NorthStar 951X User manual

Limited warranty policy
Northstar Technologies, a division of BSC, Inc., warrants the Northstar 951/952 to be free
from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of two (2) years. This warranty
applies to the original purchaser and to any subsequent owner during the warranty
period, which begins on the date of shipment of the unit, F.O.B. Acton, Massachusetts, to
an authorized Northstar dealer.
Systems may not be returned to Northstar without a Returned Materials Authorization
(RMA) number. Call your Northstar dealer or Northstar for instructions.
During the unit’s warranty period, Northstar will repair or replace, at its option, any part of
the unit it finds to be defective due to faulty material(s) or workmanship. All such repairs
and/or replacements will be promptly performed by Northstar free-of-charge to the owner,
excluding freight costs incurred in shipping to the factory. Return shipments from North-
star to points within the United States are made via ground transportation, freight prepaid.
Special shipping charges (overnight, two-day, and so on) are the responsibility of the
owner.
To be covered by this warranty, the Northstar equipment must have been in normal use.
This warranty does not apply to units with defects caused by improper installation, phys-
ical damage, abuse, tampering, lightning or other abnormal electrical discharge, or to
units with defaced or altered serial numbers, or to units repaired by unauthorized persons
or repaired in a manner that violates Northstar’s recommended service procedures.
All repairs and/or replacements made under this warranty must be performed at North-
star’s facilities in Acton, Massachusetts. Performance of warranty work elsewhere will not
be authorized, and Northstar will not pay for any charges for such work. Northstar will not
be responsible for payment of any charges imposed by a Northstar dealer or other party
for services requested by and/or performed for a unit’s owner in connection with this
warranty. Such services might include removal of the unit from a vessel, inspection, pack-
aging, handling, reinstallation, and the like.
Northstar Technologies assumes no responsibility for any consequential losses of any
nature with respect to any of its products or services sold, rendered, or delivered. The
foregoing is the only warranty expressed or implied. No other warranty exists.

CAUTION!
Northstar products are designed to be very useful navigation
tools, but they are not substitutes for good seamanship. The
prudent navigator should never rely on any single device as the
sole source of navigation guidance. Exercise caution and good
judgment when underway.
CAUTION!
The electronic chart is an aid to navigation designed to facili-
tate the use of authorized government charts, not replace
them. Only official government charts and notices to mariners
contain all information needed for safe navigation, and, as
always, the user is responsible for their prudent use.

951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page i
Contents
Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Turning the unit on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Displaying a chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Displaying position coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Navigating to a waypoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Introducing the Northstar 951/952 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Maintaining your unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Upon first start-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Understanding the features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Understanding the function keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Understanding special functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Understanding the display screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Introducing the interfacing function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Comparing GPS and loran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Using the Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Using the PWR key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using the ARROW key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using the SAVE/MOB key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Using the function keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Using the menu keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Using the cursor pad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Using the alphanumeric keypad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Understanding the special display windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Using Charts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Displaying your present position on a chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Understanding electronic charts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Understanding nav aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Controlling the cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Page ii 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B
Changing the zoom levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Using vessel mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Using browse mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Using distance and bearing mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Setting up the chart screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Determining Position Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Displaying position, heading, and speed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Using GPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Using DGPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Using loran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Using Phantom Loran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Creating Waypoints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Introducing waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Creating waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Creating avoidance areas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Displaying waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Displaying waypoint coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Editing waypoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Updating waypoint coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Moving waypoints and routes between units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Transferring waypoints to and from a PC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Creating Routes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Introducing routes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Creating routes from the chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Creating routes from a waypoints list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Saving a route as you travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Editing a route . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Understanding Waypoint/Route Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Navigating directly from the chart screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Navigating to “quick” waypoint coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Navigating to a stored waypoint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Steering to a waypoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Navigating along routes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Restarting the course line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page iii
Using Nav Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Understanding the nav log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Reversing the trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Adding waypoints to the trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Stopping navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Restarting navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Using Other Special Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Understanding the alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Adjusting the display screen backlighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Understanding TideTrack™ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Changing the time zone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Customizing the Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Changing display options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Changing navigation options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Changing receiver options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Changing port setup options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Displaying service information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Appendix A - Northstar 951/952 Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Page iv 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B

