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Rhotheta RT-400 User Manual

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RT-400 DF Scout

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Summary of Contents for Rhotheta RT-400

  • Page 1 User Manual RT-400 DF Scout...
  • Page 2 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Edited by: RHOTHETA Elektronik GmbH Kemmelpark Dr.-Ingeborg-Haeckel-Str. 2 82418 Murnau Germany Tel.: +49 8841 4879 - 0 Fax: +49 8841 4879 - 15 Internet: www.rhotheta.de E-Mail: email@rhotheta.de Copyright © RHOTHETA Elektronik GmbH All rights reserved Issue: 2020/08/14 [Rev 1.05]...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Content Overview ........................... 4 Installation ........................4 System Requirements ..........................4 Installing the DF Scout Application ......................5 2.2.1 Licensing ............................ 6 2.2.2 WiFi Connection......................... 7 2.2.3 MAP Data ........................... 7 Compass calibration ..........................7 Map Pages ........................

  • Page 4: Overview

    • Map Page Decode for decoding COSPAS-SARSAT transmissions of COSPAS- SARSAT compatible SAR beacons The user might use the RT-400 DF Scout either to simply follow a “line of bearing”, or to collect several “lines of bearing”, defining a possible target position manually or semi- automatically, or to decode a possible target position from a COSPAS-SARSAT transmission.

  • Page 5: Installing The Df Scout Application

    To be able to use map functions, access to the device’s location must be allowed, and file access must also be allowed. To allow automatic brightness settings by RT-400 DF Scout, the system’s permissions must be modified. Confirm this with “OK”, then allow permission to change system settings by...

  • Page 6: Licensing

    2.2.1 Licensing Each copy of RT-400 DF Scout must be licensed to the tablet on which it has been installed. The licence is bound to the hardware used.

  • Page 7: Wifi Connection

    Note that only one WiFi hotspot should be set to “auto reconnect” when using this function. If the antenna unit is activated, the corresponding SSID: RT-400 SN***** is available in the list of accessible networks. To establish the connection to the antenna unit use the password: rhotheta123.
  • Page 8 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Start the “Google Maps” app and press the blue dot that identifies your own position. This opens a menu in which you have to select the option “Calibrate compass”. Then follow the instructions on the screen. If the calibration has been successful, a dialog with the message “Compass calibrated”...

  • Page 9: Map

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 3 Map Pages There are three main pages used during normal operation of the RT-400 DF Scout: Map Page Bearing • Map Page Decode • Map Page SAR Scan • They are selected through the Main Menu dialog page.

  • Page 10: Basic Elements Of The Bottom Line

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 3.1 Basic Elements of the Bottom Line Basic Elements of the Bottom Line Symbol Description The GPS symbol indicates whether GPS/GNSS data is available or not. When GPS data is not available, there should be a gray symbol.
  • Page 11 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Bottom Line Symbol Description If the SAVE BUTTON is tapped during an active bearing, the currently received bearing is shown permanently on the screen as DIRECTION OLD (dotted Line of bearing). This is also valid for the SAR Scan.

  • Page 12: Basic Elements And Functions Of The Map Section

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 3.2 Basic Elements and Functions of the Map Section Basic Elements and Functions of the Map Section Symbol Description Tapping the CENTER BUTTON centers the bearing rose (azimuth dial) on the screen. An ACTUAL Line Of Bearing indicates the direction from the actual position of the Antenna Unit to the last bearing.
  • Page 13 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements and Functions of the Map Section Symbol Description The POSITION TARGET BEARING is an estimated target position, based on semi-automatic calculation using Lines of Bearing or on the user’s estimation (see Special Map Operations).

  • Page 14: Map

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 3.3 Map Page Bearing On the map display, the user’s position is in the center of an azimuth dial (bearing rose), whose upper edge points toward the direction of the heading. The currently measured bearing is shown as a solid red line with a red dot as the current position, while older bearing lines from other positions are shown as dotted lines.
  • Page 15 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Top Line, Map Page Bearing Symbol Description TRUE BEARING is the indication of the current / last true bearing (bearing relative to north) and the elapsed time since that bearing was last measured.

