memory entry process.

b. In Search mode
It is also possible to transfer frequency information into the memory in Search mode.

Operate the receiver in Search mode. When the search stops at the signal you want to store in the memory, for example 99, press the SEARCH key. Then press the ENTER key: to confirm this the MCH starts to flash. Press the 9 9 ENTER keys in sequence.
You must always enter channel numbers as two digits: e.g. 00, 01, ... 10, 11, ... 98, 99.
To cancel the memory entry process press the DIAL key and the receiver will return to the Dial mode.

7. Memory channel recall

You can manually recall any specific channel from a memory bank for listening. Press the MEMO key and select the channel number you want to recall by either using the main knob or the UP and DOWN keys. Alternatively you can recall the memory channel by directly entering the channel number by keypads followed by the MEMO key: e.g. press the 9 9 MEMO keys.

8. Memory channel scan

Press the MEMO key, then press and hold either the UP or the DOWN key for approximately one second. The receiver automatically starts scanning over those memory channels which contain the frequency information. The M indicator flashes in the channel scan mode. To stop the scan simply press the MEMO key.

9. Erasure of memory contents

To erase the memory contents first recall the memory channel on the LCD and then press the 2ND F key followed by the MEMO. DEL key.

10. Memory Pass (Channel lock-out)

This facility allows the receiver to bypass any channel in the scan sequence. Select the channel number to be bypassed and then press the 2ND F key followed by the CH. PASS key. To cancel the bypass simply repeat the same sequence.

11. Free scan

In search or scan mode, this facility allows the receiver to continuously search or scan after a 5 second delay on a busy channel even if the signal is present. To initiate the free scan press the 2ND. F key followed by the FREE SCAN key in search or scan mode. Two decimal points each preceding the MHz kHz indicators flash alternately in the free scan mode. To cancel the free scan simply repeat the same sequence. Note that the free scan is cancelled when the PRIO key is pressed and the receiver is engaged in priority mode.

12. Search

The AR3000 can continuously search throughout its range of 100kHz to 2036MHz looking for active frequencies on the air. You can also program one search range in each memory bank by specifying both the start frequency of the search and the end frequency through the keypads. Frequency increments (stepping frequency) are selectable in 50Hz steps from 50Hz to 100kHz in either case.

Examples:

a. Free Search (Dial mode) — Search from 594kHz upward in AM mode at 9kHz increments.

b. Program search: — Search between 350MHz and 400MHz in NFM mode at 12.5kHz steps.

13. Memory Bank

The AR3000 provides 4 banks of 100 memory channels for a total of 400 channels. Each memory bank can independently store different memory frequencies and program search ranges for maximum operating convenience.

To select a memory bank press 2ND. F MEMO. BANK keys in sequence. Repeat the sequence if necessary until you have selected the desired memory bank. A red LED alongside the row of memory bank numbers will light to tell which bank is selected.

14. Frequency Increment (Stepping Frequency)

The AR3000 provides selectable frequency increments in 50Hz steps from 50Hz to 100Hz. You should choose a most appropriate frequency increment according to the frequency band you want to listen to, e.g. 25kHz for VHF airband; 12.5kHz for land mobile; 50Hz for SSB, etc.

To select a 25kHz increment press STEP 2 5 ENTER keys in sequence.

To select a 50Hz increment press STEP . 0 5 ENTER keys in sequence.

15. SHIFT

This facility allows you to instantly shift the frequency currently used to another frequency by a pre-determined margin. This is particularly useful if you are monitoring repeater stations which use offset frequencies for receive and transmit.

To shift -5MHz from the present frequency, press 2ND. F SHIFT. SET DOWN 5 . ENTER keys in sequence. Pressing SHIFT key results in switching the -5MHz shift on or off.

To shift +5MHz from the present frequency, press 2ND. F SHIFT. SET UP 5 . ENTER keys in sequence. Pressing SHIFT key results in switching the +5MHz shift on or off.

The LCD will show "SHIFT" when this facility is engaged.

16. PRIORITY

Memory channel 00 is specifically designated as "PRIORITY CHANNEL" in which you can store a frequency you would not like to miss even when scanning over other memory channels. Channel 00 is constantly monitored once every 2 seconds in priority mode. When a signal appears on channel 00, the receiver is locked to channel 00 for listening. To toggle the priority on or off simply press PRIO key. The LCD shows "PRIO" in priority mode.

