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- EXPLORER 657
- Installation And Operation Manual
NorthStar EXPLORER 657 Installation And Operation Manual
Summary of EXPLORER 657
Page 1
Www.Northstarnav.Com explorer 657 fishfi nder and chartplotter installation and operation manual.
Page 2: Danger
Fcc statement note: this equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class b digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the fcc rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a normal installation. This equipment generates, uses ...
Page 3: Important
3 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual the choice, location, angle and installation of the instrument & transducers are critical to performance of the system as intended. Follow instructions in this manual carefully. If in doubt, consult your northstar dealer. Ensure that any hol...
Page 4: Contents
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 4 contents 1 introduction .........................................................................................................................................7 1-1 overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....
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5 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 8-4 fish detection and display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 8-5 range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 6 17-5 setup > fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66 17-6 setup > track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...
Page 7: 1 Introduction
7 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 1 introduction quick reference to the built-in and optional features: feature type see requires general how to use the keys and displays 2 troubleshooting appendix b simulate mode 2-6 glossary of special names appendix c specifi cations appen...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 8 1-3 plug-in cards the 657 can use two kinds of plug-in card: 1 c-map™ chart cards have chart details required for navigating in a particular region. When a chart card is plugged in, the extra details automatically appear on the 657 chart win...
Page 9: Caution
9 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual handle plug-in cards carefully. Keep them in their protective cases when not plugged into the 657. Keep the holder in place in the 657 at all times to prevent moisture from entering the card compartment. Caution changing the plug-in card tur...
Page 10: 2 Basic Operation
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 10 2 basic operation overview of the keys 2-1 using the keys in this manual: press means to push the key for less than a second. Hold means to hold the key down. The internal beeper beeps when a key is pressed (to disable or enable the beep, s...
Page 11
11 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual changing data first press or to move the highlight to the data to change, then: a) to change a tick box means on or yes means off or no. Press or to change the tick box. B) to select an option 1 press to display the menu of options. 2 press...
Page 12: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 12 2-3 backlight and night mode to go to the backlight display, press briefly. Backlight the display and keys are backlit. To change the backlight level, highlight select backlight, then press to dim or to brighten. When you have finished, pre...
Page 13: Warning
13 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 2-6 simulate mode in simulate mode, the 657 ignores data from the gps antenna and other transducers and sensors and the 657 generates this data itself. Otherwise, the 657 functions normally. There are two simulate modes: • normal: allows a ...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 14 2-7 the main windows note 1 the windows available depend on the optional sensors and instruments that are installed (see section 1-1). 2 set up commonly used windows as favorites and press to switch between windows (see section 2-7-2). The ...
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15 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual note: the windows below the menu divider can only be shown full screen without a data header. (see section 2-7-3)..
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 16 the 657 can show two windows at once. Adding a window to the display press , select add window and select a window to add. The 657 automatically rearranges the display to show the new window. Changing window size 1 press and select split ra...
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17 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual the 657 has a list of commonly used displays, called favorite displays. There can be up to six favorite displays. Sonar, gauges, fuel, data, and tanks windows can be combined in a display. Each of these displays can have a data header (see ...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 18 2-7-3 data header the displays can show data at the top, called the data header. When you select a window from the display menu (see section 2-7) the 657 displays an appropriate data header for the window. Each favorite display (see section...
Page 19: Warning
19 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual the 657 has two ways of navigating, going straight to a point or following a route. 3-1-1 navigating to a point when the 657 is navigating to a point, the chart and highway displays show navigation data: a the boat position . B the destinat...
Page 20: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 20 3-1-3 following a route preparing a route is a list of waypoints that the boat can follow (see section 6). To create waypoints before creating the route, see section 5-2-1. To create a route, see section 6-2-1. Starting a route from the cha...
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21 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual a typical chart window shows: 3-2 chart window a b k c d e f g i j h a data header. To turn the data off or on or to change what data is displayed, see section 2-7-3 b compass (see section 2-7-4) c chart scale (see section 3-2-3) d boat pos...
