Class B AIS transceiver instruction manual Neon manual v1.
Thank you for buying this AIS Class B transceiver. This product has been engineered to offer you the highest level of performance and durability and we hope that it will provide many years of reliable service. We constantly strive to achieve the highest possible quality standards, should you encounter any problems with this product, please contact your dealer who will be pleased to offer whatever assistance you require.
Table of contents Table of figures 1 Notices ..................................................................................................1 Figure 1 1.1 Safety warnings......................................................................................1 Figure 2 AIS transceiver overview ........................................................... 6 1.2 General notices ......................................................................................
Notices 1 Notices ! When reading this manual please pay attention to warnings marked with the warning triangle shown on the left. These are important messages for safety, installation and usage of the product. 1.1 Safety warnings ! This equipment must be installed in accordance with the instructions provided in this manual. ! This equipment is intended as an aid to navigation and is not a replacement for proper navigational judgement.
Notices The antenna should not be co-located or operated in conjunction with any other transmitting antenna. The required antenna impedance is 50 ohms. Warranty This product is supplied with standard warranty as defined in section 8. ! Any attempt to tamper with or damage this product will invalidate the warranty.
About your AIS class B transceiver 2 About your AIS class B transceiver 2.1 About AIS The marine Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a location and vessel information reporting system. It allows vessels equipped with AIS to automatically and dynamically share and regularly update their position, speed, course and other information such as vessel identity with similarly equipped vessels.
About your AIS class B transceiver which the AIS unit is to be installed must therefore possess a current VHF radiotelephone licence which lists the AIS system, vessel Call Sign and MMSI number. ! An MMSI number is required in order for the AIS transceiver to operate. Please contact the relevant authority in your country for more information. 2.3 Important information for US customers There are specific laws in the USA regarding the configuration of AIS class B transceivers.
About your AIS class B transceiver 2.4 What's in the box? 4 for details of the configuration process and how to use the proAIS tool. Figure 1 shows the items included with your AIS transceiver purchase. The following sections give a brief overview of each item. Please ensure all items are present and if any of the items are not present contact your dealer. • Quick start guide The quick start guide gives a handy one page reference for the installation process.
About your AIS class B transceiver Figure 2 shows the AIS transceiver mounting holes. Please refer to section 3.2 for details of how to mount the AIS transceiver. ! Do not attempt to adjust or remove the fixings next to each of the four mounting holes. These fixings form part of the sealing of the AIS transceiver and any modification could affect the product's performance and will invalidate the product's warranty.
Installation 3 Installation In addition to the items provided with your AIS transceiver the following items will be required for installation: 3.1 Preparing for Installation VHF antenna Figure 4 shows a typical installation configuration for the AIS transceiver. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the system elements and their connections prior to attempting installation.
Installation Please check that the VHF antenna you intend to use has sufficient cable to reach between the VHF antenna and the AIS transceiver unit. If it is not sufficient you will need an extension cable. Please contact your dealer for details of suitable products. For reference the VHF antenna connector type on the AIS transceiver unit is SO 239, and is intended to mate with a PL 259 connector.
Installation 3.2 Installation procedures • It is recommended that the AIS transceiver is installed in a 'below decks' environment. Before beginning installation of your AIS transceiver, please ensure you have the necessary additional items as detailed in section 3.1. It is strongly recommended that you read all of the instructions in this manual prior to installation. • It is acceptable to mount the AIS transceiver either vertically or horizontally.
Installation 137 mm 185 mm 84 mm 215 mm 45 mm 150 mm Figure 5 AIS transceiver dimensions Figure 6 AIS transceiver mounting Page 10
Installation Step 2 - Installing the GPS antenna For mounting of the GPS antenna provided with your AIS transceiver you will require a one inch 14 TPI thread pole. You should ensure the GPS antenna has a good clear view of the entire sky. It is not recommended that the GPS antenna is mounted up a mast where the the motion of the vessel will cause the antenna to swing and potentially reduce the accuracy of the GPS position. Do not mount your antenna in the direct path of a radar transmitter.
Installation Step 3 - Connecting the VHF antenna Step 4 - Connecting an external switch Route the cable from the VHF antenna to the AIS transceiver and connect to the VHF connector on the AIS transceiver as shown in Figure 9. If you require a remote external switch to activate the silent mode feature, it is possible to connect a toggle switch to the AIS transceiver and configure the switch function accordingly. A standard marine band VHF antenna or AIS antenna should be used with the AIS transceiver.
Installation Step 5 - Connecting to a chart plotter The NMEA0183 data port provides the connection to your chart plotter and consists of four wires colour coded as shown in the table below and in Figure 11. Connect the wires to the appropriate connections on your chart plotter. Please refer to your chart plotter manual for more information.
