Introduction - RADAC WaveGuide 5 Direction User Manual

Introduction

The principle of operation of a WaveGuide 5 Direction is based on the synchronized mea-
surements of sea elevation (heave) at three different spots on the surface of the water. Using
these measured elevations, the water surface slopes are calculated in two perpendicular hor-
izontal directions. Then the correlations between the calculated slopes and the measured
heave values are used to determine the wave directional information.
The three sensors are standard WaveGuide 5 Waterlevel sensors that communicate their
data to a WaveGuide Direction processing unit. Each WaveGuide radar measures the
distance to the water surface. The WaveGuide processing unit takes care of the data
handling (synchronized measurements, processing, distribution and presentation). The
WaveGuide processing unit also facilitates commissioning and (remote) servicing of the
system. All facilities are accessible via the built in web-server (running on the WaveGuide
processing unit).
The WaveGuide sensors are available in two versions:
• The Explosion proof version, where the electronics are build into an explosion proof
housing.
• The Compact version, where the antenna and electronics are built into a compact
stainless steel housing. The antenna and electronics are the same in both versions
but the stainless steel version is easier to handle due to its compact size.
This manual describes the Compact version of the WaveGuide 5 Direction. Please refer to
the radac website for all other manual versions.
Do not use the instrument for anything else than its intended purpose.
This manual consists of 4 chapters. Chapter 1 specifies the criteria of sensor positioning
for optimal quality of measurements. Chapter 2 illustrates the mounting and installation
procedure. Chapter 3 describes the commissioning of the system via the user interface.
Chapter 4 explains data processing, data presentation and data distribution within the
system.
Please refer to Appendix 1: System parameters for a list of measured and calculated pa-
rameters. Refer to Appendix 2: System specifications for specifications, information about
certification and environmental conditions applicable to the WaveGuide Direction. For in-
formation on the LED blinking modes please refer to Appendix 3: LED blinking modes.
Warning
1