Page 22: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 22 3-2-3 chart scale press to zoom in and display a smaller area of the chart in more detail. Press to zoom out and display a bigger area in less detail. The chart scale is displayed at the top left of the chart: 3-2-4 chart symbols and inform...
Page 23
23 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 3-2-5 finding a chart symbol to find and display a chart symbol: 1 press and select find. 2 select the type of symbol: waypoints, routes, ports by name, ports & services, tide stations or ais vessels. 3 for ports & services: select the type...
Page 24: 4 Navigation: Highway Window
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 24 tracking records the boat’s position to memory at regular intervals, which can be: time intervals. Or distance intervals. The track of where the boat has been can be displayed on the chart. The 657 can display one track while recording anot...
Page 25: 5 Navigation: Waypoints
25 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 5 navigation: waypoints a waypoint is a position that you can set on the 657 chart, for example a fishing spot or a point on a route. The 657 can have up to 3000 waypoints. A waypoint can be created, changed or deleted. A waypoint has: a na...
Page 26: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 26 5-2-1 creating a new waypoint creating and editing a new waypoint from the chart window 1 to create a waypoint at the boat position, press to switch the chart to center on boat mode. Or, to create a waypoint at a different point, move the c...
Page 27: 6 Navigation: Routes
27 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual deleting a waypoint from the chart window 1 in the chart window, move the cursor to the waypoint to delete. 2 press and select delete. 3 select yes to confirm. Deleting a waypoint from the waypoints window 1 in the waypoints window, press o...
Page 28: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 28 6-1 routes window the routes window is a list of the routes that have been entered, each with route name, start waypoint, end waypoint, number of legs and total distance. To go to the routes window, press , select more, then select routes. ...
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29 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual iv press . 3 to move a waypoint in the route: i move the cursor to the waypoint to move. Ii press and select move. Iii move the cursor to where the waypoint will be. Iv press . 4 to remove a waypoint from the route: i move the cursor to the...
Page 30: 7 Satellites
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 30 gps worldwide navigation the us government operates the gps system. Twenty-four satellites orbit the earth and broadcast position and time signals. The positions of these satellites are constantly changing. The gps receiver analyses the sig...
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31 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual the satellite window has information about the gps satellites and gps position. To go to the satellite window, press , select more, then select satellite. The satellite window shows: 7-1 satellite window a status of gps antenna, for example...
Page 32: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 32 8-2 interpreting the display the sonar displays do not show a fixed distance travelled by the boat; rather, they display a history, showing what has passed below the boat during a certain period of time. The history of the sonar signal disp...
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33 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual bottom types mud, weed and sandy bottoms tend to weaken and scatter the sonar pulse, resulting in a weak echo. Hard, rocky or coral bottoms reflect the pulse, resulting in a strong echo. A c d b a single fish b large school of fish c small ...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 34 shadows shadows are created around areas where the ultrasonic beam cannot ‘see’. These areas include hollows on the bottom or beside rocks and ledges, where the strong echoes returned off the rocks obscure the weak echoes of the fish and ma...
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35 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual a narrow angle, more detailed 200 khz cone b wide angle, less detailed 50 khz cone b b a this frequency is useful for getting a deep, wide overview of the area so that any areas of interest can be identified and then examined in detail with...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 36 50 khz display 200 khz display 200/50 khz display mixed display 1 minute ago 30 seconds ago now comparison of the same fish scenario displayed at different frequencies:.
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37 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 8-4 fish detection and display where to find fish underwater features like reefs, wrecks and rocky outcrops attract fish. Use the 50 khz or 50/200 khz frequency display to find these features, then look for fish by passing over the feature ...
Page 38: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 38 8-5 range range is the vertical depth displayed on the 657 sonar display. For example, if the range is 100 m, then the sonar display shows depths between 0 and 100 m. The range is displayed at the bottom, right corner of a sonar display. Th...
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39 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 8-6 gain and threshold gain and threshold settings control the amount of detail displayed on a sonar display: gain: the gain of the sonar receiver. The gain should be high to display good detail, but if the gain is too high then information...
