mcmurdo NAV-7 Guide

NAV
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GMDSS TRI
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CHANNELCHANNEL
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NAVTEX RECEIVER
NAVTEX RECEIVERNAVTEX RECEIVER
NAVTEX RECEIVER
USER & INSTALLATION MANUAL
USER & INSTALLATION MANUALUSER & INSTALLATION MANUAL
USER & INSTALLATION MANUAL
mcmurdo
mcmurdomcmurdo
mcmurdo

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VESSEL IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION
Name
Call Sign
MMSI
NAV-7 S/N
Antenna Type
518 kHz
490 kHz
X frequencies
supported by antenna
4209.5 kHz


 2008 McMurdo
Part No : 35-821
Applicability o this manual
This manual applies to NAV-7 equipment software Issue released March 2008.
Disclaimer
McMurdo is a brand name operated by Signature Industries Limited.
The information and illustrations contained in this publication are to the best of our
knowledge correct at the time of going to print. We reserve the right to change
specifications, equipment, installation and maintenance instructions without notice as
part of our policy of continuous product development and improvement. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form,
electronic or otherwise without permission in writing from McMurdo, Signature
Industries Limited. No liability can be accepted for any inaccuracies or omissions in
the publication, although every care has been taken to make it as complete and
accurate as possible.

Contents
SAFETY NOTICES...........................................................................................5
ABOUT NAV-7 .................................................................................................6
INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................7
OPERATION.....................................................................................................8
NAV-7 CONTROLS..........................................................................................8
OPERATION.....................................................................................................9
Receiving NAVTEX messages ........................................................................10
SETUP MODE ................................................................................................14
SYSTEM ALARMS.........................................................................................22
ADJUSTING THE DISPLAY ..........................................................................24
INSTALLATION..............................................................................................25
NAV-7 system overview ..................................................................................25
Electrical Connections .....................................................................................28
ANTENNA INSTALLATION...........................................................................34
OPTIONAL POWER SUPPLY UNIT 89-029 .................................................39
OPTIONS........................................................................................................40
EXTERNAL RECEIVER .................................................................................40
MAINTENANCE GUIDE.................................................................................40
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE.......................................................................41
NAVTEX STATIONS LIST .............................................................................44
END OF LIFE STATEMENT ..........................................................................48
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY ..............................................................49
PRODUCT WARRANTY ................................................................................50

Page 5
SAFETY NOTICES
WARNING: Do not connect the NAV-7 main unit directly to a AC electrical supply,
as an electric shock or fire hazard could result.
WARNING: Do not connect the NAV-7 system to a DC supply exceeding 31 V or
reverse the supply polarity.
CAUTION: Do not bypass the built in fuse
CAUTION: The NAV-7 system is designed for operation in the temperature range -
15 °C to +55 °C. Do not use the system in environments which exceed this range.
CAUTION: The NAV-7 unit is not water-proof. Consequently it must be located in a
dry place and must be protected from direct contact with water.
CAUTION: Do not locate the NAV-7 unit in a position where;
a) the controls of the vessel may be obstructed.
b) it may obstruct normal movement around the vessel.
c) it may cause bodily injury.
CAUTION: Unauthorised opening of the NAV-7 unit or antenna units will invalidate
the warranty.
CAUTION: NAVTEX is for use as an aid to navigation and should not lead to a
reduction in the level of good seamanship required at all times.
CAUTION: Reception of NAVTEX messages cannot always be guaranteed and is
dependant on the quality of radio propagation at the time. No liability can be accepted
for the non transmission or non reception of NAVTEX messages.
CAUTION: Compass Safe Distances
NAV-7 main unit compass safe distance 0.87m
Compass deviation; 0.3º at 0.65m
1º at 0. 1m.
Recommendation
Connection o a source o UTC data to either the NMEA 0183 or the IBS port is
strongly recommended or best operation o the NAV-7.

