Airmar PB100 Owner's Manual

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Owner's manual (60 pages)

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Page 1 WeatherStation Powerboat Model PB100 Owner’s Guide Record the serial number found on the WeatherStation for future reference. Serial No._________________________ Date of Purchase___________________ 17-426-01 r03 09/01/06...
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents Introduction Adding External Sensors Choosing the Mounting Location Tools & Materials Installing the WeatherStation Cable Routing & Connecting Connecting to a Converter Connecting to a Combiner Connecting to a Generic NMEA Display Installing WeatherCaster Software Setting Up WeatherCaster Advanced Setup—WeatherStation Firmware Settings Using WeatherCaster Maintenance &...
Page 4: Introduction
Introduction Thank you for purchasing the Airmar Ultrasonic WeatherStation. This exciting product is actually six different sensors in a single unit—without any moving parts. The compact housing is fully waterproof with a single removable cable. Data is output in digital NMEA 0183 format.
Page 5: Adding External Sensors
WeatherStation compass. • Speed-through-water sensor —An external speed sensor with NMEA 0183 output can be installed, such as an Airmar Smart™ Sensor. Airmar recommends installing the DST800V to receive water depth, boat speed, and...
Page 6: Choosing The Mounting Location
Min. 1m Figure 1. Antennas Courtesy of Northstar BNT, Acton, MA Choosing the Mounting Location For accurate readings and a reliable GPS signal, selecting the best location for the WeatherStation is very important. Easy access and appearance should be secondary considerations. Since each installation is unique, the best separation distances from other equipment on the boat will vary depending on the particular equipment and how it is conﬁgured.
Page 7: Tools & Materials
Wire strippers (some installations) Electrical tape (some installations) Converter (some installations) Combiner (some installations) Where to Purchase Gemeco (USA) Tel: 843.394.3565 Fax: 843.394.3736 email: sales@gemeco.com Airmar Europe Tel: 45.45.81.04.18 Fax: 45.45.81.04.93 email: sales@airmareurope.com deck mount deck mount ratchet mount with extension cable...
Page 8: Installing The Weatherstation
ﬁlm, or damage them in any way. Caution : Do not remove the waterproof connector(s) to ease cable routing. If the cable must be cut and spliced, use Airmar’s splash-proof Junction Box No. 33-035 and follow the instructions provided. Cutting the cable or removing the waterproof connector(s), except when using Airmar’s junction box, will void the sensor...
Page 9 Caution : The WeatherStation must be installed vertically—NOT tilted to one side. If the WeatherStation is tilted from the horizontal plane, it will introduce an error in the compass reading. WeatherStation alignment tabs wind channel face forward where air travels and parallel to through the sensor the keel (centerline)
Page 10 WeatherStation connector alignment assembly captive Figure 5. Connector 6. With the nut assembly on the cable near the WeatherStation connector, thread the cable through the extension tube (if used), antenna mount, and the cable exit. Allow several inches of cable topped by the connector above the nut assembly (see Figure 5).
Page 11: Cable Routing & Connecting
Caution : Do not remove the waterproof connector(s) to ease cable routing. If the cable must be cut and spliced, use Airmar’s splash-proof Junction Box No. 33-035 and follow the instructions provided. Cutting the cable or removing the waterproof connector, except when using Airmar’s junction box, will void the sensor warranty.
Page 12 Mounting Location of the Converter 1. Select a convenient, dry, mounting location for the water-resistant Converter, about 1 – 2 m (3' – 6') from the PC (see Figure 6). 2. Hold the Converter at the selected location and mark the position of the screw holes.
Page 13: Connecting To A Combiner
NMEA display and a PC. On the Combiner, the two auxiliary grommets labeled AUX NMEA OUT can be used to connect additional devices capable of displaying WeatherStation data (see Figure 7). All display devices must be NMEA 0183. additional display Airmar Smart™ Sensor or other sensor Weather Station power...
