GUIDANCE MARINE RangeGuard Monopole Manual

Guidance Marine Ltd, 5 Tiber Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1QP, UK www.guidance.eu.com
T: [phone] E: [email protected] www.marine.direct
RangeGuard Monopole Operator’s Guide
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0191
VYMRangeGuard
Guidance Marine Ltd,
5 Tiber Way
Meridian Business Park
Leicester
LE19 1QP
UK
Tel: [phone]
UK Support:
[phone]
(365 days a year, 08:00 - 20:00 hours UTC)
[email protected]
USA Support: [phone]
[email protected]
Asia Support: [phone]
[email protected]
Web: www.guidance.eu.com/customer-support
Copyright © 2016 Guidance Marine Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright in the whole and every part of this document belongs to Guidance Marine Limited
(the “Owner”) and may not be used, sold, transferred, copied or reproduced in whole or in part
in any manner or form or in or on any media to any person other than in accordance with the
terms of the Owner’s Agreement or otherwise without the prior written consent of the Owner.
“RangeGuard Monopole“ is a trademark and “RangeGuard” is a registered trademark of Guidance
Marine Ltd. ”Windows”is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other brand or product names
are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organisations.
Serial No:
Date of Shipment from UK:
Server Software Version: Dashboard Software Version:
RangeGuard Monopole Operator’s Guide.
Document No: 94-0522-4-A
FCC ID: VYMRangeGuard
FCC Warning Statement
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC (USA Federal Communications Commission) rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause
undesired operation.
This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled
environment. End users must follow the specific operating instructions for satisfying RF exposure
compliance. This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other
antenna or transmitter.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible.
Processing Unit IP Address:

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Document History
Document Number Changes Issue Date
94-0522-4-A RangeGuard Monopole Operator’s Guide 02/12/2016

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Introduction
Welcome................................................................................................................... 6
System Overview...................................................................................................... 7
Getting Started
Dashboard Start Up and Shut Down........................................................................ 9
Start Up.............................................................................................................................................. 9
Shut Down ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Screen Layout ........................................................................................................ 10
Main Screen and Bird's Eye View (BEV) .......................................................................................... 11
Side Bar ........................................................................................................................................... 13
Hotkey Buttons ................................................................................................................................ 14
Menu Pane....................................................................................................................................... 15
Coordinates View............................................................................................................................. 16
Vessel Orientation ............................................................................................................................ 17
Display Views ......................................................................................................... 18
Tracking Basics
Working with Reections........................................................................................ 20
Detecting a Target............................................................................................................................ 20
Reections Pane .............................................................................................................................. 20
Tracking Information Quality................................................................................... 21
DP Feed.................................................................................................................. 22
Viewing DP Feed information .......................................................................................................... 22
Target Tracking
Introduction to Target Tracking............................................................................... 24
To Start Tracking ............................................................................................................................. 24
To Stop Tracking ............................................................................................................................. 24
Positional Display Modes ....................................................................................... 25
Range & Bearing ............................................................................................................................. 25
Bow and Starboard Axes ................................................................................................................ 25
Multi - Dashboard Systems
Dashboard In Command Mode.............................................................................. 27
Dashboard Monitoring Mode ................................................................................. 28
Support Information
Serial Numbers and Software Versions.................................................................. 30
Software Version Information........................................................................................................... 30
To Display the About System Pane.................................................................................................. 30
Product Labels................................................................................................................................. 31
Data Logging.......................................................................................................... 32
Logging Extended Data ................................................................................................................... 32
Starting and Stopping Manual Logging ........................................................................................... 32
To start manual logging.................................................................................................................... 32
To stop manual logging.................................................................................................................... 32
Exporting Data Logs ........................................................................................................................ 33
Taking Screenshots.......................................................................................................................... 33
Using the On-Screen Keyboard ............................................................................. 34
Working with Alarms............................................................................................... 35
Filtering Alarms ................................................................................................................................ 35
Using the Current and Historic Alarms Tabs .................................................................................... 36
International Standards Compliance...................................................................... 37
System Specications............................................................................................ 38
Index....................................................................................................................... 39
Table of Contents

