Explorer 538/538i Chartplotter Installation and Operation Manual www.northstarnav.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Please read carefully before installation and use. DANGER This is the safety alert symbol. It is used to alert you to potential personal injury hazards, Obey all safety messages that follow this symbol to avoid possible injury or death.
Important It is your sole responsibility to install and use Northstar’s instrument and GPS antenna in a manner that will not cause accidents, personal injury or property damage. Always observe safe boating practices. The choice, location, angle and installation of the instrument & GPS antenna are critical to performance of the system as intended. Follow instructions in this manual carefully. If in doubt, consult your Northstar dealer.
Contents Important ................................................................................................................................................3 Quick reference ........................................................................................................................................6 1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................7 1-1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8 Gauges display ..................................................................................................................................... 30 9 Data display ......................................................................................................................................... 31 10 Fuel functions and display .................................................................................................................. 31 10-1 When you add or remove fuel . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix A - Specifications ..................................................................................................................... 56 Appendix B - Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................. 58 Appendix C - Glossary and navigation data..............................................................................................
1 Introduction 1-1 Overview The Northstar Explorer 538 is a compact, rugged, highly integrated marine chartplotter. It is easy to use and has a Color display. Complex functions can be performed with a few key presses, taking the hard work out of boating. SmartCraft engine functions require a SmartCraft system to be installed. For information on using SmartCraft, see the SmartCraft Gateway Installation and Operation Manual.
Changing the plug-in card Handle plug-in cards carefully. Keep them in their protective cases when not plugged into the Explorer 538/538i. Keep the holder in place in the Explorer 538/538i at all times to prevent moisture from entering the card compartment. Gold contacts under here 1 3 2 Card Holder Pull the card holder out of the Explorer 538/538i and pull any card out of holder. Push new card into holder. Ensure the gold contacts are on the outer edge and underneath (see above).
2 Basic Operation Overview of the keys Go back to an earlier menu or display. Any changes made are ignored. In chart mode, centres chart at boat’s position. Show a menu of the main displays. To go to a display, select it from the menu (see section 2-8). Cursor keys, to move the cursor or the selection highlight. Show a menu of the options for the current display. Press again to display the Setup menu (see section 17). Start an action or accept a change.
2-2 Using the menus Operate the Explorer 538/538i by selecting items from menus. Items can be submenus, commands or data. Selecting a submenu A after a menu item indicates a submenu, for example Chart . Press or to move the . highlight to the submenu, then press Starting a command Press or to move the highlight to the command, for example Goto cursor, then press . c) To change a name or number: 1 Press 2 Press or to select a letter or digit to change. Press or to change the letter or digit.
2-4 Backlight and night mode To go to the Backlight display, press briefly. . When you have finished, press Night mode Night mode sets the palette for all displays. Backlight Normal palette, for daytime The display and keys are backlit. To change the backlight level, select Backlight, then press to dim or to brighten. Tip: Press twice to give the brightest screen, with maximum backlight and Night mode off. A palette optimised for night time. To change mode, select Night mode, then press .
2-7 Simulate mode In Simulate mode, the Explorer 538/538i ignores data from the GPS antenna and other transducers and sensors and the Explorer 538/538i generates this data itself. Otherwise, the Explorer 538/538i functions normally. To start and stop Simulate mode, and for more information, see section 14-12. In simulate mode, Simulate or Demo flashes at the bottom of the display. There are two simulate modes: Normal: Allows a user to become familiar with the Explorer 538/538i off the water.
Other menu and displays Note: Press to go from an Other display back to your last chart display.
2-8-1 Dual displays to If Chart is the active display: press display the options for Chart; press twice to make Gauges the active display. The Explorer 538/538i can show two displays at once, for example Chart + Gauges. One of the displays, called the active display, has a yellow border and is controlled by the user. To change twice (Highway the active display, press cannot be the active display).
Tip: If less than the maximum number of lines of data are used, the data will take up less of the display area. 5 Press to return to the display. 2-8-3 Compass The chart and highway displays can show a compass at the top of the display. To turn the compass off or on: 1 Press The compass always shows the boat’s course over ground (COG), a red symbol in the middle. When the boat is navigating to a point, the compass also shows bearing to the destination (BRG), a black symbol.
3 Navigation: Chart The chart display shows the chart, the boat’s position course and navigation data. 3-1 Overview of navigating The Explorer 538/538i has two ways of navigating, going straight to a point or following a route. 3-1-1 Navigating to a point D When the Explorer 538/538i is navigating to a point, the chart and highway displays show navigation data: A The boat position . B The destination point marked with a circle. C The boat’s plotted course to the destination.