Page 6
QUICK START
NAV-7 is extremely easy to operate:
• Apply power at the vessels power switch panel
• The NAV-7 will start up after a few seconds delay
• Set UTC time and date (automatic when connected to GNSS / GPS)
• The NAV-7 will now start to receive and display NAVTEX messages dependant
on the transmission schedule of the NAVTEX stations within the vessels current
region.
Note It may be several hours before the first message is received, this is dependant
on NAVTEX transmission coverage provided locally.
Take the time to read this manual carefully as it contains essential information
regarding the operation and maintenance of the NAV-7 and a useful background to
the NAVTEX system.
Should your have any questions, or require advice regarding McMurdo products our
website ‘frequently asked questions’ is a good place to start. From the web site you
can also leave a message for our customer service team, visit; www.mcmurdo.co.uk
ABOUT NAV-7
The NAV-7 has been designed to meet the requirements of IMO (Intentional Maritime
Organisation) MSC.1 8 (77) and IEC technical standard 61097-6 (Ed 2.0).
The NAV-7 has three separate receiver channels, one each tuned to 90 kHz, 518
kHz and 209.5 kHz. The NAV-7 will receive on all three frequencies simultaneously
in those parts of the world where transmissions are available (refer to Appendix 1).
The NAV-7 can be set up to filter out stations and/or message categories that are not
required by the User.
The NAV-7 is capable of being connected to an Integrated Bridge System (IBS),
transferring NAVTEX messages to other navigational aids if required. Note that the
IBS must be compliant with the serial port requirements of IEC 61097-6 (Ed 2.0).
The NAV-7 will accept UTC time & date information from the IBS port if available.
UTC time & date will be used to timestamp received NAVTEX messages.
Permanent installation of the NAV-7 can be made with either the bulkhead-mounting
bracket or the flush panel mounting kit provided.
The NAVTEX antenna should be mounted where it is elevated clear of metal objects
in a location where it cannot easily be damaged.

Page 7
INTRODUCTION
NAVTEX is a method of transmitting navigational warnings and weather forecasts
from designated coast radio stations. All English language transmissions are made on
the 518 kHz NAVTEX channel. Each NAVTEX station is allocated several time slots
during the day when it is permitted to transmit, normally at four hourly intervals. The
exceptions to this are gale warnings and search and rescue messages which may be
transmitted at any time.
Reception of 518 kHz NAVTEX transmissions is normally limited to an area of 200 -
300 miles radius around each transmitting station, although considerably greater
ranges are possible at night. Subject to IMO approval, additional local language
transmissions are sent on 90 kHz and on 209.5 kHz, NAV-7 supports simultaneous
reception of all three NAVTEX channels.
Designed to the latest International specifications, NAV-7 meets IMO requirements
under GMDSS and is designed for simplicity of operation. It will provide up to date
MSI (Marine Safety Information) and weather forecasts and is suitable for use by all
classes of commercial vessels and large pleasure craft. It will display and store
NAVTEX messages without manual intervention within designated areas of NAVTEX
service coverage.
If the vessel is located within the coverage area of several NAVTEX stations
(particularly at night), the NAV-7 may overwhelm you with information. It can therefore
be set up to display only those stations and message categories you want to receive
and which are applicable to the area in which the vessel is currently sailing.
Normally, routine NAVTEX messages are repeated at four hourly intervals. Provided
that the NAV-7 is left running, repeated messages are not displayed more than once.
Each message is retained for three days (72 hours) after its last reception before
being automatically deleted, unless the message has been marked as locked.
Full detail of the GMDSS NAVTEX service is published in the Admiralty List of Radio
Signals Volume 5, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). Published
by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office.
The IMO and various national coastguards also have informative websites; see the
links page at www.mcmurdo.co.uk

Page 8
OPERATION
NAV-7 CONTROLS
The NAV-7 has been designed to be easy to use with an intuitive user interface and
softkeys.
Main display area
Scroll bar
Softkeys
Indicator LED
Tracker pad
Enter key
Backlight key
Softkey labels
UTC (if available)
Status icons
Position (if available)

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Display Icons
The NAV-7 displays various icons in the status bar at the top of the display.
SAR, warning alarm
Unread message indicator
The antenna or antenna cable is faulty
The 518 kHz receiver is receiving
The 90 kHz receiver is receiving
The 209.5 kHz receiver is receiving
The external receiver is receiving
OPERATION
Switch on the NAV-7 by applying power via a circuit breaker or switched fuse.
There will be a few seconds delay whilst the software loads the contents of the
NAVTEX message store during which time the front panel red LED will blink.
The NAV-7 start-up screen will now be shown.
This screen disappears after 30 seconds; it may be removed sooner by pressing any
key.

