User manual NORTHSTAR 6000I - Reference Guide

Addendum to the Northstar 6000i Reference Manual Revision B This Addendum replaces Chapter 5 of the Reference Manual and describes new radar functionality, including the new Northstar 2kW radar P/N GM6KUMA Rev B . Press Trigger Level repeatedly to set the signal strength that causes an alarm: low, medium, high, or off (no alarm). The alarm is temporarily turned off while you are displaying the radar markers menu keys. It automatically turns back on after a minute passes with no further adjustments, or when you press Done. ­ 25 ­ and two straight lines extending outward from the vessel as shown in Figure 3. You can turn each zone on or off, change its boundaries, and set the echo strength that will cause an alarm. How radar works The word "radar" is an acronym for "Radio Detecting and Ranging." A radio transmitter sends out a very short microwave pulse, and then a receiver listens for that signal's echo when it's bounced back from a target in its path. Targets, which may be other boats or ships, navigational markers, flocks of birds, or land masses, are displayed on the 6000i's screen. By knowing how long it takes for a signal to return, the distance to a target can be determined. As the radar antenna scans through a 360-degree rotation, it shows the target's location relative to your position. By watching repeated scans of a target, such as another vessel, you can see how that target is moving. Guard Zone Point A Point B Figure 3: Guard zone Press the following keys to adjust each guard zone. Press Guard Zone repeatedly to select zone 1, 2, or 3 for adjustment. Press Visibility to show or hide the zone selected above. When a zone is hidden, it doesn't alarm and its Edit and Trigger Level keys aren't available. You can set the boundary and size of each guard zone by moving Point A and Point B. Press Edit to select Point A or Point B. Then press the CURSOR PAD to move the selected point and create an arc-shaped zone. As you change Point A or B, the coordinates of that point are updated in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. ­ 24 ­ Guard Zone Zone 2 Northstar radar models There are two types of radar units from Northstar. The 4kW, 6kW, 12 kW and 25kW units all are operated in the same way. The new 2kW Northstar radar works slightly differently, and these differences are clearly indicated in this manual. The major differences are: · in the 2kW radar, auto modes do not continuously adjust themselves · ranges of manual settings are different between the two types of units · the 2kW unit does not have a STC curve adjustment ­1­ Turning the radar transmitter on and off Each time you turn on the Northstar 6000i, the radar transmitter must be turned on separately, as a safety feature. When you first press the RADAR key after turning the system on, the unit displays: The Radar TX is off. Do you want to turn it on? · VRM A -- to control the size of the VRM circle at the vessel · VRM B -- to control the size of the VRM circle at point B For the floating EBL, select: · Point C-- to move the point at one end of the EBL · Point D -- to move the point at the other end of the EBL · VRM C -- to control the size of the VRM circle at point C · VRM D -- to control the size of the VRM circle at point D Press ENTER to turn it on, or CLEAR to access the radar adjustment pages without turning the transmitter on. NOTE: The radar remains in standby mode for a minute and a half after power is applied. Shortcut for moving the fixed EBL On page 1 of the radar screen, you can use the cursor pad to change the position of the fixed EBL and read the measurements displayed. You can also turn the transmitter on or off using the menu keys: 1. Press RADAR to display the radar screen. 2. Press Radar TX so it indicates On or Off, as desired. Guard zones Press the Guard Zone menu key to control this feature. You can designate up to three EBL / VRM guard zones that the 6000i monitors for radar echoes. Any echoes inside a guard zone and as Guard Zone strong as or stronger than the Zone 1 designated trigger level are displayed in red and cause an alarm. Each zone is bounded by red lines -- an inner and an outer arc centered on the vessel, ­ 23 ­ NOTE: Even though the transmitter has been turned off, the radar is still in standby mode and draws power. ­2­ the screen. Again, there's a variable range marker at each end of the line. The following information about the EBLs and VRMs appears on your screen: · In the upper right-hand corner, you'll see: > The coordinates of Point A, B, C or D (whichever point you selected) > The ETE and ETA to the selected point Displaying radar The radar image includes: Note: It's important that you do not use Demo Mode when a radar is interfaced to the Northstar 6000i. · A north indicator to show the direction of true or magnetic