Going to a point on the chart Navigating 1 Switch to a chart display. 2 Move the cursor to the destination point: either use the cursor keys or use Find (see section 3-2-5). The Explorer 538/538i navigates to the point as described in section 3-1-1. 3 Press and select Goto cursor. Make sure the course does not pass over land or dangerous waters. Cancelling navigating Go to a Chart display, press Cancel goto. and select Tip: Before starting, create waypoints at points of interest.
3-2 Chart display To go to the Chart display, press , select Chart, then select Chart. A typical chart display shows: A B C D K E J F I H G A Data header. To turn the data off or on or to change what data is displayed, see section 2-8-2 B Compass (see section 2-8-3) C Chart scale (see section 3-2-3) D Boat position (see section 3-2-1) E Boat track (see section 3-5) F Boat course and CDI lines (see Appendix C, CDI).
3-2-1 Chart modes The Chart has two modes: Press midway between two of the cursor keys to make the cursor move diagonally. Centre on boat mode To switch to centre on boat mode in the chart display, press . The boat is at the centre of the chart. As the boat moves through the water, the chart automatically scrolls to keep the boat in the centre of the chart. The cursor (see below) is turned off. Hold a cursor key down to make the cursor move continuously across the display.
3-2-5 Finding places To see places near the boat’s position, press to switch to centre on boat mode. To see places near a different point, move the cursor to that point on the chart. 5 . The chart Select the place and press display changes to show the selected place in the middle of the display. 6 To see stored information about the selected place, press and select Chart info (see section 3-2-4). To display a tide chart for a selected tide station, select Tide height from the chart info.
3-4 Projected course If Projected course is turned on, then the Explorer 538/538i will display the projected position based on the course over ground (COG), speed and a specified time. To turn Projected course on and off and to set the time, see section 14-2. A B A Projected position B Boat’s projected course C Boat position C 3-5 Tracks and tracking Tracking records the boat’s position to memory at regular intervals, which can be: Time intervals. Or distance intervals.
4 Navigation: Highway display The highway display has a bird’s eye view of the boat’s course to a destination. To go to the Highway display, , select Other, then select Highway. press A B The highway display shows: C A Optional data header (see section 2-8-3) B Optional compass (see section 2-8-4) C Destination waypoint D Boat’s plotted course to destination E CDI lines, parallel to the boat’s plotted course (see Appendix C, CDI).
5-1 Waypoints display To go to the waypoints display, press , select Other, then select Waypoints. The waypoints display is a list of the waypoints that have been entered, each with waypoint symbol, name, latitude and longitude, distance and bearing from the boat, type and display option. If there are more waypoints than will fit on the display, press or to scroll up or down a page at a time.
5-2-3 Editing a waypoint Editing a waypoint from the waypoints display Editing a waypoint from the chart display 1 In the chart display, move the cursor to the waypoint to edit. 2 Press 1 In the waypoints display, press or highlight the waypoint to edit. Press and select Edit. 2 Change the waypoint data (see section 5-2-7). Select Save. and select Edit. 3 Change the waypoint data (see section 5-2-7). Select Save.
5-2-8 Sort Waypoints To change how the waypoints list is displayed: 1 Press 2 Select how to display the list: and select Sort by. Name: In alphabetical order by name. Icon: Grouped by icon type. Distance: In order of distance from the boat. An arrow at at the top of a column indicates how the waypoints are sorted. 5-2-9 Navigating to a waypoint See section 3-1-2. 6 Navigation: Routes A route is a list of waypoints that the boat can navigate along. Routes can be created, changed and deleted.
6-2 Managing routes 2 After creating or changing a route, display the route on the chart and check that it does not cross land or dangerous water. To insert a waypoint in the route by breaking one leg into two: i Move the cursor to the leg you want to break. ii Press 6-2-1 Creating a new route A. Creating a new route from the chart display while creating the route: Press or to change the range; scroll the chart by moving the cursor to the edge of the chart.
4 automatically. If the route has more waypoints than will fit on the display, press or to see them. To insert a waypoint in the route: i Select where the waypoint will be: To insert the first waypoint in a new route, select Leg 1. To insert a waypoint at the end of the route, select the unused leg at the end of the list of waypoints. Otherwise, select the waypoint to insert the new waypoint in front of. ii Press . A list of waypoints is displayed. Select the waypoint to use.
7 Satellites GPS worldwide navigation The US Government operates the GPS system. Twenty-four satellites orbit the earth and broadcast position and time signals. The positions of these satellites are constantly changing. The GPS receiver analyses the signals from the closest satellites and calculates exactly where it is on earth. This is called the GPS position. The accuracy of the GPS position is typically better than 10 m (33 ft) for 95% of the time.