Page 10
The NAV-7 is now ready to receive NAVTEX messages.
Receiving NAVTEX messages
When the NAV-7 begins to receive a signal, one or more of the receiver icons at the
top of the screen will appear to indicate which of the receivers is active.
When a complete message has been received, a pop-up appears on the display
indicating that a new message is available and the "unread message" icon flashes.
The message can be read by pressing the Enter key, or the popup can be removed
without reading the message by pressing the Right key. As each new message is
received, the NAV-7 may also generate a single short beep to attract attention to the
new message. This audible alert can be disabled on the Setup mode: System options
page if it is not required.
Any messages that are not read immediately will be marked with the "unread
message" symbol in both the Index and Summary modes. The "unread message"
icon at the top of the display continues to flash until all messages have been read.
Note that while a popup is on display only the Enter or Right buttons have any effect;
all other keys are disabled until the popup is removed.

Page 11
Alarms
The message category is used to classify the nature of each NAVTEX message. Of
particular note are message types 'D' (search and rescue), 'A' and 'L' (navigational
warnings) and 'E', 'B' and 'C' (meteorological warnings). When a message with any of
these message categories is received the NAV-7 operates its alarm relay contacts
and transmits an NMEA "ALR" sentence to the currently selected alarm port. The
alarm relay continues to operate until the alarm is acknowledged either by removing
the popup or by reception of an appropriate NMEA "ACK" sentence from another
connected device. Search and rescue messages (category 'D') cannot be read later;
the popup box can only be cleared by pressing the Enter key and reading the
message.
Finding and viewing NAVTEX messages
The NAV-7 displays NAVTEX messages in several ways designed to make finding
and viewing particular message categories or an individual message easy and
convenient.
Full Message
Message Summary
Message Index

Page 12
Message displays
view first lines
of each message
select another
message group
move cursor to
required message
select time frame
for messages
view selected message
select next
(newer) message
Go to next group
(see text)
go to previous group
(see text)
select previous
(older) message
scroll display up
select next
(newer) message
select previous
(older) message
scroll display down
view first lines
of each message
newest message
selected message
oldest message
Message index display
Message summary display
Full message display

Page 13
Message index display
The Message index display shows the identifiers of messages from a specific
receiver. Unread messages have an “envelope” () mark; locked messages (see Full
message display) have a “key” () mark.
Message identifiers can be expanded to show either the first two lines or the full
message by selecting the desired message and pushing the appropriate softkey.
Messages from another receiver can be displayed using the View softkey, which
cycles through the available sources.
Messages are grouped by time interval. The Show softkey cycles through the set
intervals.
Message summary display
The Message summary display shows the first two lines of each message, selected
by various criteria.
Selection criteria are time, station identity and message type. The Sort by softkey
cycles through these criteria.
Depending on the selection, the “group” is a -hour period, a station or a message
type.
The Show softkey controls the total number of messages displayed by suppressing
messages which are older than the selected time frame.
A message can be shown in full by selecting it and pushing the View softkey.
Full message display
Because messages are automatically erased 72 hours after they are received, it is
necessary to take action to retain an important message beyond this time. Displaying
the message and pressing the Lock softkey causes the message to be retained
indefinitely. A locked message is identified by a “key” () mark in the Index display.
A locked message is unlocked by displaying it (in this view) and pressing the Unlock
softkey.
Up to 250 messages can be saved for long term retention; once the limit has been
reached, operating the Lock softkey will not lock any more messages until some are
unlocked again.
Minimising the number o messages displayed
After the NAV-7 has been switched on for a while there will be a large number of
NAVTEX messages stored in memory. These can be quite overwhelming if the user is
looking for particular message categories or an individual message.
Several design features have been incorporated into the NAV-7 to make day to day
operation easier:
• Separate frequency channel pages
• Station filtering

