Comar Systems AST300 User Manual

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USER MANUAL AST300

AIS / VHF ANTENNA SP

LITTER

SKU 001-10

AST300

-MA-v02r07

SKU 003

-1016

2017

-08-15

ENGLISH

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AST300

CONTENTS

AST300 AIS / VHF ANTENNA SPLITTER .................................................. 4

2 DOCUMENT ............................................................................................. 5

2.1 About This Manual ............................................................................................. 5

3 NOTICE .................................................................................................... 6

3.1 Copyright ............................................................................................................ 6

4 GENERAL NOTICES ................................................................................ 7

5 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 8

5.1 Parts List ............................................................................................................. 8

6 MAJOR DIMENSIONS .............................................................................. 9

7 INSTALLATION ....................................................................................... 10

7.1 Before you Start................................................................................................ 10

7.2 Installing the Unit .............................................................................................. 10

7.3 Installation Step 1 ............................................................................................. 10

7.4 Installation Step 2 ............................................................................................. 10

7.5 Installation Step 3 ............................................................................................. 11

7.5.1 Connection Diagram ........................................................................... 12

8 OPERATION ........................................................................................... 13

9 FAULT FINDING ..................................................................................... 14

9.1 Power LED not illuminated ............................................................................... 14

9.2 ‘VHF’ LED does not illuminate when VHF Radiotelephone is transmitting ...... 14

9.3 ‘AIS’ LED does not illuminate when AIS Transponder is transmitting.............. 14

9.4 Clicks or pops are heard from a connected FM Broadcast Receiver ............. 14

9.5 VHF or AIS reception range is reduced ........................................................... 14

10 SPECIFICATION ..................................................................................... 15

10.1 Physical ............................................................................................................ 15

10.2 Electrical ........................................................................................................... 15

10.3 Operational ....................................................................................................... 15

10.4 Environmental .................................................................................................. 16

10.5 Additional Information ...................................................................................... 16

11 SAFETY AND SECURITY ........................................................................ 17

12 LIMITED WARRANTY ............................................................................. 17

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1 AST300 AIS / VHF ANTENNA SPLITTER

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AST300

2 DOCUMENT

2.1 About This Manual

This Manual provides installation, operating Instructions and fault-finding procedures for the equipment to which it relates.

After installation, this manual should remain with the vessel to which it relates.

This manual may also be made available in electronic Portable Document Format (PDF). In PDF format, the following categories are all enabled as active hyperlink references: (1) The titles of each section; (2) document cross-references; (3) the table of contents.

This document may therefore be navigated quickly and effectively by using a mouse or other pointing device to activate each of these hyperlinks. This is a printer friendly document, designed to be printed 2-sided as a booklet with A5 pages on A4 stock paper.

Document name: Date: Details: Author:

MA-AST300-v02r06 2017-07-31 First issue PK, JS

MA-AST300-v02r07 2017-08-15 Power cable colours corrected JS

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3 NOTICE

3.1 Copyright

The copyright and all rights of a like nature in respect of this publication in any part of the world are the property of COMAR SYSTEMS LTD. (COMAR).

No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, nor stored in any information retrieval system of any kind, nor used for tendering or manufacturing, nor communicated to any other person without the written permission of COMAR.

The recipient of this document, as its registered holder, must exercise due diligence in ensuring that the above conditions are observed (Errors and Omissions Excepted).

Any enquires relating to this document or its contents should be addressed, in writing, in the first instance to COMAR SYSTEMS LTD.

COMAR SYSTEMS Vittlefields Technology Centre Forest Road NEWPORT Isle of Wight PO30 4LY UNITED KINGDOM

tel:

+44 (0)1983 828900

email:

[email protected]

web:

www.comarsystems.com

COMAR SYSTEMS

reserves the right to make changes to its products and specifications without notice

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4 GENERAL NOTICES

SAFETY: Make sure the power supply is switched off before you make any electrical connections to the unit.

INSTALLATION: This equipment must be installed in accordance with the instructions provided in this manual. Failure to do so could result in poor performance, personal injury and/or damage to your vessel and/or connected equipment.

CABLES: The supplied cables should only be cut, shortened or lengthened by an appropriate supplier.

COMPASS: The compass safe distance of this unit is 0.5 m or greater for 0.3° deviation.

In accordance with a policy of continual development and product improvement, hardware and software may be upgraded from time to time, and future versions of equipment may therefore not correspond exactly with this manual.