north. · The current radar scale, shown by the numbers in the upper left corner of the radar image. Rng is the distance from the center to the largest range ring, and RR is the spacing between the range rings. · A dashed white heading line. This line indicates your heading, not Course-OverGround, and can be used to compare the radar presentation with the view in front of the vessel. · A gray course predictor line. · In the bottom right-hand corner, you'll see the radius of the VRM(s). These numbers are color coded blue for the fixed EBL and pink for the floating EBL. · In the bottom left-hand corner, you'll see the length of the electronic bearing line(s). These numbers are also color coded blue for the fixed EBL and pink for the floating EBL. Press the following keys to adjust the electronic bearing lines. Press EBL to select either the fixed or the floating EBL. The selected EBL can be adjusted with the following two controls: Press Visibility to show or hide the EBL selected above. When an EBL is hidden, its Edit key is also unavailable. Press Edit repeatedly to select what part of the EBL is controlled by the cursor pad: For the fixed EBL, select: · Point B -- to move the point at the far end of the fixed EBL For information about rotating and scaling the radar, see Changing radar scale and rotation, starting on page 8. A special demo mode for simulating radar echoes based on the chart information is available. Radar demo mode is activated whenever the chart demo is turned on. ­ 22 ­ ­3­ Point B Variable Range Marker A A Variable Range Marker B B Point A Electronic Bearing Line Your Vessel Figure 1: Fixed EBL Variable Range Marker D Radar screen Variable Range Marker C C Point C Point D D Using the radar's main menu keys The radar's main menu keys allow you to: · overlay the radar image on the chart (if the chart is also displayed) · switch control between the radar and chart (if the chart is also displayed) · rotate the radar image · access the radar markers · access the radar adjustment pages · show more navigation information on the info bar at the bottom of the screen Electronic Bearing Line Your Vessel Figure 2: Floating EBL The fixed EBL is a blue line from your present position (Point "A") to Point "B." You can move Point B to a point of interest using the cursor pad. At the end of the line, a blue circle called a variable range marker (VRM B) surrounds Point B. Another VRM circle (called VRM A) surrounds your vessel's position. You can change the size of each VRM to measure distances from Point A or Point B to any point of interest on the screen. The floating EBL is a pink line connecting Point C and Point D. It's similar to the fixed EBL, except that both points can be moved, to allow measuring distances between any two points on ­4­ ­ 21 ­ mode: Auto 1 rain clutter, sea clutter and gain are set to useful values for each range interference rejection: Off trails: Off expansion: Off range rings on/off: On bearings: True/mag echo colors: The first set (green) sweep: Analog fade: Off STC curve: 4 (not present on 2kW model) tune mode: Auto tune preset: 79 (not on 2kW model) Radar screen (split) Using the Radar Markers keys Press Radar Markers to display EBL / VRM controls for the 6000i's electronic Floating bearing lines (EBLs), variable range markers (VRMs), and guard Guard Zone zones. The two upper menu keys select whether you control the EBL/VRMs or the Guard Zones for adjustments. When finished, press Done to return to the main radar menu keys. All settings are retained while the system is turned off. Controlling radar In order to control the radar, the Control key (if present) must indicate Radar. Control Radar If necessary, press the Control key repeatedly until it indicates Radar. Rotating the radar image Press Rotate repeatedly to choose the screen rotation. You can choose north up, course-up, heading-up, or leg-up. For more information, see Changing radar scale and rotation, on page 8. Electronic Bearing Lines (EBLs) Electronic bearing lines (EBLs) are markers that you can place on top of the radar image to aid in navigation and to keep track of your surroundings. The 6000i uses two types of EBLs: fixed and floating. ­ 20 ­ ­5­ Adjusting the radar Press the Page 2 key to display the Page 2 first of several pages of radar adjust- (adjustments) ments. For more information about using these keys, see Using the radar adjustment keys, on page 14. Restore... Press to display the restore menu keys (see Restore factory settings, on page 19). Installation settings These keys are described in the Northstar radar installation manual, P/N GMKRadIM (GMKRad2KIM for the 2kW unit), and settings should not be changed unless their functions are fully understood. Using the radar markers Press Radar Markers to display the controls for the 6000i's electronic bearing lines (EBLs), variable