Comar Systems AST300 User manual

USER MANUAL AST300
AIS / VHF ANTENNA SP
LITTER
SKU 001-10
16
AST300
-MA-v02r07
SKU 003
-1016
2017
-08-15
ENGLISH

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CONTENTS
1AST300 AIS / VHF ANTENNA SPLITTER .................................................. 4
2DOCUMENT............................................................................................. 5
2.1 About This Manual ............................................................................................. 5
3NOTICE.................................................................................................... 6
3.1 Copyright............................................................................................................6
4GENERAL NOTICES ................................................................................ 7
5INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 8
5.1 Parts List............................................................................................................. 8
6MAJOR DIMENSIONS.............................................................................. 9
7INSTALLATION....................................................................................... 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
8OPERATION........................................................................................... 13
9FAULT 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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1AST300 AIS / VHF ANTENNA SPLITTER

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2DOCUMENT
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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3NOTICE
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:
[phone]
email:
[e-mail]
web:
www.comarsystems.com
COMAR SYSTEMS
reserves the right to make changes to its products and specifications without notice

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4GENERAL 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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5INTRODUCTION
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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6MAJOR DIMENSIONS
All dimensions mm:

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7INSTALLATION
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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8OPERATION
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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9FAULT 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
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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NOTES

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NOTES

See, be seen, be safe
at sea
COMAR SYSTEMS
Vittlefields Technology Centre
Forest Road
NEWPORT
Isle of Wight
PO30 4LY
UNITED KINGDOM
tel: [phone]
8900
email:
[e-mail]
web: www.
comarsystems.com