Airmar WeatherCaster™ Software Manuel d'utilisateur

Record the version number found on the Airmar Sensor Support CD.Version No.______________Date of Purchase_________________WeatherStation® InstrumentCo

104. The Please Wait window followed by the Software Installation caution window will appear (see Figure 9). The drivers are not Microsoft Windows® ce

11Installing the USB Controller Driver1. Power the Converter or Combiner.2. Plug the USB cable into an open USB port on your PC.3. The Found New Hardw

125. The Please Wait window followed by the Hardware Installation caution window will appear (see Figure 13). The USB Controller Driver is not Microso

13IMPORTANT: The new hardware wizard must run TWICE for a complete installation.Installing the USB Communications Port Driver1. When the Found New Har

14Setting Up WeatherCaster™ SoftwareAfter the WeatherCaster software is successfully installed, click the WeatherCaster icon on your PC’s desktop or S

15NMEA 0183 InterfaceAuto DetectIf Auto Detect is chosen, all available communications ports and baud rates, starting with the selected port and baud

16No Sensor DetectedIf no sensor is found using the previously selected communication settings, the Communications Interface Setup window will appear

17NMEA 2000® InterfaceCommunications SetupWhen the NMEA 2000 Interface is selected, the WeatherCaster software will search for all recognized NMEA 200

18After all the selections have been made, click Apply (see Figure 23).Figure 23. Apply sensor selections

19Setup ScreenWhen the WeatherCaster software opens, you will see a Setup screen with gauges and dials (see Figure 24). The gauges display the data be

Copyright © 2007 - 2012 Airmar Technology Corp. All rights reserved. All Rights Reserved. Except as expressly provided herein, no part of this manual

20Background Color Dial This dial allows you to choose the screen background.•Steel•Blue• NightTo change the setting, click the text to the right of t

21Barometric Pressure Setting Dial This dial allows you to display the barometric pressure in the following units of measure:• inHg—Inches of Mercury•

22Advanced Setup Button To change settings in the sensor firmware, click Advanced Setup. Previous ArrowTo return to the previous display screen, click

23Using WeatherCaster™ SoftwareThe WeatherCaster software has three display screens. To move between screens, click the Next or the Previous arrow in

24Analog Gauge ScreenGauges display the data being sent from the sensor(s) (see Figure 25). Each gauge displays data in both analog and digital format

25GaugesWind Chill Gauge This gauge uses a needle to indicate the wind chill temperature with a digital readout at the bottom. Note that Wind Chill in

26True Wind Gauge This gauge uses needles to indicate the true wind speed and direction relative to north. The long needle points to the wind speed, a

27Barometric Pressure This gauge uses a black/white needle to indicate the current barometric pressure. A red needle is the reference marker. By align

28Relative Humidity Gauge This gauge uses a needle to indicate the relative humidity as a percentage. There is also a digital readout at the bottom. T

29Large Compass & Digital Readout ScreenTo view the Large Compass and Digital Readout Screen, click the Next arrow at the top right of the display

3Table of ContentsIntroduction and Sensor Functions... 4Installing WeatherCaster™ Software...

30Digital ReadingsThe right side of the screen displays some or all of the following readings depending upon the sensor(s) installed and selected (see

31Data BoxesThere are seven data boxes at the top of each screen (see Figure 27). 1. This box displays the WeatherCaster software version number as we

32Advanced Setup—Firmware SettingsThe firmware resides within the sensor itself and is separate from the WeatherCaster software. To access these firmw

33After a Source Sensor has been selected, its detailed information including the Self-Test Status and results is updated. The data is displayed on th

34Enable/Disable FunctionalityYou can enable or disable the NMEA 0183 sentence commands or NMEA 2000 PGN commands sent by the sensor and modify the ra

35• PC Settings—Using WeatherCaster SoftwareIn the Enable/Disable Functionality window, click the PC Settings tab to modify the settings when you are

36NOTE: One sensor may report multiple functions. For example, a DST200 may give water depth, water speed, and water temperature data. However, this S

37If the functionality to report the current PGN setting is not supported, the WeatherCaster software will not allow the PGN settings to be modified.