Page 40
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 40 to show the sonar display, press , then select sonar. There are five kinds of sonar display. To use a display, press , select sonar splits, then select the type of display to use: no split: sonar history display at a single or mixed frequen...
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41 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 9-1-1 extended history mode to review an old sonar echo, use or to move back and forward through the sonar history. The time since the echoes shown on the screen were recorded is displayed at the bottom of the screen. Press to return to the...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 42 9-3 sonar bottom display the display shows the sonar history on the right and the bottom signal as a flat trace in the center of the zoom section on the left. The flat trace make it easy to compare the echo strengths shown in the bottom sig...
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43 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 9-5 sonar a-scope display the display shows the sonar history on the left and the a-scope display on the right. The a-scope shows: a, b, c the strengths of echoes being received now from different depths - the longer the horizontal line the...
Page 44: 10 Gauges Window
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 44 10 gauges window the gauges window shows boat data, such as water speed, as analog gauges. To select the gauges window, press , select more, then select gauges. Before using the gauges window, set speed range, max rpm and max fuel flow (see...
Page 45: Warning
45 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 12 fuel functions and display the fuel functions require optional petrol/gasoline or smartcraft™ fuel sensors to be installed and set up. Each engine has a flow sensor installed to measure the engine’s fuel flow. The 657 uses these flows, t...
Page 46
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 46 fuel flow the fuel flow for the engine(s). On a multi engine boat, the data for the port engine is on the left of the display. Use the flows to check the load of each engine. Range the estimated boat range at the current fuel flow. The valu...
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47 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual c when you remove fuel 1 before removing fuel, go to the fuel window, press and select set remaining. 2 on a multi-tank boat, select the tank that you are removing fuel from. 3 write down the value of remaining for the tank; this is the amo...
Page 48
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 48 water speed 10 knots current 4 knots gives a ground speed of 6 knots 12-5-2 water speed and ground speed a paddlewheel sensor and a pitot sensor measure water speed, the boat speed through the water. A gps measures ground speed, the boat sp...
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49 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 12-6 fuel consumption curves a fuel consumption curve shows fuel consumption (fuel used per unit of distance travelled) and boat speed as a function of engine rpm. Fuel consumption curves require engine rpm, which requires smartcraft™ or di...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 50 12-6-2 managing fuel consumption curves renaming a curve 1 press twice, then select fuel. 2 select fuel consumption curve. Select name and select the name of the curve to rename. 3 select rename and press . Change the name. 12-6-3 using fue...
Page 51
51 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual calibrate petrol/gasoline fuel flow sensors during installation, or if the fuel readings seem inaccurate and the other troubleshooting suggestions do not help (see appendix b troubleshooting). Note smartcraft™ fuel sensors are factory calib...
Page 52: 13 Tides Window
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 52 13 tides window the tides window is available on c-map charts. The tides window shows tide information at a tide station for the selected date. Note:the tides window requires the local time offset to be set to work correctly (see section 17...
Page 53: 14 User Card Window
53 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 14 user card window a c-map™ user card is an optional plug-in card that can store data files (see section 1-3). There are three types of files: waypoints, routes or a track. To go to the user card window, press , select more, then select us...
Page 54: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 54 to load a file to the 657: 1 select the file to load. 2 press and select load. Deleting a file from the user card 1 select the file to delete. 2 press and select delete. 3 select yes to confirm. Rereading the file information this reads the...
Page 55
55 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 15-1 viewing ais vessels a b c d a ais vessel b dangerous vessel c projected course d data box when the cursor is placed over an ais vessel for at least two seconds, a data box appears at the bottom of the window with information about the ...
Page 56
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 56 15-3 ais windows to go to the ais windows, press , select more , then press or to select one of the two windows: vessels or safety msgs (rx). If there are more items than will fit on the window, press or to see the others. Vessels this is a...