When necessary, upgrades to the product will be accompanied by updates or addenda to this manual. Information contained in this manual is liable to change without notice.

Comar Systems Ltd. disclaims any liability for consequences arising from omissions or inaccuracies in this manual and any other documentation provided with this product.





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5 INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on the purchase of your Comar AST300 AIS Transponder Antenna Splitter.

The AST300 allows your existing VHF antenna to be used by both a VHF radiotelephone and an AIS transponder or AIS Receiver.

The AST300 also includes an output antenna connection for FM broadcast receivers, providing a third use for your existing VHF Antenna.

This manual describes the installation and operation of the AST300.

● It is recommended that your Antenna Splitter is installed by a professional installer.

● Before operating the unit you should familiarise yourself with this user manual.

5.1 Parts List

On delivery, carefully inspect the contents of the packing case. Note any damage or any missing items. Ensure that the correct parts are included for your application.

*Note: RF Connectors: Connector PL259 (male plug) will mate with connector SO239 (female socket)

Item: Description:

No.

included:

COMAR

SKU Number:

1 AST300 Splitter Unit with mounting bracket 1 001-1016

2 VHF RF Patch lead, PL259-PL259 male connectors, 1 m* 1 004-7564

3 AIS RF Patch lead, BNC-BNC male connectors, 1 m 1 004-7565

4 RCA Phono Plug (no cable) 1 004-7112

5 AST300 Manual 1 003-1016

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6 MAJOR DIMENSIONS

All dimensions mm:

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7 INSTALLATION

7.1 Before you Start

You will need the following items and tools to complete the installation:

● Class ‘B’ AIS Transponder or AIS Receiver

● VHF Antenna and cable (either pre-installed or new)

● Access to 12 V dc or 24 V dc power supply where the unit is to be installed, via a 1 A rated fuse

or circuit breaker

● Connector block or junction box for power connections

● Four M4 screws or other fixings appropriate to the mounting location

7.2 Installing the Unit

Before starting installation select a suitable location for the Antenna Splitter. The unit is intended for installation below deck, in a dry location. When locating the unit you should consider:

● Routing of the power and antenna cables to the unit

● Provision of sufficient space behind the unit for cable connections

● Maintaining the compass safe distance of 0.5m

● Visibility of the front panel indicators

7.3 Installation Step 1

● Secure the Antenna Splitter to a flat surface in the selected location. Use four 5mm wood screws,

or other fixings suited to the material the unit is being fixed to

● The unit may be installed in any orientation

7.4 Installation Step 2

Refer to section 7.5.1 Connection Diagram. Make the electrical connections to the Antenna Splitter as follows:

● Remove the VHF Antenna cable connection from your VHF Radio and connect it to the connector

labelled ‘Antenna’

● Connect the 1m patch cable to the socket marked “VHF Radio” & to your VHF Radiotelephone

Antenna connection

● Connect the 1m patch cable to the socket marked “AIS” to your AIS Transponder Antenna

connection

● Optionally connect the antenna input of an FM Broadcast Receiver to the connector labelled

‘AM/FM’ RCA Socket.

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● Connect 12 V dc or 24 V dc power supply to the power cable. The red wire should be connected

to the positive power supply connection via a 1A rated fuse or circuit breaker. The blue wire should be connected to the negative power supply connection

7.5 Installation Step 3

Apply power and verify that the unit is operating:

● Apply power to the Antenna Splitter, AIS Transponder and VHF Radiotelephone

● Verify that the green power LED on the Antenna Splitter is illuminated

● Transmit using the VHF Radiotelephone and verify that the red LED on the Antenna Splitter

marked ‘VHF’ is illuminated during the transmission

Wait for the AIS Transponder to transmit its first position report. This is indicated by the red LED TX on the AIS Transponder illuminating. During AIS Transponder transmissions the red ‘AIS’ LED on the Antenna Splitter will flash briefly.

NOTE: Class ‘B’ AIS transmissions only occur once every 3 minutes if your vessel is stationary.

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7.5.1 Connection Diagram

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8 OPERATION

Operation of the Antenna Splitter is automatic and requires no user intervention.