Page 1
• Message category filtering
• Time-limited display of messages
Separate requency channel pages
A separate NAVTEX message display is provided for each of the 3 receiver channels.
All 518 kHz messages appear together, all 90 kHz messages appear together and
all 209.5 kHz messages appear together. Switch between these displays by using
the View softkey.
Station iltering
NAVTEX transmitting stations that are not required can be de-selected by making the
appropriate selections in the Setup screens.
Message category iltering
NAVTEX message categories that are not required can be de-selected by making the
appropriate selections in the Setup screens.
Time-limited display o messages
In order to access recent messages quickly the Show softkey can be used to show
only NAVTEX messages that have been received in the selected time period (last
hours, last 12 hours etc)
SETUP MODE
To enter Setup mode, press and hold the ENTER key for 3 seconds.
All of the user-editable setup parameters are stored in non-volatile memory and will
be unchanged after a power cycle, unless otherwise stated in the descriptions of each
individual page.
To exit from Setup mode and return to normal operating mode, press and hold the
ENTER key for 3 seconds until the display returns to normal operating mode, or press
the top softkey to select the next main page.
Note that message pop-ups do not appear while in Setup mode to ensure they do not
interrupt the editing of a configuration field. Always exit from Setup mode when you
have finished configuring the NAV-7 and return to normal mode before leaving the
NAV-7 unattended.

Page 15
NAVTEX message headers
At the beginning of each NAVTEX message there is a message header which
identifies the source and nature of message, time and date of reception, received
frequency and error rate.
For example:
KA59 1 :16 19-Jul 518 0%
In the Message Index display only the message identifier is visible.
It is recommended that the User or Installer takes time to set up the NAV-7 to filter out
those stations and message categories that are not required. In this way the display is
kept uncluttered; only those messages that are required will be visible.
Messages are selected for display by the NAV-7’s software comparing the Station and
Message Category information encoded into the message identifier (eg KA in the
diagram above) with the filter settings entered by the user during setup.
Serial number
Message category
Transmitting Station
Receiver error rate
Received frequency
UTC date
UTC time
Message id
entifier
KA59

Page 16
Colour coding o NAVTEX message headers
The NAVTEX message information bars are colour coded for each type of message
as defined in the table below.
ID Message category Colour
A Navigational warnings CYAN
B Meteorological warnings GREEN
C Ice reports GREEN
D Search and rescue information and pirate warnings RED
E Meteorological forecasts GREEN
F Pilot service messages MAGENTA
G AIS, DECCA messages BROWN
H LORAN messages BROWN
I Not currently used BROWN
J SATNAV messages (GPS, GLONASS) BROWN
K Other electronic navaid system messages BROWN
L Navigational warnings (additional) CYAN
M to U Not currently used BROWN
V Notice to fishermen (US only) BROWN
W Environmental (US only) BROWN
X, Y Not currently used BROWN
Z No message on hand BROWN
Message ilters
To enter setup mode, press and hold the ENTER key. After a few seconds the
Message filters page will be displayed.

Page 17
This page can be used to indicate that messages from specified Transmitting Stations
or of specified Message Categories should NOT be displayed, stored or output as
required.
Each receiver has its own separate set of message filters; pressing the Select
XXXX kH RECEIVER softkey cycles round the available receivers. The message
filter settings are all non-volatile and will be unchanged after a power cycle.
By default only message categories ‘A’ to ‘F’, ‘H’, ‘J’ to ‘L’, ‘V’ and ‘Z’ are enabled for
all Transmitting Stations. This is indicated by the check boxes for categories ‘G’, ‘I’,
‘M’ to ‘U’ and ‘W’ to ‘Y’ all being marked to indicate that they are being filtered out.
In order to deselect a Transmitting Station or Message Category, navigate to the
relevant checkbox using the pad (, ,  and  keys) and press ENTER. The
checkbox will then be marked to indicate that the Transmitting Station (or Message
Category, as appropriate) is now deselected and will not appear on the display.
Note that deselecting a Message Category (say ‘I’) in the top row (labelled ‘All’) will
remove Message Category ‘I’ from all Transmitting Stations. To disable message
categories from a specific station identity (eg ‘K’), scroll down until the selection panel
for ‘K’ is displayed, then select the appropriate check box. Deselecting the first
message category (labelled ‘*’) will toggle the state of all Message Categories from
the selected Station.
Message categories ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘D’ and ‘L’ cannot be individually controlled. If all
message categories for a station are deselected then categories ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘D’ and ‘L’ will
also be inhibited – so the station will be completely disabled. If at least one message
category is enabled for a particular station, then messages ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘D’ and ‘L’ will also
be enabled for that station.
There are three sets of message filter options for every Transmitting Station and
Message Category. The ‘STORE’ filter indicates that the selected message shall be
neither displayed nor stored in the non-volatile memory. The ‘IBS’ filter indicates that
the message shall not be sent to the IBS port on reception (if output of NRX
sentences to the IBS port is enabled). The ‘PRINT’ filter indicates that the selected
message should not be sent to the printer on reception (if printer output is enabled).
Note that the ENTER key toggles the value of any check box from checked to
unchecked and back again. Similarly, toggling any check box in the ‘All’ row, or in the
column headed ‘*’ will toggle the other entries in the row or column as appropriate.

