NorthStar 6000i User manual

Northstar 6000i
Quickstart Guide
and
Reference Manual

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Welcome to the Northstar 6000i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using this manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Networking the 6000i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Interfacing the 6000i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Maintaining the 6000i. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Quickstart Guide
Northstar 6000i Quickstart Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7
Turning the 6000i on and off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Introducing the display screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Introducing the controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Navionics chart cartridges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Displaying the chart screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Using demo mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Displaying numeric data on the chart screen. . . . . . . 17
Displaying numeric data on the position screen . . . . 18
Going immediately to a quick waypoint. . . . . . . . . . . 18
Radar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The echo sounder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Split function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The STAR key: alarms, TideTrack and setup . . . . . . . 21
SAVE and Man Overboard (MOB). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Reference Sections
1 Using the Chart Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
Using electronic charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Zooming in and out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Using the cursor on the chart screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Comparing vessel and browse modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Rotating the chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Setting up the chart screen (Classic charts) . . . . . . . . . 31
Setting up the chart screen (Gold Charts) . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Using Gold charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Changing the track control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Using the course predictor line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using the distance and bearing calculator. . . . . . . . . . 40
2 Position coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Displaying position, COG, and speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Using GPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Using DGPS or WAAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Using loran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Using Phantom Loran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3 Navigating to Waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51
Introducing waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Designating a waypoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Steering to a waypoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
The course predictor line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Navigating along routes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Restarting the track line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
The NAV LOG screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Contents

4 Creating waypoints and routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
63
Displaying waypoints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Creating new waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Creating avoidance-area waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Editing waypoints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Introducing routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Creating a route from the chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Creating routes from a list of waypoints. . . . . . . . . . . 74
Saving a route as you travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Editing a route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Transferring waypoints/routes to other units. . . . . . . 80
Transferring waypoints to and from a PC. . . . . . . . . . 83
5 Radar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
85
How radar works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Turning the radar transmitter on and off . . . . . . . . . . 86
Displaying radar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Using the radar’s main menu keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Overlaying radar on the chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Changing radar scale and rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Setting user preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Operating modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Using the radar adjustment keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Using the Radar Markers keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
6 Echo sounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
103
Welcome to the Northstar 490 Echo Sounder . . . . . 104
Displaying the echo sounder’s picture . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Using automatic mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Changing the frequency of echoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Zooming in and out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Echo Sounder setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
The picture menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Changing the depth settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Using the MORE key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Setting the ECHO screen data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Viewing past echoes using SoundTrac. . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Echo sounding alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
7 Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
135
Video sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Displaying video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
8 Alarms and TideTrack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
137
Alarms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
TideTrack™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
9 N2 Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
149
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
10 Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
153
Changing your display settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Changing your navigation settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Changing your receiver settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Changing your port settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Setting up the echosounder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Setting up radar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Installing software updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Displaying system information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Changing the time zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Appendix A — Datum list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

1
Reference Manual Revision D
Getting Started
Welcome to the Northstar 6000i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Networking the 6000i. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3
Maintaining the 6000i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Interfacing the 6000i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
T
his chapter introduces this manual and explains a few things you should know to keep
your Northstar 6000i in top operating condition.

2
Getting Started
Welcome to the Northstar 6000i
Northstar 6000i
Welcome to the Northstar 6000i
Congratulations on your purchase of the
Northstar 6000i Integrated Navigation
System! The 6000i is a full-featured color
GPS/vector charting system — easy to use,
but meeting your marine navigation needs
in a comprehensive, logical manner.
Optional Northstar radar and fish finding
modules round out the 6000i ’s capabilities.
The 6000i enhances GPS with the Wide
Area Augmentation System (WAAS) or
optional radiobeacon differential position
navigation for superb accuracy, and offers
a high-resolution full-color screen with
Navionics cartography and video overlay.
Major functions are accessed with a single
keypress. By reducing the attention
required to navigate, you can devote more
time to simply enjoying your trip.
For information on installing, interfacing,
and troubleshooting the 6000i , please see
the Northstar 6000i Installation Manual
(part number GM6KIM) or contact your
local authorized Northstar dealer.
Using this manual
This manual is divided into two main
sections:
• The Quickstart Guide begins on page 7
and has all the basic information you
need to operate the 6000i. Be sure to
read this section as you start using the
unit.
• A Reference Section starts on page 23.
Use this when you need more
information about any of the unit’s
functions — you’ll find answers here to
any questions about getting the most
from your 6000i .
Check the mini table of contents at the
beginning of each chapter to quickly locate
a topic you need help with.
It’s best to read this manual with the 6000i
set up and running so you can try out the
various functions and see the results.
The 6000i has several
requirements that must
be met to ensure safe
and proper operation.
Installation and interfac-
ing of the 6000i should
be handled by a marine
technician using the
guidelines found in the
Northstar 6000i Installa-
tion Manual.

