Koden MRE-280 User manual

KODEN ELECTRONICS CO.,LTD.
13-24, TAMAGAWA 2-CHOME, OTA-KU
TOKYO 146-0095 JAPAN
TEL : [phone]
FAX : [phone]
http://www.koden-electronics.co.jp/
OPERATION MANUAL
ATA (Automatic Tracking Aid)
MRE-280
93144222-02
PRINTED IN JAPAN

AMENDMENT HISTORY
MRE-280 OPERATION MANUAL
Doc No: 93144222
No. Document No & Rev No. Date Amendments
0 93144222-00 Y/M/D First issue
1 93144222-01 03/08/6
・Added assembling procedure.
・Revised operating procedure for auto-acquisition
function.
2 93144222-02 04/07/8 KODEN:Address
3
4
5
6
Amendment policy
When any change is applied in the document, only the document number of the relevant sheet(s) and
cover sheet are modified and the rest of the sheets are not changed. The document number is shown in
the footer area, right or left bottom of each sheet.
○
c2002,2003,2004 Koden Electronics Co.,Ltd. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, translated in any form by any means without
the written permission of Koden Electronics Co., Ltd. The technical descriptions contained in this
publication are subject to change without notice. KODEN assumes no responsibility for any errors,
incidentals or consequential damages caused by misinterpretation of the descriptions contained in this
publication.

MRE-280 Contents
Operation Manual
93144222-01 Contents
Contents
Page No.
1. General.................................................................................... 1
1.1 Precautions............................................................................................... 1
2. Specifications......................................................................... 1
3. Installing ATA.......................................................................... 2
3.1 Applicable radar models ........................................................................... 2
3.2 Installing ATA PCB .................................................................................... 2
4. Operation ................................................................................ 5
4.1 Setting the ATA parameters ...................................................................... 5
4.2 Changing the acquisition mode ................................................................ 5
4.3 Operating procedures............................................................................... 6
4.3.1 Acquisition of a target ............................................................................... 6
4.3.1.1 Manual acquisition.................................................................................... 6
4.3.1.2 Auto acquisition ........................................................................................ 6
4.3.2 Tracking a target....................................................................................... 7
4.3.3 Canceling target tracking .......................................................................... 7
4.3.4 Data display.............................................................................................. 7
4.3.5 Ship’s speed setting.................................................................................. 8
5. Interface .................................................................................. 9
5.1 Data output ............................................................................................... 9
5.2 Log signal input ........................................................................................ 9

MRE-280 Descriptions
Operation Manual
93144222-01 1
1. General
The Automatic Tracking Aid (ATA, herein after) MRE-280 is a built-in type optional adaptor unit
developed for KODEN marine radar sets. The ATA predicts the motion of the selected targets by
processing the radar video signal supplied from the radar set. Up to ten targets can be acquired
manually or automatically and tracked automatically. The ATA unit outputs various navigational
information of the selected target to the radar display including CPA (Closest Point of Approach), TCPA
(Time to CPA), target’s speed and course, etc. This data is processed and displayed on the screen in
vector and numeric forms. The ATA also provides audio and visual warnings to alert the operator that
the target is about to infringe the preset CPA and TCPA limits.
1.1Precautions
Please take the following precautions in order to avoid possible adverse situation caused by
misinterpretation of the information supplied from the MRE-280 unit.
(1) The ATA is a simplified collision avoidance aid, providing navigational information for assisting safe
navigation. The ship’s officer must make the final maneuvering decision.
(2) For using ATA functions your own ship’s heading and speed data must be entered from
navigational sensor devices. As a bearing sensor you need to connect a gyrocompass or a satellite
compass. As a speed sensor, you need to connect a speed log (pressure log, Doppler speed log,
etc) or a Navigator unit.
(3) The tracking capability of the ATA depends on the performance of the sensors used. Tracking may
become erroneous when the compass or speed log data is inaccurate.
2. Specifications
(1) Acquisition Full auto or half-auto/half-manual acquisition
(2) Tracking Automatic
(3) Number of tracked targets 10 targets maximum
(4) ATA data output Target number, distance, bearing, speed, course, CPA and
TCPA
(5) Alarm Collision alarm, activated when a target enters the preset CPA
and TCPA limits
(6) Display Symbols: Predicted point and target number
Vector: Predicted motion of a target calculated from the ship’s
speed and bearing information supplied from each sensor.
(7) Tracking range 0.5 to 40 NM
(8) PRF 2,000 Hz maximum
(9) Bearing signal rate 1,080 or 2,048 pulses / rev (Switched automatically) See
NOTE

