Before you begin, be sure that you understand
the following important requirements:
The TracPhone system is designed to run on
3-wire single-phase AC power (hot, neutral, and
ground). Voltage between hot-neutral and hot-
ground should each measure between 100-240
VAC.
Many large ships use two-phase, split-phase, or
delta power instead (3 wires: hot, hot, and
ground; no neutral). In this case, voltage between
hot-hot measures the proper voltage (100-240
VAC); while hot-ground measures only half the
voltage (50-120 VAC). Although the TracPhone
system can operate on this type of power, the
excess voltage present on the second phase will
cause a small amount of current to leak onto
ship's ground. This leakage current might be
unacceptable on some vessels. So check with the
customer or ship's electrician and get permission
before you run the system on two-phase power.
Also be sure to ground the system, as explained
below.
If two-phase power is the only available power
source onboard, and if leakage current is
unacceptable, KVH recommends that you install
a suitable isolation transformer to supply single-
phase power to the antenna system and run a
ground wire from the transformer to ship's
ground. In addition, since ground fault
protection devices cannot detect faults behind a
transformer, you will also need to install a
ground fault monitoring device between the
isolation transformer and the antenna system if
ground fault protection is required on the vessel.
Proper grounding of the TracPhone system to
ship's ground is critically important, as it protects
the equipment from electrostatic discharges
(ESD). Failure to ground the chassis of the ICM
risks damage to the antenna and electric shock.