Alert settings

There are a number of alert tones that can now be configured in the radios. What most of them do is self-evident but there are a few which have interesting applications.

For example, Fixed Volume allows the alert tone to be set to a predetermined level that is independent of the volume knob position.

Emergency Search Tone would allow a user, who has activated emergency on their radio, to be found in a location where visibility is not good. In this case, the radio emits a loud tone that allows rescuers to locate someone by sound.

Clear Call Received makes the radio sound an alert to notify the user that the incoming call is not encrypted. If this is of interest to you, you might also want to have a look at the Ignore Rx Clear Voice/Packet Data setting in Security.

If you're looking to conserve battery power or make the radio unobtrusive, you might want to consider ticking Disable All Tones. As the name suggests, all alert tones are disabled. Also have a look at my upcoming post on the Battery Saver settings.

By the way, if you're looking to conserve battery power (or make the radio operate covertly), you might also want to have a look at the Disable All LEDs setting: this disables the LED on the top of the portable (or front of the mobile) which would reduce the current drain by about 1mA during receive and by ~2mA while transmitting.