range markers (VRMs), and guard zones. For more information about using these keys, see Using the Radar Markers keys, starting on page 20. Tuning page These keys are described in the Northstar radar installation manual, P/N GMKRadIM (GMKRad2KIM for the 2kW unit), and settings should not be changed unless their functions are fully understood. Transmitter control When the radar image is displayed full-screen by pressing the RADAR key, a menu key allows you to turn the radar transmitter on or off. Restore factory settings The Restore functions can be used to set many adjustments back to their factory-set values. Press the Restore... key to access these keys. Restore Auto, Restore Harbor, Restore Range Rider and Restore Manual each set the Clutter and Gain adjustments back to the factory settings for the specified operating modes. Restore Factory Settings sets the following values: Viewing more info Press More info to display an "info bar" at the bottom of the screen. Each additional press of More info shows the following information: · your vessel's present Speed-Over-Ground (SOG), Course-Over-Ground (COG), and heading · your vessel's distance (dist) and bearing (brg) to the current waypoint, if any, along with a steering indicator ­6­ ­ 19 ­ minute, 3 minutes, 6 minutes, always (points are recorded continuously), or off (points are not recorded). If trails are left on continuously, the recorded points may eventually fill up a large part of the screen. Zooming in or out will erase all recorded trail points. Expand Press Expand to turn echo expansion off or on. Select On to make small echoes appear larger and easier to see. · your vessel's position in lat/lon (or TDs, if enabled) · the water depth, water temperature, and Speed Through Water (STW) reading from the sounder (if interfaced) Overlaying radar on the chart To overlay radar onto the chart, press CHART to switch to the chart screen, then press Overlay to display Radar in the key's blue box. Radar can be displayed on the main radar screen, or as an overlay on the chart screen, or as part of a split screen. All radar functions are controlled in the same way, regardless of how radar is displayed. Just press the Control key so that it displays Control Radar. Radar adjustments on Page 4 Press Radar TX to turn the radar transmitter On or Off. The radar transmitter is automatically turned off every time you shut down the 6000i. Turning the transmitter off when it is not in use saves electrical power and allows you to work safely in the vicinity of the rotating antenna. Prefs... Press to display the user preferences menu keys (see Setting user preferences, on page 9). Install... Press to display the installation settings menu keys. These keys are described in the Northstar radar installation manual (P/N GMKRadIM) and settings should not be changed unless their functions are fully understood. ­ 18 ­ Setting radar transparency When you overlay a radar image on a chart, you can choose whether the radar should be opaque (the chart doesn't show through) or transparent (the chart shows through faintly): 1. Press Page 2, then Page 3, Page 4 and Prefs... . 2. Press Fade to select Off (no transparency), Medium, or High (maximum transparency). To remove the radar overlay, press the Overlay key on the radar's "Page 1" so that it displays Off. ­7­ Sea State Changing radar scale and rotation Changing the scale To change the radar's scale, press the IN key to zoom in (smaller area, more detail) or the OUT key to zoom out (wider area, less detail). The Sea State control is available only when the Mode control is set to Range Rider. Sea State adjusts sea clutter for all ranges up or down slightly to correspond with the expected echoes from whitecaps and breaking waves. The normal or "0" setting applies no changes, and is used when the sea state is the same as when the gain and clutter settings were entered. Positive numbers can be used when the sea is rougher, and negative numbers when the sea state is calmer. To set the Sea State: 1. From the main radar screen, press Page 2 and Page 3. 2. Press Sea State. 3. Use the cursor pad to enter a new number. Press Done to go back to the main radar screen. Interference rejection Using zoom on a split screen If there's no radar overlay on the chart, the chart and radar are scaled separately. Zooming in on the chart, for example, has no effect on the radar's scale. If the Control key indicates Radar, you're zooming the radar; if it indicates Chart, you're zooming the chart. However, if the radar overlay is turned on, the chart and radar scales are locked together. When you zoom in on the chart, radar scale changes to match the chart. Rotating the radar image To rotate the radar image, press the ROTATE key repeatedly until it indicates the rotation you want; you have the same options as for a CHART screen. The