3
Getting Started
Networking the 6000i
Reference Manual Revision D
Conventions
This manual uses certain conventions to
provide a consistent means of recognizing
specific information, as follows:
• is the universal caution symbol for
caution and warning information
related to your personal safety or
possible damage to the system. The
CAUTION and WARNING notes contain
critical information—please read them!
• The phrase “Press a key” means push
briefly and release, unless otherwise
specified.
• Text written like “
CHART ” generally
refers to named keys on the 6000i’s
front panel. Text written like “
More
info
” generally refers to the 6000i’s
menu keys at the right side of the
screen.
• Whenever this manual tells you to
press
ENTER to perform a function, you
can press
CLEAR instead if you decide
not to perform that function. These
keys are abbreviated
ENT and
CLR on
the 6000i .
Networking the 6000i
Northstar’s N2 networking technology lets
you connect two or more 6000i units in
order to share navigation data (including
radar and sounder data) and all waypoints
and routes between the units. The system
can be operated from any connected unit,
and all changes to routes and waypoints
are reflected on all the networked units.
Networking is fully automatic on the
6000i; no special steps are necessary
In an N2 network, one display unit is desig-
nated as the master, and all others as
slaves. The only restrictions on N2
networking are the following:
•there must be one and only one master
unit operating in a network
•all units must have the same software
version.
If, for example, a slave unit is turned on
before the master, a message is displayed
reminding you to turn on the master unit
before using the slave. In case the master
unit is not available (removed for service,
for example), brief instructions show how
to temporarily convert a slave into a master
unit.
For details on networking, see N2
Networking, starting on page 149.

4Getting Started
Interfacing the 6000i Northstar 6000i
Interfacing the 6000i
The 6000i can be connected to a wide
variety of compatible marine devices,
including Northstar’s echo sounder and
radar. A qualified marine electronics tech-
nician should perform these installations.
For details, contact your local authorized
Northstar dealer.
Maintaining the 6000i
Basic maintenance
To help retain the 6000i’s best possible
performance, Northstar recommends the
following:
•be sure to keep the cartridge access
door closed at all times, except when
you’re changing the chart cartridge, to
prevent moisture and dirt from
entering the 6000i
•don’t change the cartridge while the
6000i is exposed to water spray, rain, or
moisture of any kind
•keep spare cartridges in a safe,
watertight place where they won’t be
misplaced
•keep fingerprints off the display screen
(remove any prints with a lens cleaning
cloth)
•remove dirt and grime using a soft
cloth and Windex or soap and water
•don’t scratch the display by wiping a
sandy or salty cloth across it
•use the 6000i’s protective plastic
sunshield when not in use (excessive
heat from the sun can cause damage)
•don’t open the 6000i’s case—there aren’t
any user-serviceable parts inside
•always keep the rear connectors’ plastic
caps on when they are not in use (the
connectors are not waterproof unless
covered)
Cleaning the display screen
Be careful when cleaning the glass window
covering the display screen. Although the
window is scratch-resistant, you may
damage the anti-reflective coating if you
use a dry cloth to wipe dirt off. Always use
a damp cloth with plenty of water to
remove salt or dirt. To remove any oil or
Pre-packaged moist
towellettes (especially
those containing a small
amount of alcohol) are
excellent for cleaning
the 6000i’s display win-
dow. You might want to
keep a supply on hand
to wipe off fingerprints
and other smudges.

5
Getting Started
Technical support
Reference Manual Revision D
grease on the screen, use a clean, dry
microfiber-type lens cleaning cloth or a
small amount of window cleaner.
Avoid touching the window with your
fingers. The natural oils from your hand
will temporarily affect the characteristics of
the screen and cause your fingerprints to
appear as bright reflections. Fingerprints
will disappear when you clean the screen
as described in the previous paragraph.
Technical support
Northstar products are manufactured and
serviced by BNT Marine Electronics.
If you need technical support, or have any
other questions after you’ve followed the
instructions in this manual, you can
contact the factory as follows:
by Telephone:
978/897-6600 or 800/628-4487
by E-mail:
Service: [email protected]
Sales: [email protected]
by Fax:
Service: 978/897-1595
Sales: 978/897-7241
by U.S. mail:
Northstar
30 Sudbury Road
Acton, MA 01720 USA
Additional information is available at
Northstar’s website:
www.NorthstarNav.com
Hearing from you
Your feedback is important and helps
ensure that this manual is a valuable
resource for all 6000i users. Send your
questions, comments, or suggestions about
this manual to:
[email protected]
Service and repair
In case of a 6000i operating problem, you
can contact your dealer or return the 6000i
to the factory for diagnosis and repair.
When calling, be sure to have your 6000i’s
serial number and software revision avail-
able. In describing a problem, be as