Descriptions MRE-280
Operation Manual
2 93144222-01
NOTE: The MRE-280 does not accept bearing signals other than those specified above. In case the
ATA board is used in the monitor display, make sure that the data rate of an incoming bearing signal
supplied form the antenna agrees with that specified in this specification.
3. Installing MRE-280
3.1 Applicable radar models
The MRE-280 can be installed in the MDL-1140 and MDC-1040 series radar sets.
3.2 Installing the ATA PCB
Turn off the radar set completely and switch off the main power at the distribution panel before carrying
out the following procedures.
(1) Remove all cables connected at the display rear panel and remove the two knurled fixing nuts that
fasten the display unit to the base mount. Remove the display unit from the mount.
(2) Put the display unit with the front face down in a safe flat area. Use a cushion to protect extruded
control knobs.
(3) To remove the front panel and chassis, remove the tapping screws No.3 (8 screws), fastening the
front panel No.1 to the rear panel chassis No.2, and then remove the 2.5 mm screws No. 5 (2
screws), which fixes the optional connector to the rear panel, to allow the front panel and chassis to
be removed. During this process, be sure to disconnect the internal wire harness No.6.
(4) Put the removed front panel in a safe area. Use an appropriate cushion to protect extruded controls
on the panel.
(5) Connect the wire harness No.9 to the ATA board No.7. Use the color identification of the harness
connectors and the sockets on the board. Fasten the ATA board using the 3 mm screw No.8 (4
pieces) to the backside of the front panel, as shown in Figure 1.
(6) Connect the harness No.9 to the Logic board.
(7) Now, put the front panel back in the original position. Move the front panel No.1 closer to the rear
panel chassis No.2 and connect the internal harness No.6.
(8) Push the front panel No.1 into the rear panel chassis No.2. Be careful not to allow the LCD
backlight harness to get pinched between the two sections.
(9) Secure the tapping screws No.3 (8 screws) to fasten the front panel to the chassis. Also fasten the
optional connector to the rear panel chassis using the 2.5 mm screws No.5 (2 screws).
(10)Connect the power cable to the display unit and turn the unit on.
(11)Open the SET UP menu and select CUSTOM. Confirm that ATA PRESET is added.
(12)Turn off the power and reset the display unit onto the base mount. Do all remaining connections at
the rear panel.

MRE-280 Descriptions
Operation Manual
93144222-01 3
Figure 1 Installing MRE-280 into the display
(PCB connections on the backside of the display front panel)
1

Descriptions MRE-280
Operation Manual
4 93144222-01
Table 1 Composition of MRE-280
No Item name Type Q’ty
1 ATA board E35-7010 1
2 Screw assembly PWSM3X6B 4
3 Cable harness E35ELA3000 1
Table 2 Parts list of MRE-280 assembly
No Item name Parts code Type Q’ty
1 Front panel 1
2 Rear panel chassis 1
3 Tapping screw Not specified BDT4X16U 8
4 Connector cap 70217061 23E67312-02 1
5 Screw assembly 75141515 PSM2.5X5B 2
6 Wire harness W2 65103369 24J157809 1
7 ATA board 60771450 E35-7010 1
8 Screw assembly 75091226 PWSM3X6B 4
9 Wire harness 65102992 E35ELA3000 1

