HF Transceiver

TK-90
© B62-2001-10
ALE FEATURE OPERATION MANUAL 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................................................. 1
FEATURES .......................................................................................................................................................................... 1
BASIC OPERATIONS ......................................................................................................................................................... 1
ALE OPERATION MODE .................................................................................................................................................... 2
INDIVIDUAL CALLS............................................................................................................................................................ 2
NET CALLS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
ALL CALLS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
TERMINATING A LINK ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
DIRECT CALLS ................................................................................................................................................................... 4
GPS CALLS......................................................................................................................................................................... 4
EMERGENCY CALLS ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
AMD MESSAGES................................................................................................................................................................ 5
SOUNDING .......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
EXCHANGING THE LQA SCORE ...................................................................................................................................... 6
ALE MONITOR .................................................................................................................................................................... 7
ALE SCRAMBLER .............................................................................................................................................................. 7
CLOCK ................................................................................................................................................................................ 7
APPENDIX: KEY FUNCTIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 8

INTRODUCTION BASIC OPERATIONS

When using an HF transceiver, the operator must continuously
adjust the frequency and/or change the operating channel in Switching the Transceiver Power ON/OFF
order to create an optimal communications environment. Now, Press and hold the switch to turn the transceiver ON.
the ALE (Automatic Link Establishment) feature performs these
operations automatically. • A beep sounds and the power-on message momentarily
appears. After approximately 1 second, “WAIT...” appears on
the display. When a network is found, the transceiver enters
standby mode.
FEATURES
Press and hold the switch again to switch the transceiver OFF.
With the KPE-2 unit attached to the transceiver, you can both
transmit and receive the following:
• Individual calls
Adjusting the Transceiver Volume
• Net calls Press the VOL key to increase the volume and the VOL
key to decrease the volume.
• All calls
• AMD messages • Additionally, you can press and hold the VOL / keys to
continuously change the volume level, rather than adjusting it
• GPS data * (requires a GPS receiver)
by only 1 step at a time.
• Emergency calls *
• Soundings Switching the ALE Function ON/OFF
The call type may have been preset by your dealer.
* ALE is in accordance to the MIL-STD-188/141A protocol, thus the ALE
features of this transceiver are compatible with other brand transceivers. 1 Access the transceiver Menu (refer to the transceiver
However, the GPS data and emergency call features are KENWOOD instruction manual) and select Menu number 10, “CALL
specific features, and are therefor incompatible with transceivers other TYP”.
than KENWOOD transceivers.