6Getting Started
Technical support Northstar 6000i
complete and accurate as possible. Before
returning the 6000i for repair, you may
want to save your waypoints and routes. If
the unit is properly networked to another
6000i display, a copy of your waypoints
and routes is already saved in the other
unit. You can also transfer data to a North-
star 900 series navigator or to a PC as
described on pages 80 and 83.
NOTE:
To prevent delays, it’s critical that you
first obtain a Return Materials Authoriza-
tion (RMA) number from our Service
Department before returning your 6000i.
Shipments to Northstar should be made to
the following address:
Northstar Service Department
30 Sudbury Road
Acton, MA 01720
If you have special overnight or
second-day shipping requirements, please
call for turnaround time and freight costs
before you ship your 6000i.

7
Quickstart Guide Revision D
Northstar 6000i Quickstart Guide
Turning the 6000i on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Introducing the display screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Introducing the controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Navionics chart cartridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Displaying the chart screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Using demo mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Displaying numeric data on the chart screen . . . . . . . . . . 17
Displaying numeric data on the position screen . . . . . . . 18
Going immediately to a quick waypoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Radar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The echo sounder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Split function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The STAR key: alarms, TideTrack and setup . . . . . . . . . . . 21
SAVE and Man Overboard (MOB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
This section gives an overview of each of the 6000i’s major functions and the basic infor-
mation you need to begin using them.
We suggest you read this section carefully as you first use the 6000i, and then refer to the
following Reference Sections, as necessary, to answer any questions you may have.

8Turning the 6000i on and off Northstar 6000i
Turning the 6000i on and off
Turning the 6000i on
To turn the 6000i on, gently and briefly
press the PWR key. (See Figure 1 on
page 10 for a picture of the controls.)
The 6000i beeps and displays its start-up
screen, and then performs a series of
self-tests to check its critical components
and functions.
Next, a message warns against relying on
the 6000i’s chart cartography as the only
means of safe navigation. Acknowledge the
warning message by pressing the CHART
key.
Now you’re ready to get underway with
your 6000i!
If this 6000i was recently used at or near
its present location, it will usually be
ready to navigate within one minute after
it is turned on.
Turning the 6000i off
To turn the 6000i off, press and hold the
PWR key for a few seconds until the screen
goes dark.
Introducing the display screen
Adjusting the brightness
To adjust the screen’s brightness, briefly
press the PWR key. Then press the cursor
pad upward to brighten the screen, or
downward to darken it.
After reaching maximum brightness, you
can release and press the cursor pad again
to increase the contrast, making the screen
even more readable under full sunlight
conditions.
If the 6000i becomes too hot due to high
ambient temperature and strong sunlight,
the display screen may automatically dim
to prevent overheating. You can tempo-
rarily override the auto-dim function at
any time just by increasing the brightness.
The 6000i may dim again to avoid
exceeding the maximum internal
temperature.
CAUTION!
Use caution when navi-
gating with electronic
charts. Although every
effort has been made to
ensure that the data the
6000i uses is as close as
possible to paper charts,
errors and omissions are
inevitable. The captain is
responsible for
cross-checking the 6000i
against other sources of
navigation data.

9
Introducing the controls
Quickstart Guide Revision D
Special display windows
Occasionally, the 6000i needs to tell you
something or ask permission to do some-
thing. When this happens, an information
or question window appears on the screen.
This window may contain an alarm icon, or
an INFO icon or a large question mark
along with a message for you to read.
Question windows
A question window appears
when the 6000i needs a
response from you. Respond
to a question window by pressing the
ENTER key to answer yes, or the CLEAR
key to answer no. Most of the other keys,
including the function keys, are tempo-
rarily inactive while the 6000i displays a
question window.
Introducing the controls
Feel free to try any of the 6000i’s controls!
You can’t hurt anything, and you’ll only
learn more about how to use the 6000i
more efficiently. The 6000i always asks
you to verify what you’re doing before it
changes or deletes information. You’ll be
asked to confirm your action before
anything happens that may affect the
6000i’s operation. You can always press
CLEAR to cancel a function if you change
your mind.
Function keys
Figure 1 on page 10 illustrates the loca-
tions of the 6000i’s controls.
The six keys below the screen access the
unit’s major functions. These are CHART,
POSITION, and STEER, and the optional
functions RADAR, SOUNDER and VIDEO.
Press one at any time to instantly display
that function on the full screen, then use
the menu keys at the right edge of the
screen to control the function.
The WAYPTS/ROUTES key accesses the
6000i’s database of stored position
information.
The STAR key accesses the alarm screen
and miscellaneous functions including
TideTrack and setup commands.
Using ENTER and CLEAR

