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briefly trip their internal over current protection with a fast rising, short period peak
current draw. A battery will for short periods act as a large capacitor and support high
peak current excess of the AtoN’s requirements.
7. Keep the AIS AtoN power cable length to a maximum 3m.
8. AIS AtoN modules will only transmit if they received data from at least four GPS satellites.
9. Relocating the transceiver or connecting an external GPS antenna can help improve the
signal quality and resulting position accuracy.
10. Ensure that the number of satellites that the AIS AtoN is using is 4 or more by checking
the Diagnostic tab of proAtoN.
11. The most cause for a AIS not to transmit are: incorrect configuration, poor supply,
no GPS data or poorly match VHF antenna. Refer to the Troubleshooting table for
assistance. The following depicts a typical set up:
• Setting up the PC Computer/Laptop
The following steps install the necessary s/w required to test an AIS AtoN:
1. Install the GME receiver USB drivers
2. Install the proAtoN software : proAtoN v2.01 or later
3. Run the program “Simulator_AIS” and ensure it is not blocked by your computer’s
anti-virus software.
4. Select the COM port assigned to the AIS receiver and set the BAUD rate as 38400
BAUD.
5. Then click Open Port will change the text colour from red to green.
6. Finally click OK. Now all received AIS messages will be decoded within this window.
7. Connect the AIS receiver to Windows PC/Laptop (Computer)
8. With the DC power removed from the AIS unit, connect the AIS to the Computer via
the supplied USB cable.
NOTE: Each AIS AtoN will be allocated by Windows a unique COM port. They are generally never
the same COM port.
Figure 1