38Azimuth OffsetIf the sensor is not installed pointing forward and parallel to the desired centerline/keel, enter the offset angle in the text box (s

39Roll OffsetIf the sensor is not installed truly vertical relative to the left-right axis, enter the roll offset angle in the text box (see Figure 42

4IntroductionThe WeatherCaster™ software allows you to communicate with your sensor(s) through a personal computer when your installation includes a C

40The Pitch and Roll Offset window will open (see Figure 44). Follow the screen instructions and the sensor will compensate for the pitch and roll. To

41• GPS Position Calculations—To calculate a more accurate 2D fix, an altitude offset can be programed into the sensor. Enter an altitude in the Fixed

42True WindCourse-Over-Ground (COG) is used to calculate the True Wind direction and speed. To disable the use of COG and substitute the internal comp

43DepthYou can modify the depth reading to compensate for the distance between the transducer’s face and the water surface or a part of the keel (see

44Compass CalibrationMost Airmar sensors with an internal compass must be calibrated for maximum accuracy. (Your sensor/instrument owner’s guide will

45If you clicked Next, calibration will begin and the Calibration in Progress window will appear (see Figure 53).If you choose to cancel calibration,

46Likewise, if the compass calibration stops due to a calibration error or a time-out error, a notification window will appear similar to the one show

47Paddlewheel Calibration/Water Speed CalibrationThe paddlewheel can be calibrated if the Water Speed sensor is selected and a GPS device is available

48If you clicked Start, the Collecting Data window will appear (see Figure 60). Click Cancel to stop.If the paddlewheel calibration stops due to a cal

49If you click Restore, the Confirm Restore window will appear (see Figure 62).NMEA 2000® SettingsYou can alter the NMEA 2000 settings. In the Advance

5Installing WeatherCaster™ SoftwareCAUTION: The screen resolution must be set at 1024 x 768 pixels for the WeatherCaster software to operate properly.

50Restore Factory DefaultsIn the Advanced Setup window, all settings can be returned to the factory defaults by clicking Restore Factory Defaults (see

51Communications/DiagnosticsCommunication to a sensor can be set-up or modified. In the Advanced Setup window, click the Communications/Diagnostics ta

52NMEA 0183 InterfaceAuto DetectIf Auto Detect is chosen, all available communications ports and baud rates, starting with the selected port and baud

53No Sensor DetectedIf no sensor is found using the previously selected communication settings, the Communications Interface Setup window will appear

54NMEA 2000® InterfaceCommunications Setup (see pages 17 - 18)Device ViewYou can see detailed information about the Gateway selected. Click NMEA 2000

55Raw Data LoggingRaw data logging can also be enabled using the Communications/Diagnostics window (see Figure 66). When raw data logging is enabled,

56AlarmsWeatherCaster software can be used to set alarms for wind speed, water depth, and barometric pressure. The user can turn alarms ON or OFF as w

57Alarm Notification (see Figure 71)• If the Acknowledge button is clicked and the reading no longer exceeds the alarm limit, the Alarm window will cl

58NamesWhen a sensor is detected by the WeatherCaster software, it is identified by its serial number. However, a sensor can be given a name. This is

59Storage IdentifierIt is possible to identify the origin of historical data that is stored and displayed by the WeatherCaster software. In the Storag

64. The WeatherCaster Installation Wizard window will appear (see Figure 3). Click Next to continue. 5. The WeatherCaster License Agreement window wi

60Update FlashUpdating WeatherStation FirmwarePeriodically, Airmar may release updated versions of the WeatherStation’s firmware that resides within t

615. Click Select File (see Figure 75). In the Open dialog box, browse to the sensor flash file to be used. The file name will end in ”.ax”. Click Ope

62Running Multiple Copies of WeatherCaster SoftwareIt is possible to run multiple copies of the WeatherCaster software simultaneously (i.e. multiple i

63NOTE: It is possible to determine which sensor is being monitored by checking the serial number/name in the upper left corner of the WeatherCaster s

64Updates & TroubleshootingWeatherCaster Software UpdatesPeriodically, Airmar will release updated versions of the WeatherCaster software and sens

651. From the Start menu, select Control Panel.2. Select Display Properties.3. Select the Settings tab (see Figure 78).4. Slide the Screen Resolution

66WeatherCaster Software ProblemsIdentify the WeatherCaster VersionThe WeatherCaster version number is located on the top left corner of each WeatherC

676. Set the bits-per-second to 4800 if connected to a Converter or 38400 if connected to a Combiner (see Figure 79). Using the drop-down menus, chang

68Appendix—Technical InformationBaud RateThe WeatherCaster software needs to be set as follows:• NMEA 0183 to USB Data Converter: 4800 Baud Rate• NMEA

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76. The Choose Destination Location window will appear (see Figure 5). Follow the screen prompts. Click Next to continue. 7. The Ready to Install wind

88. The Installation Complete window will appear when the WeatherCaster software has been successfully installed (see Figure 7). Click Finish. The Sen

9Copying the Device Drivers to the PC1. The Sensor Support CD Browser window will appear (see Figure 2). Click the appropriate Install Drivers button