NorthStar 951X Installation Manual - Installation Considerations
SECTION TWO - Installing the unit
951/952 INSTALLATION MANUAL Revision B
Page 7
Installation considerations
Ensuring a proper
installation
To ensure a proper installation, it is highly recommended that you per-
form all of the following activities before starting the installation:
•
preview/survey the vessel’s layout and existing equipment
•
review all the installation materials
•
review all the installation requirements, including:
- the physical requirements (spacing, location with regard to other
equipment, etc.)
- the electrical and electronic requirements (interference between
other pieces of equipment, power requirements, etc.)
Although the unit itself is very straightforward and easy to understand, it
has a few basic requirements that must be met before safe and proper
operation can be assured. The major parts of the rest of this section
address several topics regarding the minimum installation requirements
for the unit, in order to:
•
minimize electrical wiring hazards
•
accurately receive GPS signals
•
navigate safely
Bench-testing the
unit
Northstar recommends that you bench-test the unit before installing it on
the vessel. Bench-testing ensures that the equipment is fully operational,
and allows the GPS receiver to collect its almanac and ephemeris data for
the installed location, which results in less on-board installation time.
Using the AN150
GPS antenna
The GPS antenna is best mounted in the clear, and low on the vessel to
avoid extra motion from pitching and rolling. It should be mounted lower
than directional high-power transmitting antennas such as radar or sat-
com. The length of coaxial cable to the “active” AN150 antenna (supplied
with the unit) must be a minimum of 20 feet, but not more than 100 feet.
Coil up any unused length of cable; do not cut it to less than 20 feet! Be
sure that all cable connectors are securely fastened, and that the cable
itself is not subject to any tight bends.
For complete details on the AN150, see ”Choosing an antenna location”
starting on page 15.
CAUTION!
The following basic setup information isn’t a substitute for all
the details in SECTION TWO. To ensure that you meet all crit-
ical installation parameters, be sure to read and follow all of
the requirements.