Channel mode means that you use the arrow keys to switch channels. When your radio is programmed correctly, this is the preferred mode. The following settings can be changed when in Channel Mode (and Frequency Mode):
Dual watch
Sometimes you just want to watch one channel instead of two.
Press Menu and then 7 (TDR)
Press Menu again
Use arrows to turn OFF or ON
Press Menu to Confirm
Roger beep
Annoying beep when you let go of your PTT-button
Press Menu and then 39 (ROGER)
Press Menu again
Use arrows to turn OFF or ON
Press Menu to Confirm
In this mode, you can configure a frequency on the fly.
To switch to Frequency Mode do this:
For the UV-5R: press the orange VFO/MR button to enter frequency or channel mode
For the UV-82: hold the Menu button down while powering on the radio
After this you can enter a frequency via the key pad.
The following settings can only be used in frequency mode
Wide or Narrow FM
Press Menu and then 5 (WN)
Press Menu again
Use the arrows to switch between Narrow and Wide
Press Menu to Confirm
Channel spacing
When pressing the arrow key, the selected channel frequency will change with a fixed amount, called the "channel spacing".
Since PMR uses a channel spacing of 12.5 kHz and LPD 25, it is best to put this on 12.5 kHz. This way you can cycle to the next PMR channel by pressing up or down and twice for the next LPD channel.
Press Menu and then 1 (STEP)
Press Menu again
Use the arrow keys to select 12.5
Press Menu to Confim
DCTS (digital squelch)
All radio's in a group should use the same settings. You need to set this twice per radio, one for transmitting (T-DCS) and one for receiving (R-DCS)
Press Menu and then 10 (R-DCS) or 12 (T-DCS)
Press Menu again
Use the arrow keys to select the desired squelch
Press Menu to Confirm
Note: You can also use an analogue squelch, called CTSS. For those use menu 11 and 13.