NorthStar 961X, Operation And Reference Manual

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Chapter 1 - Quick Start
961 Operations and Reference Manual Rev. D Page 1-11
2. To proceed, accept the
ADVISORY MESSAGE
by pressing
any key.
If chart CDs for your geographical area have already been
installed onto the 961’s hard drive, and after the unit
acquires GPS signals, you’ll see your vessel symbol cen-
tered on the
CHART screen at your present position. Until
the 961 acquires GPS signals, a small position-fix circle
will be located at the last known position.
If there aren’t any charts covering your geographic loca-
tion installed on the hard drive, the 961 displays a plotter
grid instead of a chart.
NOTE:
It’s normal to hear a single beep whenever you press any of the
961’s keys. An invalid keypress, however, elicits a single “boop,”
which sounds like an off-key beep.
For new units only
When you first turn your 961 on, you’ll see your present ves-
sel position at the center of the chart, represented as a small
circle. A 961 that recently has been used either
at or near that
same position will usually be ready to navigate within several
minutes.
If the 961 doesn’t acquire GPS signals soon enough, however,
your last position fix (from the last time the unit ran) will be
represented by a small position-fix circle; you’ll see an alarm
message in the upper portion of the
CHART
screen; and you’ll
hear the GPS alarm beep. This sequence often occurs when a
961 is used for the first time in a new location hundreds of
miles from where it was last used, and means you’re being
notified that the 961 is searching for the necessary satellites.
This data should take two to five minutes to acquire, after
which the 961 is ready to navigate.
Checking GPS signal
quality
After the 961 has acquired satellite data, you may check the
quality of the received GPS signals by viewing the various sat-
ellites’ SNR readings; see ”GPS receiver status summary” start-
ing on page 5-2. For an introduction to GPS, see “Highlight
One: Basic navigation terms” below.