17. KEY-LOCK

This facility allows you to lock all keyboard functions of the receiver to prevent accidental changes in operation. To toggle the key-lock mode on or off press 2ND. F KEY L keys in sequence. The LCD shows "KEY-LOCK" in key-lock mode.

18. BEEP on/off

A beep tone is generated at each key stroke to confirm correct entry. To mute this beep tone press 2ND. F BEEP keys in sequence.

19. LCD back-light on/off

Press 2ND. F LAMP keys in sequence to turn the back-light on or off.

20. ATTENUATOR

The AR3000 has a built-in RF attenuator which can reduce the signal strength reaching the input stages of the receiver from the antenna. Switching the attenuator on results in better reception when a strong signal is received or adjacent strong signals overload the receiver's input.

Press 2ND. F ATT keys in sequence to turn the attenuator on or off. The LCD shows "ATT" when the attenuator is switched on.

21. FREQUENCY PASS

This facility allows the receiver to bypass unwanted frequencies (interference signals, internal spurii, etc.) in search mode. You can store any 48 frequencies in memory channel 00 to channel 47. Note that this facility does not function when the receiver in tuned in Direct mode or Manual mode.

The following example shows how to store a frequency of 45.945MHz into channel 00;

Press 2ND. F FREQ. PASS keys. The PASS indicator flashes on the LCD.

Press 4 5 . 9 4 5 ENTER keys in sequence. The channel indicator now shows 01, and the receiver is ready for you to enter another frequency.

To delete a frequency from memory, press 2ND. F FREQ. PASS keys followed by 0 0. Repeat this sequence to delete other frequencies.

For you to check all the frequencies stored in the memory, the LCD can display them sequentially.
Press 2ND. F FREQ. PASS ENTER keys to display the frequency channel 00.
Continue to press ENTER to scroll through all the frequencies until the LCD shows the final frequency in the memory. Note that "Frequency Pass" does not function if you abort this process half-way through.

22. STEP ADJUSTMENT

In search mode, this facility allows the receiver to step through frequencies as this example shows;

Search starts from 903.0125MHz in 25kHz steps: 903.0125, 903.0375, 903.0625, 903.0875, 903.1125,...

When you disengage this facility, the AR3000 will start to search as shown in this example;

903.0125, 903.025, 903.050, 903.075, 903.100,...i.e. reverting to the nearest 25kHz step.

To operate the receiver with "STEP ADJUST" engaged, press 2ND. F STEP ADJ keys. The kHz indicator in the LCD flashes. Repeat the same sequence to disengage "STEP ADJ". The kHz indicator stops flashing.

23. Main Knob

In Dial mode turn the main knob clockwise to increase frequency and counter clockwise to decrease frequency. Pull the knob once to increase the turning rate by a factor of 10. To restore the tuning rate to its original condition, pull the main knob once more.

In Memory mode use the main knob to select memory channels.

24. Built-in Clock

The AR3000 has a 24-hour real time clock. The LCD shows for example: 10-24-25 (10hrs, 24mins, 25secs a.m.) or 18-45-00 (6hrs, 45mins, 0secs p.m.).

Press 2ND.F CLOCK keys to display the time when the receiver is on.

To set the clock at 7h 20m 20s, for example, press 2ND.F CLOCK.S keys followed by 0 7 2 0 2 0 ENTER.

Once you have entered the time it will remain as long as the receiver is connected to the mains supply.

25. Built-in Timer

You can program the built-in clock of the AR3000 to come on, or go off, at a selected time.

Example:
To program the receiver to come on at 6 a.m.,

1. Press 2ND. F ALARM T keys,then press 0 6 0 0 ENTER
2. Press 2ND. F ALARM S - an LED light comes on to show that the timer is set.
3. Set the main switch to off - the LCD shows "ALARM". The receiver will automatically come on at the selected time of 6 a.m.

To cancel the timer setting, press 2ND. F ALARM S keys when the receiver is on.

You can also program the receiver to switch off at any time between 1 minute and 120 minutes.