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This section provides an introduction and overview of the RangeGuard Monopole system.
It contains the following pages:
• Welcome (Page 6)
• System Overview (Page 7)
Note that whilst we endeavour to describe system functionality correctly in this document,
we do not guarantee that it exactly represents the version of the system that you are
running, particularly after any future upgrades to the software.
Introduction

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Welcome to the RangeGuard Monopole Operator’s Guide. It explains how to use the
RangeGuard Monopole system once it has been fully installed. For instructions on how to
install the system onto a vessel, please see the RangeGuard Monopole Installer’s Guide
(Doc No 94-0523-4).
The System Overview on page 7 describes the different components of the system and
how they work together.
The Getting Started section on page 8 explains how to get the system up and running and
how to shut it down again. It also details what you will see on the Dashboard screen when
the system is running, and how to interpret the information.
The Tracking Basics section on page 19 covers the basic elements of successful tracking
with a RangeGuard Monopole system.
The Target Tracking section on page 23 gives a thorough explanation of the concepts
involved in target tracking. It is important that you clearly understand all the material
included in this section before attempting to use the RangeGuard Monopole system for
target tracking.
Further useful information is included in the Support Information section on page 29.
Welcome

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The RangeGuard Monopole system is the latest generation of Guidance Marine’s radar-
based position reference products. Delivering accurate positional data to marine vessel
Dynamic Positioning (DP) control systems for automated approach and station keeping,
against simple monopole targets.
The RangeGuard Monopole System consists of three main parts:
• RangeGuard Sensors
• RangeGuard Monopole Processing Unit
• RangeGuard Monopole Dashboard Software
RangeGuard Sensors
The RangeGuard Monopole system utilises two radar sensors which each have a fixed
beam with a 110° field of view in the horizontal plane. They are mounted on the edge of a
vessel so that the two sensor beams overlap which allows them to observe a monopole
target simultaneously. This information is then passed on to the processing unit so that it
can calculate the position of the monopole target.
System Overview
RangeGuard Monopole Processing Unit
The RangeGuard Monopole Processing Unit takes the observed signal from the two
sensors and uses this to calculate a precise range measurement from each sensor to the
monopole target. From these two measurements it then calculates the target position
relative to the vessel through trilateration and passes this value on to the client software
and the vessel’s DP system.
RangeGuard Monopole Dashboard Software
The RangeGuard Monopole Dashboard is the software application used to control
and monitor the RangeGuard Monopole system. It is installed on one or more marine-
specification Type 3 Marine Processors or other computers running Windows® 7, usually
mounted on the bridge near to the controls of the vessel’s DP system.
The Dashboard gives the DP operator control of the RangeGuard Monopole system and
the data stream being fed to the DP system.
RangeGuard Monopole Dashboard Software
RangeGuard
Monopole
Processing Unit
RangeGuard Sensors

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Getting Started
This section covers the basics of using the RangeGuard Monopole system.
It contains the following pages:
• Start Up and Shut Down (Page 9)
• Screen Layout (Page 10)
• Display Views (Page 18)

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RangeGuard Monopole Dashboard not
tracking
In Command
Dashboard
Monitoring
Dashboard
Dashboard Start Up and Shut Down
See Multi Dashboard
Systems (page 27)
for information on In
Command/Monitoring
functionality.
Shut Down
To Exit or Disconnect
Click on the Guidance button in the lower left corner of the screen. The set of buttons
revealed will depend on whether the Dashboard is In Command or in Monitoring mode.
Each button is explained below.
• Disconnect—Ceases communications between the Dashboard computer and the
RangeGuard Monopole Processing Unit but leaves the Dashboard open.
• Exit—Closes down the Dashboard without affecting the RangeGuard Monopole
Processing Unit.
Start Up
To Start the RangeGuard Monopole Dashboard
1. Ensure that the RangeGuard Monopole Processing Unit
is powered on.
2. Double-click on the Dashboard icon.
(Or run the Dashboard application from
Start > All Programs > Guidance Marine Ltd >
RangeGuard > RangeGuard Monopole Dashboard).
3. The Dashboard screen will appear. If a target is in view,
it will be displayed
To Connect
The Dashboard will automatically connect to the
RangeGuard Monopole Processing Unit at start up. If
the Dashboard has been manually disconnected or has
failed to connect then you can attempt to re-establish
communications using the Connect button.
Disconnected
Dashboard
Controls