2 Press the <C and D> keys to change the setting between
“OFF” and “ALE”.
3 Press the key to save the selection and exit Menu mode.
Menu Configuration Channel mode does not scan the ALE channels. You can
manually select an ALE channel by pressing the CH /
Menus 11 and 12 appear only if the Call Type (Menu 10) is set keys, and you can transmit on the selected channel without first
to ALE. establishing a link. Additionally, the TK-90 can transmit and
receive each type of ALE call using this mode.
Menu Menu
Full Function Name
Number Name
1 SQL LVL Squelch Level adjustment
2 CLARI Clarifier
3 NB Noise Blanker VFO mode does not scan the ALE channels. You can manually
select a transmit frequency by pressing the CH / keys,
4 BRIGHT LCD Brightness and you can transmit on the selected frequency without first
5 DISP Display: channel name or frequency establishing a link. However, the TK-90 cannot transmit or
receive ALE calls (excluding emergency calls) using this mode.
6 VOX VOX ON/OFF
7 VOX DLY VOX Delay Time
8 VOX GAIN VOX Gain
9 ANTI VOX Anti-VOX Gain
10 CALL TYP Call Type To select an operation mode:
11 ALE MONI ALE Monitor • Press the key programmed as ALE Operation Mode to
toggle between Net mode and Channel mode.
12 TIME DISP Time Display
• Press and hold the key programmed as ALE Operation
Mode for 1 second to toggle between VFO mode and either
ALE Call Menu Net mode or Channel mode.
ALE Call menu allows you to start various ALE calls. • When a link is established, it is possible to change from Net
mode to VFO mode.
1 Press the key programmed as ALE to enter the ALE Call
menu.
2 Press the CH
menu item.
/ keys to select your desired ALE Call INDIVIDUAL CALLS
An Individual call is a call to a single member.
ALE Call Menu Reference
Description
Item Page Receiving an Individual Call
Individual calls, Network calls, When the TK-90 receives an Individual call, the icon flashes.
CALL 1,2 AMD message calls, and All 2~4 When a link is established, the ALE Link Tone sounds and the
calls caller ALE address appears on the display.
GPS CALL 1,2,3 Manually transmit the GPS data 4 • If an AMD message is received, the icon flashes.
1,4
SOUNDING Manually transmit a Sounding 6 • If the caller address has more than 12 characters, the
TERMINATION 5 Terminate an established link 4 address will automatically scroll across the display.
BI-DIRECT 1,4 Exchange the LQA score 6 • While the link is engaged, the Transmit/Busy/Call indicator
flashes orange.
3 Press the key to exit the ALE Call menu. • While the link is engaged, the audio mute is canceled.
1
These menus cannot be selected when a link has been made.
• While the link is engaged, you can transmit by pressing the
2
These menus cannot be selected when ALE operation mode is set to PTT switch.
Channel mode and Net number 1 has not been selected.
3
The COM Port must be set by your dealer to GPS Data Input, to select
GPS CALL.
Making an Individual Call
4
These menus cannot be selected when ALE operation mode is set to 1 Press the key programmed as ALE to enter the ALE Call
Channel mode. menu.
5
TERMINATION can be selected only when a link has been made. • You can press the key at any time to exit the ALE Call
menu.
2 Press the CH / keys to select “CALL”.
ALE OPERATION MODE
There are 3 modes of operation when using ALE: Net mode,
Channel mode, and VFO mode.
Net mode automatically scans the ALE channels configured as
the scan list of the chosen network. You cannot transmit on a 3 Press the D> key to move to the called station selection
channel in this mode unless a link has been established. You mode.
can select an ALE network by pressing the CH / keys.
(If the automatically selected link does not provide a good • The last called address appears on the display.
connection, you can manually select a channel or frequency
4 Press the CH / keys to select the address of the station
using Channel mode or VFO mode.)
you want to call.

2
5 Optional: If you want to send an AMD message, press the A Making a Net Call
key to enter the TX Message Selection mode, then press the
CH / keys to select your desired message. 1 Press the key programmed as ALE to enter the ALE Call
menu.
• List numbers m1 to m10 are pre-programmed messages.
• You can press the key at any time to exit the ALE Call
• You can enter your own message {page 5} by pressing menu.
and holding the A key for 1 second.
2 Press the CH / keys to select “CALL”.
• If a message has more than 12 characters, the message
will automatically scroll across the display. You can also
manually scroll the message by using the <C and D>
keys.
• To return to the address selection mode without sending a
message, press the A key. 3 Press the D> key to move to the called station selection
6 Optional: If you want to select a specific channel, rather than mode.
being assigned one automatically by the LQA, press the D> • The last called address appears on the display.
key, then press the CH / keys to select your desired
channel. 4 Press the CH / keys to select “NET CALL”.

• The LQA score appears on the right side of the display.

Press the B key to toggle the score display ON and OFF.

5 Optional: If you want to send an AMD message, press the A

key to enter the TX Message Selection mode, then press the
CH / keys to select your desired message.
• The LQA score value is approximated, based on the
continuous changing of the radio signals. • List numbers m1 to m10 are pre-programmed messages.

7 Press the ■ key or the PTT switch to start the call and/or • You can enter your own message {page 5} by pressing
send the message. and holding the A key for 1 second.