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Setup mode: Receiver options
The Setup mode: Receiver options page contains diagnostics to assist with
installing and fault finding the NAV-7.
The lower part of the display is a monitor area which shows all received NAVTEX
characters in real time from the receiver selected as the monitor source, including the
phasing character (Ф) and receive character error symbol (), regardless of
transmitting station and message category filter settings.
Setup parameter Comment
Antenna power Enabled for active antenna
or Disabled for passive antenna
or Auto sense allows the NAV-7 to detect the antenna type
Antenna status Unknown: see Troubleshooting guide
Active: an active antenna is connected
Passive: a passive antenna is connected
Overload: excessive current; see Troubleshooting guide
Error: see Troubleshooting guide
Signal strength
The size of the bar indicates the highest signal strength being
currently received by any of the three receivers
Monitor source Selects which receiver to monitor. This parameter is always reset
to ‘None’ after a power cycle.
Checking the antenna:
You may wish to check that the NAVTEX antenna position is suitable by inspecting
the signal strength during a known NAVTEX transmission from a local station.

Page 19
Interpreting the diagnostics aids:
When a NAVTEX signal is being received, the appropriate receiver frequency icon
appears at the top of the display. If the Monitor source is set to this frequency then the
received data will appear in the Monitor window.
Use the eceive icon, Signal strength bar and Monitor window to help diagnose
installation problems and/or as a check that your NAV-7 is working correctly.
Receive
icon
Signal strength
bar
Monitor
window
Comments
OFF No new chars
being received
No current NAVTEX transmission
OFF No new chars
being received
Local in-band interference
present, or NAVTEX station
transmitting un-modulated RF
Set monitor source
to 518 kHz
Correct operation, NAVTEX data
will be shown in monitor window
Setup mode: System options
The Setup mode: System options page contains general information about the
NAV-7 and allows control over several aspects of the user interface.

Page 20
Setup
parameter
Description
Software version
Display model
Serial no
These parameters show the software version, hardware model and
the individual serial number of the NAV-7. These values cannot be
edited
Operating Mode Normal – normal use aboard vessel
Shore Station – displays all messages including repeats, ignoring
filters and 72-hour limit
Demonstration – for use at exhibitions, etc
Time
Date
These parameters allow the time and date to be set manually in
installations where there is no source of ZDA sentences
LED function Selects whether the LED on the front of the NAV-7 is used to
indicate a new message or an active alarm
Key click Allows key click sound to be disabled
Audible alarm Allows the internal audible alarm to be disabled in installations
where the NAV-7 is not located at the main navigation position of
the vessel. Note that this setting does not affect the operation of the
integral alarm relay or the generation of alarm sentences.
Message popup Allows message popups to be disabled
or confined to SAR messages only
Full font size Offers three choices of message font size in Full Message view
NMEA checksums Controls if incoming NMEA sentences require checksums (for
compatibility with older equipment)
Screen timeout This setting allows the display to be automatically blanked after a
certain period of time. While the display is blanked, pressing any
key, or the receipt of a new message will turn it on again. Note that
this setting only affects the display screen; all the receivers in the
NAV-7 continue to work normally even while the display is blanked.
Skip 209 index
Skip ext index
These fields allow the 209.5 kHz or external receiver index pages
to be skipped in installations where the 209.5 kHz receiver or the
external receiver are not used
WARNING: Because messages are automatically deleted after 72 hours, changing
the time or date may cause stored messages to be lost.