Installation Step 6 - Connecting to a power supply The AIS transceiver requires a 12V power supply typically provided by the vessel's battery. ! Do not use a 24V power supply with the AIS transceiver. Should a 24V supply be connected to the AIS transceiver, an internal protection system will be invoked and the AIS transceiver will not operate as normal. However, no permanent damage will be caused to the AIS transceiver. The AIS transceiver will operate as normal once connected to a 12V power supply.
Configuring your AIS transceiver 4 Configuring your AIS transceiver Indicator lights Blue Red Amber Green 4.1 Switching on your AIS transceiver for the first time A few seconds after applying power to the AIS transceiver for the first time all four indicators (green, amber, red and blue) will blink twice. The indicator sequence following this will depend on whether your transceiver is pre-configured.
Configuring your AIS transceiver 4.2 Introduction to the proAIS software Included in the CD supplied with your product is a configuration software tool called 'proAIS'. ! proAIS is only compatible with Windows based operating systems and is not compatible with Apple MAC operating systems. proAIS is a software tool which provides the facility to configure, monitor and diagnose issues with your AIS transceiver. Section 4.3 provides instructions on how to install the proAIS software.
Configuring your AIS transceiver 4.4 Configuration using proAIS ! Please ensure that you enter all static data accurately. Failure to do so could result in other vessels failing to identify your vessel correctly. ! The vessel MMSI can only be programmed once using proAIS, please take care to programme your MMSI correctly. If you need to change the MMSI for any reason, please contact your dealer who will arrange to have the MMSI reset.
Configuring your AIS transceiver 7. Set the baud rates to the required level for each of the serial ports. • Set the RS232 baud rate to the required level. The default is 38,400. This is the baud rate used when communicating with a PC via the RS232 connection. • Set the NMEA output (transmit) baud rate to the required level. The default is 38,400. This is the baud rate used when transmitting data to a chart plotter via its NMEA0183 input. • Set the NMEA input (receive) baud rate to the required level.
Operation 5 Operation 5.1 Using the AIS transceiver Once the unit has been configured it is ready for use. Providing other vessels with AIS transceivers installed are within radio range of your vessel you should see their details appear on your chart plotter or PC. These vessels will also be able to see your vessel on their chart plotter or PC. It may take up to six minutes for your full vessel details to be visible to others.
Operation 5.3 Using proAIS with your AIS transceiver The proAIS tool has a range of features to help monitor the performance of your AIS transceiver. To use the full range of features your AIS transceiver must be installed as described in section 3 and connected to a PC running the proAIS application. proAIS GPS status page The 'GPS status' page shows the signal strength of each satellite being received and the dynamic data of the vessel.
Operation proAIS Diagnostics page proAIS Other vessels page The 'Diagnostics' page provides a range of information about the AIS transceiver's status. Referring to the information in this page may be useful if you are attempting to diagnose a potential issue with the AIS transceiver's installation or operation. The 'Other vessels' page provides a list of all vessels from which AIS messages are being received.
Operation proAIS Messages page proAIS Serial data page The 'Messages' page provides a list of all text messages received from other vessels. These are most likely to be safety related messages which are requests for assistance from other vessels. The 'Serial data' page provides a view of all incoming and outgoing AIS messages. The messages are encoded in a special format and it is not necessary to understand the meaning of the messages to use the equipment.
Operation 5.4 Indicator functions The AIS transceiver includes four coloured indicators as shown in Figure 20. The state of the indicators provides information regarding the status of the AIS transceiver. Indicator lights Blue Red Amber Green Figure 20 Indicator location on the AIS transceiver unit The meaning of typical indicator configurations is shown in the table below and Figure 20 shows the orientation of the AIS transceiver.
Troubleshooting 6 Troubleshooting Issue Possible cause and remedy No data is being received by the chart plotter • • • No indicators are illuminated • • The Red 'error' indicator is illuminated • • • • • Check that the power supply is connected correctly. Check that the power supply is a 12V supply. Check that the connections to the chart plotter are correct. Check that the power supply is connected correctly. Check that the power supply is a 12V supply.
Specifications 7 Specifications Parameter Value Dimensions 215 x 150 x 45 mm (L x W x H) Weight 685g (AIS transceiver unit only) Power DC (9.6V - 15.6V) Average power consumption 4W Channel Bandwidth 25kHz Channel Step 25kHz Modulation Modes 25kHz GMSK (AIS, TX and RX) 25kHz AFSK (DSC, RX only) Bit rate 1200 b/s ± 30 ppm (FSK) RX Sensitivity Peak current rating 2A Connectors Adjacent channel 70dB IMD 65dB RS232 38.4kBaud bi-directional RS422 NMEA 38.
Warranty 8 Warranty What this warranty covers The Manufacturer of this Product warrants to the Buyer that the Product will be free from defects under normal use ("Defects") for a period of two (2) years from the date that the Product was purchased ("Warranty Period").
