User manual NORTHSTAR EXPLORER 550

[. . . ] Explorer 550/550i Chartplotter Installation and Operation Manual www. northstarnav. com IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Please read carefully before installation and use. DANGER !It is used to alert you to potential personal injury hazards, Obey all safety messages that follow this symbol to avoidpossible injury or death. WARNING indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury CAUTION indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury. CAUTION used without the safety alert symbol indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided, may result in property damage. [. . . ] On a multi-tank boat, select the tank to set the alarm for. Select Fuel alarm and enter a fuel level to trigger the low fuel alarm; or enter zero to disable the alarm. When a low fuel alarm is set, the alarm's fuel level is shown on the fuel display tank levels as a red bar. The alarm can also be set using the Alarms setup menu (see section 14-7) 2 3 10-5 Boat speed sensors 10-5-1 Selecting a boat speed sensor The fuel calculations can use boat speeds from the GPS, or from a paddlewheel sensor or pitot sensor if these optional sensors are installed: Paddlewheel and pitot sensors measure the speed through the water; GPS speed is speed over ground; these sensors can give different values for Range, Economy and the fuel consumption curves (see section 10-5-2). A pitot sensor is more accurate than a paddlewheel sensor at high speeds but is not accurate at low speeds. A paddlewheel sensor is more accurate than a pitot sensor at low speeds. To select an optional speed sensor 1 Press one or more times to display the Setup menu, select Fuel and select Speed source. To use a paddlewheel or pitot sensor, select Water speed, otherwise select Ground speed to use GPS speed. If you selected Water speed and you have both a paddlewheel sensor and a pitot sensor: Press , select Smartcraft and select Speed type Select Paddlewheel or Pitot. 2 3 i ii Tip: You can select a different speed sensor during a trip. Northstar EXPLORER 550/550i Installation and Operation Manual 33 10-5-2 Water speed and ground speed A paddlewheel sensor and a pitot sensor measure water speed, the boat speed through the water. A GPS measures ground speed, the boat speed over the bottom of the water. If there is a current, then these speeds will be different, and the log, trip log, economy and range will be different, as shown below. Water speed is better for measuring the boat's potential performance, Ground speed is better for going to a destination because it takes currents into account. To select a speed sensor, see section 10-5-1. When the current is from ahead, ground speed is less than water speed Water speed 10 knots Current 4 knots Gives a ground speed of 6 knots Gives a ground speed of about 8 knots Current 4 knots at 45º Water speed 10 knots For this example: If the boat travels for one hour, uses 3 gallons of fuel per hour and has 50 gallons of fuel left: Speed Using water speed: Using ground speed: 10 knots 6 knots Log 10 nm 6 nm Economy 3. 3 nm / gal 2. 0 nm / gal Range 165 nm 100 nm When the current is from behind, ground speed is more than water speed Water speed 10 knots Current 4 knots Gives a ground speed of 14 knots Water speed 10 knots Current 4 knots at 45º Gives a ground speed of about 13 knots For this example: If the boat travels for one hour, uses 3 gallons of fuel and has 50 gallons of fuel left: Speed Using water speed: Using ground speed: 10 knots 14 knots Log 10 nm 14 nm Economy 3. 3 nm / gal 4. 7 nm / gal Range 165 nm 235 nm 34 Northstar EXPLORER 550/550i Installation and Operation Manual 10-6 Fuel consumption curves A fuel consumption curve shows fuel consumption (fuel used per unit of distance travelled) and boat speed as a function of engine RPM. Fuel consumption curves require engine RPM, which requires SmartCraft sensors to be installed. Fuel consumption curves are powerful tools for assessing boat performance in different conditions and for helping you to run at the most economical speed for the conditions. 10-6-1 Making a fuel consumption curve To make a fuel consumption curve you will need to run the boat in a straight line for about 15 minutes using the engine's full RPM range. For your first curve, choose a calm day with light wind and little current; have a typical load and a freshly cleaned hull. Later, you can make fuel consumption curves for different boat, weather or sea conditions. Compare these with your first curve to see how your boat's performance changes with conditions. Making a curve 1 2 Start running the boat in a straight line. Choose a speed source for the curve (see section 10-5-1). Normally choose Water speed to measure the boat's potential performance. Press one or more times to display the Setup menu, then select Fuel. [. . . ] A navigation tool based on GPS with some errors corrected (see section 7). Goto - A simple way of navigating straight to a waypoint or to the cursor position (see section 3-1). A satellitebased navigation tool (see section 7). Leg - The straight segments of a route between waypoints. [. . . ]