Operation Manual S15 Chapter Description 1 2 Introduction Front Panel Description Front Back Of Unit LCD Display Fist Microphone/Controller Soft Keypad (0 – 9) General Operation Dual Watch Full Scan Memory Scan High / Low RF Output Power Selection Squelch Control Volume Control Channel 16 Channel Select Memory Channel Select Receiving A DSC Call Routine Calls Urgency And Safety Calls Group Calls Distress Alert Sending A DSC Call Distress Calls Routine Calls Urgency And Safety Calls Group Calls Log View
Operation Manual 8 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 9 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 10 10.1 10.2 10.3 11 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 12 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 13 14 14.1 14.
Operation Manual S15 1. Introduction The S15 is a Class-D Digital Selective Calling (DSC) VHF marine transceiver with built in GPS capability (position, waypoints, course and speed over the ground) if connected with GPS input from either a GPS navigator or smart antenna. The S15 also has full NAVTEX message display capability when interfaced with a suitable NAVTEX antenna/receiver unit. The transceiver is a 25-watt, frequency modulated waterproof transmitter/receiver for applications in the 156.025 - 162.
Operation Manual S15 2. Front Panel Description 2.1 Front 1. POWER SWITCH (ON) Press the (ON) button once on the front panel of the S15. To switch off, press (ON) again the S15 switch off. 2. CHANNEL MEMORY KEY (M+) The function of this key is to add or delete the currently selected channel from the scan memory. 3. CLEAR KEY (CLR) Stops current task and returns to the main screen. 4. SQUELCH MODE SELECTION KEY (SQ) 5. VOLUME CONTROL MODE SELECTION KEY (VOL) 6.
Operation Manual S15 9. UP KEY (▲) Selects the desired channel, squelch control level or volume control level. Each press selects the next higher channel, number or level. Press and hold to scroll up through all of the channels. 10. LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD) Dot Matrix display, giving up to 8 lines of information. 11. SPEAKER 12. DISTRESS CALL BUTTON The distress button as located under a protective, spring loaded cover that must be lifted before the button can be pressed. 13.
Operation Manual S15 2.3 LCD Display 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 GROUP 1 VL Volume control is activated, the Bar indicates the volume level. Sq Squelch control is activated, the Bar indicates the squelch level. Mu Appears when the squelch opens. RX The radio is in receptive state (RX) and when receiving a signal. TX The radio is transmitting (TX). GROUP 2 Hi Indicates TX maximum output power is 25W. Lo Indicates TX maximum output power is 1W. GROUP 3 S Indicates the displayed channel is a simplex channel.
Operation Manual S15 3. Fist Microphone/Controller The fist mike/controller has the microphone, Push to Talk (PTT) switch and Soft-keypad as illustrated below: 3.1 SOFT-KEYPAD (0 - 9) The telephone style keypad ITU 0 – 9 / A - Z is used for entering numeric data. When required, the keys will automatically switch to character mode allowing letters, numbers and punctuation characters to be entered. Repeatedly pressing a key will cycle through the characters available on that key.
Operation Manual S15 ENTER KEY (ENT) Confirms the action. CLEAR KEY (CLR) Stop tasks and returns to main screen or returns to the last screen. ◄ / ► Key Moves the cursor position when setting. ▲/ ▼ KEY Use to select working channel (Up or Down). Can also be used to select stored working channels. Allows viewing of next or previous message and selection next or previous item. PTT BUTTON Keys the transmitter allowing you to transmit a message. (CALL) KEY. Activates ‘CALL’ menu.
Operation Manual S15 4. General Operation The S15 is switched on by pressing the (ON) key once. If a GPS receiver and a NAVTEX receiver have been connected to the S15, the main screen will be as bellow: Press the (F) key on the front panel once to enter function selection mode.
Operation Manual S15 Note that the radio will not transmit, nor will alternative channels be able to be selected while in dual watch mode. To restore normal operation press (F) key again or press channel (16) key. 4.2 FULL SCAN (FS) This function scans through each channel sequentially until a signal is detected above the squelch level set. Once the signal ends or drops below the squelch level, the radio will continue scanning.