10 Introducing the controls Northstar 6000i
Split screen feature
If you have the radar, echo sounder or
video options installed, press the SPLIT key
to split the screen into two or more
sections, each with a different function
displayed. See page 20 for more
information.
SPLIT
IN
OUT
WAYPTS
ROUTES
SAVE
MOB
CHART POSITION STEER RADAR SOUNDER VIDEO
PWR
BRT
Figure 1: 6000i controls

11
Navionics chart cartridges
Quickstart Guide Revision D
Menu keys
The six round keys at the right of the
screen take on different functions,
depending on the screen displayed. Each
active key is labeled on the screen.
You can press CLEAR to hide the labels
and display more data on the CHART, STEER,
SPLIT, and SOUNDER screens. To show the
labels again, press any menu key. On the
CHART screen, you can also hide the info
bar (see Displaying numeric data on the
chart screen, on page 17) by pressing
CLEAR a second time, while the menu
keys are hidden.
Navionics chart cartridges
The 6000i contains a built-in, low-resolu-
tion map that covers the entire world, but
without much detail. This map can give
you an approximate idea of your location
with respect to land areas, but nav aids are
not included.
For more detailed charting data, you can to
purchase one or more Navionics chart
cartridges:
•Classic cartridges include several charts
covering a specific geographic region
•Gold chart cartridges add nearly all of
the additional data from printed charts,
including shaded areas indicating
depths
Cartridges with the XL3 designation
contain charts for more than one region.
Only one region can be used at a time, The
user selects the desired region as described
in Navionics XL3 charts, on page 25.
Navionics is a major producer of
high-quality, high-resolution “seamless”
digital charts. Virtually every major port
and most popular boating areas are avail-
able on these cartridges, and new charts
are constantly being added. To obtain
Navionics charts, contact your authorized
Northstar dealer.
It’s important to realize that you can use
either Classic or Gold charts at any given
time. To switch cartridge types, turn the
unit off, change the cartridge, and turn it
back on. If you have two or more 6000is
networked, it’s the master’s cartridge that
configures the network for Classic or Gold.
You cannot use different cartridge types
simultaneously.

12 Navionics chart cartridges Northstar 6000i
Inserting a chart cartridge
The cartridge slot is located behind the
6000i’s keypad, which opens as shown in
Figure 2. The latch is at the left edge of the
door. Push it to the right to open the door.
The cartridge only fits correctly one way. If
it doesn’t slide in smoothly, try the other
way. Insert the cartridge gently but firmly
with one straight, smooth motion. A
cartridge can be safely inserted or removed
while the 6000i is turned on.
Be sure to close the door securely to
avoid water penetration!
Showing the cartridge name and date
Press the CHART key, and then the Chart
setup menu key at the right of the CHART
screen. The cartridge name and date are
shown at the left of the CHART STATUS
screen. The cartridge name displayed on
the left of the screen is its Navionics
catalog number.
Some older cartridges may not have this
information; in this case, the word
PRESENT is shown in place of the name
and date. If no chart cartridge is installed,
the words NONE INSERTED are shown.
It usually takes 15 seconds or so to load
chart data after the 6000i is turned on or
after a new cartridge is inserted.
Accessing the regions contained in Navi-
onics XL3 series cartridges is described on
page 25.
Using the additional data on Gold charts is
described in Setting up the chart screen
(Gold Charts), starting on page 33.
SPLIT
WAYPYS
ROUTES
SAVE
MOB
IN
OUT
Figure 2: Inserting the chart cartridge
Chart Setup/status screen

13
Displaying the chart screen
Quickstart Guide Revision D
Displaying the chart screen
After the 6000i completes its start-up
sequence, press the CHART function key to
acknowledge the warning message and
display the CHART screen.
You’ll soon see your present position repre-
sented by a black triangular vessel symbol
in the center of the chart. If you’re not
receiving GPS signals, you can use Demo
Mode, as described on page 16.
Chart screen (classic chart shown)

