You will need to become familiar with the radio units used in your local lifesaving club or service.
Make sure you can identify the following:
- antenna
- battery or power supply indicator
- channel selector
- inbuilt microphone (or speaker microphone)
- on/off switch
- ‘press to talk’ (PTT) button
- volume control.
Some radios may have additional features such as:
- dual watch (ability to monitor two channels)
- keypad lock
- roaming (automatically select the strongest repeater)
- scan.
It is vitally important that you protect radio equipment from water, sand, heat, shock (drop/impact) and theft. Refer to your local SOPs for procedures on how to protect your lifesaving club or service’s radio.