Virtual AIS Beacon Model: VAB1252 Installation & Configuration Guide
Important Information ........................................................................................................... 4 Warnings and Cautions .......................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 4 Regulatory Requirements ......................................................................................
Technical Information .......................................................................................................... 26 System Specifications ....................................................................................................... 26 Technical Accuracy ............................................................................................................... 27 General Warnings.....................................................................................................
Important Information Before installing the Virtual AIS Beacon, it is important that you read and fully understand this guide. Warnings and Cautions CAUTION: Never operate this device unless it is connected to a suitable VHF antenna. Transmitting without an antenna may damage this device. WARNING: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Vesper Marine could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment. CAUTION: This device generates and radiates electromagnetic energy.
Installation and Wiring Virtual AIS Beacon Connectors and Wiring VHF Antenna Connection (SO239) The Virtual AIS Beacon must be connected to a suitable VHF antenna either sourced from Vesper Marine or your local marine equipment supplier. Ensure a VHF antenna is connected to the Virtual AIS Beacon before power is applied to the beacon. The performance of the VHF antenna is also highly dependent on the environment in which the device is mounted.
GPS Antenna Connection (TNC) The Virtual AIS Beacon is provided with an external GPS antenna. This antenna requires an unobstructed view of the sky. You cannot share this GPS antenna with other equipment. The performance of the GPS antenna is highly dependent on the environment in which the antenna is mounted. The antenna performance may be reduced if the antenna is under or near large metal structures.
Power Connection (2 Pin) The Virtual AIS Beacon has a 2 pin plug for 12 VDC, peak 4.5A, nominal 0.25A. Depending on shipping destination a short circuit protected and isolated ground 12VDC 5A AC/DC power pack with a regional IEC power cable may also be supplied. Mounting the Virtual AIS Beacon The Virtual AIS Beacon has footprint dimensions as detailed below and a height of 90mm. The device is mounted by using the fixing lugs. Drill holes in the mounting surface using the lugs as a guide.
LED Status Lights Once the VHF antenna, GPS antenna and the power is connected the Virtual AIS Beacon can be turned on. The LED lights on the front panel have the following states: POWER Green: The Virtual AIS Beacon has power. GPS STATUS Blue Flashing: GPS acquiring a fix and/or sync to UTC time (can take up to 12mins to get a sync) Blue: GPS fixed and synchronized to UTC time TRANSMIT Green Flash: On an AIS transmission. Red: Built in integrity check error.
Ethernet Connection An Ethernet enabled (optional) Virtual AIS Beacon is configured to both automatically connect to a Vesper Marine secure server and to accept an incoming TCP connection on port 39150. It will use DHCP by default, so once connected to your network it will be automatically assigned an IP address. Once the IP address is found (by a network query or by checking your router address table) its status can be queried on port 80 using an internet browser.
To change the port and protocol used by the accept mode, navigate to the Tunnel Accept Mode page, Telnet and TCP are the only protocols supported in accept mode. The TCP accept mode IP address and port combination can be used to connect to the Virtual AIS Beacon using the configuration software as described in the following section. You must ensure the Virtual AIS Beacon is configured to use the Ethernet port (default) instead of the serial port.
Virtual AIS Beacon Configuration Software To use the Virtual AIS Beacon configuration software you will need a connection between the PC and the Virtual AIS Beacon device. Once you are connected the configuration software will allow you to view existing AtoN’s that are configured (if any). Configuring and uploading AtoN’s is carried out by entering information into each of the fields for each individual Virtual or Synthetic AtoN.
The Configuration Screen Adding a new AtoN is done by clicking the Add Button. Deleting a single AtoN is done by selecting an individual AtoN then clicking the Delete Button. Deleting All AtoN’s is done by clicking the Delete All button and confirming this action. Uploading AtoN’s to the beacon is done by clicking the Upload Button. The Help Button can be used to access this documentation. Backing Up the beacon can be carried out by using the Backup Button and saving the configuration to file.
Configuration Software Field Descriptions: Beacon Information Fields (Read only) Beacon information is shown for reference in the following fields; Model, H/W Rev, Serial Number, Version, etc. Max Mark Field (Read only) This field shows the maximum number of AtoN’s the beacon can have. The Virtual AIS Beacon requires AtoN Mark Licenses to be purchased, the Max Marks field will show the number of licenses each beacon currently has. Additional AtoN Mark Licenses can be purchased in blocks.
Type Field This is a list of AtoN types as defined in IALA Recommendation A-126 – the use of the Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) in Marine Aids to Navigation Services.
Reporting Interval 1 Reporting Interval 2 Reporting Interval 3 Mode A Ch 1 ▌ Ch 2 ▌ ▌ Mode B Ch 1 ▌ Ch 2 ▌ ▌ ▌ ▌ ▌ Mode C Ch 1 ▌ Ch 2 ▌ ▌ TDMA Field This field specifies how the slots will be allocated for transmission of AtoN messages. The two allowed Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) schemes are Fixed Access TDMA (FATDMA) and Random Access TDMA (RATDMA). In RATDMA the slots are not pre-announced. The beacon will choose a random slot based on perceived free slots.
