The M model radios have an additional set of processors that interface the front panel with the radio RF section and these processors need sufficient time to initialize and shut down to ensure the proper operation of the radio. When using an "M" model radio, it is important that the radio is allowed to shut down completely before turning off the 13.8 VDC power supply. Failure to do so may result in the radio not completely saving the operating state information which may prevent the radio from not starting up properly.
NOTE: Never power off the radio's 13.8 VDC power supply while an "M" model radio is running. Always use the front panel power button to shut down the radio first. The only exception is if the radio fails to boot after 8-10 minutes when doing a firmware update.
NOTE: Do not use a grounded plug connected to the REM ON connector to boot an M Model radio. This prevents the display from having the required 2 minutes to boot up before the radio is started (see the 2nd bullet point below in the When powering up an M model radio section. The proper procedure for remote booting any FLEX-6000 radio is you use two (2) remote switches. One turn on the DC power supply. The wait the required 2 minutes and then use the second remote switch to ground the REM ON connector. The remote power down sequence is the reverse of the remote power up process.
When powering down an M model radio, do the following:
- Power down by pressing and releasing the radio's power button once.
- Wait for the radio to fully power down. Once the screen goes blank, the power button will stop flashing green and you will hear the last relay click.
- Wait about 45 seconds for the remaining internal processors to shut down, then turn off the power supply (if this is something you normally do - it is not, however, necessary. Leaving the power supply on will speed up the boot-up time).
When powering up an M model radio, do the following:
- If the DC power supply is off, turn on the 13.8 VDC power supply to the M model radio, otherwise, skip to the 4th bullet to start the boot-up process.
- Wait for 2 minutes (120 seconds) before powering on the radio to provide time for the front panel to initialize
- Press and release the power button once to start the radio boot-up process.
- Wait for the radio to boot up completely (do not press the radio's power button again). The power button will flash green before turning solid green (unless there is a GPSDO installed where the LED may be amber or blue (solid or flashing). The power button should not show a different color than green, amber, or blue.
If the power button is flashing red, this indicates an error has occurred. If this behavior continues, please open a HelpDesk support ticket so that one of our technical support engineers can troubleshoot and resolve the issue.