Q: Why do people sometimes say that my transmissions start with touch-tone beeps that cut off my voice?
A: Your FT-60R is in “WIRES” mode.
Q: How did it get there?
A: You pressed “0”.
Q: Really? It was that easy? But that could happen by just bumping against something when the HT is on my belt.
A: Yep. Even if the HT is scanning, pressing “0” puts it in WIRES mode.
Q: Okay. So how do I get my FT-60R out of WIRES mode?
A: Press “0” again.
Q: But that’s the same key that puts it into WIRES mode.
A: Fun, huh? You can go into WIRES mode and out again with ease!
Q: Yes, thanks, I understand that. But how can I know which mode the HT is in? I don’t want to put it in WIRES mode when I’m trying to take it out of WIRES mode.
A: Look at the “0” key. See the icon to its left?
Q: You mean the atom of Helium?
A: Helium?
Q: You know. Two crossing ellipses.
A: Ah, yes. That’s the WIRES logo.
Q: But how can I know if the HT is in WIRES mode?
A: Look at the upper-right corner of the display. If the HT is in WIRES mode, the Helium atom will appear. If you see it, press the Helium key to make it go away.
Q: Ah! Thank you!
A: You’re welcome.
Q: Ah, wait, one more thing.
A: Yes?
Q: What is WIRES?
A: It’s Yaesu’s way of linking repeaters through the internet. See http://www.yaesu.com/jp/en/wiresinfo-en/index.html.
Q: Should I care about this?
A: Not really. Most of the WIRES repeaters are in Japan. There are WIRES repeaters in California, but none of them are local.
Q: So remember “Helium”?
A: Helium.