User manual ACR ELECTRONICS VECTA 2 REV A2

[. . . ] PRODUCT SUPPORT MANUAL Vecta2TM Dual Scale Direction Finder Product No. 5757 Ravenswood Road Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 Tel: +1(954) 981-3333 Fax: +1 (954) 983-5087 www. acrelectronics. com Email: info@acrelectronics. com IF YOU HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH YOUR PRODUCT, DO NOT RETURN IT TO THE STORE!MANY PROBLEMS CAN BE CORRECTED OVER THE PHONE. LIMITED WARRANTY This product is warranted against factory defect in material and workmanship for a period of five years from date of purchase or receipt as a gift. will , at its option, repair or replace the unit at no cost to you for labor, materials or return transportation, provided you obtain a Return Authorization from ACR Electronics, Inc. , 5757 Ravenswood Road, Ft. [. . . ] Signal strength can be observed in two different modes: COARSE and FINE. 4. 1 Reading Power Measurements to Determine Bearing and Direction The Vecta2 is designed to indicate the signal strength of a transmitting BEACON. With the antennas deployed and held in its operating position the Vecta2 will be able to measure the signal strength of the received signal and when pointing in the direction of the BEACON the Vecta2 will display the highest power reading level (You need to determine this in your 360 degree sweep). A COARSE scale reading of 2 combined with a FINE scale reading of 10 equals an overall signal strength value of 2. 10. Adding 7 FINE steps to the above signal strength forces the next COARSE LED to illuminate and the FINE to loop to 1 again, giving an overall signal strength value of 3. 1. Figure 7 Figure 8 When determining bearing you should be focused on the fine scale and looking for the highest power reading and from slowly scanning left and right you should see where the power starts to drop off from the highest power reading and proceed forward in that highest readings direction. Walking or not holding the Vecta2 in its operation position can be misleading when trying to read the power meter, ensure you are always in the operating position when recording power measurements. 7 Y1-03-0227 Rev. A2 5. 0 RANGE EXERCISES 5. 1 Selecting a Location for the Test BEACON This range exercise involves placing the test BEACON in an area similar to where rescues are expected to take place, then moving away from the BEACON in measured distances and recording the signal strength. For open water searches, anchor the BEACON in an area where there is at least 8 nautical miles of open water in all directions. Secure the BEACON so it cannot be moved or pulled under by wind or current. Attaching the BEACON to an orange life buoy or similar flotation device in addition to the supplied flotation collar will improve the BEACON's visibility in heavy seas. If the application is an oil platform, anchor the test BEACON in an area around the platform. If an airport, then place the test BEACON somewhere on the airport grounds. If you expect to conduct a search in more than one environment, do a range exercise in each environment. This will help you build experience with the Vecta2 and how the effects of your particular search environment impact the radio waves traveling from a BEACON. 5. 2 Recording Observations Once the test BEACON is placed and the location accurately determined, turn the test BEACON ON and point the Vecta2 directly at the BEACON. Move away from the test BEACON, recording the COARSE and FINE at intervals of 0. 25, 0. 75, 1. 0, 1. 5, 2. 0, 2. 5, 3. 0, 3. 5, 4. 0, 5. 0, 6. 0, 7. 0, 8. 0 (nautical and/or statutory miles) etc. , until it can no longer be heard under any circumstances. A form similar to the following may be helpful in recording the results of your range exercise: 0. 0 COARSE FINE 0. 25 0. 5 0. 75 1. 0 1. 5 2. 0 2. 5 3. 0 3. 5 4. 0 5. 0 6. 0 7. 0 8. 0 When doing a range exercise in the ocean, especially at greater distances, wave height can cause a BEACON to be heard intermittently as it rides up out of a trough to the crest of a swell or wave and back down. Emergency transmitters that emit the VHF 121. 5 MHz frequencies are limited to line of sight and will be detectable at a much greater range or distance on the open ocean than on land. This is a function of the transmitted signal being absorbed by hilly terrain, vegetation and buildings. 5. 3 Conducting a Blind Search A partner hides the test BEACON within a realistic search area. (Avoid situations such as in a hole, submerged under water, lying on its side, laying on a metal plate, etc. A BEACON can be found in these situations, however these situations are considered advanced and should be practiced only after the fundamentals are attained. ) The trainee using the Vecta2 need only be aware of the search area boundaries. 5. 4 Search Patterns At the very beginning of a search, it is important to slowly rotate the Vecta2 antennas from horizontal to vertical and back when searching for the signal. [. . . ] One of the divers has become lost and after an unsuccessful search of the nearby area, the Dive Master radios the yacht of the pending emergency. After bringing the remaining divers onboard the dingy, the Dive Master (DM) returns the divers to the yacht as the captain monitors the Vecta2 from the helm station, noticing the FINE LED is moving. Action: The diver, realizing that the current is sweeping him further and further away from the dingy, activates the Mini B300TM ILS, inflates his buoyancy compensator and waits for the boat. On the yacht, unable to visually see the BEACON, the DM removes the Vecta2 from the bridge, moves to an open area of the boat, extends the mini yagi antenna, and rotates the Vecta2 360°, finding a signal. [. . . ]