Koden MDC-2900, Operation Manual

Page: 174 / 191

Chapter 6 Principle of radar system MDC-2900 Series
0093129012-06 6-6
6.4 Receiving the Radar Beacons, SART and Radar Enhancer
The X-band radar system is required to be capable of receiving signals emitted from a Radar Beacon,
SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) and Radar enhancer. To receive those signals by the radar
system, use the following procedures.
1 Set the range scale to 6 or 12 NM.
2
Select Radar => IR menu and turn off the Interference Rejection function.
Refer to “
Interference rejection
(IR)” (page3-7)
3 In case the radar picture is obscured with too many echo signals, detune the receiver a little for
better observation.
4
When own ship approaches the transmitting Radar Beacon or the SART, the echoes will become
blurred in an arc. For better observation of those signals, adjust the Gain, Anti-clutter Sea and
RAIN controls, as appropriate.
The enhancer yields larger echo reflection than normal one.
About SART
According to the GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems) requirement, the IMO/SOLAS
class ships must be equipped with a SART. When a ship is in distress, a signal will be automatically
emitted from the SART so that other ships and/or aircrafts can identify its location. When your ship
equipped with a X-band radar comes within 8 NM of a ship in distress, the SART picks up the radar
signal and responds to it. The signal consists of 12 sweeps and is emitted in the frequency range of 9.2
GHz through to 9.5 GHz. The SART has two sweep times that switch from slow sweep (7.5 μ s) to fast
sweep (0.4 μ s) and vice versa, according to the distance. When the radar receives this signal, a line of
12 dots, which is equally spaced at about 0.64 NM, appears on the screen. The nearest blip of the
SART indicates the location of the ship in distress. When your vessel comes within 1 NM to the SART, a
fast sweep signal is displayed on the radar and a thin line connects the 12 blips.