USER MANUAL SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex
SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex User manual Document number: 98-132519-A Release date: January 18, 2011
Disclaimer Any responsibility or liability for loss or damage in connection with the use of this product and the accompanying documentation is disclaimed by Thrane & Thrane. The information in this manual is provided for information purposes only, is subject to change without notice and may contain errors or inaccuracies. Manuals issued by Thrane & Thrane are periodically revised and updated. Anyone relying on this information should acquire the most current version e.g. from http://www.thrane.
Warranties Any attempt to install or execute software not supplied by Thrane & Thrane on this device will result in the warranty being void. Any attempt to modify the software on this device in a way not specified by Thrane & Thrane will result in the warranty being void. Trademark Acknowledgements • Thrane & Thrane is a registered trademark of Thrane & Thrane A/S in the European Union and the United States.
Safety summary The following general safety precautions must be observed during all phases of operation, service and repair of this equipment. Failure to comply with these precautions or with specific warnings elsewhere in this manual violates safety standards of design, manufacture and intended use of the equipment. Thrane & Thrane assumes no liability for the customer's failure to comply with these requirements.
About the manual 2 Manual overview This manual describes how to use the SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex. Note that this manual does not cover installation of the system. For information on installation refer to the installation manuals [2] and [3] listed below. This manual has the following chapters: • Introduction contains an overview of the Radiotelex system. • Using the system explains how to send Distress alerts and how to use the Radiotelex application for sending and receiving telex messages.
Typography In this manual, typography is used as indicated below: Bold is used for the following purposes: • To emphasize words or sentences. Example: “Do not push the Distress button if you are not in distress”. • To indicate what the user should select in the user interface. Example: “Select Message > Inbox”. Italic is used to emphasize the paragraph title in cross-references. Example: “For further information, see System overview on page 2”.
Contents Chapter 1 Introduction System overview .................................................................2 The Radiotelex application .................................................3 Chapter 2 Using the system Before you start ..................................................................6 Sending a DSC Distress alert ..............................................7 Sending a Distress telex .....................................................8 Cancelling a Distress alert ...................
Chapter : Glossary .........................................................................................43 Index .........................................................................................
11 Chapter 1 Introduction With the SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex system you can send and receive telex messages and send DSC Distress alerts over MF/HF radio. The Radiotelex program runs on a SAILOR 6006 Message Terminal with a keyboard. The Message Terminal is connected to a SAILOR 6300 MF/HF radio, which transmits and receives the telex messages and transmits DSC Distress alerts. The units are further described in the installation manuals for the MF/HF radio [2] and the Message Terminal [3].
Chapter 1: Introduction System overview The SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex communicates on MF or HF radio frequencies. It is approved for shipboard installations to operate within the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). Radiotelex supports worldwide ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore, and shore-to-ship communication. A coast station can act as a relay between the Radiotelex system and an end receiver without any telex capabilities.
1111 Chapter 1: Introduction The Radiotelex application runs on the SAILOR 6006 Message Terminal. On the Message Terminal you can read and write telex messages and set up telex calls. The Message Terminal has a touch-screen and a keyboard for operating the Radiotelex system. f The Radiotelex application starts up automatically when the Message Terminal is powered. Note that the Message Terminal must always be powered in a GMDSS system.
Chapter 1: Introduction 4 The Radiotelex application
Using the system 2222 Chapter 2 2 • Before you start • Sending a DSC Distress alert • Sending a Distress telex • Cancelling a Distress alert • Overview of the Radiotelex user interface • Setting up a telex call • Making a telex call • Messages • Receiving telex messages • Scanning frequencies • System settings • Power status Using the system This chapter describes how to operate the SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex.
Chapter 2: Using the system Before you start The SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex system must be set up for telex. This involves the following steps: At the time of installation 1. SAILOR 6006 is configurable to be either a mini-C GMDSS terminal or a Radiotelex terminal. At the first power-up you must set up the Message Terminal to be a Radiotelex terminal. 2. At first power up you must also configure the answer back string and the ID for your system.
Important Only send a Distress alert if you are in immediate danger! The Distress alert can be compared to a MAYDAY call. The Distress button procedure below is the same on the Message Terminal as on the SAILOR 6300 MF/HF DSC. Note If the subsequent communication is to be telex, use the ALERT function in the MF/HF radio to set up telex subsequent communication before pushing the button. Refer to the SAILOR 6300 MF/HF DSC User manual for details on how to set up the MF/HF radio.
