Navman 950 User Manual
TRACKER950
CHARTPLOTTER
Installation and
Operation Manual
English...............4
Français...........44
www.navman.com
®
NAVMAN
Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 6
1-1 Care ....................................................................................................................... 6
1-2 C-MAP™ chart cartridges ..................................................................................... 7
1-3 Removing and replacing the unit ........................................................................... 7
1-4 Navigation data ..................................................................................................... 8
2 Operation ........................................................................................................ 9
2-1 Front panel ............................................................................................................ 9
2-2 Chart displays ...................................................................................................... 10
2-3 Alarms ................................................................................................................. 11
2-4 Turning on and off / Auto Power.......................................................................... 11
2-5 Man overboard (MOB) ........................................................................................ 11
2-6 Main screens ....................................................................................................... 12
2-7 Navigating ........................................................................................................... 13
2-8 Simulation mode .................................................................................................. 13
2-9 PC interface ......................................................................................................... 13
3 Satellite Status screen ................................................................................ 14
3-1 GPS and DGPS worldwide navigation ................................................................ 14
3-2 The Satellite Status screen ................................................................................. 15
3-3 Mapshift screen and datums ............................................................................... 16
4 Underway screen ......................................................................................... 17
4-1 GoTo screen ........................................................................................................ 18
5 Highway screen ........................................................................................... 19
6 Navigation screen ....................................................................................... 20
6-1 Waypoints ............................................................................................................ 20
6-1-1 Introduction to waypoints ............................................................................ 20
6-1-2 Waypoints screen........................................................................................ 20
6-1-3 Create a new waypoint at the cursor or boat position ................................ 21
6-1-4 Create a new waypoint at a specified position ........................................... 21
6-1-5 Find a waypoint ........................................................................................... 21
6-1-6 Edit a waypoint ............................................................................................ 21
6-1-7 Move a waypoint ......................................................................................... 22
6-1-8 Delete a waypoint ....................................................................................... 22
6-1-9 List the waypoints ....................................................................................... 22
6-2 Routes ................................................................................................................. 23
6-2-1 Introduction to routes .................................................................................. 23
6-2-2 Routes screen ............................................................................................. 23
6-2-3 Create a new route by selecting waypoints from a list ............................... 23
6-2-4 Create a new route by selecting waypoints from a chart ............................ 23
6-2-5 List the routes ............................................................................................. 24
6-2-6 Display, edit or delete a route ..................................................................... 24
6-2-7 Start a route ................................................................................................ 24
6-3 Distance and bearing calculator .......................................................................... 25
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7 Fuel screen ................................................................................................... 26
8 Position screen ............................................................................................ 27
9 Menu screen ................................................................................................. 28
9-1 General Setup ..................................................................................................... 30
9-2 Navigation Setup ................................................................................................. 30
9-3 CDI/Units/Alarms ................................................................................................. 30
9-4 Map Configuration ............................................................................................... 31
9-5 Track History ....................................................................................................... 32
9-6 Fuel Settings ....................................................................................................... 32
9-7 Simulation Mode .................................................................................................. 33
10 Installation .................................................................................................. 34
10-1 What comes with the TRACKER950 ................................................................ 34
10-2 Options and accessories ................................................................................... 34
10-3 Installation ......................................................................................................... 35
Appendix A - Specifications .......................................................................... 37
Appendix B - Troubleshooting...................................................................... 38
Appendix C - Glossary ................................................................................... 40
Appendix D - Conditions of Sale & Warranty .............................................. 41
Appendix E - How to contact us ................................................................... 42
NAVMAN
5TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
1 Introduction
Congratulations on choosing the NAVMAN
TRACKER950 chartplotter. For maximum benefit,
please read this manual carefully before installing
and using the unit. Special terms are explained in
Appendix C.