Page 57: 16 Dsc/buddy Track Windows
57 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 16 dsc/buddy track windows buddy track requires an optional northstar dsc vhf radio to be installed. Buddy track tracks other boats which have dsc radios connected to their gps receivers by navbus and are in vhf range. For information on se...
Page 58
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 58 displaying a boat on the chart 1 press or to select a boat. 2 press and select display. The 657 switches to chart window, with the selected boat position in the middle (see boat positions above). Going to a boat 1 press or to select a boat....
Page 59: 17 Setting Up The 657
59 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 17 setting up the 657 the 657 has a number of advanced features which are set up through the setup menu. We recommend that you become familiar with the operation of the unit using the default settings before making any changes in these menu...
Page 60
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 60 setup option menus factory default settings are shown. The setup data available will depend on the optional sensors and instruments installed. System (see 17-1) chart (see 17-2) sonar (see 17-3) favorites (see 17-14) time (see 17-13) alarms...
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61 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual press twice, then select system: language select the language for the displays. Tip: in case you can’t read the current language, the language setting is found at the top of the system menu. Backlight select the backlight level for the keys...
Page 62: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 62 press twice, then select chart: rotation the options for chart rotation are: north up: north is always at the top of the chart window. Track up: the chart is rotated so that the boat direction is to the top of the display. This option is us...
Page 63: Warning
63 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual nmea datum offset if you select a map datum other than wgs 84, the map datum offset can be applied to latitude and longitude coordinates sent on the 657 nmea output: latitude and longitude coordinates displayed on any nmea repeater do not m...
Page 64
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 64 projected course the 657 can estimate the course after a given time, based on the current speed and heading (see section 3-4). The options are 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours or off cdi scale see appendix c. The options a...
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65 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual press twice, then select sonar: frequency there is a choice of: 200 khz, 50 khz and mixed. For information about selecting a suitable frequency for the water conditions. (see section 8-3) scroll speed use this to set the scroll speed on the...
Page 66: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 66 ! Warning fuel consumption can change drastically depending upon the boat loading and the sea conditions. Always carry adequate fuel for the journey, plus a reserve. Fuel functions require optional fuel flow sensors to be installed. Press t...
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67 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual source select the fuel flow sensors to use if the boat has more than one set of fuel sensors. Normally select auto. Num engines set the number of engines, or select 0 to disable the fuel functions. If there are two engines they are called p...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 68 17-6 setup > track press twice, then select track: tracking records and displays the boat’s course on the chart (see section 3-5). Five different tracks can be recorded: track 1 has up to 2000 points and tracks 2, 3, 4 and 5 have up to 500 ...
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69 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 17-8 setup > logs press twice, then select logs: the values can be reset independently of each other. These log values are saved when the unit is turned off. Reset trip dist this resets the trip distance to zero. Reset total dist this optio...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 70 press twice, then select alarms: 17-9 setup > alarms all alarms except loss of gps fix can be turned on (enabled) or off (disabled). For all alarms select to turn the alarm on or select to turn the alarm off. For most alarms there is a trig...
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71 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual press twice, then select units: the default units are shown above. Distance nm (nautical miles), mi (miles) or km (kilometres) speed kn (knots), mph (miles per hour) or kph (kilometres per hour) depth ft (feet), m (metres) or fa (fathoms) 1...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 72 press twice, then select calibrate: speed this calibrates the speed from a paddlewheel sensor connected to the 657. Calibration may be required because different hull shapes have different flow characteristics. Obtain an accurate measuremen...
Page 73
73 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual keel offset a depth transducer measures depths below where the transducer is mounted on the boat, usually the bottom of the boat. The 657 calculates the depths to display by adding the keel offset to all measured depths. A have a zero keel ...
Page 74: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 74 17-15 setup > simulate simulate mode is a way of becoming familiar with the 657 (see section 2-6). Press twice, then select simulate: simulate turn simulate mode off turn simulate mode on ! Warning never have simulate mode on when the 657 i...
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75 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 657 display unit, with a holder for plug-in cards and blanking cap for fuel connector. Dust cover for display unit power cable mounting bracket (screws included) gps connection cable warranty registration card northstar 124 gps antenna flus...