● During operation, the Antenna Splitter will share the signals received (RX) at your VHF Antenna

between both the VHF Radiotelephone and the AIS Transponder

● When either connected device transmits (TX), the Antenna Splitter will automatically route the

transmission to the Antenna

● VHF Radiotelephone transmissions (including DSC transmissions) are given priority over AIS

transmissions

NOTE: It is not possible for both connected devices to transmit simultaneously using a single VHF Antenna. Whilst you are talking on your VHF Radiotelephone no AIS position reports will be transmitted.

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9 FAULT FINDING

9.1 Power LED not illuminated

● Check power supply connections and fuse or circuit breaker

● Check polarity of power supply connections

● Check power supply voltage

9.2 ‘VHF’ LED does not illuminate when VHF Radiotelephone is

transmitting

● Check that the Antenna output of the VHF Radiotelephone is connected to the Antenna Splitter

input labelled ‘VHF’

9.3 ‘AIS’ LED does not illuminate when AIS Transponder is transmitting

● Check that the Antenna output of the AIS Transponder is connected to the Antenna Splitter input

labelled ‘AIS’

9.4 Clicks or pops are heard from a connected FM Broadcast Receiver

● This is normal and may occur during VHF or AIS transmission

9.5 VHF or AIS reception range is reduced

● A very slight reduction in receiver range is normal and due to the insertion loss of the Antenna

Splitter; refer to SPECIFICATION

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10 SPECIFICATION

10.1 Physical

Weight: 600 g (with bulkhead mounting bracket)

Dimensions: L 140 x W 120 x H 50 mm

Mounting: Bulkhead mounting bracket (supplied)

Connections:

Power: 1 m 2-core captive cable Antenna: SO239 UHF Connector VHF Radiotelephone: SO239 UHF Connector AIS Transponder / Receiver: BNC Connector FM Radio: RCA Phono Connector

Finish: Grey aluminium housing; black front panel

10.2 Electrical

Power supply: 12 - 24 V dc nominal

Operating Current:

AIS / VHF Transmit: 135 mA (typical) AIS / VHF Receive: 65 mA (typical)

10.3 Operational

VHF and AIS Frequency Range: 156.025 MHz to 162.025 MHz

Insertion Loss, AIS Receive Path: Typical 1 db

Insertion Loss, VHF Receive Path: Typical 1db

Insertion Loss, AIS Transmit Path: Typical 0.4 db

Insertion Loss, VHF Transmit Path: Typical 0.4 db

Max Input Power, AIS Port: 12.5 W

Max Input Power, VHF Port: 25 W

Min Input Power, VHF Port: 5 mW

AIS Port Impedance: 50 Ω

VHF Port Impedance: 50 Ω

Antenna Port Impedance: 50 Ω

FM Port Impedance: 75 Ω

Switching Time, Receive to AIS Transmit: Typical 20 uS

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10.4 Environmental

Operating Temperature: -15°C to +55°C

Operating Humidity: Up to 93%

Storage Temperature: -20°C to +70°C

Compass: Safe distance 0.5 m or greater for 0.3° deviation

10.5 Additional Information

If spare parts are required then please contact either your supplier or COMAR SYSTEMS. COMAR SYSTEMS reserves the right to makes changes to its products and specifications without notice.

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11 SAFETY AND SECURITY

Please observe the following procedures to ensure safety of personnel installing and operating the equipment:

1. Ensure all power to the unit is disconnected and locked-out during installation,

maintenance and removal procedures

2. Ensure power is disconnected and locked-out in the event of mechanical damage to the

unit, rendering internal parts accessible to personnel

3. Only the electrical power of the specified voltage should be connected to the unit

4. The panel to which the unit is mounted should be designed to provide adequate

mechanical support. This minimises the possibility of damage or injury caused under mechanical shock conditions

5. Care should be taken to ensure the fixings used to mount the unit to the panel are

correctly fitted and retain their mechanical integrity over time

12 LIMITED WARRANTY

COMAR SYSTEMS LTD. warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and manufacture for one year from the date of purchase. Comar Systems Ltd will, at its sole option, repair or replace any components that fail in normal use. Such repairs or replacement will be made at no charge to the customer for parts and labour. The customer is, however, responsible for any transportation costs incurred in returning the unit to Comar Systems Ltd.

This warranty does not cover failures due to abuse, misuse, accident or unauthorised alteration or repairs.

The above does not effect the statutory rights of the consumer.

Note: Every effort has been made to ensure that all information contained in this manual is accurate at the time of going to press. We therefore cannot take any responsibility for the content of this manual and advise that you take normal steps to ensure that the information is at its most current when you are reading this manual.

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