The TRACKER950
The TRACKER950 chartplotter is a compact,
ruggedly built, highly integrated navigation
instrument. It has been designed to be easy to
use. Complex navigation functions can be
performed with a few key presses, taking the hard
work out of navigation. It has an easy to read,
colour display.
The TRACKER950 has a built-in chart of the world,
suitable for route planning and general interest.
You can see extra details by plugging in a C-MAP™
electronic chart cartridge for the region where you
are navigating.
The TRACKER950 receives information from the
GPS system and displays the boat’s position and
speed.
To navigate with the TRACKER950, you can go
directly to any point on the chart or you can create
routes for the boat to follow. When the boat is
navigating to one of these points, the unit displays
course information for the helmsman to follow.
The TRACKER950 can send data to an autopilot
or radar and can repeat depth information from a
depth sounder. With an optional fuel kit, the
TRACKER950 becomes a sophisticated yet easy
to use fuel computer. An optional PC interface kit
allows you to download waypoints and routes from
a Windows based PC.
Chart accuracy
C-MAP™ electronic charts are derived from
geographical data (including official government
charts) which are not verified or approved by
Hydrographic Authorities. C-MAP™ electronic
charts are designed only to simplify navigation
calculations. They must be used with official charts
and prudent navigation habits, rather than as a
primary source of navigation information.
There is no direct relationship between the colour
of water areas and their depth. The navigator shall
always check depth and use official paper charts.
The GPS system
The US government is solely responsible for the
operation, accuracy and maintenance of the GPS
satellites. They are subject to changes that will
affect the performance and accuracy of all GPS
receivers.
The civilian GPS signals may very occasionally
be turned off. This unit will not work if its power
fails. You must guard against these events by
always having another way of navigating.
1-1 Care
Cleaning and maintenance
Clean the TRACKER950 case with a damp cloth
or mild detergent. Avoid abrasive cleaners and
petrol or other solvents.
Keep the protective cover over the slot for the
C-MAP™ cartridge at all times. If the slot gets
dirty, clean it by blowing the dirt out. If it gets wet,
clean it with clean fresh water and dry it with warm,
dry air.
Clip the dust cover over the display when you are
not using the unit or if you remove the unit from
the boat.
6 TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
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C-MAP™ cartridges
Handle the cartridges carefully. Keep them in their
protective cases when not plugged into the
TRACKER950. If they get dirty or wet, clean them
with a damp cloth or mild detergent.
1-2 C-MAP™ chart cartridges
A C-MAP™ electronic chart cartridge has chart
details required for navigating in a particular region.
When you plug the cartridge in, the extra details
are automatically superimposed on the
TRACKER950’s built-in chart of the world. The
cartridge plugs into a slot in the upper, left side of
the display unit.
When you insert or remove a cartridge it does not
matter if the TRACKER950 is turned on or off.
To insert a cartridge
1 Remove the protective cover from the C-MAP™
slot.
2 Take the C-MAP
Keep the case.
3 Hold the cartridge up to the slot with the
label facing you and the edge with the gold
contacts (on the back of the cartridge) facing
the slot.
4 Carefully push the cartridge fully into the slot.
It is shaped to prevent you from putting the
cartridge in the wrong way.
5 Replace the protective cover over the
cartridge.
To remove a cartridge
1 Remove the protective cover from the C-MAP™
slot.
2 Pull the cartridge out and put it back in its
case.
3 Replace the protective cover over the slot.
™
cartridge out of its case.
1-3 Removing and replacing the unit
You can easily remove and replace the display
unit for security or protection.
To remove the display unit
1 Clip the dust cover over the display unit.
Loosen the knobs at each end of the unit.
2 The unit has some cables plugged into the
back. Unplug each by turning the end of the
plug a quarter of a turn anticlockwise and
pulling the plug out.
3 Lift the unit off its cradle and store it in a safe
place.
4 Tie a waterproof cover, such as a plastic
bag, over the plugs on the cables. It is
important to keep the plugs dry.