Chapter 2: Using the system Sending a Distress telex If telex subsequent communication is selected for the DSC Distress alert, a popup appears and guides you to the Call page, which is automatically set up to Broadcast FEC on the Distress frequency assigned by the MF/HF radio. You can now send a Distress telex as follows: 1. In the Call setup page, select Call at the bottom of the page. 2. Type in further information about the distress. Press Enter or select Send after each line.
2222 Chapter 2: Using the system Cancelling a Distress alert 1. On the MF/HF radio, cancel the Distress alert by selecting the softkey ANNUL. For details, see the user manual for the SAILOR 6300 MF/HF DSC. 2. The radio sends a Distress cancel (on 1-6 channels). 3. The radio enters telex subsequent communication on the first telex distress frequency. 4. The Message Terminal shows that the system is engaged in DSC subsequent communication. 5. Select Call from the main menu. 6.
Chapter 2: Using the system Overview of the Radiotelex user interface When the system is powered, the Message Terminal display shows the main menu and a status field. Below is an overview of the main screen in the SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex. Name of current page Power status Status field Main menu items • Name of current page: When you have entered a subpage, this field shows the name of the page. • Status field: This field shows a short status message next to the Status/warning icon.
System is scanning the frequencies selected in the scan list. ARQ connection. 2222 Chapter 2: Using the system Using the system Outgoing selective FEC. Incoming FEC (selective or broadcast). Outgoing Broadcast FEC. Red arrows instead of green arrows in the above icons mean that the signal quality is poor. Together with each of these symbols one of the following icons may also appear: Error. Warning. For details of warnings/errors, see Information of events on page 41.
Chapter 2: Using the system Navigating the Radiotelex To navigate and select items, you can do one of the following: Touch screen: Select items by touching them with your finger on the screen. Keyboard: • When an item has an underlined letter, you may type Alt + to select the item, e.g. type Alt+S to select the Scan menu. • Press Esc to go back one level in the menu system or to close the current window. • Use the tab and arrow keys to navigate through items. • Press Space to select items.
Setting up a telex call The system must be configured and enabled before use. See Before you start on page 6. Using the system Note 2222 Chapter 2: Using the system Setting up the transmission mode The Radiotelex system has three transmission modes: • ARQ (Automatic Repetition reQuest): A mode where two stations can communicate without breaking the connection. The direction is changed with an “over” command. • Selective FEC (Forward Error Correction): A one-way mode to one station.
Chapter 2: Using the system To set up the transmission mode, do as follows: 1. From the main menu, select Call. Note If Telex is not selected in the MF/HF radio you get a warning that the radio is occupied. Use the Mode button on the radio to switch to Telex. 2. Select ARQ, Selective FEC or Broadcast FEC.
• ITU intership channel: Allows you to type in a channel number to use for ship-to-ship communication. • ITU coast station channel: Allows you to type in a channel number to use for communication with a coast station. • ITU distress/safety channel: Allows you to type in a channel number to use for distress or safety communication. If the entered channel is not a distress or safety channel, the display shows a warning. There are 6 dedicated distress frequencies for simplex FEC telex distress: 2174.
Chapter 2: Using the system Making a telex call When you have set up telex mode, frequency/channel and recipient as described in the previous section, you are ready to make a call. Do as follows: 1. Select at the bottom of the Call setup page to start your telex session. The display shows that the radio is trying to connect. 2. When the connection is established, the telex page opens. If you have selected Automatic identification (DE/WRU), your answer back string is automatically sent.
2222 Chapter 2: Using the system 3. You can send text in the following two ways: • Type in your message directly in the text line at the bottom, using your connected keyboard or the on-screen keyboard, which is activated by pressing the text line on the screen and then the keyboard icon that appears in the right side of the text line. Making a telex call 17 Using the system For a description of all the items at the bottom of the page, see Options in the telex page on page 20.
Chapter 2: Using the system • Select Options > Transmit file and select the file you want to transmit. Note The system begins to transmit immediately when the file is selected. Pressing OVER while a file is being transferred does not result in a change of direction until the entire file is transmitted. To stop the transmission, select Cancel file transfer. Then you can use the OVER command to change the direction.
2222 Chapter 2: Using the system Using the system 5. For ARQ only: when you want the recipient to write back, select Over at the bottom of the page, or type [OVER] or +?. The recipient can now type in a message for you. The message will appear in the field just below your message. Note If the remote station forces an OVER on your part while you are transmitting data, 1-2 characters may incorrectly be marked has having been sent while the remote station may not have received these characters.
Chapter 2: Using the system Options in the telex page Buttons The table below shows the functions of the buttons that can appear at the bottom of the page: Button Function Transmits the text you have typed in the text line at the bottom. (ARQ only) Changes direction, so the recipient can write back. You cannot send any text after an Over command, until the direction is changed back to your side.