  • Page 16: Map

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 3.4 Map Page Decode Map Page Decode allows to receive and decode COSPAS-SARSAT beacon data transmissions, and to visualize their content. As long as a beacon is using a location protocol and transmitting a valid position, the beacon is shown on the map. In the case that several beacons are being received, they will be serially numbered, starting with 1.
  • Page 17 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Top Line, Map Page Decode Symbol Description GPS DISTANCE towards the target, calculated from the GPS positions of DF and target. Note: Due to the limited accuracy, final approach should not be based on GPS-Distance, but on bearing.
  • Page 18 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft It consists of a list of received COSPAS-SARSAT messages, of which one can be selected, and the data decoded from the selected message. Elements of the Top Line COSPAS-SARSAT Decode List Symbol Description The List of received COSPAS-SARSAT messages contains all received and decoded COSPAS-SARSAT messages.
  • Page 19 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Elements of the Top Line COSPAS-SARSAT Decode List Symbol Description COUNTRY Code of the beacon. This is the ITU Maritime Identification Digit (MID) country code. The COMPLETE MESSAGE (short / long message) modulated on the beacon signal is shown here in hexadecimal characters.

  • Page 20: Map

    5 W. Once the pulse has been detected, the system calculates the direction to it. At the same time, the RT-400 systems “knows” that the next COSPAS-SARSAT pulse will arrive after approximately 50 seconds, and uses this time for scanning 121.5 MHz or 4 other adjustable frequencies.
  • Page 21 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft are saved automatically (Also refer to the chapter “Basic Elements and Functions of the Map Section”). All Lines of Bearing (LOBs) belonging to the same frequency are displayed with the same color by default. In the map shown, the user has three LOBs on the map which all came from the COSPAS-SARSAT frequency 406.025 MHz every 50 seconds, while the LOBs of the...

  • Page 22: Special Map Operations

    3.6 Special Map Operations 3.6.1 Creating a semi-automatic target position on the map To use the automatic estimation of target positions by the RT-400 DF Scout, “Position estimation” must be set to “SEMI AUTO” in the Display Settings dialog, and three Lines of Bearings (LOB) must be crossing each other.
  • Page 23 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Repeat this with a third line: Colors and line style of the group of lines then can be defined in the Create Group of Lines dialog: Mark a color field and a line style field and confirm with “OK”.
  • Page 24 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft RHOTHETA Page 24 of 63 User Manual...

  • Page 25: Creating A Manual Target Position On The Map

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 3.6.2 Creating a manual target position on the map To use this function, “Position estimation” must be set to “MANUAL” in the Display Settings dialog. On either Map Page Scan or Map Page Bearing, after having received several Lines Of Bearing (LOB) from different user’s positions, it might be useful to manually mark an...

  • Page 26: Deleting An Item On The Map

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 3.6.3 Deleting an item on the map To delete items on the map, such as Lines of Bearing, position tracks, or target estimates, select the item by tapping and holding it. Then tap “CLEAR” on the bottom line of the display.

  • Page 27: Dialog

    Symbol Description In the VERSIONS field, the revisions of the used ANDROID operating system and the RT-400 DF Scout are shown. Additionally, the revision of the antenna unit and its serial number are also shown. Possible frequency options (beyond standard frequencies) are shown in the FREQUENCIES table.
  • Page 28 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Main Menu Symbol Description DECODE activates the Map Page Decode. The mode currently active is highlighted with white letters and information about master/slave mode settings. If a mode is currently not active, its letters show grayed out.

  • Page 29: Input Dialogues

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.2 Input dialogues 4.2.1 Numerical Input Dialog Basic Elements of the Numerical Input Dialog Symbol Description DECREASE button decreases value NUMERICAL VALUE [UNIT] window by one. Keeping the button tapped starts auto-repeat, i.e. the value is decreased continuously.

