Section Three: Installing And Wiring The Antenna; Choosing The Best Mounting Location - NorthStar 6000i Installation Manual

SECTION THREE: Installing and
wiring the antenna

Choosing the best mounting location

Before you drill or cut, choose a mounting location that meets the following criteria. The antenna
should be mounted:
• where there's enough mounting clearance to easily connect the cable
• low on the vessel, and near the center, since motion caused by the vessel's roll, pitch and
yaw can degrade speed-over-ground (SOG) and course-over-ground (COG) readings
• away from the radiation plane of any INMARSAT or radar antennas, and away from any
other high-power transmitting antennas (see Figure 8 on page 14)
• high enough to provide an unblocked view of the sky in all directions, minimizing or
eliminating any obstructions that block the antenna's view of the sky (the system can use
satellites down to the horizon)
• away from masts or objects that could "shadow" the antenna
To avoid mutual interference among different antennas on the vessel, see the recommendations in
Figure 8 below. This figure shows the minimum distances that should separate GPS/WAAS antennas
from other antennas and physical mounting surfaces. Normally, these guidelines produce a relatively
trouble-free installation; however, since every installation is unique, you may want to adjust these
distances to the particular equipment.
Before permanently installing the antenna, try temporarily installing it and using the 6000i to see if
the location works well.
Do not open the antenna (other than removing the top to install). There aren't any serviceable parts
inside. Unauthorized tampering will automatically void the warranty.
Antenna cable lengths
You must observe the min/max cable length requirements for the GPS antenna shown in Table 7.
Don't lengthen on shorten the cable beyond these limits. The AN150-P antenna is normally shipped
with the 6000i. If you need to use a longer cable than can be used with that antenna, contact the
factory about substituting a higher-gain AN-156-P antenna.
6000i Installation Manual, Rev. G Page 13