rotation of the chart and the rotation of the radar interact under certain circumstances, as described in the table below. If the Control key indicates Radar, you're rotating the radar; if it indicates Chart, you're rotating the chart. Certain types of interference (for example, from radars on other vessels) can be lessened by using the interference rejection filter. Press Interference Rejection repeatedly to select Off, 1 (low), 2 (medium), or 3 (high). Trails Trails on the radar image help you track the motion of moving targets. Press Trails repeatedly to select how often trail points are recorded: every 15 seconds, 30 seconds, every ­ 17 ­ ­8­ Sea Clutter controls the strength of the clutter echoes returned from the ocean surface. Higher values suppress more clutter. Sea Clutter can be set to automatic or manual mode. Press the activated Sea clutter key to switch modes. The sea clutter setting can be entered on the keypad or by using the cursor pad. Manual settings range from 0 to 214 (0 to 255 on the 2kW unit). Automatic settings range from 0 to 50 (0 to 255 on the 2kW unit) and are unrelated to the manual setting numbers. Gain controls the strength of all echoes, and should be adjusted for a pleasing and useful image. Higher values display brighter echoes. Gain can be set to automatic or manual mode. Press the activated Gain key to switch modes. The gain setting can be entered on the keypad or by using the cursor pad. Manual settings range from 0 to 299. Automatic settings range from 0 to 50 and are unrelated to the manual setting numbers. (Settings for the 2kW unit range from 0 to 255). Manual gain adjustments will be different for each range scale. Longer ranges generally require more gain. If speckling appears on the screen, you may wish to decrease the gain a bit or increase the sea clutter setting. If the Chart screen's in... Browse mode And the radar image is... Overlaid on the chart The chart can't rotate in Browse mode. If you change the Control key to Radar, the chart's mode automatically switches to vessel mode and rotated as described below). Chart and radar both rotate together. If you change the rotation of one, the other automatically changes to match. Not overlaid The chart can't rotate, but the radar can rotate. Chart and radar can have different rotations. Vessel mode Chart and radar can both rotate. Chart and radar can have different rotations. Setting user preferences Press Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, and the Prefs... key from the main radar screen to display menu keys for controlling: · range rings · bearings · echo colors · sweep type · fade (transparency) Radar adjustments on Page 3 Press the following keys to adjust the radar transmitter, the transparency (fade) of the radar overlay on a chart, the radar trails, and the visibility of echoes. ­ 16 ­ Range rings Range rings are concentric circles around your vessel that can be used to measure distance from your vessel. The spacing of the range rings is ­9­ shown in the upper left-hand corner of the radar image (identified by "RR." Press Range Rings to turn the range rings on or off. To make an adjustment to the radar (such as rain clutter, or gain, etc.), use the following procedure: 1. Press the key (such as Gain) to activate it (the key changes from blue to red). 2. If a numerical value appears, you can change it by: · pressing the cursor pad up and down (changes affect the display immediately after the cursor pad is released), or · using the numeric keys on the keypad to enter the value, or · in some cases, pressing the menu key again Bearings Press Bearings to display the fixed EBL's bearing digits as relative to: · the vessel heading, or · north (either true or magnetic north as selected in the Navigation Setup screen) Echo colors Press Echo Colors to choose the color scheme that will be used to display radar echoes. Echo colors Radar adjustments on Page 2 Press the keys to adjust the mode, rain clutter, sea clutter, or gain. Mode Auto 1 Sweep type Press Sweep type to choose Sweep between digital quadrant update Analog (displays data as it is received from the radar) and analog sweep (displays data in a way that simulates the appearance of a traditional radar sweep line). Press the Mode key to select the operating mode as described on page 11. Fade When you overlay a radar image on a chart, you can choose whether the radar should be opaque (the chart doesn't show through) or transparent (the chart shows ­ 10 ­ Rain Clutter controls the strength of the clutter echoes returned from rainfall or snow. Higher values suppress more clutter. Rain Clutter can be set to automatic or manual mode. Press the activated Rain clutter key to switch modes. The rain clutter setting can be entered on the keypad or by using the cursor pad. Manual settings range from 0 to 99 (0 to 8 on the 2kW unit). Higher settings suppress more rain echoes. ­ 15 ­ 4. If necessary, continue adjusting the image until it looks the way you want it. The modes of rain clutter and sea clutter are always locked together: if the user sets one to manual, the other automatically switches to manual, and vice-versa. More information on using these settings is given Radar adjustments on Page 2, starting on page 15. through faintly). Press Fade repeatedly to select Off (opaque), Medium, or High (maximum transparency). Operating modes The Northstar radar can be set to any of several operating modes. These modes control the gain and clutter settings. For most situations, one of the automatic modes will provides a good picture, and the radar will normally adjust itself for an excellent image. Range Rider mode can be used to further improve the picture, if necessary. The available modes are listed below: · Auto 1 and Auto 2 are for normal, open-water use. The two automatic modes can be optimized for two different conditions. · Harbor automatically optimizes the radar settings for use in a harbor. · Range Rider is a Northstar exclusive feature recommended when manual settings are required. The user can freely make any needed gain and clutter adjustments, and these settings are "remembered" for each range. When the range is selected again, the last-used gain and clutter settings for that range is reapplied. · Manual is a fully manual function in which the user usually needs to adjust the settings each time the range is changed. Using the radar adjustment keys Press Page 2 to display the first of Page 2 several pages of radar adjustments. (adjustments) Most of these adjustments correspond to conventional radar adjustments and are used in the same way. All settings are retained while the system is turned off. Using the keys Settings that have only a very few values are adjusted by repeatedly pressing the menu key to cycle through the available choices. Settings with a large adjustment range are entered with the keypad or cursor pad. The menu key for these adjustments must be activated by pressing once, changing the key from blue to red. (Any key that is red is active and will respond immediately. A blue key must first be pressed to activate it.) While in Range Rider mode, the Sea State control can be used to adjust the sea clutter for all ranges (see Sea State, starting on page 17). ­ 11 ­ ­ 14 ­ Automatic modes This section does not apply to the 2kW radar. In automatic mode, the unit continuously evaluates its settings and adjusts them as necessary to obtain the best image. Gain and clutter are evaluated separately in various areas of the screen, and the settings are optimized for each area. Breaking waves often cause stronger clutter echoes on one side of the vessel than on the other, and automatic mode can optimize the image for each area. Use the automatic settings to adjust the desired appearance of the radar image to your preference. The will radar attempt to maintain this appearance over a variety of conditions by monitoring the signals and making adjustments as conditions change. You can store two sets of image appearance settings: one called Auto 1 and one called Auto 2. Automatic settings are stored individually for each range. 3. Set the Sea clutter or Gain to automatic if necessary by pressing the key so that it reads "Auto." 4. Use the keypad or cursor pad to enter a new value to change the appearance. 5. If necessary, continue adjusting the image until it looks the way you want it. 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each range setting Manual settings Even if the mode is set to automatic, any gain or clutter setting can be overridden and set to manual. Each adjustment key is labeled Manual or Auto. Simply press each key to change its mode. Manual settings directly control Rain Clutter, Sea Clutter and Gain. They may be applied in either of two ways, depending on the setting of the Mode control on this screen. · Mode = Manual: settings are applied directly as entered · Mode = Range Rider: settings are saved separately for each range, and the last-used settings for each range are reapplied when that range is selected. Fine tuning automatic settings This section does not apply to the 2kW radar. The appearance settings should have been adjusted during installation, but you may wish to fine tune them as follows: To set the appearance of the sea clutter or gain controls for Auto1, Auto2 and Harbor modes: 1. From the main radar page, press Page 2. 2. Press Mode if necessary until it reads Auto 1, Auto 2, or Harbor. ­ 12 ­ To set the appearance of the sea clutter or gain controls in manual mode: 1. From the main radar page, press Page 2. 2. Press Mode if necessary until it reads Range Rider or Manual. 3. Use the keypad or cursor pad to enter a new value to change the appearance. ­ 13 ­