Tune the VHF receiver to 158.6 MHz and listen for local U.S. Coast Guard announcements or radio traffic from other vessels.

Set the VHF radio to a simplex channel, key the transmitter, and monitor the quality of the transmitted signal with the internal receiver.

Tune the VHF radio to 162.550 MHz, 162.400 MHz or 162.475 MHz and listen for broadcasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

Connect appropriate test equipment to the radio and measure signal levels at the output of the receiver's RF amplifier stage.