Page 14 Mounting Location of the Combiner 1. Select a convenient, dry, mounting location for the water-resistant Combiner, about 1 – 2 m (3' – 6') from the NMEA device and the PC. 2. Hold the Combiner at the selected location and mark the position of the screw holes.
Page 15 4. Using a small Phillips screwdriver, puncture the grommet that corresponds to NMEA Display on the cover (see Figure 7). Be careful not to damage the circuit board. 5. Push approximately 200mm (8") of the cable through the grommet (see Figure 9).
Page 16 10.Connect each wire in turn into the designated NMEA Display terminal. Loosen the screw, insert the stripped end of the wire into the square hole, and retighten the screw. Be sure the stripped end of the wire is inserted up to its insulation only .
Page 17 Auxiliary NMEA IN Grommet. Use the AUX NMEA IN grommet to connect an external NMEA 0183 sensor such as: an Airmar Smart™ Sensor, an external GPS, an external compass, or other sensor. An “IN” device will supply additional data to the WeatherStation.
Page 18 1. Route the cable coming from the external sensor to the Combiner. Do not fasten the cable in place at this time. 2. Allowing an extra 25 cm (10") for wiring ease, cut the cable to length. 3. Remove the cover of the Combiner to expose the terminals inside (see Figure 11).
Page 19 9. Connect each wire in turn into the designated NMEA IN terminal. Loosen the screw, insert the stripped end of the wire into the square hole and retighten the screw. Be sure the stripped end of the wire is inserted up to its insulation only . Do not include any insulation inside the terminal.
Page 20 Auxiliary NMEA OUT Grommets Use the AUX NMEA OUT grommets to connect one or two additional devices to receive and display data from the WeatherStation. To wire a device(s) through the AUX NMEA OUT grommet(s), use the NMEA OUT terminals on the printed circuit board (see Figure 13).
Page 21 5. Push approximately 200mm (8") of the cable through the grommet(s) (see Figure 13). 6. Strip 60mm (2-1/2") of the outer jacket and foil shielding from the cut end of the cable (s). 7. Strip 10 mm (3/8") of conductor insulation from the end of each colored wire. 8.
Page 22 Power Cable Warning: The power panel must have a 2 amp fast-blow fuse or circuit breaker. 1. Route the power cable from the Combiner to the power supply (see Figure 13). Do not fasten the cable in place at this time. 2.
Page 23: Connecting To A Generic Nmea Display
Connecting to a Generic NMEA 0183 Display 1. Route the WeatherStation cable to the display. Do not fasten the cable in place at this time. 2. Connect the WeatherStation to the display. • Connector—If your WeatherStation came with a connector, and it can be plugged into the port on your NMEA 0183 display, do so now.
Page 24 Wiring Warning: The power panel must have a 1 amp fast-blow fuse or circuit breaker. 1. Route the power cable from the WeatherStation to the power supply. Do not fasten the power cable in place at this time. 2. Allowing an extra 25 cm (10") for wiring ease, cut the cable to length. 3.
Page 25: Installing Weathercaster Software
WeatherCaster to operate properly. Installing the Application 1. Power your PC. 2. Insert the WeatherStation CD into the CD-ROM drive on your PC. The Airmar WeatherStation CD Browser window will appear (see Figure 16). Click the Install Software button.
Page 26 Note: If WeatherCaster is already installed on your PC, the older version needs to be uninstalled before the installation can continue. WeatherCaster will automatically detect an old version, and the Previous Version window will appear (see Figure 18). Click Yes to uninstall the old version of WeatherCaster. Follow the screen prompts.
Page 27 5. The License Agreement window will appear (see Figure 20). Click the “I accept the terms of the license agreement” button to accept the agreement, then click Next to continue. Figure 20. License Agreement window 6. The Choose Destination Location window will appear (see Figure 21). Follow the screen prompts.