Example:
To program the timer to switch off the receiver after 30 minutes,

1. Press 2ND. F SLEEP. T keys. An LED adjacent to the SLEEP indicator flashes.
2. Press 3 0 ENTER
3. Press 2ND. F SLEEP. S keys
4. Select the main switch to off. The LED light comes on to confirm that you have engaged the timer.

26. COMPUTER CONTROL

First steps in computer control for the AR3000

The AR3000 has a built in RS-232C computer control interface, allowing two-way communication with a personal computer. The computer must be capable of operating as a communications terminal via its own RS-232 port.

You must set up the computer to operate at 4800 baud, with two bits and no parity.

The D25 connector on the back panel of the AR3000 is connected as follows:-

• pin 1 - Ground
• pin 2 - TX data
• pin 3 - RX data
• pin 4 - RTS
• pin 5 - CTS
• pin 6 - Remote on/off

Note that pin 7 is grounded to enable remote control function, and if a switch is wired between pins 1 and 7, local/remote switching can be provided.

The only protocol support is by means of hardware handshaking using pins 4 and 5 (RTS and CTS). These pins must not be shorted together, and it is necessary to use the handshake facility because data is being sent from the AR3000 every 25 ms (milliseconds) to indicate signal strength and squelch open/close.

Commands

The personal computer can send the following commands to the AR3000:

1. Frequency in MHz. e.g. 88.3; or 1.053; etc. Leading zeros are not needed.
2. Mode selection by a single letter code as follows:-
   • A — AM
   • N — Narrow FM
   • W — Wide FM
   • L — Lower side band
   • U — Upper side band
   • C – CW
3. Attenuator setting.
   • R — Attenuator on
   • T — Attenuator off
4. Frequency steps in kHz.
   • S — Frequency step
   The steps can be any size from 50 Hz to 100 kHz, in increments of 50 Hz, but must be entered as kHz, e.g.
   • 25kHz is entered as 25
   • 100 Hz is entered as 0.1
   • 50 Hz is entered as 0.05
   Leading zeros are not needed
5. Memory operations
   • M — Set memory
   • Z — Read memory
   • X — Set bank

Using the commands

With the exception of the Z (memory channel read), and X (memory bank select), you must enter the commands in the order that follows. Note that the only mandatory command is the mode select: all the others are optional and may be missed out if no change is needed in that particular parameter. All parameters must be separated by a space character.

Some examples

01M 12.5S R 1024.575N

This will enter the receive frequency of 1025.575 MHz, 12.5 kHz steps, narrow FM mode, attenuator on, into memory channel 01.

128.8 A

This will put the receiver on to 128.8 MHz in AM mode.

99M 0.05S T 21 U

This will enter a receive frequency of 21 MHz, 50 Hz tuning steps, upper sideband, attenuator off, into memory channel 99.

To recall a memory, simply send the memory number followed by Z e.g. 01Z will recall the contents of memory 01.

To change memory banks, simply send X. The memory banks are changed in sequential form, 0—1—2—3—0—1—2—3, and no indication is returned from the AR3000 to show the bank in use. In practical use with a personal computer, it is better to assemble a virtually unlimited memory bank in the computer itself, and instruct the AR3000 directly in frequency. This can speed up operation depending on the speed of the computer, and offer much more versatile facilities than simply using the built memory banks of the AR3000.

Response from AR3000

The AR3000 will continuously send updated information on squelch open/close, and signal strength, except when a command is being received from the external computer. Signal strength is given by letters A to P representing 16 ascending signal levels. Squelch closed, i.e. no signal present, is given by the character "%".

In response to a read memory command from the computer, the AR3000 will respond with the data that follows:-

Each element of the data string is separated by a space, e.g.# —

#01 X Z025.00 Y0435.225 Q CR

This represents memory channel 01, attenuator off, 25 kHz frequency step, 435.225 MHz receive frequency, narrow FM

27. Automatic Tape Recording

There is an AUX socket (DIN) on the rear panel of the AR3000.
Audio output comes from pins 4 and 2 (GND), and remote switching from pins 6 and 7.
On certain types of tape recorder the polarity of the remote switch may be inverted. In this case, you must reverse the connections to pins 6 and 7 after carefully checking the polarity.
The tape recorder will automatically start when it receives a signal from the AR3000 and the squelch opens.