  • Page 30: Textual Input Dialog

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Numerical Input Dialog Symbol Description The BACKSPACE button deletes the last digit on the NUMERICAL VALUE [UNIT] field. The DELETE button deletes the whole value on the NUMERICAL VALUE [UNIT] field.
  • Page 31 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Textual Input Dialog Symbol Description Tap the SWITCH TO NUMERICAL hotkey to open the Numerical Input Dialog in order to enter numerical values. Tap any character, sign or the space key for entering text.

  • Page 32: Technical Input Field (Standard Version)

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.2.3 Technical Input Field (Standard Version) The standard version of the technical input field can be opened from all pages EXCEPT the Map Page Scan. Tapping the “FREQUENCY” or “LEVEL” field in the Top Line for a few seconds will open a sub-page where frequencies, volume level, and squelch level can be set.
  • Page 33 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Channel view: Basic Elements of the Technical Input Field Symbol Description COSPAS-SARSAT frequencies commonly assigned by the COSPAS-SARSAT program to certified beacons can be chosen directly from the COSPAS-SARSAT FREQUENCY hotkeys on the left side of the technical input field.
  • Page 34 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Technical Input Field Symbol Description The BACKSPACE key is used to delete the last digit. This button is not available in channel view. DEL deletes all values already entered. The SQUELCH bar graph indicates the current signal level as a red-colored bar graph, with the current squelch setting being indicated in the small field below.

  • Page 35: Technical Input Field In Map

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.2.4 Technical Input Field in Map Page Scan In scan mode, the technical input field is optimized to set parameters for the scan mode. Basic Elements of the Technical Input Field in Map Page Scan...
  • Page 36 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Technical Input Field in Map Page Scan Symbol Description If a COSPAS-SARSAT frequency is selected, automatic optimization of the squelch level, also known as auto squelch, can be activated using the AUTO SQUELCH hotkey. On other frequencies, text and shape are gray and the hotkey is not usable.

  • Page 37: Sar Scan Settings

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.3 SAR Scan Settings Basic Elements of the SAR Scan Settings Dialog Symbol Description If a frequency is set as being active for scanning, it can be deactivated by tapping the SET INACTIVE button. If a frequency is set as being inactive for scanning, it can be activated by tapping the SET ACTIVE button.
  • Page 38 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the SAR Scan Settings Dialog Symbol Description Scanning on 121.500 MHz and 243.000 MHz can be activated by tapping the appropriate hotkey. If not selected, shape and text are gray. If selected, they are white.

  • Page 39: Configuring Stop Condition

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.3.1 Configuring Stop Condition Basic Elements of the Configure Stop Condition dialogue Symbol Description Activates the time-based stop condition for SAR Scan. Activates the signal level based stop condition for SAR Scan. Sets the default, which is the time-based stop condition.

  • Page 40: Display Settings

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.4 Display Settings RHOTHETA Page 40 of 63 User Manual...
  • Page 41 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Display Settings Dialog Symbol Description SCROLL DOWN arrow is used to scroll down through the 3 display settings pages. SCROLL UP arrow is used to scroll up through the 3 display settings pages.
  • Page 42 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Display Settings Dialog Symbol Description The GPS FORMAT button allows GPS positions to be shown in different formats. [hd.d] shows decimal-point separated degree values with heading (North/South, East/West) as decimal prefix.
  • Page 43 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Display Settings Dialog Symbol Description The brightness value can be set manually using the arrow keys. Hold the arrows for a continuous variation of the value. Tap the arrow for single steps.

  • Page 44: System Settings

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.5 System Settings RHOTHETA Page 44 of 63 User Manual...
  • Page 45 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the System Settings Dialog Symbol Description SCROLL DOWN arrow is used to scroll down through the two system settings pages. SCROLL UP arrow is used to scroll up through the two system settings pages.
  • Page 46 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the System Settings Dialog Symbol Description The INTERCONNECTION hotkey allows choosing between different system setups in regards to multi-user environments. MASTER EXCLUSIVE: • GPS data of this tablet is sent to the Antenna Unit.
  • Page 47 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the System Settings Dialog Symbol Description The SCAN WIFI CHANNELS hotkey opens the WIFI Scan Dialog which allows scanning the workload on available WIFI channels. Results are shown graphically with the X-axis being the channel / frequency axis, and the Y-axis indicating the power level of the received WIFI networks.

  • Page 48: Service Settings

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.6 Service Settings RHOTHETA Page 48 of 63 User Manual...
  • Page 49 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Service Settings Dialog Symbol Description SCROLL DOWN arrow is used to scroll down through the two system settings pages. SCROLL UP arrow is used to scroll up through the two system settings pages.
  • Page 50 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Service Settings Dialog Symbol Description The KML LOG DATA Hotkey opens the KML Logging Dialog. Refer to chapter “KML Logging and Export Log Files Dialogs” for details. OK is used to confirm the entered values and switches back to the page from which the Service Settings Dialog has been opened.

  • Page 51: Export Configuration Dialog

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.6.1 Export Configuration Dialog The Export Configuration Dialog allows exporting each single configurable item of the software by itself or to export the complete configuration at once to a mass storage device. Files stored mass...
  • Page 52 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Export Configuration Dialog Symbol Description VIEW CONFIGURATION allows viewing complete configuration in configuration files in the form of a simple text listing. OK closes the dialog and switches back to the Service Settings dialog.

  • Page 53: Import Configuration Dialog

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.6.2 Import Configuration Dialog Basic Elements of the Import Configuration Dialog Symbol Description SCROLL DOWN arrow is used to scroll down through the pages. SCROLL UP arrow is used to scroll up through the pages.

  • Page 54: Kml Logging And Export Log Files Dialogs

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.6.3 KML Logging and Export Log Files Dialogs KML files allow to export the user’s track, received Lines Of Bearing, estimated beacon positions and received beacon positions of COSPAS-SARSAT beacons. They can be loaded into GOOGLE EARTH or into KDE MARBLE and shown on their maps (only OPEN STREETMAP on Marble).
  • Page 55 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Two dialogs are available to handle the creation and export of KML log data: • KML Logging dialog • Export Log Files dialog The KML Logging Dialog is opened either by tapping and holding the lower left field of the bottom line on a map page, or through the SERVICE SETTINGS dialog, where “KML Log...
  • Page 56 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Service Settings: KML Logging Dialog Symbol Description With START/STOP, logging can be either started or stopped. After each stop and new start, a new log is created. While running, the shape and text of the button are highlighted in yellow color.
  • Page 57 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft Basic Elements of the Service Settings: Export Log Files Dialog Symbol Description SCROLL DOWN arrow is used to scroll down through the list of available logs. SCROLL UP arrow is used to scroll up through the list of available logs.

  • Page 58: Error And Warning Messages

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 4.7 Error and Warning messages Every Warning or Error State detected by the system will be indicated as a pop-up dialog with an important message text. RHOTHETA Page 58 of 63 User Manual...
  • Page 59 AU NO RECEIVER Unit Error in receiver synthesizer oscillator in the AU REC. NO PLL Antenna Unit No serial data from the RT-400 DF Scout to the DCU>AU NO DATA Antenna Unit DCU>AU BAD Incompatible or bad data connection between...
  • Page 60 RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft List of Warning Messages Warning Number Warning Text Error Reason and Description Data decode error in COSPAS-SARSAT data block. Data could not be decoded. AU DECODE ERR Usual reason: Signal level too low or other disturbances.

  • Page 61: Troubleshooting

    • Scout (Settings / Apps / DF-Scout / Permissions) Reason: No detailed map installed for the area of operation No details on map Solution: Purchase map package for that area from RHOTHETA File Access Problems Problem Possible Reason and Solution Configuration or KML files can’t be...
  • Page 62 Refer to sub-chapter “licensing” of this manual. Contact RHOTHETA if Application, license the problem persists after entering an already purchased key code. key is requested • The RT-400 you purchased has not been licensed for an optional frequency you want to use. Contact RHOTHETA for Frequency Input support.

  • Page 63: Notes

    RHOTHETA RT-400 DF Scout Draft 6 Notes RHOTHETA Page 63 of 63 User Manual...

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