MRE-280 Descriptions
Operation Manual
93144222-01 5
4. Operation
4.1 Setting the ATA parameters
Before using the ATA function, the following ATA parameters must be set.
CPA: Closest point of approach. Enter the minimum distance of other ship’s approach. Unit in NM.
Default: 3.0 NM.
TCPA: Time to CPA. Enter the minimum time required to reach the CPA. Unit in minutes. Default: 3
MIN.
VECT SET: Vector Time. Enter the length of a vector in minutes. The leading end of the vector is the
predicted point of approach. Units in minutes. Default: 6 MIN.
VECT MODE: Vector Mode. This selects vector’s motion mode, True or Relative. Defaulted to TRUE.
ATA: Sets ATA ON or OFF. Default: ON.
Use the following procedure to set up the ATA PRESET functions.
(1) Activate the ATA function by the following menu operations; SET UP => CUSTOM => ATA PRESET
=> ATA ON.
(2) Use the Up or Down cursor key to select the item. Use the right or left arrow key to move the cursor
to the right or the left.
CAUTION: Unless the ATA board is installed properly, the ATA PRESET items are not displayed on the
above SET UP/CUSTOM menu.
4.2 Changing the acquisition mode
To change the acquisition mode from full-auto to half-auto/half-manual or to full manual mode, use the
following procedure:
(1) In the radar display unit find the status switch S1 and change the settings referring to Table 5.
(2) Set S1 according to your desired acquisition mode.
CPA SET 3.0 NM
TCPA SET 3 MIN
VECT SET 6 MIN
VECT MODE REL TRUE
A
TA ON OFF
Figure 3 ATA PRESET sub menu

Descriptions MRE-280
Operation Manual
6 93144222-01
Table 5 Acquisition mode setting change
Acquisition mode Number of Auto/Man acquired targets Status switch S1 setting
Full auto Auto: 10, Man: 0 S1-3: don’t care, S1-4: ON
Half auto/half manual Auto: 5, Man: 5 S1-3: ON, S1-4: OFF
Full manual Auto: 0, Man: 10 S1-3: OFF, S1-4: OFF
4.3 Operating procedures
4.3.1 Acquisition of a target
There are two acquisition modes available in the MRE-280, i.e. manual acquisition and auto acquisition.
Use the following procedures to operate.
4.3.1.1 Manual acquisition
(1) Place the cursor on the target to be tracked and acquire it using the ACQ (acquisition) function.
(2) Press the softkey if the ACQ function has been set. When operating from the MENU, place the
cursor on NAVI/ACQ and press the ENT key.
(3) Select a target clearly displayed with no other targets existing nearby. This is essential to avoid the
ATA tracking the wrong target.
(4) All targets acquired by the ATA are identified by the numbers from 0 to 9. These numbers will be
shown in the upper right window on the screen. A row with a “-“ indicates that no target has been
acquired.
(5) Before selecting a target, use the TGT NUM (target number) function so that “-“ is highlighted. The
TGT NUM function is used to change the target number. (The target number does not change
automatically)
(6) Press the softkey if the TGT NUM function has been set. When operating from the MENU, place
the cursor on NAV/TGT NUM and press the ENT key.
(7) When ATA starts acquisition, the acquisition symbol appears at the cursor position and the target
number is displayed on the lower right of the symbol.
4.3.1.2 Auto acquisition
(1) Set the Auto-ACQ zone using the radar’s guard zone, which is effective from 0.5 NM. For activating
the guard zone alarm function, see the radar’s operation manual. As soon as the zone is set, “AT
ACQ” is indicated on the screen.
(2) An acquired target is bracketed with the acquisition symbol (See Figure 4) and a target number (0
to 9) affixed automatically nearby. These figures will also be shown in the upper right window on the
CAUTION: All targets being tracked in Man-ACQ mode will be cancelled when the Auto-ACQ ATA i
s
set.

