Power on and auto-pointing
3-6
Chapter 3: Assembly & start up
98-143492-D
3.3
Power on and auto-pointing
The system is set to automatically point and acquire a connection (default).
To start up the antenna, do as follows:
1. Position the antenna:
Northern hemisphere: position the antenna so the display faces North.
Southern hemisphere: position the antenna so the display faces South.
2. Press the On/Off button and wait for the auto-acquisition process to finish.
3. Check the measured compass angle in the display
ANTENNA > COMPASS
:
Northern hemisphere: Best acquisition at 180 degrees
Southern hemisphere: Best acquisition at 0 degrees
The antenna is fully operational when the display says
ACQUISITION OK
and the field
MDM:
in the upper status line shows
NETOK.
If the system has previously been set to
manual pointing, auto acquisition is disabled. You have to disable manual pointing in the
keypad, see
Auto-acquisition overview
The following points describe the typical auto-pointing algorithm:
1. Detect Mechanical Home Position for Az and El, which calibrates the encoders.
2. Calculate the Az/El look angles using the inputs from GNSS (GPS, Glonass etc.), Level
sensors, Compass, and inclinometer.
3. Set elevation and azimuth to the calculated look angle.
4. Proceed to maximum value on the satellite signal and achieve LOCK status.
WARNING!
Be aware of pinch points while the antenna is being
positioned, deployed or stowed.
Figure 3-8: On/Off button
Note
Make sure that there is no magnetic interference near the electronics
enclosure. This might cause the internal compass to give a wrong reading.
Note
When operating the terminal in cold weather allow the terminal to reach operating
temperature. Wait for the heating event in the display to disappear until
MDM:NETOK
is displayed.