To replace the display unit
1 Sit the unit in its cradle with the rubber
washers between the bracket and the
display unit case.
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2 Plug the cables into their sockets on the
3 Adjust the angle of the display to be easily
back of the unit:
match the colour on the end of the plug
to the colour of the nut on the socket
hold the plug against the socket and
rotate the plug until it slides easily into
the socket
lock the plug in place by pushing the end
of the plug towards the socket and
turning it a quarter turn clockwise
If you plug a cable into the wrong
TRACKER950 socket by mistake, nothing will
be damaged.
seen and tighten the knobs on each end of
the unit. Unclip the dust cover.
7TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
1-4 Navigation data
Latitude and longitude
Latitude and longitude are displayed in degrees and minutes:
Minutes symbolDegrees symbol
43° 12.538' N
Degrees
Navigation data
Data displayed on the TRACKER950 has three-letter names.
The boat is sailing from the start to the destination and has moved off the original plotted course from the
start to the destination.
BRG Bearing to destination Bearing to the destination from the boat.
COG Course Over Ground Direction in which the boat is moving over the ground. (Note - When
CTS Course To Steer Optimum course to steer to return to the original plotted course.
DTG Distance To Go Distance from the boat to the destination.
ETA Expected Time of Arrival At the destination, assuming that SOG and COG remain constant.
SOG Speed Over Ground Current boat speed over the ground. This is not necessarily the
STR Steering The difference between COG and CTS.
TTG Time To Go The estimated time to reach the destination.
XTE Cross Track Error The distance from the boat to the nearest point of the original plotted
VMG Velocity Made Good The speed at which the boat is approaching the destination.
N or S of equator for
latitude
E or W of zero for longitude
Minutes, 0 to 60, to 3 decimal
places
SOG < 0.2 knot COG is not updated.)
same as the boat speed through the water nor the speed at which
it is approaching the destination.
course.
DESTINATION
Current Boat
position
START
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2 Operation
This section describes the basic principles of how to operate the TRACKER950. For more detail, refer to
the chapters following.
2-1 Front panel
C-MAP™
cartridge slot
MOB Keys
Soft Keys
Keys
Esc key
The Esc key has three different uses:
1 To switch the unit on and off (see section 2-4).
2 When the main screens are displayed, press
the Esc key to move to the next main screen
(see section 2-6).
3 Otherwise the Esc key is an ‘escape’ key to
go from the current screen to the previous
one. If you were changing some data in the
current screen when you press this key, then
the changes are ignored.
Cursor keys
There are four cursor keys within the one round
button.
the top of the button is CursorUp
the bottom of the button is CursorDown
the left side of the button is CursorLeft
the right of the button is CursorRight
The function of a cursor key depends on what is
being displayed at the time.
Power ON/OFF
or Esc (Escape)
Cursor Key
Softkeys
The five keys in a row under the display are called
softkeys. The name of a softkey depends on the
information currently being displayed on the
screen. The name is displayed in a small box
directly above the key; if the name is grey or the
box is empty then the key is inactive.
Beeper
The TRACKER950 has an internal beeper. It
beeps:
once when you press a key
three times when you press an inactive key
continually when there is an alarm (see
section 2-3)
External beepers can be connected to sound
alarms in the boat (see section 10).
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9TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
2-2 Chart displays
A typical TRACKER950 chart screen is shown
below.
Chart displays can show:
A part of the built-in worldwide chart. See
Chart scale below
Chart details from any C-MAP™ cartridge
fitted.
Land is brown, water is blue. You can control
the type of information displayed on the chart
(see section 9-4).
The current boat position if it is on the chart.
A cross-shaped symbol called the cursor.
Chart scale
Press the Zoom In key to display a smaller area of
the chart in more detail. Press the ZoomOut key
to display a bigger area in less detail.
