ACR Electronics PATHFINDER 3 User Manual

CAUTION: Before proceeding to install, test or use your new

ACR Electronics‟ product, please read this Product Support Manual
in its entirety.

If you have questions regarding the contents of the manual, please
contact our Technical Service Department at ACR Electronics, Inc.,
Telephone [phone]. Please be ready to provide the
technician with the page number you wish to discuss. If you have a
question that is not covered in the manual, please visit our website
and access the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section for
further information or call our Technical Service Department. The
website address is www.acrelectronics.com. If in the future you lose
this manual, you may access and print a replacement on the ACR
website.

About Cobham Life Support, ACR Products

Cobham Life Support, ACR Products www.acrelectronics.com,
designs and manufactures a complete line of safety and survival
products including EPIRBs, PLBs, AIS, SARTs, Strobe Lights, Life
Jacket Lights, Search Lights and safety accessories. The quality
systems of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO
9001:2000 Series Standards. Recognized as the world leader in
safety and survival technologies, ACR has provided safety
equipment to the aviation and marine industries as well as to the
military since 1956.

About Cobham plc

Cobham plc is an international company engaged in the
development, delivery and support of advanced aerospace and
defense systems for land, sea, air and space. The company has
four divisions that collectively specialize in the provision of
components, subsystems and services that keep people safe,
improve communications and enhance the capability of aerospace
and defense platforms.

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PLEASE READ ALL WARNINGS, CAUTIONS

AND NOTES CAREFULLY

Table of Contents

SECTION 1 - HOW THE PATHFINDER™3 WORKS ___________________ 1

SECTION 2 - PREPARING TO INSTALL ___________________________ 2

SECTION 3 - INSTALLATION ___________________________________ 4

SECTION 4 - OPERATION _____________________________________ 7

SECTION 5 - MAINTENANCE _________________________________ 11

APPENDIX A - SPECIFICATIONS _______________________________ 13

APPENDIX B - WARRANTY, USEFUL LIFE POLICY, NOTICES __________ 14

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Figure 1- Radar Distress Pattern

SECTION 1 - HOW THE PATHFINDER™3 WORKS

The PathFinder™3 helps search and rescue services to quickly locate a life
raft in the event of a rescue at sea. The SART can either be stowed in a life
raft, or mounted next to emergency exits and then carried to the life raft in
an emergency.

During an emergency, simply switch the SART on. When a vessel or
aircraft with marine X-band radar comes within 5 to 7 nautical miles of the
life raft, the SART generates a distinctive “distress” pattern on the radar
screen (see Figure 1). The ship‟s radar signal guides the rescuers directly
to the SART.

A SART is a Search and Rescue Transponder that provides location
information to search radars operating in the X-band (9.2 – 9.5 GHz). Once
activated, the SART detects the radar signal of the search craft and sends a
series of response pulses to the radar of the search craft, which in turn
causes a series of 12 equally spaced arcs to appear on the radar display
(see Figure 1). The arcs indicate the range to the SART location. The rescue
craft follows the direction shown and proceeds to the SART. Note that the
number of viewable “dots”, as shown in Figure 1, is dependent on the radar
setting, the range scale and the distance to the SART.

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Quantity

Item

1

PathFinder™

3

search and rescue transponder

1

Mounting bracket

1

Product Support Manual

1

Warranty card

To achieve the maximum useful range, the SART must be mounted at least

3.3 feet (1 meter) above sea level. Increasing the height of the SART
antenna will increase the range. For example, lashing the SART to the top of
a pole or an oar in the survival craft will increase the height and thus the
range.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) requires all vessels of more
than 300 GRT to carry at least one SART and vessels 500 GRT and over
must carry at least two SARTs, while RoRo Ferries are required to carry one
SART for every four survival crafts.

Figure 2 shows the key features of your PathFinder™3 SART. The blue
activation switch ring is located under the white top cap. Located in the
middle of the switch ring is a red pull tab that must be removed to activate
your SART. The pull tab locks the switch ring in place and stops the SART
from accidentally being placed in the ON position.

Turning the switch ring to the left allows you to test the SART. When held to
the left, the SART will beep once and continue to flash every four seconds.
When released, the switch ring will return to the OFF position. TEST mode
is identical to ON mode and will generate a “distress” pattern on any radar
within range. Use TEST mode carefully to avoid false alarms.

To activate your SART in times of emergency, turn the blue activation
switch ring to the left into the test position and remove the red pull tab by
pulling down on the lanyard attached to the tab. Turn the blue activation
switch ring to the right and into the ON position (see the OPERATION
section complete activation instructions).

When first turned ON, the SART will beep once and continue to flash every
four seconds. The SART is now operational. When responding to radar, the
red light flashes every 1 second and the SART will beep every second. For
best results a telescopic pole is supplied in the base of your SART allowing
mounting 1m (3.3 ft) above sea level.

SECTION 2 - PREPARING TO INSTALL

Unpacking the PathFinder™3

Before proceeding with the installation of the PathFinder™3, please verify
that the content of the box includes the following:

If you do not have all of the items, please call ACR Technical Service at
[phone].

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Antenna

Pull Tab Lock

Activation

Switch

Ring

Pull Tab

Control and

Battery Housing

Hanging Lanyard
Lanyard Spool

Telescopic
Pole

Rotate bottom cap to
release lanyard and
telescopic pole

Figure 2

Controls and indicators

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