951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page v
List of Figures
Figure 1: Proper insertion of a chart cartridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 2: Position accuracy of uncorrected GPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Figure 3: Waypoint symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Figure 4: Restarting the course line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Page vi 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B

951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page vii
List of Tables
Table 1: Contacting Northstar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 2: Definitions of GPS status messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Table 3: Definitions of noise levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Table 4: Definitions of DGPS status messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Table 5: Definitions of loran warning indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Table 6: Alarm types and descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Table 7: Beep and honk settings for all alarms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Table 8: Datum list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Table 9: Options for displaying cross-track information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Page viii 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B

951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page 1
1Quick Start
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Technical support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Turning the unit on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Displaying a chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Displaying position coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Navigating to a waypoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
This chapter introduces the Operator’s Manual for the North-
star 951X/XD and 952X/XD GPS chart navigators. The chapter
will help familiarize you with their navigation functions and
CHART display features, and explains how to use basic posi-
tioning information displayed on a CHART screen.

Page 2 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B
Chapter 1 - Quick Start
Welcome
Congratulations on your purchase of the Northstar GPS chart
navigator! The 951X/XD and 952X/XD are full-featured GPS
chart navigators designed to be extremely easy to use while
meeting your marine navigation needs in a comprehensive
and logical manner. The 952X/XD features a color display, but
is otherwise identical to the 951X/XD.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the unit’s controls! You
can’t hurt anything; you can only learn more about how to use
the unit’s system more efficiently. The unit always asks you to
verify what you’re doing when changing or deleting informa-
tion. You’ll be asked to confirm your action before anything
happens that may affect the operation of the unit. You can
always cancel a function at the last instant.
For information on how to install, interface, and troubleshoot
your unit, please refer to the Northstar 951/952 Installation
Manual (part number GM1505).
Using this manual
Your unit is designed to be an easy-to-use, full-function GPS
navigator. This manual complements that ease-of-use by illus-
trating and describing the unit’s various functions in a format
that’s conducive to quick learning and safe operation.
The sections in this manual are grouped by related functions,
starting with an overview of the basic control-panel layout and
function commands, and slowly progressing to more advanced
waypoint and route navigation operations. Sample screens are
used throughout the book to illustrate what the function
described looks like on the unit’s display screen.
The 951X and 952X are both differential-ready and can be
interfaced to an external differential receiver, whereas the
951XD and 952XD have built-in differential receivers. The
terms “unit” and “951/952” are used throughout this manual
to refer to both the 951 and 952 GPS chart navigators. Unless
specifically indicated, all information in this manual refers to
both the X (non-DGPS) and XD (DGPS) versions of the units.
The unit has several require-
ments that must be met to
ensure safe and proper opera-
tion. To ensure that all critical
installation parameters are
met, installation and interfac-
ing for the unit should be han-
dled by a marine technician
using the guidelines found in
the Northstar 951/952 Installa-
tion Manual.

Chapter 1 - Quick Start
951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page 3
In this manual the term “function key” refers to one of the five
keys located beneath the display screen. The function keys are
described in “Using the function keys” on page 33. The term
“menu key” refers to the five round keys on the right side of
the display screen. The purpose of each key changes depend-
ing on the screen that the unit is displaying. For more informa-
tion on keys, see ”Introducing the Northstar 951/952” starting
on page 15.
Technical support
After you follow the instructions in this manual, if you need
technical support or if you have any other questions, you can
contact Northstar by email, fax, phone, or U.S. mail as follows:
Hearing from you Your feedback is important and helps Northstar ensure that
this manual is a valuable resource for all 951/952 users. Send
Table 1: Contacting Northstar
Email:
Service: [e-mail]
Sales: [e-mail]
Fax:
Service: 978/897-1595
Sales: 978/897-7241
Telephone:
Main number: 978/897-6600 or 800/628-4487
Sales: 978/897-0770
Service: 978/897-6600
U.S. mail:
30 Sudbury Road
Acton, MA 01720
Website:
www.northstarcmc.com (you can send email to
Northstar from this site).

Page 4 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B
Chapter 1 - Quick Start
your questions, comments, or suggestions about this manual
to:
[e-mail]
Service and repair In case of an operating problem with your unit, you can con-
tact your dealer or return the unit to Northstar for diagnosis
and repair. (You may want to back up any user-defined way-
points and routes before returning the unit for repair; see the
Northstar 951/952 Installation Manual.) When describing an
operating problem, be as complete and accurate as possible. Be
sure to have your unit’s serial number and software revision
available whenever contacting or corresponding with either
your dealer or Northstar.If you need assistance, feel free to
call the Northstar Service Department at 978-897-6600.
NOTE:
To prevent delays, it’s critical that you first obtain a Return Materials
Authorization (RMA) number from the Service Department before return-
ing your unit to Northstar.
The unit is covered by a two-year limited warranty (see the
Limited Warranty Policy at the beginning of this manual),
which, in summary, states that if the unit is returned to North-
star by the owner or dealer during the warranty period, North-
star will repair or replace, free of charge, any part found to be
defective due to faulty materials or workmanship, if the unit
has been properly installed and hasn’t been abused. The only
cost to the owner will be the one-way shipping charges and
any associated charges that may be imposed by the dealer.
Shipments to Northstar should be made to the following
address:
Northstar Technologies
30 Sudbury Road
Acton, MA 01720
If you have special overnight or second-day shipping require-
ments (UPS or Federal Express), please call Northstar for turn-
around time and freight costs before shipping your unit.

Chapter 1 - Quick Start
951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page 5
For more details about service procedures, refer to the Limited
Warranty Policy at the front of this manual and to the North-
star 951/952 Installation Manual.
Turning the unit on and off
Turning the unit on After inserting a chart cartridge, to activate the unit, briefly
press the  (power) function key. You’ll be greeted with a
map of the Earth with the words “NORTHSTAR 951X” (at left
below) or “NORTHSTAR 952X” (at right below), then the owner
identification message. Next, the unit performs a series of
self-tests (the 951 and 952 self-test screens vary slightly) in
which critical components and functions are checked for any
errors.

Page 6 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B
Chapter 1 - Quick Start
Warning message After the start-up and self-test screens, a special warning mes-
sage (shown below) is displayed as a precautionary reminder
that you should not rely on the unit’s chart cartography as the
sole means of safe navigation.
Although every effort has been made to ensure that the data
used by the unit is as close to paper charts as possible, errors
and omissions are inevitable.

Chapter 1 - Quick Start
951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page 7
To proceed, acknowledge your acceptance of the warning mes-
sage by pressing any one of the five main “function” keys
located directly beneath the display screen.
GPS signals Once the unit is turned on and has acquired satellite data,
check the quality of the GPS signals being received by viewing
the various satellites’ SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) readings, as
described in “Viewing GPS satellite status” on page 63.
If you’re using a 951XD or 952XD unit with differential, if you
haven’t connected the DGPS antenna before powering up the
unit, the unit will display the status message SEARCHING. As
soon as you connect the antenna, the unit displays the mes-
sage OK. You don’t have to turn power off and on again.
You’re now ready to get underway with your unit!
Turning the unit off To shut off the unit, press and hold the  key for three sec-
onds, until the screen goes dark.
Displaying a chart
The unit contains a built-in map covering almost the entire
world at a fairly low level of detail. This world map can give
you an approximate idea of your location with respect to land
areas.
Using chart
cartridges
For more charting data, you can obtain highly detailed
Nav-Chart™ cartridges that are manufactured by Navionics
and available from Northstar dealers. Although the unit can be
used without a cartridge, its usefulness is greatly enhanced if
CAUTION!
Extreme care must be used when navigating by means of elec-
tronic charts. The captain is responsible for cross-checking the
unit against other sources of navigation data.