Operation Manual S15 4.5 SQUELCH CONTROL In the main screen, press the (SQ) key on the front panel, the screen will be changed to the VHF screen. Squelch is used to adjust the receiver muting threshold (squelch) level. When pressed, the squelch level bar and “Sq” symbol will appear at the right side of the screen as follows.: To cut out weaker signals, press ▲ key to increase the squelch until the background interference noise disappears. To receive weaker signals press ▼ key to decrease the squelch. 4.
Operation Manual S15 4.7 CHANNEL 16 (16) Pressing (16) key will automatically select channel 16 on high power. Any active function (Dual watch scanning, DSC setting, log view, NAVTEX GPS setting etc) will be cancelled. 4.8 CHANNEL SELECT (▲ / ▼) Press ▲ key to go up through the channels. Press ▼ key to go down through the channels.
Operation Manual S15 5. Receiving A DSC Call When a DSC call is received, the radio will switch to the call log screen to display the details of the call and ring or sound the alarm depending on the nature of the call. The procedures that follow describe how to handle the types of calls that can be received. 5.1 ROUTINE CALLS When a Routine call is received, the screen will show the details of the call, where it is from and working channel as follows. Also an alarm will sound.
Operation Manual S15 Press the (ENT) key to stop the alarm (or ringing), and then listen for the voice message. 5.3 GROUP CALLS When a Group call is received, the radio will sound an alarm and display the details of the call, indicating whom it is from and the working channel as follows: Press (ENT) key to stop the alarm, then listen for the voice message or speak. 5.
Operation Manual S15 Page 15
Operation Manual S15 6. Sending A DSC Call Making a DSC call is very simple. First choose the call type (Routine, Safety, Urgency, Group or Distress Alert). If required, enter the destination and working channel and then send the call by pushing (ENT) key on the fist microphone/controller. The digital signal will be sent out in under a second, containing the vessels ID and the call type. In order for the radio to function, your MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identifier) number will need to be entered.
Operation Manual S15 Press and hold the (DIST) key for about five seconds. A countdown to the transmission will be displayed then an alarm will sound. The Distress Alert transmission contains the following data: 1. The vessel’s MMSI; 2. The vessel’s position (either from the NMEA0183 input, or manually entered); 3. The time (from NMEA or Manual input); 4. The nature of the distress.
Operation Manual S15 Then enter a called vessel’s MMSI number with the keypad and select a working channel by pressing the ▲ or ▼ key on the keypad from the channel list. Press (ENT) key and the Radio will send a routine call. Then the radio will change to following screen and wait for a reply. When a reply is received, it will sound a tone and automatically set to the specified working channel. A voice call can then be made in the normal way. 6.
Operation Manual S15 Press the (ENT) key again to make the call, or press (CLR) for cancel. When the call is sent, the radio will be set to the working channel. Allow a few seconds for the stations receiving the call to switch to the working channel. Then make a normal voice call on the selected working channel. 6.4 GROUP CALL If a group ID has been set up for the called Radio. A call can be made to other members of the group.
Operation Manual S15 7. LOG VIEW There are 3 different logs; routine log, distress message log and NAVTEX message log. To view the logs, press (MENU) key on the mike keypad, the MENU SELECTION screen will appear on the display as follows: Press ▲ or ▼ key to move the symbol ► on the MENU SELECTION screen to front of LOG VIEW, then press (ENT) key to confirm, the LOG VIEW screen will appear on the display as follows: 7.
Operation Manual S15 If messages have been received, the screen will be as follows: The ◄ or ► keys are used to move back or forward through the log. Press (CLR) key to exit from the VHF ROUTINE LOG screen and go back to the LOG VIEW screen. 7.2 REVIEW DISTRESS LOG The distress log can be used to look back through the previous 20 distress calls that have been received, the most recent call first.
Operation Manual S15 If there have been no messages received, the screen will be indicated DISTRESS LOG NO ITEM and after a while automatically revert to the last screen. If messages have been received, the screen will be as follows: Use the ◄ or ► key to move back and forward through the distress log. The distress message screen is as follows: 7.