• The icon flashes and the called ALE address appears • If a message has more than 12 characters, the message
on the display. will automatically scroll across the display. You can also
manually scroll the message by using the <C and D>
• When sending an AMD message, the ALE address and keys.
the icon flash.
• To return to the address selection mode without sending a
• When a link is established, the ALE Link Tone sounds, the message, press the A key.
Transmit/Busy/Call indicator flashes orange, and
“<< LINKED>>” appears on the display. 6 Optional: If you want to select a specific channel, rather than
being assigned one automatically by the LQA, press the D>
• When a link cannot be established, “<< NO REPLY >>” key, then press the CH / keys to select your desired
appears on the display. channel.
• The LQA score appears on the right side of the display.
Press the B key to toggle the score display ON and OFF.
NET CALLS
A Net call is a call to all members within the defined network.

Receiving a Net Call

When the TK-90 receives a Net call, the icon flashes. • The LQA score value is approximated, based on the
While receiving the signal, “NET CALL” appears on the display. continuous changing of the radio signals.
When a link is established, the ALE Link Tone sounds, the caller
address appears on the display, and “NET” appears on the 7 Press the ■ key or the PTT switch to start the call and/or
sub-display. send the message.

• If an AMD message is received, the icon flashes. • The icon and “NET CALL” flash.

• If the caller address has more than 12 characters, the • When sending an AMD message, “NET CALL” and the
address will automatically scroll across the display. icon flash.

• While the link is engaged, the Transmit/Busy/Call indicator • When a link is established, the ALE Link Tone sounds, the
flashes orange. Transmit/Busy/Call indicator flashes orange, and
“<< LINKED>>” appears on the display.
• While the link is engaged, the audio mute is canceled.
• When a link cannot be established, “<< NO REPLY >>”
• While the link is engaged, you can transmit by pressing the appears on the display.
PTT switch.

3
ALL CALLS TERMINATING A LINK
An All call is a call to all stations using ALE, that are on the same There are 2 methods in which a link can be terminated:
frequency. automatically and manually.
When a link is terminated automatically, the transceiver waits for
Receiving an All Call a preset time of non-activity (not pressing the PTT switch), and
When the TK-90 receives an All call, the icon flashes. then will automatically terminate the link.
When a link is established, the ALE Link Tone sounds, the caller To manually terminate a link:
address appears on the display, and “ALL” appears on the
sub-display. 1 During a link, press the key programmed as ALE to enter the
ALE Call menu.
• If the caller address has more than 12 characters, the
address will automatically scroll across the display. • “TERMINATION” appears on the display.

• While the link is engaged, the Transmit/Busy/Call indicator

flashes orange.
• While the link is engaged, the audio mute is canceled.
• While the link is engaged, you can transmit by pressing the
PTT switch. 2 Press the ■ key or the PTT switch to terminate the link.

Making an All Call

DIRECT CALLS
1 Press the key programmed as ALE to enter the ALE Call
menu. Up to 4 keys can be programmed with the Direct Call feature,
allowing you to easily make individual calls to those stations
• You can press the key at any time to exit the ALE Call which you make frequent calls. To make the call, press the key
menu. programmed as ALE Direct Call 1 ~ 4.
2 Press the CH / keys to select “CALL”. • The icon and the called ALE address flash.
• When a link is established, the ALE Link Tone sounds, the
Transmit/Busy/Call indicator flashes orange, and
“<< LINKED>>” appears on the display.

3 Press the D> key to move to the called station selection

mode. GPS CALLS
• The last called address appears on the display. To transmit GPS data, you must first have the GPS unit
(NMEA-0183) installed in your transceiver.
4 Press the CH / keys to select “ALL CALL”.
Auto GPS Transmission
Auto GPS transmission automatically transmits your GPS
location data at a pre-programmed time interval. When the
programmed GPS report interval time passes, the TK-90
5 Optional: If you want to send an AMD message, press the A automatically transmits the GPS data.
key to enter the TX Message Selection mode, then press the • The icon and “<< SEND DATA >>” flash while
CH / keys to select your desired message. transmitting the GPS data.
• List numbers m1 to m10 are pre-programmed messages. • To cancel the transmission, press the key during the data
• You can enter your own message {page 5} by pressing transmission.
and holding the A key for 1 second. Additionally, when a request is received, the transceiver will
• If a message has more than 12 characters, the message automatically transmit the GPS data.
will automatically scroll across the display. You can also
manually scroll the message by using the <C and D> Manual GPS Transmission
keys.
Manual GPS transmission can be performed without waiting for
• To return to the address selection mode without sending a the programmed GPS report interval time.
message, press the A key.
1 Press the key programmed as ALE to enter the ALE Call
6 Press the ■ key or the PTT switch to start the call and/or menu.
send the message.
• You can press the key at any time to exit the ALE Call
• The icon and “ALL CALL” flash. menu.
• When a link is established, the ALE Link Tone sounds, the 2 Press the CH / keys to select “GPS CALL”.
Transmit/Busy/Call indicator flashes orange, and
“<< LINKED>>” appears on the display.

3 Press the ■ key or the PTT switch to begin the transmission.

• The icon and “<< SEND DATA >>” flash while
transmitting the GPS data.
• To cancel the transmission, press the key during the
data transmission.

4
Receiving GPS Data Transceiver Key Operation
1 When an ALE signal is received, the icon appears on the 1 Select a character: 1
display and flashes.
2 Select a character: A / B / C / 2
2 When the GPS data reception is complete, the display
returns to normal and the GPS data is output through the 3 Select a character: D / E / F / 3
transceiver COM port. 4 Select a character: G / H / I / 4
• Your dealer must first set the transceiver COM port to 5 Select a character: J / K / L / 5
either PC command or GPS Data Output.
6 Select a character: M / N / O / 6
Microphone 7 Select a character: P / Q / R / S / 7
EMERGENCY CALLS 8 Select a character: T / U / V / 8
1 Press and hold the key programmed as Emergency for the 9 Select a character: W / X / Y / Z / 9
pre-programmed time duration to enter Emergency mode. 0 Select a character: Space / 0 / /#
• Depending on the delay time programmed into your Shift the cursor to the right
transceiver, the length of time you must hold the
Emergency key will vary. Press to delete the selected character
#
• When the transceiver enters Emergency mode, the Press and hold to delete all characters
transceiver will change to the Emergency channel and
begin transmitting based on how the transceiver is set 3 Continue making your call as normal.
up by your dealer. Transmit periods are also set by your
dealer. Reading a Received AMD Message
2 To exit Emergency mode, press and hold the Emergency Received AMD messages are stored in the transceiver stack
key again, for the pre-programmed time duration. memory. A maximum number of 10 messages can be stored in
• If the Emergency mode completes the preset number the stack.
of cycles, Emergency mode will automatically end and 1 When a new message is received, the icon flashes.
the transceiver will return to the channel that was in use
before Emergency mode was entered. • If all messages in the stack have been read, the icon
remains on the display but does not flash.
2 Press and hold the key programmed as ALE for 1 second to
AMD MESSAGES view the last received message in the stack.

Editing the Transmit AMD Message

1 Proceed to step 5 of making a call (Individual, Net, or All call),
then press the A key to enter TX Message Selection mode.
2 Press the CH / keys to select a message from m1 to 3 Press the CH / keys to scroll through all the messages
m10. in the stack.
• List numbers m1 to m10 are pre-programmed messages. • If a message has more than 12 characters, the message
will automatically scroll across the display. You can also
3 Press and hold the A key for 1 second to enter Message Edit manually scroll the message by using the <C and D>
mode (m0). keys.
• A cursor will appear on the display. • To view the time stamp of the message, press the B key.
Press the B key again to return to the message.
4 Press the key to exit.

