TracPhone FB150 User manual

Installation Guide
TracPhone®FB150

i
TracPhone FB150
Installation Guide
The KVH®Industries’ TracPhone®FB150 system, manufactured by Thrane & Thrane,
delivers high-speed data and voice communications via satellite through Inmarsat’s
Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN). This installation guide provides all of the
information you need to install or service the system. For detailed operation information,
please refer to the User’s Guides.
Please direct technical questions to:
North/South America, Australia: Europe, Middle East, Asia:
KVH Industries, Inc. KVH Europe A/S
50 Enterprise Center Kokkedal Industripark 2B
Middletown, RI 02842-5279 USA 2980 Kokkedal, Denmark
Tel: [phone] Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone] Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.kvh.com Internet: www.kvh.com
If you have any comments regarding this manual, please e-mail them to [email protected].
Your input is greatly appreciated!
KVH Part # 54-0644 Rev. A
© 2009, KVH Industries, Inc., All rights reserved.

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Trademark Information
TracPhone, TracVision, KVH, and the unique light-colored dome with contrasting baseplate
are registered trademarks of KVH Industries.
Thrane & Thrane is a registered trademark of Thrane & Thrane A/S in the European Union
and the United States.
SAILOR is a registered trademark of Thrane & Thrane A/S in the European Union, the
United States, and other countries.
Windows and Outlook are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United
States and other countries.
Inmarsat is a registered trademark of International Maritime Satellite Organisation (IMSO)
and is licensed by IMSO to Inmarsat Limited and Inmarsat Ventures plc.
Inmarsat’s product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Inmarsat.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure the correctness and completeness of the material in this
document. No company shall be liable for errors contained herein. The information in this
document is subject to change without notice. No warranty of any kind is made with regard
to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and
fitness for a particular purpose.

iii
Safety summary
The following general safety precautions must be observed during all phases of
operation, service and repair of this equipment. Failure to comply with these
precautions or with specific warnings elsewhere in this manual violates safety
standards of design, manufacture and intended use of the equipment. KVH assumes no
liability for the customer's failure to comply with these requirements.
Observe marked areas
Under extreme heat conditions do not touch areas of the terminal
or antenna that are marked with this symbol, as it may result in
injury.
Microwave radiation hazards
During transmission the antenna in this system radiates
microwave power. This radiation may be hazardous to humans close to the antenna.
During transmission, make sure that nobody gets closer than the recommended
minimum safety distance.
On the TracPhone FB150, the minimum safety distance on the
focal line to the antenna panel is 0.6 m, based on a radiation level
of 10 W/m2. The radiation level is 100 W/m2at a distance of
0.2 m from the antenna panel. Refer to the drawing below.
Distance to other equipment
Do not move the antenna closer to radars than the minimum safe distance specified in
Radar distance on page 7 - it may cause damage to the antenna. The equipment must be
installed with the following minimum safe distances to magnetic steering compass:
TracPhone FB150 terminal: min. 0.3 m.
TracPhone FB150 antenna: min. 1.1 m
Service
Access to the interior of the system units is prohibited - failure to comply with this rule
will void the warranty.
MICROWAVE RADIATION
No personnel within safety distance
60°
Safety distance:
(0.2 m, 100 W/m
2
)
0.6 m, 10 W/m
2

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Do not service or adjust alone
Do not attempt internal service or adjustments unless another person, capable of
rendering first aid resuscitation, is present.
Grounding, cables and connections
To minimize shock hazard, the equipment chassis and cabinet must be connected to an
electrical ground. The terminal must be grounded to the ship. For further grounding
information refer to Grounding and RF protection on page 56.
Do not extend the cables beyond the lengths specified for the equipment. The cable
between the terminal and antenna can be extended if it complies with the specified data
concerning cable losses etc.
All cables for your TracPhone system are shielded and should not be affected by
magnetic fields. However, try to avoid running cables parallel to AC wiring as it might
cause malfunction of the equipment.
Power supply
The voltage range is 10.5 - 32 V DC; 14 A - 5.5 A. It is recommended that the voltage is
provided by the 24 V DC power bus on the ship. Be aware of high start-up peak current:
20 A at 24 V, 5 ms.
If a 24 V DC power bus is not available, an external 115/230 VAC to 24 V DC power
supply can be used.
Do not operate in an explosive atmosphere
Do not operate the equipment in the presence of flammable gases or fumes. Operation
of any electrical equipment in such an environment constitutes a definite safety hazard.
Keep away from live circuits
Operating personnel must not remove equipment covers. Component replacement and
internal adjustment must be made by qualified maintenance personnel. Do not replace
components with the power cable connected. Under certain conditions, dangerous
voltages may exist even with the power cable removed. To avoid injuries, always
disconnect power and discharge circuits before touching them.
Failure to comply with the rules above will void the warranty!

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About the manual
Intended readers
This is an installation manual for the TracPhone FB150 system. The readers of
the manual include installers of the system and service personnel. Personnel
installing or servicing the system must be properly trained and authorized by
KVH. It is important that you observe all safety requirements listed in the
beginning of this manual, and install the system according to the guidelines in
this manual.
Manual overview
Note that this manual does not cover general use of the system nor does it
cover how to use the IP handset that comes with the system. For this
information, refer to the user manual for this system and the user manual for
the IP handset, both listed in the next section.
This manual has the following chapters:
•System units contains a short description of each main unit in the system.
•Installing the system describes where to place the system units, how to
mount them, distance to other equipment etc.
•Connecting power explains how to connect the terminal to power and
gives recommendations for cables.
•Hardware interfaces describes each interface on the terminal and shows
pin-out for the connectors.
•Starting up the system explains how to insert the SIM card, power up the
system and enter the PIN. It also gives a short overview of how to use the
system.
•Troubleshooting describes the function of the Reset button and the light
indicator on the terminal. It also describes event messages that may appear
in the web interface.

vi
Related documents
The below list shows the documents related to this manual and to the system.
Typography
In this manual, typography is used as indicated below:
Bold is used for the following purposes:
• To emphasize words.
Example: “Do not touch the antenna”.
• To indicate what the user should select in the user interface.
Example: “Select Settings > LAN”.
Italic is used to emphasize the paragraph title in cross-references.
Example: “For further information, see Connecting Cables on page...”.
Title and description Document number
TracPhone FB150 User Manual
Explains how to set up and use the
TracPhone FB150 system.
54-0645
TracPhone FB150 Quick Reference
Guide
A short guide to the most important
functions of the TracPhone FB150
system.
54-0642
TracPhone IP Handset, User Manual
Explains the features and functions of the
TracPhone IP Handset. The TracPhone IP
handset works as a standard IP handset,
but also serves as a user interface for the
TracPhone FB150 system.
34-126059

vii
Table of contents
Chapter 1 System units
Introduction .........................................................................................................1
TracPhone FB150 terminal ...................................................................................1
TracPhone FB150 antenna ...................................................................................2
TracPhone IP Handset & Cradle ...........................................................................3
Chapter 2 Installing the system
Unpacking ...........................................................................................................4
Placing the antenna .............................................................................................5
Installing the antenna .........................................................................................12
Placing the terminal ...........................................................................................15
Installing the terminal .........................................................................................16
Chapter 3 Connecting power
Power source ....................................................................................................19
Power cable selection ........................................................................................19
Connecting power ..............................................................................................22
Chapter 4 Hardware interfaces
The connector panel ..........................................................................................24
Antenna interface on terminal .............................................................................25
DC power input ..................................................................................................26
Ground stud ......................................................................................................27
Analog Phone interface ......................................................................................28
LAN interface ....................................................................................................29
Discrete I/O interface .........................................................................................31
Chapter 5 Starting up the system
Using the SIM card ............................................................................................33
Powering the system ..........................................................................................35
Entering the SIM PIN for the terminal ..................................................................37
Operating the system .........................................................................................39
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting
Reset button ......................................................................................................40
Status signaling .................................................................................................42
Logging of events ..............................................................................................43
Appendix A Part numbers
System units .....................................................................................................44
Spare parts .......................................................................................................44

Table of contents
viii
Appendix B Technical specifications
Overview ...........................................................................................................45
TracPhone FB150 antenna .................................................................................45
TracPhone FB150 terminal .................................................................................51
Measuring the ship source impedance ................................................................55
Appendix C Grounding and RF protection
Why is grounding required? ................................................................................56
About marine DC systems ..................................................................................57
About marine grounding .....................................................................................59
Grounding Recommendations ............................................................................60
Alternative grounding for steel hulls ....................................................................61
Alternative grounding for aluminum hulls .............................................................63
Alternative grounding for fiberglass hulls .............................................................64
Alternative grounding for timber hulls ..................................................................65
Separate ground cable .......................................................................................66
RF interference ..................................................................................................69
Electrostatic Discharge ......................................................................................69
Glossary ...........................................................................................................................70
Index ...........................................................................................................................73

Introduction 1
Chapter 1
System units 1
Introduction
The basic system consists of three units: The terminal, the antenna and the IP
handset with cradle.
TracPhone FB150 terminal
The terminal is the central unit in the system. It contains all user interfaces and
handles all communication between the BGAN antenna and the local
communication units (phones, computers etc.).
The terminal supplies 18-29 V DC to the antenna through a single coaxial cable.
The DC input for the terminal is designed for both 24 V DC and 12 V DC power
supply.
Note
The TracPhone FB150 terminal only works with a TracPhone FB150
antenna.

Chapter 1: System units
TracPhone FB150 antenna 2
TracPhone FB150 antenna
The TracPhone FB150 antenna is a BGAN mechanical tracking antenna. All
communication between the antenna and terminal passes through a single coaxial
cable. The antenna unit is protected by a thermo-plastic radome.
The TracPhone FB150 antenna is housed in either of the following dome sizes:
• 10.8" (27.6 cm) compact dome
• 13.5" (34.3 cm) dome, which matches the TracVision®M1 satellite TV antenna

Chapter 1: System units
TracPhone IP Handset & Cradle 3
TracPhone IP Handset & Cradle
IP Handset
Besides the normal functions of an IP handset, it also provides a user interface for
the TracPhone system. The IP handset connects to the LAN interface of the terminal,
and is power supplied with Power over Ethernet (PoE) through the LAN interface.
For further information on the IP handset, refer to the user manual for the IP
handset.
IP Cradle
The IP cradle serves as a holder for the IP handset. It is power supplied from the
terminal using Power over Ethernet (PoE). The cradle connects to the handset with a
coil cord and to the terminal with a standard LAN cable.

Unpacking 4
Chapter 2
Installing the system 2
Unpacking
Unpack your TracPhone system and check that the following items are present:
• TracPhone FB150 terminal
• TracPhone FB150 antenna
• TracPhone IP handset & cradle, wired
•Powercable
•Antennacable
• LAN cable
• Customer Welcome Kit including:
•QuickReferenceGuide
• TracPhone FB150 Documentation CD
including electronic versions of User’s Guide, Installation Guide and IP
Handset User’s Guide.
Inspect all units and parts for possible transport damage.
Note
For information on how to install the IP handset and cradle, refer to the user
manual for the handset.
Important
Upon installing the TracPhone system, make sure the terminal and IP
handset have the latest software installed. The latest software versions
are available to KVH dealers and distributors on the KVH Partner
Portal. The latest version of terminal software can also be downloaded
over the satellite link (see the User’s Guide for details). Refer to the
User’s Guide and IP Handset User’s Guide for complete instructions on
uploading new software versions to the units.

Chapter 2: Installing the system
Placing the antenna 5
Placing the antenna
Obstructions
The antenna rotates 360° and down to -60° in pitch and roll, to allow for continuous
pointing even in heavy sea conditions. Any obstructions within this volume can
cause signal degradation.
The amount of degradation depends on the size of the obstruction and the distance
from the antenna. As a rule of thumb any obstruction that subtends an angle of less
than 3° at the antenna has limited effect. The table below gives a guideline for
obstruction sizes that will cause limited degradation.
Radiation hazard
The TracPhone FB150 antenna radiates 16.1 dBW EIRP. This translates to a
minimum safety distance of 0.6 m from the antenna while it is transmitting, based
on a radiation level of 10 mW/cm2.
Distance of
Obstruction
Size of
Obstruction
3m 16cm
5m 26 cm
10 m 52 cm
20 m 104 cm
MICROWAVE RADIATION
No personnel within safety distance
60°
Safety distance:
(0.2 m, 100 W/m2)
0.6 m, 10 W/m2

Chapter 2: Installing the system
Placing the antenna 6
Interference
Overview
The antenna must be mounted as far away as possible from the ship’s radar and
high power radio transmitters (including other Inmarsat based systems), because
they may compromise the antenna performance. RF emission from radars might
actually damage the antenna.
The TracPhone antenna itself may also interfere with other radio systems. Especially
other Inmarsat systems and GPS receivers with poor frequency discrimination are
vulnerable to the radiation generated by the TracPhone antennas.
Radar
It is difficult to give exact guidelines for the minimum distance between a radar and
the antenna because radar power, radiation pattern, frequency and pulse
length/shape vary from radar to radar. Further, the antenna is typically placed in
the near field of the radar antenna and reflections from masts, decks and other items
in the vicinity of the radar are different from ship to ship.
However, it is possible to give a few guidelines:
Since a radar radiates a fan beam with a horizontal beam width of a few degrees and
a vertical beam width of up to +/- 15°, the worst interference can be avoided by
mounting the antenna at a different level – meaning that the antenna is installed
minimum 15° above or below the radar antenna. Due to near field effects the benefit
of this vertical separation could be reduced at short distances (below approximately
10 m) between radar antenna and the TracPhone antenna. Therefore it is
recommended to ensure as much vertical separation as possible when the
TracPhone antenna has to be placed close to a radar antenna.
Min. 15°
Min. 15°

Chapter 2: Installing the system
Placing the antenna 7
Radar distance
The minimum acceptable separation (d min.) between a radar and the antenna is
determined by the radar wavelength/frequency and the power emitted by the
radar. The tables below show some “rule of thumb” minimum separation distances
as a function of radar power at X and S band. If the d min. separation listed below is
applied, antenna damage is normally avoided.
“d min.” is defined as the shortest distance between the radar antenna (in any
position) and the surface of the TracPhone antenna.
The separation distance for C-band (4-8 GHz) radars should generally be the same
as for X-band radars.
Interference
Even at distances greater than “d min.” in the previous section the radar might still
be able to degrade the performance of the TracPhone system.
The presence of one or more X-band radars within a radius up to 100 m could cause
a minor degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio during high speed and data calls.
The degradation will be most significant at high radar pulse repetition rates.
As long as receiving conditions are favorable, this limited degradation is without
importance. However, if receiving conditions are poor – e.g. due to objects blocking
X-band (~ 3 cm / 10 GHz) damage distance
Radar
power
d min. at 15°
vertical
separation
d min. at 60°
vertical
separation
0 – 10 kW 0.8 m 0.4 m
30 kW 2.4 m 1.2 m
50 kW 4.0 m 2.0 m
S-band (~ 10 cm / 3 GHz) damage distance
Radar
power
d min. at 30°
vertical
separation
d min. at 75°
vertical
separation
0 – 10 kW 0.4 m 0.2 m
30 kW 1.0 m 0.5 m
50 kW 2.0 m 1.0 m

Chapter 2: Installing the system
Placing the antenna 8
the signal path, heavy rainfall or icing, low satellite elevation and violent ship
movements – the small extra degradation due to the radar(s) could cause poor call
quality. A voice call might become noisy and perhaps fail while a data connection
might decrease in speed and performance.
The presences of S-band radar(s) are unlikely to cause any performance degradation
– as long as the minimum distances (d min.) listed in the previous section are
applied.
It is strongly recommended that interference free operation is verified
experimentally before the installation is finalized.
Other Inmarsat systems
Recommended minimum safe distance to other Inmarsat antennas is 10 m.
GPS receivers
Good quality GPS receivers will work properly very close to the antenna - typically
down to one meter outside the main beam, and down to a few meters inside the
main beam. However, simple GPS receivers with poor frequency discrimination
could be affected at longer range (typically 10 m). It is always recommended to test
the GPS performance before the installation is finalized.
Other transmitters
See Minimum distance to transmitters on page 50 in Appendix B for minimum
recommended distance to transmitters in the frequency range below 1000 MHz.
Other precautions
Do not place the antenna close to a funnel, as smoke deposits are corrosive.
Furthermore, deposits on the radome can degrade performance.
CAUTION! The antenna must never be installed closer to a radar than
“d min.” - even if experiments show that interference free operation can
be obtained at shorter distances than “d min.” in the previous section.

Chapter 2: Installing the system
Placing the antenna 9
Antenna mast design
Overview
The antenna mast must be designed to carry the weight of the antenna unit, which is
approximately 8.6 lbs (3.9 kg) for the 10.8" (27.6 cm) compact dome, or 11.5 lbs
(5.2 kg) for the 13.5" (34.3 cm) dome. Also be sure to take into account the 2.4 lbs
(1.1 kg) weight of the mast mount kit.
The mast must also be able to withstand onboard vibrations and wind forces up to
108 knots on the radome, even in icing conditions.
Antenna mast mounting
Mast mount kit:
The top of the TracPhone FB150 antenna mast should be fitted with the dedicated
mounting kit available from KVH Industries.
Assemble the mast mount kit according to the assembly instructions included with
the kit.
The mast mount kit interfaces to a 1½" pipe (OD 48.3 mm). If the supplied plastic
sleeve is omitted, a maximum diameter OD of 52 mm can be used.
Custom mast mounting:
For a custom mast mounting, use 4 M6 bolts (A4) in the threaded bushings on the
175.4 mm diameter circle in the bottom of the antenna. The length of the bolts must
be such that they engage into the bushings of the radome with min. 6 mm and max.
12 mm. No drainage hole is necessary. Drill a hole for the cable or use an angled
connector.

Chapter 2: Installing the system
Placing the antenna 10
Mast length and diameter
The placement of the antenna must ensure a rigid structural connection to the hull
or structure of the ship. Parts of the ship with heavy resonant vibrations are not
suitable places for the antenna.
A small platform or short mast shall provide rigid support for the antenna fastening
bolts and a rigid interface to the ship.
If it is necessary to use a tall mast, use the table on page 11 to obtain the maximum
free length of the mast. Note that these values depend on rigid antenna-ship
interfaces. The cross-sectional properties and the corresponding maximum free
length give a natural frequency above 30 Hz.
It is recommended to shorten the mast length as much as possible to obtain higher
frequencies. Alternatively, mount stays or wires to stabilize the mast further.
High masts or installations on ships with high vibration levels should be further
stabilized by stays or wires from the mast flange. Also mount vibration isolators
between the flange and the radome. Vibration isolators are included in the mast
mount kit.
Note
The tables list the values for steel masts.
For aluminium masts, the free mast length is reduced to 75% of the values
for steel.
Note
Stays and rigid masts can still not prevent vertical vibration if the mast is
attached to a deck plate that is not rigid. Make every effort to mount the
mast on a surface that is well supported by ribs. If this is not possible,
provide extra deck plate propping.
Free mast length (m)
OD (mm)

Chapter 2: Installing the system
Placing the antenna 11
Antenna mast length
The below table shows the values for a TracPhone FB150 antenna mast without stays
or wires. Note that these values are only guidelines - always consider the
environment and characteristics of the ship before deciding on the mast dimensions.
The mast mount kit interfaces to a 1½" tube (OD 48.3 mm - absolute maximum OD
52 mm). Masts with larger diameters must be tapered and the upper part of the tube
(approximately 50 mm) must have a diameter of 1½".
OD
(mm)
Wall
Thickness
(mm)
Weight
(kg/m)
Inertia
(X106mm4)
Max. free mast
length (steel), m
48.3 3.25 3.61 0.117 < 0.6
48.3 4.05 4.43 0.139
50 3.00 3.48 0.123
60.3 3.65 5.10 0.262 <0.8
60.3 4.50 6.17 0.309
76.1 3.65 6.80 0.547 < 1.0
76.1 4.50 7.90 0.651
88.9 4.05 8.47 0.974 < 1.1
88.9 4.85 10.10 1.140