14 Displaying the chart screen Northstar 6000i
The 6000i’s CHART screen displays your
vessel’s present position (or any position
you designate with the cursor pad) in
relation to land masses, nav aids, and any
waypoints and routes you have entered. As
you navigate, your vessel remains in the
center of the CHART screen, and the chart
moves underneath your vessel.
Clearing a GPS or WAAS alarm
If the 6000i isn’t able to obtain a position
from GPS within three minutes, you’ll see a
flashing NO GPS alarm icon on the right
side of the screen. This means the 6000i
has an alarm message that needs your
acknowledgement: Press the STAR
function key to display the Alarms screen.
The alarm message NO GPS POSITION
FIX is shown in the Recent Alarms box.
This message advises you that the 6000i
is in the process of acquiring satellite
information necessary for displaying a
position fix.
The word NEW in the upper right corner of
the screen tells you this message hasn’t yet
been acknowledged. To acknowledge this
or any message alarm, press the Clear
alarm menu key. As soon as the 6000i
acquires its signals, you’ll be ready to go.
For details about alarms, see Alarms,
starting on page 138.
Using the chart
Your vessel is normally shown in the
center of the chart screen. If your vessel is
moving, the symbol will point in the direc-
tion of your Course Over Ground (COG). (If
your vessel isn’t moving, the 6000i can’t
determine your COG, so the direction of
the vessel symbol won’t mean anything.)
White areas represent water and brown
areas are land. Avoidance areas and a
lat/lon grid may be displayed. If you’re
using a chart cartridge, nav aids and depth
contours are shown as well as landmark
names.
By the
way,
If you’re not receiving
GPS signals, you can
use Demo Mode to
simulate real-life condi-
tions, including motion.
See Using demo mode,
on page 16.
Alarms screen

15
Displaying the chart screen
Quickstart Guide Revision D
To zoom in and see more details about
your position, press the IN key. To zoom
out (more area and less detail), press OUT.
Use the cursor pad to display the
red cursor and designate waypoints
or move the chart to a different
area. Press Vessel to recenter the chart on
your vessel.
The WAAS (or DGPS) indicator on the right
side of the screen means the 6000i is
currently receiving WAAS (or optional
radiobeacon) signals.
Chart plotter functions
The menu keys at the right of the chart
screen perform the following navigation
functions (not all keys are shown all the
time):
•display any available overlays, such as
radar
•rotate the chart to north-up, course-up,
leg-up or heading-up (heading-up
requires an optional heading sensor)
•restart the desired track line to run
directly from your position to the
waypoint, “zeroing” the cross-track
error display
•return from “Browse” mode (cursor
on-screen) to “Vessel” mode (vessel
centered)
•change the options available for the
chart screen
•display additional position information
in the INFO BAR at the bottom of the
screen
•go to a waypoint, nav aid, or unmarked
point you select on the chart screen by
pressing the cursor pad
Displaying other information
On the CHART screen, you can display your
current route, track history, waypoints and
avoidance points, a lat/lon grid, a radar
overlay, or other chart details. For Classic
charts, see Setting up the chart screen
(Classic charts), on page 31. For Gold charts,
see Setting up the chart screen (Gold Charts),
on page 33.
CursorVessel
Info bar Menu keys
Chart area
WAAS
Chart screen

16 Alarms Northstar 6000i
Alarms
The Northstar 6000i alerts you to condi-
tions that may require attention. Some
alerts are strictly informative, such as
nearing a waypoint, and some warn of
conditions such as loss of navigation
signals. The unit alerts you with a beeping
sound and a flashing symbol in the lower
right corner of the screen. Many alarms
automatically clear themselves after a few
seconds. Others remain flashing until you
press a key on the ALARM screen or until
the condition clears. See Alarms, starting on
page 138 for a listing of all alarms and the
meaning of each.
Using demo mode
You can use demo mode to simulate a
stationary position, or simulate navigating
to a location you select on the CHART
screen. Demo mode is useful for training,
and could be used for dead reckoning in
the event that GPS signals should ever fail.
To access the demo control screen, display
the CHART screen and press Chart setup,
then press Demo control.
To place your vessel at a simulated
position and enter demo mode, press the
cursor pad to move the cursor to the
desired position on the chart. Zoom out if
you need to see more area. Press Demo
Position and ENTER. Your vessel symbol
will now be stationary at this position.
To simulate motion from this point to
another location, press the cursor pad to
move the cursor to the destination, then
press the Demo COG/SOG key. To change
the vessel’s speed from the standard 12
Simulated radar and
echo-sounding signals
can also be displayed
when in demo mode.
-
-
Demo control screen