7-1 Satellite display The satellite display has information about the GPS satellites and GPS position. To go to the satellite display, press Other, then select Satellite. A Status of GPS antenna, for example Acquiring, GPS fix, No GPS. If the unit is in Simulate mode it displays Simulate (see section 2-7) B Time and date from GPS satellites. Time is local time (UTC [GMT] plus local offset, see section 14-11) C HDOP: The error in the GPS position caused by satellite geometry.
8 Gauges display The Gauges display shows boat data, such as water speed, as analog or digital gauges. To go to the Gauge display, press and select Chart, then select Chart+Gauges. Changing the Gauges display 1 Go to the Gauges display and press 2 To select the gauge type. If necessary, press twice to switch to the Gauges display (see section 2-8-1). Before using the Gauge display, set Speed range and Max fuel flow (see section 17-11). Chart 3 4 i Select Gauge type.
9 Data display The data display has large numeric data fields. To go to the data display, press , select Other, then select Data. To select what data is displayed: 1 Press 2 Change a data field: and select Data setup. i Press the cursor keys to highlight the field. ii Press items. to display a menu of data iii Select a data item that is available on your system or select None to leave the field empty. 3 Repeat the above step to set the other data fields. 4 Press .
5 Set Remaining to the amount of fuel that you calculated was now in the tank. Note: If you follow procedure B every time you add fuel, then a small error will accumulate, because it is hard to measure exactly how much fuel you add. To avoid this, completely fill the tank and follow procedure A about every tenth time you add fuel.
10-3 Fuel consumption curves A fuel consumption curve is a powerful tool for assessing your boat performance in different conditions and for helping you to run at the most economical speed for the conditions. Fuel consumption curves require engine RPM, which requires SmartCraft to be installed. 10-3-1 Making a fuel consumption curve Making a fuel consumption curve requires running the boat in a straight line through the engine’s full RPM range for about 15 minutes.
10-3-2 Managing fuel consumption curves Record several curves for different conditions. Deleting a curve Renaming a curve 1 1 Press one or more times until the Setup menu is displayed, then select Fuel. Press once or more until the Setup menu is displayed, then select Fuel. 2 2 Select Fuel consumption curve. Select Name, press and select the name of the curve to rename. Select Fuel consumption curve. Select Name, press and select the name of the curve to delete.
11 Tides display The tides display is available on C-MAP charts. The tides display shows tide information at a tide station for the selected date. 3 A list of tide stations are displayed. Select the tide station to display. The chart redraws with the tide station centred. Note: The tides display requires the local time offset to be set to work correctly (see section 14-11) 4 Press 5 Select Tide height.
12 User card display A C-MAP™ user card is an optional plug-in card that can store data files (see section 1-4). There are three types of files: waypoints, routes or a track. To go to the user card display, press Other, then select User card. , select Note: 1 Before using a user card, remove any chart card and plug the user card in. When you have finished with the user card, remove the user card and replace the chart card (see section 1-3). 2 The older 5 volt cards are not supported.
A routes file: The new routes are added to any existing routes in the Explorer 538/538i. If a new route has the same name as an existing route but has different data then the Explorer 538/538i asks which route to keep. Formatting the user card A track file: The new track will replace the existing track in the Explorer 538/538i. 1 Press 2 Select Format. 3 Select Yes to confirm. To load a file to the Explorer 538/538i: 1 Select the file to load. 2 Press and select Load.
14 Setting up the Explorer 538/538i The Explorer 538/538i has a number of advanced features which are set up through the setup menu. We recommend that you become familiar with the operation of the unit using the default settings before making any changes to the data in these menus. To go to a setup option menu, press one or more times to display the setup menu, then select an option. Note: 1 The Setup menu options are explained in the following sections.
Setup option menus Factory default settings are shown. The setup data available will depend on the optional sensors and instruments installed.
Factory reset This option returns all of the Explorer 538/538i settings (except the language, waypoints and routes) to the default factory settings shown on the setup menus. SmartCraft No SmartCraft gateway is fitted. Disable SmartCraft functions. Normal SmartCraft operation See section 15-7. 14-2 Setup > Chart Press once or more until the Setup menu is displayed, then select Chart: Rotation The options for chart rotation are: North up: North is always at the top of the chart display.