Page 28 Figure 22. Ready to Install and Setup Status windows 8. The Installation Complete window will appear when WeatherCaster has been successfully installed (see Figure 23). Click Finish. Return to the Airmar WeatherStation CD Browser window and click the Install Drivers button (see Figure 17).
Page 29 PC BEFORE the Combiner or Converter hardware is connected. 1. The Airmar WeatherStation CD Browser window will appear (see Figure 17). Click the Install Drivers button to begin the process of copying the Airmar device drivers to your PC.
Page 30 4. The Hardware Installation caution window will appear (see Figure 25). The USB Serial Converter driver is not Microsoft Windows certiﬁed. However, it has ® been tested for stable and reliable operation. Click Continue Anyway to proceed with the installation. Figure 25.
Page 31 9. Another Found New Hardware Wizard window will appear (see Figure 27). Click “Install the software automatically”. Figure 27. Found New Hardware Wizard window continued 10.Click Next to continue. The drivers will begin to install. 11.The Hardware Installation caution window will appear (see Figure 25). The USB Serial Converter driver is not Microsoft Windows certiﬁed.
Page 32 IMPORTANT: THE NEW HARDWARE WIZARD MUST RUN TWICE FOR A COMPLETE INSTALLATION. Installing the COM Port Driver 1. When the Found New Hardware Wizard window appears again, it will guide you through the USB Serial Port driver installation (see Figure 26). Repeat steps 5 through 10.
Page 33: Setting Up Weathercaster
Setting Up WeatherCaster After WeatherCaster is successfully installed, click the WeatherStation icon on your PC’s desktop. When WeatherCaster opens, you will see a Setup screen with gauges in the middle and dials on the left and right sides (see Figure 30). The center gauges display the data being sent from the WeatherStation in both analog and digital format.
Page 34 Background Color Dial This dial allows you to choose the screen background. •Steel •Burled Wood •Night To change the setting, click the text to the right of the dial. Temperature Setting Dial This dial allows you to display all of the temperature readings in the following units of measure.
Page 35 True or Magnetic North Dial This dial allows you to set the compass using either true or magnetic north. •True North—the direction to the geographic North Pole. •Magnetic North—The direction to the magnetic North Pole. To change the setting, click the text to the right of the dial.
Page 36 Log Time Interval Dial The WeatherStation saves weather data for a set period of time. This dial allows you to choose the length of time that data will be saved. The log time can be adjusted in six-hour intervals from 6 – 72 hours.
Page 37: Advanced Setup-Weatherstation Firmware Settings
Advanced Setup—WeatherStation Firmware Settings Before using the WeatherStation for the ﬁrst time, you may want to adjust some settings. The WeatherStation ﬁrmware resides in the WeatherStation itself and is separate from the WeatherCaster software. To access these settings, click the Advanced Setup button on the top right of the WeatherCaster screens.
Page 38 Enable/Disable Functionality You can enable or disable the WeatherStation transmission of individual NMEA 0183 sentences and specify the number of seconds between the transmission of each sentence (see Figure 33.). In the Enable/Disable Functionality window, follow the screen instructions. Note: The “Bandwidth Used” cannot exceed 100%. Green Adequate bandwidth Yellow...
Page 39 Sensor Orientation Depending upon the mounting location of the WeatherStation, the azimuth, pitch, and/or roll settings may need to be changed (see Figure 34). To change a setting, click Change and follow the screen instructions. To return all settings to zero, click Zero.
Page 40 Pitch Offset If the WeatherStation is NOT installed perpendicular to the waterline, enter the pitch offset angle in the text box (see Figure 36). (To measure the pitch offset angle, place an angle ﬁnder against the side of the WeatherStation and facing forward.) To return the setting to zero, click Zero.
Page 41 Run Assistant For help in setting the azimuth, pitch, and roll offset angles, click Run Assistant in the Sensor Orientation window (see Figure 34). The Azimuth Orientation window will open (see Figure 38). If the WeatherStation is NOT installed with the alignment tabs pointing forward and parallel to the keel (centerline), enter the offset angle in the text box.