MRE-280 Descriptions
Operation Manual
93144222-01 7
screen. A vacant row with a “-“ indicates no target has been acquired.
4.3.2 Tracking a target
As soon as a stable tracking is established, the target is circled with the tracking symbol and a vector is
created from the target. The target tracking continues even if the range scale is changed. However,
take care for small targets because, when the range scale is changed from a long or a medium range to
a short range, the target (therefore the target intensity) becomes small in size. This may cause the ATA
to lose track of the target due to an echoing area being reduced by the short transmission pulse. In
such a case, the lost symbol mark will be displayed at the spot where the target disappeared.
4.3.3 Canceling target tracking
To cancel tracking, use the DEL (delete) function. The target number shown in the upper right corner of
the screen will disappear. If ALL DEL (delete all) is selected, the ATA will cancel tracking of all targets.
Use the following procedure to do:
(1) Press the soft key when the DEL function has been set.
(2) When using the menu driven “cancel” function, place the cursor on NAVI/DEL or NAVI/ALL DEL
and press the ENT key.
The target tracking will be stopped when the radar is set to standby mode.
4.3.4 Data display
The numerical data of the target being tracked can be displayed in the data display window. Use the
DATA function to display the data. The data of the target will be shown.
To use the menu driven DATA function, place the cursor on NAVI/DATA and press the ENT key.
Figure 4 ATA symbols and their on-screen display
Cross cursor
Target number.
Vector
Tracking symbol
X
X
X
X
Target which data is
currently displayed
Lost symbol used for a
target which is dropped
form tracking
NOTE: “X” indicates a target number.
Acquisition symbol affixed
to an acquired target
Tracking symbol affixed to
a tracked target

Descriptions MRE-280
Operation Manual
8 93144222-01
The display items are as follows:
Target number: TGT NO.x The number of the target currently displayed.
Vector time: TIME x x MIN. Setting time to display vector length. (Speed x Time = vector
length)
Vector mode: TRUE or REL Display mode of vector data. TRUE for true motion and speed
and REL for relative motion and speed.
Target data: BRG (bearing), DIST (distance), CRS (course), SPD (speed),
CPA (closest point of approach) and TCPA (time required
to reach the CPA)
State: The collision or lost alarm will appear according to the state of
a target.
Example
4.3.5 Ship’s speed setting
Ship’s speed data input can be set in the SPD SET sub menu in the SET UP/CUSTOM/PRESET 2
menu. The following speed input can be set:
Code Description
NMEA NMEA 0183 (default)
MANU 0.0 KT Manual speed 0.0 knot
LOG 200P Ship’s speed log, output rate 200 pulses / NM
To set the numeric data, select the item with the cursor and rotate the rotary control. Turning the control
to the right increases the value and to the left decreases the value.
TGTNo.x ALM LOST TIMExxMIN TRUE
BRG 123.4DEG CRS 234.5DEG CPA 12.3NM
DIST 12.3NM SPD 10.0KT TCPA 12.3MIN

MRE-280 Descriptions
Operation Manual
93144222-01 9
5. Interface
5.1 Data output
The ATA data output is available at the optional connector terminal on the rear of the display unit. Pin
No.32 is the NMEA_OUT signal terminal from which the signals conforming to the NMEA 0183 protocol
can be output. This output terminal is used for the TARGET function (to output L/L of the cursor
position), the MOB function (to output L/L of the ship’s position) and the ATA data output function.
The data format is as follows:
$RATTM,01,0.42,292.1,T,4.99,0.0,T,0.4,0.0,N,,T,,,M*2A
Descriptions of ten sentence:
$RA Unit identification code (radar)
TTM Formatter
01 Target number
0.42 Distance to the target
292.1 Bearing of the target (o)
T Indicates the true bearing
4.99 Speed (knots)
0.0 Course (o)
T Indicates the true speed and course, while R indicates relative speed and course.
0.4 Indicates the CPA (closest point of approach)
0.0 Time required for the ship to reach the CPA (min)
N Indicates the unit of distance used: NM
T Indicates tracking condition: Q: unstable T: tracking L: lost
M Indicates that acquisition is carries out manually.
*2A Sum checking
5.2 Log signal input
The speed log signal is applied to the OPTION connector at the rear of the display unit. (Pin No.31: Log
signal input, Pin No.14：GND) The log pulse rate can be selected from the menu, i.e. 400, 200, 150 or
100 pulses/NM.