Operation Manual S15 On the screen, the letter “N” indicates this message has not been read, the letter “W” indicates the message is a Warning message (A, B or C type message), and “S” indicates the message is a SAR message (D type message). The list can store the previous 60 message identifications that have been received, the most recent first.
Operation Manual S15 8. Settings Using the instructions listed below to set up user environment. 8.1 BACKLIGHT AND KEYPAD LIGHTING ADJUSTMENT Press “▲”“▼”on the microphone to select BACKLIGHT option and press (ENT) to obtain the following screen. Then, press “▲”“▼”to adjust the brightness of backlight. There are 5 levels of brightness. Press (ENT) for confirmation and to exit. 8.2 CONTRAST ADJUSTMENT Using “▲”“▼”on the microphone to select CONTRAST and press (ENT) to obtain the following screen.
Operation Manual S15 8.3 SPEAKER SELECTING Using “▲”“▼”on the microphone to select SPEAKER and press (ENT) to obtain the following screen. Then, press “▲”“▼”to select internal, external or both speaker. Press (ENT) for confirmation and exit. 8.4 TONE SELECTION Using “▲”“▼”to select BEEP and press (ENT) to obtain the following screen. Then, press “▲”“▼”to select enable or disable the BEEP tone function for the keypad, button press and the notifying sound of NAVTEX message received.
Operation Manual S15 9. DSC Settings 9.1 MMSI SETTING If the S15 has not been programmed with an MMSI, when powering ON the unit, the VHF MMSI SET screen will appear on the display as below: Power ON the unit, then press the numeric soft key on the microphone to enter the MMSI numbers (9 numbers). This number can be obtained from your local radio communications authority. If a mistake is made, use the ◄ or ►key to move back and edit the error.
Operation Manual S15 To view your vessel MMSI, press (MENU) key on the mike keypad to select the MENU SELECTION screen. Press ▲ or ▼ key on the mike keypad to select the DSC SETTING screen as below: Press ▲ or ▼ key again to move the symbol ► on the screen to front of MMSI, and press (ENT) key to confirm. The MMSI VIEW screen is as below: Press (CLR) key on the mike keypad to go back to DSC SETTING screen, or press (CLR) key on the front panel to go back to main screen.
Operation Manual S15 Use the numeric soft keys to enter the GROUP ID numbers (8 numbers, the first number must be “0”). If a mistake is made, use the ◄ or ► key to move the cursor on the screen back and reset the number. Then press (ENT) key, the radio will ask for verification. If sure, press (ENT) key once again to confirm the entered numbers. If no, press (CLR) key to go back to last screen. 9.
Operation Manual S15 If the position of the vessel cannot be obtained from a GPS via the NMEA 0183 input, this data can be entered manually. Press ▲ or ▼ key to move the ► symbol on the DSC SETTING screen in front of POSITION/UTC, then press (ENT) key to confirm, the POSITION/UTC screen will appear as follows: Use the numeric soft keys to enter required data, use numeric key (0) to change to either N or S the either E or W. Then press (ENT) key to accept the position and time entered.
Operation Manual S15 Press ▲ or ▼ key to select add channel screen, then press (ENT) key to enter the WORK CHANNEL/ADD screen as follows: Press ▲ or ▼ key to change the selected channel, and press (ENT) key to accept. Then press ◄ or ► key to enter next channel. Press ▲ or ▼ key to move the ► symbol on the WORK CHANNEL screen in front of DEL then press (ENT) to accept.
Operation Manual S15 Press ◄ or ► key to select channel (the 5th - the 9th channel) that is to be deleted, then press (ENT) key to accept. 9.6 SET THE DIRECTORY OF CALLED MMSI AND VESSELS NAME. The DIRECTORY screen is used to add, edit and entries from a list of up to 20 stored MMSI numbers, which can be recalled in the routine call screen.