The chart scale is displayed on some screens (e.g.
scale = 8 nm) is the vertical distance across the
currently visible chart area. For example if the scale
is 8 nm then a portion of chart eight nautical miles
high is currently displayed.
The cursor
The cursor is used to select points on the chart.
To move the cursor across the chart, press one of
the cursor keys:
Press the cursor key which points in the
direction that you want the cursor to move,
for example press CursorUp to move the
cursor up.
If you hold a cursor key down, the cursor
moves across the screen.
If you press the cursor key midway between
two of the marked keys, the cursor moves
diagonally.
When you move the cursor to the edge of the
screen the chart will scroll. For example, if you
move the cursor to the top of the screen then the
chart will scroll down and you will see a part of the
chart that was above the rest.
Chart symbols
The chart will show symbols, such as waypoints
and C-MAP™ symbols, as shown below. To select
a waypoint, move the cursor to the symbol. A white
circle appears around it to show that it is selected
and a window appears with information about the
symbol.
In the Underway screen, you can move the cursor
to C-MAP™ chart symbols to see a window with
information about the symbol.
Latitude and Longitude
Latitude and longitude are displayed on navigation
screens. Normally it displays the position of the
boat and a boat symbol appears in front of the
numbers to indicate this:
Boat symbol
If you have moved the cursor in the last ten
seconds, then it displays the position of the cursor
and the boat symbol is not displayed:
Latitude
Longitude
Latitude
Longitude
Waypoints
Scale
Bearing
Distance to go
Latitude
Longitude
Boat position
The cursor
10 TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
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2-3 Alarms
When the TRACKER950 detects a condition
outside the alarm parameters, it gives an alarm. It
beeps continually and displays a warning message
in a window.
To clear the alarm, press the Esc key.
The following alarms can be enabled or disabled:
Arrival Radius, Anchor Alarm, XTE Alarm and Low
Fuel (see section 9-3).
2-4 Turning on and off / Auto Power
Auto Power
If the TRACKER950 is wired for Auto Power (see
section 10-3), then the TRACKER950
automatically turns on and off with the boat power;
you can not turn the TRACKER950 on or off
manually.
To turn the unit on manually
1 Hold the Esc key down until it beeps, then
release the key. It displays a title screen for a
few seconds, then beeps again and displays
a navigation warning.
2 If you can not read the display then the
screen backlight may be set too low. Press
the BackLt key (the softkey furthermost to
the right) to turn the backlight on full (see
section 9-1).
If the display is in the wrong language, select
the right language (see section 9-1).
Read the warning and press the Confirm
key.
3 It displays the Satellite Status screen. Wait
4 It is then ready to use. It displays the
To turn the unit off manually
Hold down the Esc key. The unit beeps and
displays a countdown window. Continue to hold
down the Esc key until the unit turns off.
2-5 Man overboard (MOB)
The MOB feature saves the boat’s position and
then navigates back to this point. To do this:
1 Either:
hold down the two softkeys labelled MOB
at the same time for about a second
or press an external MOB button for
about a second (if one is installed)
It beeps 4 times and boat’s position is stored
as the waypoint ‘MOB’.
2 The display changes to the Underway
screen, with a scale of 0.1 miles, with the
MOB waypoint situated in the centre of the
screen. It goes to plotter mode, with a white
screen with crosshatching, rather than
displaying a chart (see section 9-4).
3 If the NMEA output is on, you are asked: “Is
4 Navigate back to the place where MOB was
To clear MOB.
1 Press the two MOB keys again.
2 A window appears asking if you want to
for the GPS or DGPS receiver to start up,
which should take less than three minutes.
Underway screen, the first of the main
screens (see section 2-6).
Autopilot Active?” This gives you the
opportunity to disengage the autopilot now
before going to the MOB waypoint.
Then press the Yes or No key.
Warning: If the autopilot is active and you
press the Yes key then this might result in
a sudden and dangerous turn.
pressed.
cancel the MOB. Press Yes.