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Screen Layout
The Dashboard screen is split into
three distinct sections, these are:
• Main Screen and Bird’s Eye
View (BEV) (see page 11)
• Side Bar (see page 13)
• Menu Pane (see page 15)
Main Screen and Bird’s Eye View (BEV)
Menu PaneSide Bar
Dashboard Screen

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Main Screen and Bird's Eye
View (BEV)
The circular BEV depicts the operational area of
the RangeGuard Monopole system from above.
Vessel Outline
The length and breadth of the vessel can be
configured on the Vessel tab of the RangeGuard
Service Interface (see Installer’s Guide) so that the
vessel outline is correctly scaled and positioned
on the BEV.
Sensors
The black squares on or around the vessel
outline represent the RangeGuard Monopole
sensors. Their position and orientation relative
to the vessel are configurable using the
RangeGuard Service Interface (see Installer’s
Guide).
The field of view (FOV) of each sensor is indicated
by the shaded area radiating from each of the
sensors. When blanking is configured at short
range the shaded areas are offset to illustrate the
blind spots. Only areas where the two sensor
FOVs overlap are considered for target tracking.
Reference Point
The red dot on or near the vessel outline is
the reference point. This does not necessarily
correspond to a physical object, but is the point
in relation to which the range and bearing of the
target are expressed. The reference position
is configurable using the RangeGuard Service
Interface (see Installer’s Guide).
Target
The target is always at the centre of the BEV
and only available for RangeGuard Monopole
systems.
Screen Layout (Continued)

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Screen Layout (Continued)
Range Circles
The Range Circles act as a visual guide to show the distance between the vessel and the
detected target. Distances are shown in metres from the target. Use the Zoom Control to
change the scale of the display. (See page 12).
Radial Markers
These form an angular scale in degrees, clockwise around the circumference of the BEV.
Zero is defined by the direction of the bow of the vessel.
Bearing Tags
The bearing tag is displayed on the Radial Marker when the system is in tracking mode,
to indicate the bearing of the target. The visibility of this element depends on the which
coordinate system is being used to display the positional information (see Positional
Display Modes on page 25).
Data Logging Indicator
This symbol is displayed when data is being logged to disk on the RangeGuard Monopole
Processing Unit. During a tracking operation the symbol is steady and when manual
logging is in progress it flashes.
Zoom Control
Click on the left-hand side of the control (marked ‘-’) to zoom out of the BEV display and
on the right-hand side (‘+’) to zoom in.
Status Display
This consists of two fields:
Primary
The primary part of the status display is in the upper-right corner of the Main Pane. It
indicates the current status of the system:
• System Running Normally
• System Disconnected
• Waiting for connection
• Communications Lost
• Communications Error
Secondary
The secondary status display is located in the lower right corner of the Main Pane (beneath
the zoom function) and is normally hidden. It displays a flashing message for a number of
seconds in order to confirm an action taken by the user, e.g. starting manual data logging.
It can also display a persistent, static message if there is a communications problem.
Vessel Name
The name of the vessel configured on the Vessel tab of the RangeGuard Service Interface
(see Installer’s Guide).

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Screen Layout (Continued)
Side Bar
The Side Bar, the black pane to the left of the BEV, contains control and display
components in addition to the coordinates pane.
After pressing the
Guidance button:

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Hotkey Buttons
Selecting the Hotkeys tab on the right-hand side of the
Bird's Eye View (BEV) activates the 'Dashboard Hotkeys'
menu.
Screen Layout (Continued)
The following keys - and the corresponding buttons on the Dashboard Hotkeys
menu - act as shortcuts to application functions.
F1 Help menu
F2 Rotates the vessel clockwise
F3 Rotates the vessel counter-clockwise
F4 Toggles between BEV layout mode and Coordinates layout mode
F5 Toggles between enlarged and standard-sized reflections
F6 Toggles between the day view and night view
F7 Toggles between the About System pane and the full BEV display
F10 Capture a screenshot of the Dashboard interface and save it to disk
F11 Enables or disables the On-Screen Keyboard function
Alt+L Starts or stops manual data logging
Ctrl + Zoom-In
Ctrl - Zoom-Out
Esc When in operation confirmation mode, cancels the current operation request;
otherwise closes the Guidance Home menu or restores the main screen to full size
Return When in operation confirmation mode, confirm the current operation request

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Screen Layout (Continued)
Menu Pane
The Menu Pane, located across the bottom of the
Dashboard Screen, is not always visible. It appears
when the Tracking or Advanced buttons near
the foot of the Side Bar are pressed. This causes
the Main Screen to contract towards the top of the
screen. Clicking the same button for a second time
causes the Menu Pane to disappear and the Main
Screen to be restored to full size.
The Menu Pane is used to display a wide variety
of information and controls, accessed by further
buttons that become available once the Menu Pane
is in place.