Operation Manual S15 To edit an existing entry, press ▲ or ▼ key to move symbol ► on the DIRECTORY screen in front of EDIT, then press (ENT) key to enter DIRECTORY-EDIT screen as follows: Use the ◄ or ► key to select the number of the entry. Then press (ENT) key. Use the ◄ or ► key to move along the name and MMSI fields, using the soft numeric keypad to edit the data.
Operation Manual S15 10. NAVTEX Setting To limit the number of message displayed in the NAVTEX log you can select what station and also what type of message you wish to select. 10.
Operation Manual S15 10.2 Message Selection Press ▲ or ▼ key to move the ► symbol on the NAVTEX SELECTION screen in front of MESSAGE SELECTION, then press (ENT) key to enter the MESSAGE SELECTION screen as follows: Press ▲ or ▼ key to move the ► symbol on the screen in front of the message category that you wish to inhibit, then press ◄ or ► key to set the this message category to RECEIVE or IGNORE. Press (ENT) key to confirm and revert to the previous screen, or press (CLR) on first/mic to cancel.
Operation Manual S15 If YES, press (ENT), ALL messages will be clear and go back to NATEX SELECTION screen.
Operation Manual S15 11. GPS Navigation Settings To display the vessels position and navigation information, the S15 must be connected to a GPS and waypoints must be entered. Press ▲ or ▼ key to move the symbol ► on the MENU SELECTION in front of GPS NAVIGITION. Press (ENT) key for confirm, then GPS NAVIGATION setting screen will appear as follows: 11.1 Set Waypoint Number Press ▲ or ▼ key again to move the symbol ► on the screen in front of SET WAYPOINT NUMBER, then press (ENT) key for confirm.
Operation Manual S15 The “waypoint number” represents the number of waypoints. You can find the “waypoint number” under the directory of “Waypoint Overview”. For example, if the waypoint number shows “05”, it means that there are 5 waypoints stored. Please note that the maximum storage for waypoints is 50. If the storage exceeds the maximum storage, the display will indicate “Invalid Data” to express that the input is invalid.
Operation Manual S15 If need enter the next waypoint, press (ENT) key, or press (CLR) key to return back to GPS NAVIGITION setting screen. 11.3 Review Waypoint To review the waypoint position, press ▲ or ▼ key to move the symbol ► on the GPS NAVIGATION setting screen to front of WAYPOINT OVER VIEW, then press (ENT) key to confirm, the REVIEW WAYPOINT screen will appear as below: The symbol ▲ or ▼ on the screen indicate that there are more waypoints at the front or back of the page.
Operation Manual S15 The NAVIGATION VIEW screen can indicate: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Operation Manual S15 When vessel gets to the current waypoint, the next numerical waypoint automatically becomes the current waypoint. As long as waypoints are entered in a strict numeric sequence this allows a simple route to be created. 11.
Operation Manual S15 Enter position of the inserted waypoint and name, then press (ENT) to confirm. 11.6 Delete Waypoint Press ▲ or ▼ key to move symbol ► on the GPS NAVIGATION screen to front of DEL WAYPOINT, then press (ENT) KEY to confirm, the DEL WAYPOINT screen will appear on the display as below. Enter the waypoint number you want to delete, then press (ENT) key to confirm, Press “ENT” key to delete the Longitude and Latitude and Name of the waypoint.
Operation Manual S15 12. Technical Specifications Power supply Channel capability DC 12 V +30/-10% 57 international channels UK: includes M1 (previously 37) and M2 Frequency Resolution 25KHz Method of frequency generation synthesizer Dimension 175(W) × 79(H) ×130(D) mm Weight 1175 grams 12.1 RECEIVER Multi Channel Receiver 1. The receiver incorporates a dual conversion super-heterodyne design. 2. Tuning frequency range 156.025-163.275MHz 3. IF frequency used: 21.4MHz; 455KHz 4.
Operation Manual S15 12.2 CHANNEL 70 MONITOR GENERAL SPECIFICATION 1.Frequency CH70 (156.525MHz) 2.Sensitivity ≤0dBµEMF for 20dB SINAD 3.Bandwidth 16KHz 4. First IF frequency used 17.9MHz 5. Second IF frequency used 455KHz 6. