In the United States WARNING: It is a violation of the rules of the Federal Communications Commission to input an MMSI that has not been properly assigned to the end user, or to otherwise input any inaccurate data in this device. WARNING: This product is a supplemental navigation tool only! The user assumes all responsibility associated with the use of this device and safe navigation.
Table of Contents SECTION 1 - INSTALLATION _________________________________________________ 4 SECTION 2 - STARTING THE LINK2AIS™ SOFTWARE ___________________________ 4 SECTION 3 - MAIN WINDOW _________________________________________________ 5 SECTION 4 - MENU STRUCTURE _____________________________________________ 5 SECTION 5 - STATUS BAR _________________________________________________ 23 APPENDIX A - TROUBLESHOOTING__________________________________________ 25 APPENDIX B - SUPPORT, WARRANTY, USEFUL LIF
SECTION 1 - INSTALLATION For detailed instructions on how to install the Link2AIS™ software, please refer to the product support manual provided with this product. SECTION 2 - STARTING THE LINK2AIS™ SOFTWARE When starting the program, it welcomes you and asks for a connection (see also “Connect / Disconnect”). Select one of the already defined connections in the drop-down list or define a new connection by clicking the “New…” button as described in “Creating a New Connection”, page 21.
By pressing the button "Clear all settings", all settings regarding this program will be removed from your PC and the program stops execution. This function is useful when you want to completely remove the program from your computer. It is not necessary to remove the settings when you merely want to update the program. The software is capable of interpreting the settings as stored by the previous version.
The items in the menu bar appear shaded when the functions are not available, for instance when no connection to the AIS device is presently active. The functions are as follows: 1. AIS Operation This menu contains all common user functions. Included are functions to define or view your own ship‟s status and data, to view other ships, and to control the VHF transceiver. Radar View This menu item shows other transmitting targets (AIS devices on other ships, base stations etc.) graphically.
The symbols are shown in magenta color when selected. Ships are drawn with a bold line when defined as buddy (see later in this manual). NOTE: When the transponder has not received a message for 360 seconds (6 minutes) from one of the targets it is marked as “lost target” (strike out in the radar view). After 10 minutes it will disappear from both the radar view and the ship list. The information for each individual target may take some time to appear (up to several minutes).
When “Course Up” is selected, your vessel always points up and the north direction is rotated as required. Your current Courseover-Ground is shown by the arrow centered at the top of the screen. Ship List This window shows information received from other AIS-equipped targets in the area (ships, base stations etc.). 8 Y1-03-0223 Rev.
The columns show the information of a target (each target takes up one row): Sequential number MMSI of the target Type of AIS Name of the target (if assigned) Approximate distance to the target. This is only shown when the connected unit has a GPS fix and when the coordinates are valid. Please note that this is an approximate distance for indication only! SOG (speed over ground) COG (course over ground) Call sign of the target (if assigned) Time since the last received message from this AIS.
A Nauticast™-B AIS transponder connected to this program looks like this: Configuring the Transponder For instructions on configuring the transponder, please see the Product Support Manual included with this product. Own Ship Data This window shows information on the current state of your AIS transponder. A typical response looks like this: 10 Y1-03-0223 Rev.
Device Status The Device Status window shows key status information of the AIS transponder. This information can be used to quickly verify that the transponder has been installed properly and is operational. It also shows the software versions of the Nauticast™-B AIS. A check next to the items indicates correct operation.
Silent With this command you can stop transmissions by using the silent mode. The LEDs will indicate that the AIS device is in silent mode and the menu item will be checked. Clicking again on “Silent” reactivates the transmissions. The Nauticast™-B AIS will still receive messages from other stations when it is in silent mode but will not transmit anything. Switch Functionality The switch connected to your AIS device can perform one of several functions as described below, selected in this menu.
2. Maintenance This menu contains rarely used items. It is turned off by default. This menu can be turned on in the program settings dialog by entering the expert mode. Most of the menu items are only of interest to a trained technician. GPS Satellite Position The figure below represents a two-coordinate system with the numbers on the outside representing the standard coordinates of a compass rose.
GPS Status This window shows the status of the internal GPS receiver. A bar chart of satellite signal strength is provided. The information in this window is intended for use during installation of the AIS transponder to verify placement and connection of the GPS antenna. Each bar represents a satellite with its number noted below the bar. AIS Message View A way to monitor AIS messages is the Message View window is provided with this function.
The menu looks like this: VDM (Received Data from other Vessels) / VDO (Data from your own Vessel). Choose which messages should be displayed. The default is VDM (received messages) only. Message number Choose the message number(s) to be displayed. The default is the message 1 only (position reports from mobile Class A stations). The selections in this menu are stored on your PC. 15 Y1-03-0223 Rev.
AIS Console Log The Console Log is a powerful tool for monitoring AIS traffic. As soon as the window opens it starts displaying the information provided by the Nauticast™-B AIS. 16 Y1-03-0223 Rev.
When this window is active, a menu will be visible in the window where you can select what should be shown. The selections in this menu will be stored on your PC. Output Style Switch between two different output styles. o Standard – means raw data, i.e. the same output style as on an ECDIS port. o Parsed – VDO and VDM messages are shown as comma separated values. The messages are split up for easy reading and import on a spreadsheet program. All other messages are shown the same way as in standard style.
Modem Data This window shows the state of your Nauticast™-B AIS‟s internal state and the internal settings of the Class B device. Demo Mode The Demo Mode is a function that may be used for replaying a voyage, showing some interesting sample scenarios to others or simply for your own documentation. To use this demo mode you need to capture a scenario. Capturing the data The data will be stored in a special log file that has to be created.
Start the Demo Mode To replay such a log file, initially a connection to the Demo Mode has to be established. To do so, create a new connection for the Demo Mode (it is a pseudo-connection) and connect to it. After connecting successfully you will be asked for a file to replay. At this stage you may select one of the recorded log files prepared for the Demo Mode. The selected file will be played in a continuous loop. The Demo Mode configuration window will be shown on top of all other windows.
To use this program with your Nauticast™-B AIS, make sure it is properly connected to your Nauticast™-B AIS. Select one of the already defined connections or define a new connection by pressing the “New…” button. If you are using the program for the first time on this computer, there will not be any settings stored in the list, so you have to create a new connection (see below). You may also remove any existing entry from the list by clicking the "Delete" button.
Serial - Connect to the Nauticast™-B AIS via a serial RS232 connection o Port name: COMx (select from the drop down list) o Baud rate: 38400 o Flow control: default is off TCP/IP - Connect to the Nauticast™-B AIS via TCP/IP o IP-Address: address of the Nauticast™-B AIS; e.g. 10.10.10.100 o Port: port number of the Nauticast™-B AIS; e.g.
Minimize All All windows are minimized. Close All Close all currently open windows. List of Open Windows The list contains all currently open windows. Selecting one of the windows brings it to the front to become the active window. When the list becomes too long, a link to a dialog where you can pick the active window will be shown instead. 5. Info Info (?) This provides help and information about the program.
SECTION 5 - STATUS BAR The status bar at the bottom of the main window displays important information of the program and your transponder. The fields, from left to right, contain the following information: 1. LEDs On the left side you‟ll notice icons resembling LEDs. Connection Status The LEDs on the far left reflect the status of the connection. When you start the program you are not connected to the AIS device. You have made a connection but the program does not (yet) recognize the device.
3. Alarms and Incoming Messages On the far right there are two symbols. When you click on either of them, the appropriate window will open. White symbols indicate there are no new messages to be read. When a message is received the corresponding symbol changes color as described below. The audible alarm can be turned on or off in the program settings dialog for both message types.
Resizing Handle In the status bar‟s bottom right corner there is a resizing-handle. By dragging the handle you can adjust the size of the main window to your preference. APPENDIX A - TROUBLESHOOTING Problem Cause Solution Unable to connect to the Nauticast™-B AIS Incorrect connection data Verify data (IP-address, COM-Port, etc.).
APPENDIX B - SUPPORT, WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE and NOTICES Support Contact your local dealer for Nauticast™-B AIS support. Please visit the ACR Website for Service centers near you. ACR Electronics Europe GmbH Technical Support Handelskai 388 / Top 632 A-1020 Vienna, Austria Tel: +43 (1) 5 237 237 - 0 Fax: +43 (1) 5 237 237 - 150 Email: technical.support@acr-europe.com Web: www.acr-europe.com ACR Electronics Inc. Customer Service 5757 Ravenswood Road Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312, U.S.A. Tel.