Button Function (ARQ only) Inserts a WRU command (Who are you? request for identification) in your text. This command is automatically followed by [OVER], so that the recipient can answer back. When the WRU command is sent, you cannot send any more text until the direction is changed back to your side. However, if you send more text while the WRU command is waiting to be sent, the WRU is removed and replaced by your new text. In the Call settings page you can set up the system to automatically send DE/WRU.
Chapter 2: Using the system Options menu To open the Options menu in the telex page, select Options at the bottom of the page. You now have the following options: • 22 Insert • Date & Time: Inserts the current date and time (UTC format) in your message. The syntax of the Date and time is the format selected under Settings > Date and Time format.
Writing message files for telex If you want to write longer messages, you can use the Message function. Note You cannot send the message directly from the Message editor. To send the message you have to save it to a file and then make a telex call and load the file as described in Making a telex call on page 16. To write a message, do as follows: 1. From the main menu, select Message. 2. Select New (if not already selected).
Chapter 2: Using the system 3. You now have two options: • Type in the text using your keyboard or the on-screen keyboard in the top right corner. Note that you can only use telex characters. • Select Options > Load and select a file to load into the editor. You can then edit the text before you save it. Note that you cannot load a file if it contains characters that are not telex characters. Supported characters are: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 23456789 -?:().,'=/+ 4.
To see the Inbox, select Inbox at the bottom of the Message page. The Inbox page shows all telex messages sent to you and initiated by another station. It shows both single messages and ARQ conversations initiated by the other part. Note The Inbox can hold 1000 messages. The oldest messages are deleted when this limit is exceeded. Viewing Sent items To see the Sent items, select Sent items at the bottom of the Message page. The Sent items page shows all telex communication initiated by you.
Chapter 2: Using the system From the Inbox or Sent items You can only print a message from within the message, as shown in the previous section. To delete or save messages from the Inbox or Sent items, do as follows: 1. Click in the lower left corner of the display. 2. Select the messages you want to delete or save. You may use Select all to select all messages in the Inbox or Sent items, or Clear all to clear all selections. 3.
When a scan is started, the system is ready to receive telex messages on the selected scan frequencies. The MF/HF radio scans every listed channel for 3 seconds. If no traffic is detected, it continues to the next channel. The scan list in the SAILOR 6300 MF/HF Radiotelex always shows the current telex frequency of the connected MF/HF radio (indicated with “MF/HF radio frequency”). In addition, you can add other telex frequencies that you want the system to scan. See Editing the scan list on page 28.
Chapter 2: Using the system Editing the scan list The MF/HF scanning frequency is automatically listed and can only be changed from the MF/HF radio. You can add, change or delete additional scanning frequencies in the list. Note Scanning on multiple frequencies is primarily intended for receiving ARQ calls. If many scan channels are specified you may not be able to receive all incoming FEC calls, because FEC uses a much shorter phasing sequence compared to ARQ. To edit the scan list, do as follows: 1.
Using the system The list opens. 2222 Chapter 2: Using the system The green check marks show which frequencies are to be scanned. 2. To enable scanning of a frequency in the list, select the box next to the frequency. 3. Select OK. To change or delete a frequency in the list 1. Open the scan list as shown above. 2. Select the frequency (not the box). The selected frequency is shown in the right side of the page. 3. To delete the frequency from the list, select Delete. Then select Yes.
Chapter 2: Using the system 4. To change the frequency, select Edit. 5. Type in the Receive and Transmit frequencies or select from the list of Coast stations. Note You must always type in both frequencies, even if you are only going to use the receive frequency. The transmit frequency is used to respond to incoming ARQ calls. 6. Select OK. 7. To stop editing the scan list, select OK again.
To add a frequency to the list Using the system 1. In the SCAN LIST page, select Edit list. 2222 Chapter 2: Using the system 2. Select Add new in the top right corner.
Chapter 2: Using the system 3. Type in the Receive and Transmit frequencies or select from the list of Coast stations. Note You must always enter a transmit frequency, even if it is not used (e.g. for NAVTEX, which is receive only). The transmit frequency must be within a valid maritime frequency band specified by ITU. The receive frequency must be between 490 and 27500 kHz. 4. Select OK. 5. To stop editing the scan list, select OK again.
System settings Using the system To access the system settings, select System > Settings. 2222 Chapter 2: Using the system In the System settings page you can set up: • Date and time format. Set up how date and time is displayed. • Screen settings. Set the ambient light level for switching to night mode. • Call settings. Automatic DE/WRU and slave delay (the slave delay of 10 ms is adequate for almost all scenarios). • Identification. Configure call code and answer back string (DE).
Chapter 2: Using the system Power status Note The Power status only shows information for the SAILOR 6081 PSU and charger. If you have a different power supply in your system, there is no information available. 1. To see the status of the power source, select System > Power.
Using the system 2. To see the power settings, select Settings... in the lower right corner. 2222 Chapter 2: Using the system Important The default settings are suitable for most installations. Do not change these settings unless you have a special battery type or installation that requires different settings. Only skilled personnel should change the power settings. For information on how to change the settings, refer to the installation manual for the MF/HF radio [2].
Chapter 2: Using the system 36 Power status
Chapter 3 3333 Troubleshooting 3 • Getting support • Generating a diagnostic report • Troubleshooting guide • Status signaling Troubleshooting This chapter gives guidelines for troubleshooting and provides an overview of the different means of status signaling. It has the following sections: Getting support If this manual does not provide the remedies to solve your problem, you may want to contact your local distributor.
Chapter 3: Troubleshooting Generating a diagnostic report To generate a diagnostic report, do as follows: 1. Select System. 2. Select Advanced at the bottom of the page. 3. Connect a USB memory stick to your Message Terminal. Note Do not save the file on the Message Terminal itself; the file format is not supported. Use a USB memory stick instead. 4. Select Generate diagnostic report. 5. Select USB and browse to the location where you want your diagnostics file. 6. Select Save. 7. Select OK.
The below table provides information on some of the problems that might occur, including possible causes and remedies to solve the problems. Problem The system cannot be switched on No battery information in the Message Terminal Possible cause Remedy The Message Terminal has a remote on/off switch, so the power button is disabled. If the Message Terminal is using a remote on/off switch, use that instead of the power button. There is no power on the input to the Message Terminal.
Chapter 3: Troubleshooting Problem Possible cause Remedy No connection between Message Terminal and printer The USB cable is damaged or is not connected properly. Check that the USB cable is connected correctly and is not damaged. No connection between Message Terminal and MF/HF radio The CAN connection does not work. Check that the CAN cables are connected correctly to the Message Terminal and the MF/HF radio, and that they are not damaged.
Status signaling The Message Terminal can show basic status and error messages. The upper right corner of the display shows the most important status information. Information of events Popup windows When an event requires your attention, a popup window appears. When you have read the text, select OK or press Esc to close the window. If the window indicates an error that requires your action, the warning or error icon will stay in the top right corner of the display as long as the problem persists.
Chapter 3: Troubleshooting Event log From the list of active errors or warnings, you can select Event log to see a list of previous events. The list holds up to 100 events, including 42 • Errors • Warnings • Cleared warnings and errors.
AAAA Glossary Glossary A ARQ Automatic Repetition reQuest. An error-control method for data transmission that uses acknowledgements and timeouts to achieve reliable data transmission over an unreliable service. If the sender does not receive an acknowledgment before the timeout, it usually re-transmits the frame/packet until the sender receives an acknowledgment or exceeds a predefined number of re-transmissions. C CAN Controller-Area Network.
Glossary the receiver to detect and correct errors without the need to ask the sender for additional data. The advantage of forward error correction is that a back-channel is not required. G GMDSS Global Maritime Distress Safety System.
Maritime Mobile Service Identity. A series of nine digits which are sent in digital form over a radio frequency channel in order to uniquely identify ship stations, ship earth stations, coast stations, coast earth stations, and group calls. These identities are formed in such a way that the identity or part thereof can be used by telephone and telex subscribers connected to the general telecommunications network to call ships automatically. N NAVTEX NAVigational TEleX.
Glossary W WRU 46 Who are you? A command used in a telex message to request an answer-back string (DE) from the recipient of the telex message.
Index alarm voltage level, 34 answer back string define, 33 insert, 20 B battery charge max. voltage and current, 34 battery status, 34 Bell button, 21 Break button, 21 buttons on screen during call, 20 C call make a telex call, 16 select frequency, 14 select recipient, 15 set up, 13 call code for own system, 33 charge battery max.
Index message delete, 25 print, 25 receive, 26 save, 25 MMSI coast station, 15 subscriber, 15 N night mode, 33 O options menu during call, 22 Over button, 20 overview system, 1 user interface, 10 recipient of call, 15 related manuals, v S safety summary, iv save a message, 25 scan frequencies, 27 Send button, 20 Sent items, 25 slave delay, 33 status, 10 subscriber MMSI, 15 system overview, 1 system settings, 33 T power alarm level, 34 status, 34 power source, 34 prepare the system for telex, 6 print
V voltage alarm level, 34 W BBBB Index Index warnings and error messages, 41 WRU button, 21 49
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