UTC Field This field allows configuration of the time schedule the AtoN messages keep. RATDMA does not require UTC time or the start slots to be defined, since they are automatically allocated. For FATDMA, the UTC hour, minute and start slot index must be provided. The valid start slot range is 0 to 2249. The Channel TX Interval can be provided in slot units (2250 slots per minute). It corresponds to the reporting interval for modes B and C.
Synthetic Field This field provides an option to set the AtoN as a Synthetic or a Virtual Aid to Navigation. A Synthetic Aid to Navigation indicates the position of a physical marker, i.e. channel markers, lateral marker etc. A Virtual Aid to Navigation indicates the position of a location where no physical marker exists such as a submerged rock or virtual shipping lanes. TX Count and Seconds Field These fields are for information purposes and are not editable.
Once connected, click on the ‘Firmware Upgrade’ tab. From this tab you can browse for the new version of Firmware you wish to upload to the device and load it. Once the new firmware has been loaded your device will automatically reboot. Page 18 Copyright © 2015, Vesper Marine Ltd.
NMEA Command Interface The Virtual AIS Beacon supports the NMEA-0183 (v4.10) command interface. All commands start with a formatter such as $XXAID or !XXABM. The first two XX characters indicate the talker ID and are ignored by the Virtual AIS Beacon, so can be set to the caller’s preference. AtoN Configuration The Virtual AIS Beacon supports the programming of its virtual AtoN marks using the standard NMEA-0183 (v4.10) sentences.
To configure the same AtoN with mode B timing at an interval of 3 minutes: $ABCBR,995121006,21,0,0,0,1832,6750,1,0,0,1982,6750,C*07 To configure the same AtoN with mode C timing at an interval of 3 minutes: $ABCBR,995121006,21,0,0,0,2132,6750,1,0,0,-1,0,C*27 Valid AtoN Types The AtoN Type is defined in the ACF sentence and can be set to any one of the types shown in Table 2. See ITU-R M.1371.4 Table 71 for additional details.
Note the AtoN must be added to the Virtual AIS Beacon using AID before any of the other configuration sentences can be used. The AtoN must have a valid and unique MMSI and must be set as a virtual AtoN. To delete the AtoN use the AID sentence with the delete flag set: $ABAID,GZ12345,0,995121007,V,C*5A Example Binary Broadcast of an Area Special Message To initiate an addressed or broadcast binary message a base MMSI must be loaded into the Virtual AIS Beacon.
Additional NMEA Output Sentences In addition to the sentences in Table 1 the following standard NMEA 0183 outputs are supported by the Virtual AIS Beacon. These may be output automatically or in response to a query or command.
ATON,CLR – Clear all AtoN Configurations Delete all AtoN’s. No further transmissions will occur until new AtoN’s are created. Returns: $PVSP,OK*2D Example: $PVSP,ATON,CLR*4C ATON,PERSIST – Enable Persistence of a Mark Change Enable (default) or disable the persistence of changes that are made to marks through an ACF. Disabling will prevent the changes from being written to the EEPROM memory.
Extended NMEA Outputs In addition to the sentences in Table 4 the following extended NMEA 0183 outputs are supported by the Virtual AIS Beacon. These all begin with the $PVSP formatter and may be output automatically or in response to a query or command.
ATON,STATS – Transmission Statistics Returns the total transmission count for a given AtoN and the slot count at the last successful transmission. Example: $PVSP,ATON,STATS,512996001,0,0,0,0*4D Format: $PVSP,ATON,STATS,xxxxxxxxx,x,x,x,x xxxxxxxxx MMSI x Channel 1 TX count x Channel 1 last TX slot x Channel 2 TX count x Channel 2 last TX slot Note: This information together with the SYNC output can be used to determine the exact UTC time of the last transmission on each channel.
Technical Information System Specifications Access mode Transmission mode Radio frequency AtoN marks Message formats Number of transmitters Number of receivers AIS receive Sensitivity GPS receiver sensitivity Power supply Transmission power output GPS antenna connector VHF antenna connector Power connector Coms connector GPIO connector Serial data Operating temperature Water tightness Size Power consumption GPS antenna Compliance RATDMA or FATDMA Type 3 AtoN operates in mode A, B or C 156.025 to 162.
Technical Accuracy The information contained in this document is to the best of our knowledge correct at the time of publication. However, we reserve the right to change specifications, installation and operating instructions without notice as part of our ongoing product development and improvement programs.
Obtaining Warranty Service To obtain warranty service, please contact us. If you are unable to contact Vesper Marine directly, then contact the dealer where you purchased the unit. You must have the original sales receipt. Vesper Marine Ltd. 45 Sale Street, Freemans Bay PO Box 91164, Victoria Street West Auckland 1142 New Zealand Phone: +64 (0)9 950 4848 Fax: +64 (0)9 950 4085 www.vespermarine.com support@vespermarine.
Declaration of Conformity This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Vesper Marine declares that this product is in compliance with the essential requirements and other provisions of the R&TTE directive 1999/5/EC. For details and a copy of the Declaration of Conformity see www.