Page 8 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B
Chapter 1 - Quick Start
cartridges covering the areas you intend to navigate to are
readily available. Each cartridge includes several charts cover-
ing a specific area of coastline. Thousands of points, or nav
aids, are permanently stored on each cartridge.
If you want to use a cartridge that hasn’t already been installed
in the unit’s cartridge slot, you should install the cartridge
before turning the unit on (to avoid any possibility of a system
lock-up). The cartridge slot is located at the lower right-hand
corner of the unit.
If the unit is off, you can verify whether a cartridge has already
been installed by opening the cartridge access door (turn its
handle ¼-turn counter-clockwise) and looking inside the slot.
If the unit is on, you can verify whether a cartridge has already
been installed by pressing the menu key to the
right of the CHART screen (the cartridge access door must be
fully closed and latched to display this information). One of
two possible screens will be displayed:
•If a cartridge is present, the cartridge name and date are
displayed at the bottom of the CHART SETUP/STATUS
screen (at left below).
•If a cartridge is either not installed or incorrectly installed,
the words NONE INSERTED are displayed (at right below).
The cartridge name is derived from its Navionics catalog num-
ber. The date may not be present for all cartridges, especially

Chapter 1 - Quick Start
951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B Page 9
older ones; in these cases, the word PRESENT is displayed in
place of the cartridge name and date.
Inserting a chart
cartridge
Before inserting the cartridge, make sure that the cartridge
label is facing up and that the cartridge is oriented as shown
below in Figure 1: ”Proper insertion of a chart cartridge,”
below. Insert the cartridge gently but firmly into position with
one straight, smooth motion. If you partially insert the car-
tridge, stop, then move the cartridge again, it may become
stuck in an awkward position.
Figure 1: Proper insertion of a chart cartridge
Initial position
display screen
After the unit has completed its start-up sequence of self-tests
and acquired satellite data, and you’ve acknowledged the
warning screen, a CHARTscreen representing your present
position (such as the following) is displayed.
The Navionics chart cartridge
must remain free from debris
and moisture at all times. To
ensure that you do not expose
the cartridge to any environ-
mental damage, please use
caution when changing the
cartridge. Exercise care when
inserting the cartridge into the
Northstar unit (see description
and illustration at right). When
not in use, store the cartridge
in a clean, dry place away
from heat, humidity, and dust.
Improper handling and stor-
age of the cartridge may result
in damage to the Northstar
unit. Such damage is not cov-
ered under manufacturer war-
ranty.

Page 10 951/952 Operator’s Manual Rev. B
Chapter 1 - Quick Start
In the 951, white areas are water and gray areas are land. In
the 952, for normal or hi-brite screen viewing (normal is the
factory default option), white areas are water and brown areas
are land; for nighttime viewing, black areas are water and
green areas are land. Nav aids and depth contours are shown,
along with landmark names. Your present position is indicated
by the black triangular boat symbol (magenta, if nighttime
viewing) in the center of the chart. The scale at which your
view is initially displayed is approximately 64 nautical miles
(nm), from edge to edge.
If you want to display a more detailed view of your position,
press the menu key located to the upper right of the
screen. Press the menu key to show more area and
less detail. For details about zooming, see ”Changing the zoom
levels” beginning on page 47.
Displaying position coordinates
On the chart screen To display your position coordinates on the CHART screen,
press the menu key to the lower right of the dis-
play screen. Several forms of numeric information are available
at the bottom of the screen in what is referred to as the INFO
BAR.
Each successive press of the  menu key shows: