vesper marine WatchMate Vision User manual

WatchMate Vision® User Guide
We hope you'll find your new WatchMate Vision to be easy and enjoyable to use. We've worked hard
to make it intuitive and encourage you to experiment with the various settings.
In this guide you'll find a collection of usage notes, hints and suggestions. By putting it on-line we
can add to it and make improvements quickly and we can post new information whenever we have
more to share.
Using the WatchMate Wheel
Adjusting the plotting range
What is the magnifier and why does it appear?
Target counts on the plotting screen and also in the corner of the mode buttons
Alarm Profiles and how to switch profiles
Changing the alarm settings
How to use filters
Interpreting the crossing situation vectors
What is the warning symbol (exclamation point inside a triangle) at the top of the screen?
Split the screen with GPS
Viewing a target's details
Adjusting settings associated with a particular target
Managing targets that have settings associated with them
Using Heading Up mode
Changing the display brightness
Are you looking for something else? Please tell us what you are looking for so we can improve this guide.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Using the WatchMate Wheel™
Use the WatchMate Wheel as a menu to select various options and settings. To activate
the wheel, touch the off-screen area to the right. The wheel slides out and you can
move it by sliding your finger over the off-screen area. When you see the item you wish
to select, simply touch it. It will move to the center and become active. Often this causes
a dialog to open where you can change settings.
You can also move the wheel by touching it directly on the screen or tapping on the
off-screen area in the direction you want it to move. Each time you tap, the wheel
moves up or down by one item.
The wheel automatically disappears after a few seconds.
The wheel is context-sensitive. This means the items displayed depend on what is on
the screen at that time. If the screen has been split, for example with a target list on
the left and the plotting screen on the right, simply touch the area of the screen to change the list of available options on the wheel.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Adjusting the plotting range
Touch the range icon in the lower left corner of the plotting screen to display the
adjustment slider.
Touch a location on the slider corresponding to the new range you wish to use.
Whenever the range is changed, two icons appear in the lower left corner of
the plotting screen. Touch one of these icons to revert your range
adjustment to its previous setting or to accept it as the current range.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

What is the magnifier?
When you attempt to select a target by touching the screen and there are multiple
targets in the vicinity of your touch, the magnifier appears. It zooms in on the area
around your touch point to give you the opportunity to select the correct target.
If there are still too many targets, touching again will zoom in more. This will repeat
until you select a target or dismiss the magnifier.
To dismiss the magnifier, just touch somewhere outside of it.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Target counts on the plotting screen
There are three target counts that may be displayed:
"Targets" is the total number of targets that are being received.
"Filtered" are the ones that are visible due to your filter settings. This number indicates the
number of targets that are filtered into your view.
"Alarms" are the targets that are currently in an alarm state.
If filters are turned off or there are no targets in an alarm state then those counts will not
appear.
The target counts are shown on the plotting screen or on the associated mode buttons.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Alarm profiles and how to switch profiles
Profiles are used to group various alarm settings together for quick access. Each profile
has three alarm settings associated with it:
Guard Alarm is used to set a range around your vessel. Whenever a trgetl
penetrates your range setting, an alarm is triggered.
Collision Alarm is triggered when a targetl meets your alarm criteria.
Collision Warning causes a target to be displayed in a warning state when it meets
this criteria.
The name of the currently active profile appears in the upper left corner of the plotting
screen.
To change the active profile, select "Profile" from the WatchMate Wheel menu. Then select the profile you wish to activate.
Profiles do not affect your filter settings. These are independent and may be changed, enabled or disabled directly on the plotting screen.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Changing the alarm settings
Each profile has three settings associated with it. Use the Alarm Settings dialog to
adjust these settings. To open the Alarm Settings dialog, touch the Alarm Mode button
and choose Alarm Settings from the WatchMate Wheel.
Guard Alarm is used to set a range around your vessel. Whenever a target
penetrates your range setting, an alarm is triggered.
Collision Alarm is triggered when a target meets your alarm criteria.
Collision Warning causes a target to be displayed in a warning state when it meets
this criteria.
On the left side of the dialog are the four profiles. Touch a profile to change the three
settings associated with each profile.
When you have finished changing the settings for each profile, touch the "Save" button.
When adjusting the alarm and warning settings there are three controls which work
together to determine the criteria. For a target to meet the alarm or warning criteria it
must meet each of the settings.
CPA is the closest point of approach. It is the distance that the target will come to
your vessel if both continue on their same course and speed. If you want an alarm
for any target that will come within a half mile of you at some point in the future,
then set this value to 0.5nm.
TCPA is the time of CPA. It is the number of minutes before the target will reach its
closest point to your vessel. Use this setting to suppress alarms unless the CPA will
be soon. For example, if you set this to 10 minutes it means that you will get an
alarm when a target is going to come closer than your specified CPA within the next 10 minutes.
Target speed allows you to suppress alarms for slow moving, or stationary targets. This is very helpful when operating in a harbor
where there are many moored or anchored vessels.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

How to use filters
Filters are used to control whether a target is displayed as an ordinary target or as a
tiny almost-invisible target. In busy areas this allows you to reduce clutter on the
screen and help you to focus on the targets that are most important. There are four
filters and a target is shown as an ordinary target only if it passes each filter. At that
point the target is known as "filtered" meaning it will show up in the count of filtered
targets and will appear on the screen as an ordinary target.
Each type of filter is accessed by selecting it from the WatchMate Wheel when in
plotting mode. The types are:
Speed adjusts the minimum speed a target must be moving to be shown.
Range adjusts the maximum range of a target to be shown.
CPA adjusts the maximum CPA (closest point of approach) for a target to be
shown. This allows you to view only those targets that will come close to your vessel
at some point in the future.
TCPA adjusts the maximum TCPA (time of CPA) for a target to be shown. This
allows you to view only those targets that will come close in a short amount of time.
Remember that the four types work together. A target must pass all four filters to
become "filtered" and consequently displayed as an ordinary target.
You can switch all the filters on or off at any time by using the Filter Settings dialog.
This dialog is found on the WatchMate Wheel when you are in plotting mode. Even
when filters are switched off, you can still adjust their settings and then make them
active later by switching them on in the Filter Settings dialog.
Targets that do not pass one or more of the filters is shown with a small icon. It's name is not displayed but it may
still be selected by touching it.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Interpreting the crossing situation
When you select a target a vector appears from the target and your own vector changes.
A colored dot appears at the end of each vector to show where each vessel will be at the
time of CPA (closest point of approach). In essense this means that the vector length is
the TCPA (time until CPA).
In the example shown, the CPA is 0.33nm and the TCPA is 14:26. This means that the
target and your vessel will be within 0.33nm of each other in 14 minutes and 26
seconds. This assumes both vessels maintain their current course and speed. The blue
dot indicates the predicted position of the target vessel at the time they will both be
closest to each other (14:26). The green dot indicates your vessel's position at the same
time. This example shows that the target vessel will pass ahead.
Note: If either your vessel or the target vessel is not moving, or moving very slowly, that
vessel's dot may appear directly on top of the corresponding icon. This is consistent
because it is telling you that at the time of CPA that is the predicted location of the vessel.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Transmit warning indicator
When you see the transmit warning indicator in the status bar it indicates
that your WatchMate Vision is not transmitting your vessel position and
other information. Touch the warning symbol to determine why
transmission is disabled.
The
AIS Transponder Settings screen has controls to disable transmission manually by
selecting silent mode. It also allows you to set or review your vessel details. By
touching the status or advanced icons you will receive further information.
In order for transmissions to occur the following requirements must be met:
A valid MMSI must be configured. Your MMSI may have been entered already by
your dealer. If you do not have an assigned MMSI, contact the relevant authority in
your country. Do not enter a false or unassigned MMSI number. Once you save the
MMSI number you cannot change it. If you need to change the MMSI, please contact
an authorized dealer or Vesper Marine.
Silent mode must be switched off. When silent mode is on your WatchMate Vision
will continue to receive both GPS and AIS and will operate normally. However,
transmissions will be disabled.
There is a one minute startup period while your WatchMate Vision assesses the
background signal levels and prepares itself for transmission.
You must have a valid GPS fix at all times for transmission to occur. It is very
important that you have a good and stable fix since you will be automatically
transmitting your position, course and speed to other vessels. If you are unable to
acquire and hold a stable GPS fix using the internal patch antenna, you must attach a
Vesper Marine external GPS antenna.
When all requirements are met, your WatchMate Vision will begin transmissions. It transmits your position, course and speed every 30
seconds when your vessel is moving faster than 2 knots. When you are moving slower than 2 knots these transmissions will occur once
every 3 minutes. Regardless of speed, every 6 minutes your vessel name, size, call sign, size and other details are transmitted. It is
normal in very heavy traffic areas to occasionally miss a transmission due to congestion. When this happens the
Position Report Sent
warning indicator will come on until the next scheduled transmission.
Finally, your VHF antenna system is a critical component in achieving the best performance from your WatchMate Vision. All cables
must be in good condition and connections must be well made, tight and secure. The antenna must have low VSWR at the 162 MHz AIS
frequency.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

GPS split screen
Use the GPS mode button to split the screen and place your GPS position,
course and speed on the left with the AIS plotter on the right. Even when
you don't have the GPS split screen showing, you'll find your position
displayed in the status bar at the top of the screen.
You can change the status bar to display your course and speed if you prefer by
selecting
Show COG/SOG from the WatchMate Wheel.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Displaying target details
Touch a target to see a brief summary of its details. The summary slides out from the
bottom of the screen and shows:
CPA is the closest point of approach. It indicates the closest distance that target
and your vessel will be from one another if both vessels continue on the same
course and speed.
TCPA is the time until CPA. It is the amount of time that will elapse before the
closest point will be reached.
BRG is the current bearing to the target. It is displayed in either magnetic or true
degrees, depending on a user setting.
RNG is the current distance in nautical miles to the target.
Touch the arrows on the right side of the target summary to view the
complete target details. The details will extend further from the bottom of the
screen and show all available information about the target. The exact
information will depend on the type of target and information that has been
received.
AIS transmissions occur over time and it is normal for it to take several minutes for all
target information to be available.
A unique feature of your WatchMate Vision is its ability to remember the target details
for each vessel it has encountered. As a result, your WatchMate Vision "learns" about
the targets you encounter frequently and makes their information available immediately
without having to wait for it to be received each time that target appears again.
An important piece of information is how recently the position of the target was last
received. Consult this time at the bottom of the target details to determine the accuracy and validity of the target's position.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Target-specific settings
Each unique target can have individual settings associated with it. There are three
settings you can adjust that are permanently associated with a given target. You can
change or remove them at any time later.
Fleet is used to include specific targets as members of your "fleet". Fleet members
might be friends or co-workers and whenever a fleet member is displayed on the
plotting screen its icon has a small "F" inside it. You can also alter a system-wide
setting which controls if fleet members can be affected by filters.
Disable Alarms is used to turn off all alarms for this particular target, even if it
would otherwise trigger an alarm condition. Use this setting carefully, but it can be
handy for targets that you know you never want to trigger an alarm. An example is a
commonly encountered ferry or a co-worker's vessel that ordinarily operates closely.
Proximity Alarm allows you to set a range around a specific target that will trigger
an alarm if your vessel enters within that range. An example might be a dive vessel that you always want to stay clear of.
To adjust the target settings touch the gear icon. The lower half of the target details dialog will be replaced with an area showing
the current settings for this target and allowing you to adjust them. When you are done, you can touch the gear icon again to
resume display of the full vessel details. Changing your selection to another target also resumes display of the vessel details.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Managing target-specific settings
Use the
Manage Targets dialog to review the targets you have added to your fleet or
those that have disabled alarms. From this dialog you can bring up a list of targets in
your fleet and remove targets from your fleet by touching the delete icon next to the
target's name or MMSI. You can do the same thing for targets that have disabled
alarms.
Targets are inactive when they are no longer being received. However, they will remain
on the screen in their last known location for some time after their last transmission
was received. You can control this amount of time using the
Manage Targets dialog. If a
target hasn't been received in this amount of time, it will no longer be displayed. The
time you select applies to all targets and not just those that have specific settings such
as fleet or disabled alarms.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Using Heading Up mode
Heading Up mode rotates the display to match your current heading. It uses heading if
there is a heading/compass sensor on the NMEA 0183 or 2000 network. However, if a
source of heading data isn't available, then COG (course over ground) is used.
You can toggle between Heading Up and North Up by using the WatchMate Wheel menu
when in the AIS Plotter mode. The compass indicator in the heading bar always points
toward north.
The compass indicator in the heading bar may also be used to toggle between
Heading Up and North Up mode. Simply touch it to toggle modes. The compass
indicator will be blue when you are in Heading Up and black when in North Up
mode.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Changing the display brightness
Touch the settings mode to view the options available. Then use either the WatchMate Wheel or the Brightness button to adjust
the screen.
However, if the screen is too dim to read, press and hold anywhere on the screen for three seconds to automatically raise the brightness to
a visible level and allow further adjustment.
© 2014 Vesper Marine Ltd. All Rights Reserved.