Page 76
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 76 black yellow blue connections power (18-4) external alarms (18-4) navbus instruments (18-9) and vhf radio (18-8) nmea out to instruments (18-10) gps antenna (18-5), petrol/gasoline sensors (18-7), nmea in (18-10) sonar transducer (18-6) dis...
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77 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 18-3 installation: the display unit there are two mounting arrangements: 1 flush mounting requires a solid panel with access behind for wiring and mounting screws. After flush mounting, the display unit cannot be tilted or moved after insta...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 78 external beepers or lights auto power during setup, set up auto power off (see sections 2-2 and 17-1) power/data cable yellow red black ignition ignition switch main switch 12/24 v dc fuses 2a power/data cable red green 2 wire any external ...
Page 79: Warning
79 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual restart gps: restarts the gps receiver, satellite reception will be lost until the receiver completes its restart and acquires the satellites. ! Warning mob will not work if the instrument does not have a gps fix. Select restart gps and pre...
Page 80: Warning
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 80 18-6 installation: sonar transducer either: • fit the transom mount sonar transducer supplied, following the instructions in the transom mount transducer installation manual supplied with the 657. • for enhanced performance, fit an optional...
Page 81
81 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual yellow gps antenna (optional) smartcraft™ gateway 18-8 installation: smartcraft™ if the boat has one or two smartcraft™ capable mercury petrol/gasoline engines, connect the 657 to the smartcraft™ engines with an optional smartcraft™ gateway...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 82 18-10 installation: other nmea instruments nmea is an industry standard for interconnecting instruments. It is not as flexible or as easy to install as navbus. The 657 can: receive and display wind speed and direction from an optional compa...
Page 83
83 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual setup and test 1 put a blanking cap on any unused connector on the back of the display unit. Ensure all connectors are plugged in and the display unit is in place. 2 if the display unit is bracket mounted, adjust tilt and rotation for best ...
Page 84: Appendix A - Specifications
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 84 appendix a - specifications general size: 5.9” h x 6.5” w x 2.6” d (150mm h x 164mm w x 65mm d) display: 127 mm (5”) diagonal, tft color, 480 x 640 pixels. Backlight: display and keys supply voltage 10.5 v dc to 30.5 v dc. Supply current: a...
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85 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual list of datums adindan afgooye ain el abd 1970 american samoa 1962 anna 1 astro 1965 antigua island astro 1943 arc 1950 arc 1960 ascension island 1958 astro beacon ‘e’ 1945 astro dos 71/4 astro station 1952 astro tern island (frig) 1961 aus...
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Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 86 1-1 the 657 won’t turn on: a the 657 is designed to operate on a 12/24 volt battery system, where the voltage may vary from 10.5 to 30.5 volts. If an excessive voltage is supplied, a fuse will be tripped, turning the display unit off. Check...
Page 87
87 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual b-2 gps navigation problems 2-1 no gps fix or long time to get fix at startup: a may occur occasionally if the antenna does not have a clear view of the sky. The satellite positions are constantly changing. B antenna cable not connected to ...
Page 88
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 88 c a fuel transducer may be clogged. If so, remove the transducer from the fuel line and gently blow through it in the opposite direction to the fuel flow. A fuel filter between the fuel transducer and the fuel tank must be installed as per ...
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89 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 4-2 bottom is not displayed: a the 657 may have manual range selected and the depth may be outside the range value selected. Either change the 657 to auto range or select another depth range (see section 8-5). B the depth may be outside the...
Page 90
Northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual 90 appendix c - glossary and navigation data attention area - an important area on a chart, such as a restricted anchorage or a shallow area (see section 17-2). Ais - automatic identification system. A system where vessel information (location...
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91 northstar explorer 657 installation and operation manual navigation data the boat is sailing from the start to the destination and has moved off the plotted course from the start to the destination. Brg bearing to destination: bearing to the destination from the boat. Brg bearing to cursor: bearin...
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