Deleting a Received AMD Message

• Text messages can have a maximum of 90 characters. If 1 Press and hold the key programmed as ALE for 1 second to
a message has more than 12 characters, the message view the last received message in the stack.
will automatically scroll across the display. You can also
manually scroll the message by using the <C and D> 2 Press the CH / keys to select the message you want to
keys. delete.
• Use the table below to edit the text message: 3 Press the A key to select the message for deletion.
• A confirmation message appears on the display.
Transceiver Key Operation
• To cancel the operation, press the key.
Complete editing the message
Press to delete the selected character
A
Press and hold to delete all characters
<C Shift the cursor to the left
Front panel
D> Shift the cursor to the right 4 Press the ■ key to delete the message.
Complete editing the message and • If there are no message remaining in the stack after
■
begin the call deleting a message, “EMPTY” momentarily appears on
CH / Scroll through and select a character the display.

5
Deleting All Received AMD Messages Receiving a Sounding Signal
1 Press and hold the key programmed as ALE for 1 second to 1 When an ALE signal is received, the icon appears on the
view the last received message in the stack. display and flashes.
2 Press and hold the A key for 1 second to select all messages 2 When a Sounding signal is received, the caller’s ALE address
in the stack for deletion. appears on the display.
• A confirmation message appears on the display. 3 When the Sounding is complete, the display returns to
normal.
• To cancel the operation, press the key.

EXCHANGING THE LQA SCORE

1 Press the key programmed as ALE to enter the ALE Call
menu.
3 Press the ■ key to clear the stack memory.
• You can press the key at any time to exit the ALE Call
• “EMPTY” momentarily appears on the display. menu.
2 Press the CH / keys to select “BI-DIRECT”.

SOUNDING
Sounding cannot be used in ALE Channel mode; it can be used
only in ALE Net mode.

Auto Sounding 3 Press the D> key to move to the called station selection
mode.
Auto Sounding automatically transmits a sounding signal
on each scan channel at regular intervals. Intervals are • The last called address appears on the display.
programmed for 30, 60, 90, or 120 minutes by your dealer. 4 Press the CH / keys to select the address of the station
• When the programmed interval passes, the TK-90 you want to call or to make a Net call.
automatically transmits the sound signal.
• The icon and “SOUNDING” flash while transmitting the
Sounding.
• When Sounding begins, the TK-90 performs the sound
transmission on each channel configured in the network’s 5 Optional: If you want to send an AMD message, press the A
scan list. After transmission is completed on one channel, key to enter the TX Message Selection mode, then press the
the transceiver moves to the next channel in the scan CH / keys to select your desired message.
sequence after a fixed time period.
• List numbers m1 to m10 are pre-programmed messages.
• To cancel the Sounding, press the key during the sound
transmission. • You can enter your own message {page 5} by pressing
and holding the A key for 1 second.

Manual Sounding • If a message has more than 12 characters, the message

will automatically scroll across the display. You can also
Manual Sounding can be performed without waiting for the manually scroll the message by using the <C and D>
programmed Auto Sounding time interval. keys.
1 Press the key programmed as ALE to enter the ALE Call • To return to the address selection mode without sending a
menu. message, press the A key.
• You can press the key at any time to exit the ALE Call 6 Optional: If you want to select a specific channel, rather than
menu. being assigned one automatically by the LQA, press the D>
2 Press the CH / keys to select “SOUNDING”. key, then press the CH / keys to select your desired
channel.
• The LQA score appears on the right side of the display.
Press the B key to toggle the score display ON and OFF.

3 Press the ■ key to begin the Sounding.

• The icon and “SOUNDING” flash while transmitting
the Sounding.
• The LQA score value is approximated, based on the
• When Sounding begins, the TK-90 performs the sound continuous changing of the radio signals.
transmission on each channel configured in the network’s
scan list. After transmission is completed on one 7 Press the ■ key or the PTT switch to start the LQA score
channel, the transceiver moves to the next channel in the exchange and/or send the message.
scan sequence after a fixed time period. • The icon flashes and the called ALE address appears
• To cancel the Sounding, press the key during the on the display.
sound transmission. • When sending an AMD message, the icon flashes.
• When making a Net call, the LQA exchange is performed
on all channels in the scan list.
• When no connection is made, the LQA will not refresh.

6
ALE MONITOR 3 Press the D> key to save the setting and move to the month
setup.
If the ALE Monitor is OFF, the speaker is muted while no link
is present. If the ALE Monitor is ON, you will hear background • “MONTH” appears on the display.
noise while no link is established. To turn the ALE Monitor ON 4 Press the CH / keys to select the current month (from
or OFF: 01 to 12).
1 Press the key programmed as Menu.
• You can press the key at any time to exit the Menu
mode.
2 Press the CH / keys to select “ALE MONI”.
5 Press the D> key to save the setting and move to the day
setup.
• “DAY” appears on the display.
6 Press the CH / keys to select the current day (from 01
3 Press the <C and D> keys to select “ON” or “OFF”. to 31).

4 Press the key to save the setting and exit. 7 Press the D> key to save the setting and move to the hour
setup.
• “HOUR” appears on the display.
ALE SCRAMBLER 8 Press the CH / keys to select the current hour (from 00
to 23).
The transceiver Scrambler function can also be used in ALE
mode.
To toggle the Scrambler function ON and OFF, press the key
programmed as Scrambler.
• The icon appears on the display when the Scrambler is
ON. 9 Press the D> key to save the setting and move to the minute
setup.
• Ensure that all units are using the same scrambler code
when using the Scrambler function. If a unit is using a • “MINUTE” appears on the display.
different code than the one you have set on your transceiver,
10 Press the CH / keys to select the current minute (from
they will be unable to hear your calls. Refer to the TK-90
00 to 59).
instruction manual for details on how to set up a Scrambler
code.

CLOCK
11 Press the ■ key to save the setting.
Time Display 12 Turn the transceiver power OFF and then back ON to return
1 You can display the time on your screen by accessing the to normal operation.
transceiver Menu and selecting Menu number 12, “TIME
DISP”.
• Depending on your transceiver settings, the time will be
displayed as either 12 or 24 hour time.

2 Press the key to exit.

Time Setup
You can set the time and date on the ALE board.
1 With the transceiver power OFF, press and hold the <C key
while turning the transceiver power ON.
• “YEAR” appears on the display.
2 Press the CH / keys to select the current year (from
2000 to 2099).

7
APPENDIX: KEY FUNCTIONS

Standby AMD
“CALL >” Address Message Call Channel “TERMINATE”
Transceiver (Net Message
Display Selection Compilation Selection Link Display Display
Key Address Selection
(Call Menu) Display Display Display (Call Menu)
Display) Display

Select the
Change the
Change the Change the programmed Select a Select a Call
Call menu —— ——
Net address AMD character channel
item
message
Select the
Change the
Change the Change the programmed Select a Select a Call
Call menu —— ——
Net address AMD character channel
item
message
Cancel the Cancel
Cancel the Cancel the Cancel the Cancel the
message the link
Call menu Call menu Call menu Call menu
compilation termination
Press to
return to Press to
address delete a
Move to Move to selection character Move to
message message message ——
selection selection Hold to Hold to selection
begin delete all
Press Press
composing a characters
the key the key
message
programmed programmed
as ALE to Toggle the as ALE
enter the LQA score to begin
—— —— —— —— ——
ALE Call display on the link
menu and off termination
Return to Scroll the Move the Return to
—— the Call message to cursor to the address ——
menu the left left selection
Move to Move to Scroll the Move the
address call channel message to cursor to the —— ——
selection selection the right right
Begin the Begin the Begin the Begin the Begin the Terminate
call call call call call the link