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11TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
2-6 Main screens
After you have turned the unit on (see section 2-
4), it displays the Satellite Status screen until it
acquires a position fix, then displays the Underway
screen. This is one of the five main screens. Each
main screen displays a particular navigation
function.
Five main screens
Underway
A chart with boat movement and position
Highway
A chart with the destination at the top and
the boat in the middle
Navigation
Access the navigation functions
Fuel
The fuel computer (this is only displayed if
the fuel kit is installed and fuel data set up)
Position
Boat position and navigation data
To move to the next main screen, press the Esc
key. After the Position screen it returns to the
Underway screen.
Other screens
Satellite Status
Information about the GPS satellites
Menu
Customise the TRACKER950 options
To display these screens:
press the Sat or Menu keys in main screens
that display these keys
display the Satellite Status screen from the
Menu screen by selecting Satellite
To return to a main screen, press the Esc key one
or more times.
Press
Esc
key
Underway Screen
Highway Screen
Navigation Screen
Fuel Screen
Position Screen
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2-7 Navigating
The TRACKER950 has two ways of navigating,
going straight to a point or following a route.
Waypoints
Before you start navigating, you can enter
waypoints at points of interest (see section 6-1).
Tip: create a waypoint at your marina so that you
can navigate back easily.
Going straight to a point
The TRACKER950 can go straight to a waypoint
or to any arbitrary point. This is called GoTo:
To start the GoTo, go to the GoTo screen
(see section 4-1).
The Underway and Highway screens will
show navigation data. If the TRACKER950 is
connected to an autopilot, it will start
steering. The destination is displayed on the
Underway and Highway screens.
If you enable the XTE alarm, it will give an
alarm if the boat deviates too much from its
intended course.
When the boat comes within the arrival
radius of the destination, it can give an
Arrival Radius alarm to show that you have
reached the destination. It will then end the
GoTo automatically. To set the arrival radius
and enable this alarm, see section 9-3.
To manually stop the GoTo, go to the
Underway screen, press the GoTo key and
press the Cancel key.
Following a route
A route is a list of waypoints.
You can create waypoints before you create
2-8 Simulation mode
When the TRACKER950 is in simulation mode it
simulates boat movement and satellite data. The
real boat does not move. We recommend that you
use the TRACKER950 in Simulation mode to
familiarise yourself with the TRACKER950 before
using it on the water.
To see if the TRACKER950 is in Simulation mode,
go to the Satellite Status screen (see section 3-2).
2-9 PC interface
The TRACKER950 can be connected to a
Windows based PC to simplify using waypoints
and routes. These can be created and changed
on the PC, then downloaded to the TRACKER950
(see the PC interface kit’s documentation).
NAVMAN
the route by using the Waypoints screen
(see section 6-1).
To create a route, go to the Routes screen
(see section 6-2). You can create waypoints
as you create the route.
To start the route, see section 6-2-7.
The Underway and Highway screens will
show navigation data. If the TRACKER950 is
connected to an autopilot, it will start
steering. The waypoint which is the current
destination is displayed in the Underway and
Highway screens.
If you enable the XTE alarm, it will give an
alarm if the boat deviates too much from its
intended course.
The boat stops going to the current waypoint
in the route and starts going to the next
waypoint:
a when the boat comes within the arrival
radius of the current waypoint
b or when the boat passes the waypoint
In these two cases, the TRACKER950
can give an Arrival Radius alarm to show
that you have reached the waypoint. To
set the arrival radius and enable this
alarm, see section 9-3.
c Or if you press the Skip key in the
Underway screen.
To manually stop the boat following the
route, go to the Routes screen and press the
RteOff key.
If it is in Simulation mode, then it displays Simulate.
To start and stop Simulation mode, see section 9-
7.
Warning: Never turn on Simulation mode when
you want to use the TRACKER950 to navigate
on the water.
13TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
3 Satellite Status screen
The satellite status screen displays the signal strengths of the visible GPS satellites, their current positions
and information about the accuracy of the calculated position.
3-1 GPS and DGPS worldwide navigation
GPS and DGPS
The US Government operates the GPS system.
There are twenty-four satellites orbiting the earth
that broadcast position and time signals. The
positions of these satellites are constantly
changing. Your GPS receiver analyses the signals
from the closest satellites and calculates exactly
where it is on earth. This is called the GPS position.
All GPS positions have some errors, caused by
small variations in the positions of the satellites
and by atmospheric effects. The accuracy of the
GPS position is typically better than 10 m (33 feet)
for 95% of the time.
To make GPS positions more accurate, a system
of land-based transmitters has been developed,
called differential beacons. These transmit
correction signals that a receiver can use to correct
for most of the errors in the GPS position. Such a
receiver is called a differential receiver and the
corrected position is called the DGPS position. The
accuracy of the DGPS position is typically 2 to 5 m
(6 to 15 feet), depending on the distance to the
nearest beacon.
Coverage
A GPS antenna can receive signals from the GPS
satellites when it is almost anywhere on earth.
However, differential beacons are usually only
installed near ports or important waterways and
each beacon only has a limited range, typically
less than 400 km (220 nm).
GPS and DGPS antennas
The NAVMAN GPS antenna gives a GPS position.
The unit has a high-gain antenna and a sensitive 12channel receiver. It tracks signals from all satellites
visible above the horizon and uses measurements
from all satellites more than 5° above the horizon to
calculate the position.
The NAVMAN differential receiver has a unique
‘H-Field’ toroidal antenna for high sensitivity and
excellent immunity from electrical noise and
which requires no grounding. The receiver has
two channels and automatically selects the
strongest differential beacon signal to use.
The NAVMAN DGPS antenna has both a GPS
receiver and a differential receiver and
automatically applies the differential corrections to
the GPS position and gives a DGPS position.
Startup
Each time a NAVMAN GPS antenna is turned on,
it normally takes about 50 seconds before it outputs
the first position. If it has not been turned on for
several months or if it has been moved more than
1000 km (550 nm) since it was last turned off then
it will take two minutes or longer.
TRACKER950 antennas
The TRACKER950 must be connected to:
a GPS antenna
or a DGPS antenna, which is a combined
GPS and differential receiver
or a GPS antenna and a separate differential
receiver
14 TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
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3-2 The Satellite Status screen
When you turn the TRACKER950 on, the Satellite
Status screen is automatically displayed while the
GPS receiver starts up.
To display this screen at any other time:
press the Sat key in the Position or Fuel
screen
or choose it from the Menu screen
The satellite status screen displays information
about the GPS satellites:
The current type of GPS fix, for example
Acquiring, GPS fix, DGPS fix, No GPS. If the
unit is in Simulation mode it displays
Simulate (see section 2-8).
The date and time, from the GPS satellites.
The time is UTC (GMT) plus the Local Time
Offset (see section 9-1). You can set this
offset to display local time anywhere in the
world.
The signal strengths of up to twelve visible
GPS satellites are displayed as bargraphs.
The higher the bar the stronger the signal;
the strongest satellite is on the left.
The current positions of the visible GPS
satellites are displayed within two circles.
The outer circle indicates the horizon and the
inner circle 45° elevation. The centre of the
circles is directly above. North is at the top of
the screen.
If the boat is moving the current COG is
displayed as a line from the centre of the
circles.
The value of HDOP indicates the error in the
GPS position caused by poor satellite
positions. A low value indicates a more
precise fix, a higher value a less accurate fix.
Esc key
Return to the previous screen.
Mapshft key
Go to the Mapshift screen to apply a
correction to make the displayed position
match the chart position (see section 3-3).
NAVMAN
15TRACKER950 CHARTPLOTTER Installation and Operation Manual
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