Setting map datum Map shift 1 In the Chart setup menu, select Map datum. 2 Select the map datum for the paper chart you are using. 3 If you select a datum other than WGS 84 the Explorer 538/538i asks if you want to apply the NMEA datum offset (see below). Map shift is for eliminating minor offsets. It should not be used if the correct datum is available. Use map shift with caution: incorrect application will cause incorrect boat positions. Some charts have consistent position errors.
General submenu Plotter mode Normal: only scales available on the chart card can be displayed. If you press or to select a chart scale which is not available, on the chart card, the chart display will change to this scale but will only display the boat position and track (if enabled). The rest of the display is white with black crosshatch lines and no chart information is displayed. This is useful to zoom to a small scale to track small boat movements or if there is no detailed chart for an area.
14-3 Setup > GPS Press once or more until the Setup menu is displayed, then select GPS: Static Navigation When the boat stops or moves very slowly, the calculated GPS speed and course become erratic. Static navigation is a number, and the options are: • 0.01 to 99.9:If the boat speed is slower than this, the speed is displayed as zero and the course stays unchanged. • 0(Off): The calculated speed and course are always used.
14-4 Setup > Fuel Fuel setup requires optional petrol/gasoline or SmartCraft sensors to be installed. Set Num engines first to enable the fuel functions. Press one or more times until the Setup menu is displayed, then select Fuel: Calibrate SmartCraft fuel sensors are factory calibrated and should never need recalibrating. Calibrating Northstar petrol/gasoline sensors gives more accurate fuel values. Twin engine installations require each fuel transducer to be calibrated.
The Flow filter can be set from 0 to 30 seconds. Use the lowest value which gives a stable flow. Usually a value of 5 to 10 seconds will give a satisfactory result for two-stroke carburettor engines. Fuel injected or four-stroke engines may require a larger value. Speed source If both paddlewheel sensor and GPS speeds are available, select the source of speed readings for fuel calculations. If there is a current or tide, these speeds and the fuel calculation results will be different.
14-6 Setup > Logs Press one or more times until the Setup menu is displayed, then select Logs: The values can be changed independently of each other. These log values are saved when the unit is turned off. Reset trip dist This resets the trip distance to zero. Reset total dist This option resets the total distance to zero. Reset engine hours Use this option to reset the engine hours to zero. This can be useful after an engine service or to count the engine hours between service intervals.
14-8 Setup > Units Press one or more times until the Setup menu is displayed, then select Units: Depth ft (feet), m (metres) or fa (fathoms) Fuel Litres, USGal (US gallons) or ImpGal (Imperial Gallons) Compass °T (True north) or °M (Magnetic north) Temperature °F (Fahrenheit) or °C (Celsius) Wind (optional) The default units are shown above.
14-10 Setup > Calibrate Press once or more until the Setup menu is displayed, then select Calibrate: Fuel See section 14-4. Speed range The maximum reading to display on an analog boat speed gauge (see section 10). Choose a range suitable for your boat. Max fuel flow The maximum fuel flow from the fuel tank. 14-11 Setup > Time Press once or more until the Setup menu is displayed, then select Time: Local offset The difference between local time and UTC (GMT).
Note: To select the start point, go to the chart display before starting the simulation. Then: • To start the simulation from the boat position, press • To start the simulation from a different point, move the cursor to that point on the chart. to switch to centre on boat mode. Tip: To calculate a course, use the cursor (see section 3-3). Tip: As the boat moves, vary Course to simulate the boat moving off course.
Optional sensors and instruments External alarms: Lights or sounders in the boat to sound alarms through the boat (see section 15-4). GPS or DGPS antenna: For GPS navigation, see section 15-5. Fuel sensors: For fuel functions.
15-3 Installation: The display unit Select a position for the display unit: At least 4” (100 mm) away from the compass, at least 12” (300 mm) away from any radio transmitter and at least 4 ft (1.2 m) away from any antenna. • For the Explorer 538i, with the internal GPS antenna: The display unit must have a good view of the sky and horizon. The view should not be blocked by large parts of the superstructure. Easy to read and operate.
15-4 Installation: Power/Data cable The power/data cable has a black locking collar and flying leads. 1 Wire the Explorer 538/538i for auto power to have the Explorer 538/538i turn on with the boat’s ignition switch or to to record engine hours or if the Explorer 538/538i must add up the total fuel used (for example if Northstar petrol/gasoline fuel sensors are installed or if SmartCraft is installed without fuel tank level sensors). Otherwise wire for basic power (for more information, see section 2-2).
15-5 Installation: GPS antenna Selecting an antenna Installing an antenna Fit one of these GPS antennas: • Normally use the internal GPS antenna (Explorer 538i) or the GPS antenna supplied (Explorer 538). • An optional differential beacon DGPS antenna to give enhanced accuracy within range of land based differential beacons in areas where WAAS or EGNOS are not available.
