To label a zone on a Vista 21 alarm system, you must use an alphanumeric keypad (e.g., 6160 model) and access the system’s alpha programming menu (Field *82). Fixed English keypads (e.g., 6150) cannot be used for this task.
- Enter Programming Mode:
- Enter your 4-digit Installer Code (default is 4112) followed by 800.
- The keypad should display “INSTALLER CODE 20” to confirm you are in programming mode.
- Access Alpha Programming:
- Enter *82.
- The keypad will prompt “PROGRAM ALPHA? 0=NO, 1=YES”. Enter
1for yes.
- Select the Zone:
- The system will ask for a zone number. Enter the 2-digit zone number you want to label (e.g., *01 for zone 1).
- Enter Zone Label Words:
- The Vista system uses a built-in vocabulary list with assigned 3-digit numbers for common words (e.g., 105 for “KITCHEN”, 217 for “WINDOW”).
- To add a word, press the # key followed by the 3-digit word number.
- After entering a word, press the 6 key to move to the next word space.
- You can typically add up to three words for each zone label.
- Save and Continue:
- After adding all desired words for the zone, press the 8 key to save the label.
- The system will then prompt you for the next zone number.
- Repeat steps 3-5 for all other zones you want to label.
- Exit Alpha Programming:
- When finished, enter 00 to exit the alpha programming menu.
- Exit System Programming:
- Enter *99 to exit the main system programming mode completely. The keypad will return to the “Disarmed Ready to Arm” state.
Note: If you need to enter a word not in the vocabulary list, you can use the custom word function, which involves using a keypad chart to enter letters using 2-digit codes (e.g., #65 for ‘A’, #32 for a space). This is a more complex process.
You can also program the alpha descriptor for a zone immediately after configuring its other parameters (like zone type, etc.) in the *56 Zone Programming menu by pressing 1 when prompted “Program Alpha?”