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Screen Layout (Continued)
Coordinates View
Whilst tracking is in progress, the positional coordinates and the Bird’s Eye View can be
transposed, so that the coordinates are displayed in extra-large numerals on the main
screen, whilst a miniature BEV is shown at the top of the side bar. If tracking ends, the
layout automatically reverts to Bird’s Eye View, but as long as Coordinates View remains
selected, the main screen will again display coordinates once the next tracking operation
commences.
To Select Coordinates View
This can be done in a number of ways:
• 1. Navigate to Advanced > Display Options > Screen Layout.
2. Click on the Coordinates radio button.
• Click on the Coordinate Data near the top-left corner of the screen.
• Press F4.
• Click on Switch To Coordinates Layout Mode in the Dashboard Hotkeys menu.
BEV Mode
Coordinates Mode

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Screen Layout (Continued)
Vessel Orientation
The Dashboard supports four different layouts of the Bird’s Eye View so that the operator
can choose the one which best represents his surroundings.
For instance, if the operator is facing forwards when using the Dashboard, he may want
the bow of the vessel in the BEV to point upwards, so that a target on the starboard side
of the vessel is shown on the right-hand side of the BEV.
There are two ways of setting the Vessel Orientation; one just for the current Dashboard
session and the other which will apply to all Dashboards in the system and will persist after
a Dashboard has been closed and re-opened.
To set Default Vessel Orientation:
This is done on the Vessel tab of the RangeGuard Service Interface (refer to the
RangeGuard Monopole Installer’s Guide).
To set Vessel Orientation for the Current Session:
1. Navigate to Advanced > Display Options > Screen Layout.
2. Click on the vessel outline that points in the required direction.
Alternatively, rotate the vessel clockwise by clicking F2 or the Rotate Vessel Clockwise
hotkey. Rotate anti-clockwise by clicking F3 or the Rotate Vessel Anti-Clockwise hotkey

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Display Views
To provide ample visibility during daytime operation and to limit glare during night shifts,
the Dashboard offers two display settings: Day Mode and Night Mode. In either mode the
brightness can be further adjusted by the Screen Brightness control.
To change the day/night mode and adjust brightness:
1. Navigate to Advanced > Display Options > Display Settings.
2. Click on one of the Day/Night Mode symbols.
3. Click on the left side of the Screen Brightness control to dim the screen and on the
right to make it brighter.
Night Mode
Day Mode
Alternatively, to toggle between day and night mode, use the keyboard shortcut F6 or
the Toggle Day/Night Mode button in the Dashboard Hotkeys panel

l19
This section explains how to set up the system prior to tracking a target and
describes information presented to the user whilst tracking is in progress.
It contains the following pages:
• Working with Reections (Page 20)
• Tracking Information Quality (page 21)
• DP Feed (Page 22)
Tracking Basics

l20
Working with Reections
Detecting a Target
The RangeGuard Monopole System automatically detects a monopole target when it
comes into range and displays a yellow circle in the centre of the BEV.
Reections Pane
The Reflections pane is obtained by clicking on the Tracking button and then on the
Reflections tab. It displays the following controls and information:
Range & Bearing Data:
Target - The target for the reflection matching that shown on the BEV. Clicking on the
target has the same effect as clicking on the target on the BEV
Type - The type of reflection as follows:
• Reection: A target signal has been detected and veried
• Reject: A target signal has been detected and rejected by the sensor
Range - The measured distance between the target and the vessel’s reference point,
expressed in metres.
Bearing - The bearing of the target in relation to the vessel’s centre-line, expressed in
degrees.
Visibility - The strength of the detected signal from the target, expressed as a percentage.
Sensor Quality - The confidence of the target range from the respective sensor,
expressed as a percentage.