BriarTek ORCA TX-104, User Manual

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3
Introduction
ORCA
®
is a personal saltwater or manual-activated man overboard (MOB) alarm system
developed by BriarTek Inc. The system is utilized by the U.S. Navy and other mariners to aid in
the rescue of an MOB victim. The ORCA
®
system operates on 121.5 MHz and includes a
transmitter, receiver, and direction finder. When the transmitter is activated, it emits a signal
which is processed by the receiver. The receiver emits an audible alarm and displays the ship
type/hull # and serial number of the transmitter on the receiver LCD. The transmitter also emits a
signal that is received by the direction finder and other standard search and rescue (SAR)
equipment to locate the MOB.
Parts Overview
(figure 1)
A - Antenna
B - Manual activation/
deactivation recess
C - Water sensors
D - Distress marker light
(DML)
E – Battery door
F – Antenna tip holder
Modes
The TX104 has three modes:

ARMED - Each
transmitter is ARMED
after a 3 volt CR123
lithium battery is
correctly installed.

TRANSMIT - The
transmitter goes from
ARMED to TRANSMIT
mode when it is
automatically activated
by submerging it in
saltwater for a minimum
of 3 seconds or when it is manually activated.
Note: the transmitter can be factory-
programmed to be automatically activated in freshwater. After the transmitter is activated,
it emits an FM signal for approximately 1 minute. This sends the transmitter identification
to the receiver. After approximately 1 minute, the transmitter switches to a non-data FM
transmission for 40 seconds. This allows the DF to track the transmitter. After every 40
second non-data transmission, the unit transmits identification information to the receiver
for 9-15 seconds.

DISABLED - The transmitter is DISABLED when the battery is removed or the battery
runs out.
A
A
B
D
C
E
F
Figure 1: TX104 parts