Page 42 True Wind Options To enable the use of Course-over-Ground instead of the internal compass heading in calculating the True Wind direction and speed, click the check box in the True Wind Options window (see Figure 40). For more information, click Help. To accept the change and continue, click OK.
Page 43 WeatherStation itself. (This software is separate from the WeatherCaster software.) The latest version of the WeatherStation ﬁrmware with updates and enhancements can be downloaded from Airmar’s website or a CD can be mailed by Airmar’s technical support personnel.
Page 44: Using Weathercaster
Using WeatherCaster Warning: The Airmar WeatherCaster software and its functions serve as an aid to displaying weather conditions. This software is not designed as an aid to navigation. Only ofﬁcial government charts contain all the information needed for safe navigation and, as always, the user is responsible for their prudent use.
Page 45 Gauges Note: The True Wind Relative to Water gauge and the Water Speed gauge will appear only if an Airmar Smart™ Sensor is installed and connected through an optional Combiner. Wind Chill Gauge This gauge uses a needle to...
Page 46 Apparent Wind Gauge This gauge uses needles to indicate the apparent wind speed and direction. The long needle points to the wind speed, and the short needle points to the wind direction. There is also a digital readout at the bottom. To view historical apparent wind speed data, click the gauge.
Page 47 Compass The Compass displays the true and the apparent wind direction along with vessel heading. No historical data is collected. • Apparent wind direction is indicated by a black/white needle and a black/ white digital readout on the left of the gauge. •...
Page 48 Relative Humidity Gauge This gauge uses a needle to indicate the relative humidity as a percentage. There is also a digital readout at the bottom. To view historical humidity data, click the gauge. A graph will appear as shown. To return to the Relative Humidity gauge, click the graph.
Page 49 True Wind Speed Relative to Speed Through Water Gauge This gauge will appear only if you have installed a paddlewheel sensor measuring boat speed through the water, and the sensor is connected to an optional Combiner. True wind speed relative to speed through water cannot be calculated using GPS readings.
Page 50 The Large Compass and Digital Readout Screen Click the Next arrow at the top right of the display to go to the Large Compass and Digital Display Screen. This screen shows a large compass on the left and readings in digital format on the right (see Figure 44). This screen does not display historical data.
Page 51 Digital Readings The right side of the screen displays the following readings (see Figure 29): • Apparent wind speed and direction • True wind speed and direction • Air temperature • Wind chill temperature • Relative humidity • Dew point temperature •...
Page 52 Box 4. This box displays the vessel’s speed over ground (SOG) and course over ground (COG) which is calculated using the GPS. If you have an Airmar Smart Sensor connected through an optional Combiner, it will also display water depth and water temperature.
Page 53: Maintenance & Updates
Maintenance & Updates WeatherCaster Updates Periodically, Airmar will release updated versions of both the WeatherCaster software and WeatherStation ﬁrmware. Updates can be downloaded from Airmar’s web site, www.airmar.com, or contact Airmar’s technical support personnel for a CD. Calibration The WeatherStation is calibrated at the factory and does not require any calibration after purchase.
Page 54: Troubleshooting
2. Select the System option. 3. Select the Hardware tab. 4. Select Device Manager. 5. Select Ports. 6. Select Airmar NMEA 0183 – USB Converter. The Converter is powered when it is connected to the USB port on the PC.
Page 55 The WeatherCaster version number is located on the top left corner of each WeatherCaster screen. The latest version of WeatherCaster is available for download at www.airmar.com. Setting the Display Resolution to 1024 X 768 When using WeatherCaster on a computer with a display resolution less than 1024 x 768 (e.g.
Page 56 Auto-Detecting COM Ports If you install more than one instance of the drivers for the Combiner or Converter, WeatherCaster may not automatically detect the appropriate COM port. In this case, you will need to manually select the COM port and the baud rate upon launching WeatherCaster.