15-7 Installation: SmartCraft If the boat has one or two SmartCraft capable Mercury petrol/gasoline engines, connect the Explorer 538/538i to the SmartCraft engines with an optional SmartCraft gateway. The display unit can display engine data and trim and can control troll speed. During setup enter the SmartCraft setup data. For information on installing, setting up and using SmartCraft, see the SmartCraft Gateways Installation and Operation Manual.
15-9 Installation: Other NMEA instruments NMEA is an industry standard for interconnecting instruments. It is not as flexible or as easy to install as NavBus. The Explorer 538/538i can: Power/data cable White NMEA out Receive and display wind speed and direction from an optional compatible wind instrument. Black Black NMEA ground White NMEA in Receive and display depth, paddlewheel boat speed and water temperature from an optional compatible instrument.
Appendix A - Specifications GENERAL FUEL COMPUTER Size: 126 mm H x 126 mm W x 65 mm D (5.0” x 5.0” x 2.6”) (Optional fuel sensor(s) required) Engine types: Display: 3.8” diagonal, TFT Color, 240 x 320 pixels Outboard carburetted two stroke and EFI petrol/gasoline engines: 50 to 300 hp. Backlight: Display and keys Outboard four stroke petrol/gasoline engines: 90 to 300 hp. Supply voltage 10 to 16 V DC. Inboard petrol/gasoline engines: 70 to 400 hp. Supply current: at 13.
30.5mm 34.3mm (1.2”) (1.37”) 143.6mm (5.76”) 126.0mm (5.0”) 126.0mm (5.0”) 88.5mm (3.5”) List of datums Adindan American Samoa 1962 ARC 1950 Astro Beacon ‘E’ 1945 Astro Tern Island (Frig) 1961 Ayabelle Lighthouse Bissau Camp Area Astro Cape Chatham Island Astro 1971 Corrego Alegre Djakarta (Batavia) European 1950 Gan 1970 Guam 1963 Herat North Hong Kong 1963 Indian 1954 Indonesian 1974 ISTS 073 Astro 1969 Kerguelen Island 1949 L. C.
Appendix B - Troubleshooting This troubleshooting guide is written with the assumption that the user has read and understood the relevant sections in this manual. to ensure that the display unit is reassembled correctly and is waterproof. Users who service the product themselves will void the warranty. It is possible in many cases to solve difficulties without having to send the display unit back to the manufacturer for repair.
B-2 GPS navigation problems 2-1 No GPS fix or long time to get fix at startup: 2-6 Autopilot not responding to Explorer; no NMEA output: a May occur occasionally if the antenna does not have a clear view of the sky. The satellite positions are constantly changing. a NMEA output disabled or the required NMEA sentences are not turned on. Check NMEA settings (see section 17-10). b Antenna cable not connected to display unit. b c Restart the GPS (see section 14-3).
B-3 Fuel consumption problems Note: For the Explorer 538/538i to measure fuel consumption, the optional fuel flow kit must be fitted. 3-3 A twin engine installation shows only one flow rate: a 3-1 Fuel used or remaining seem inaccurate: Explorer is not wired for auto power (see section 15-4). b In rough seas, fuel may surge back and forth through the fuel transducer, resulting in incorrect readings. Try installing a one-way valve between the fuel transducer and the fuel tank.
Appendix C - Glossary and navigation data Glossary Attention Area - An important area on a chart, such as a restricted anchorage or a shallow area (see section 14-2). Bathymetric line - A depth contour line on the chart. MOB - Man overboard. MOB function - Starts navigating back to the place where someone fell overboard (see section 2-5). Chart card - A plug-in card that stores chart data for a region (see section 1-3).
Navigation data The boat is sailing from the start to the destination and has moved off the plotted course from the start to the destination. BRG Bearing to Destination: Bearing to the destination from the boat. BRG CDI Bearing to cursor: Bearing to cursor from boat (cursor mode, see section 3-2) Course Deviation Indicator: When the boat is navigating to a point, the chart and highway displays show a parallel line on either side of the plotted course.
AMERICAS 30 Sudbury Road, Acton, MA 01720, USA EUROPE Unit 2, Ocean Quay, Belvidere Rd, Southampton, Ph: +1 978.897.6600 SO14 5QY, ENGLAND Ph: +1 800.628.4487 Ph: +44 2380 339922 Fax: +1 978.897.7241 Fax: +44 2380 330345 sales@bntmarine.com northstaruk@northstarnav.