Page 57 3. Select the Hardware tab. 4. Select Device Manager. 5. Select Ports. 6. Right click Airmar Port and select Properties. 7. Select the Port Settings tab. 8. Select the Advanced button. 9. From the COM Ports drop-down menu, select a single digit COM port that is not in use and click OK.
Page 58 1. Launch WeatherCaster again. You will see the screen below. Click Cancel. 2. You will then see the screen below. Click Yes to manually set the COM port and baud rate. 3. In the Manual Communications Port Setup window, select the appropriate COM port from the Comm.
Page 59 4. Select the appropriate baud rate from the drop-down menu. • If you have a USB Converter, set the baud rate to 4800. • If you have a Combiner, set the baud rate to 38400. 5. Click OK, and WeatherCaster will start. 6.
Page 60 6. Set the bits-per-second to 4800. Do not change any other selection. Click OK. You will see the data sentences from the WeatherStation scrolling on the screen, similar to the example below. To identify the sentence commands, refer to the Technical Manual on the WeatherStation CD.
Page 61 Notes...
Page 62: Appendix A-How The Weatherstation Works
Appendix A—How the WeatherStation Works About the Ultrasonic Wind Sensor The ultrasonic wind sensor (an ultrasonic anemometer) measures apparent wind speed and direction. The WeatherStation contains four ultrasonic transducers, visible through the four holes in the top of the sensor’s wind channel (see Figure 48).
Page 63 Consider the case of a vessel proceeding at a speed of 15 knots in calm air. An observer on board would experience a wind of 15 knots from dead ahead. This apparent wind would be due solely to the motion of the boat. If a true wind of 15 knots was blowing from the stern, an observer would experience dead calm—no apparent wind.
Page 64 About the Electronic Compass The WeatherStation includes a pair of magnetoinductive sensors that measure magnetic ﬁeld strength in two axes on the horizontal plane of the WeatherStation. From these measurements, it calculates the resultant magnetic heading angle, thereby providing a built-in electronic compass. Like all magnetic compasses, the WeatherStation compass will be affected by any ferrous or magnetic materials in the vicinity, such as metal structures, motors, speakers, etc.
Page 65 About the Air Temperature Sensor The WeatherStation includes a built-in negative-temperature-coefﬁcient thermistor that measures the ambient air temperature. This NTC thermistor is located in a thermally isolated region of the WeatherStation housing that is open to the outside air. About the Relative Humidity Sensor The WeatherStation contains a capacitive cell humidity sensor that measures the relative humidity of the air.
Page 66 About the Barometric Pressure Sensor The WeatherStation contains a temperature-compensated, silicon, piezoresistive, pressure sensor. It measures atmospheric pressure for use as a digital barometer. While a single measurement of air pressure at a given location has little value, the trend of changing pressure and wind over time can be a useful tool in performing basic weather forecasting.
Page 67 WeatherStation to determine a value for true wind, if the speed of the vessel through the water is known. In this case, it is necessary that a water-speed sensor with an NMEA output (such as an Airmar Smart™ Sensor) be connected to the NMEA input on the WeatherStation (or to the optional Combiner).
Page 68: Appendix B-Technical Information
Appendix B—Technical Information Speciﬁcations Wind Speed Range 0.5 – 99.5knots Wind Speed Resolution 0.1knot Wind Direction Resolution 1º Wind Direction Sensitivity ± 1.5º Temperature Range – 30ºC – +50ºC Temperature Accuracy ±1.5ºC Compass Sensing ± 1º typically Barometric Pressure Range 850 –...
Page 69: Acronyms & Glossary
Glossary Firmware The software within the WeatherStation hardware WeatherCaster The user application program Trademarks Airmar® is a registered trademark of Airmar Technology Corporation. Smart™ Sensor is a trademark of Airmar Technology Corporation. Windows® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
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Page 72 AIRMAR ® TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION 35 Meadowbrook Drive, Milford, New Hampshire 03055-4613, USA www.airmar.com...

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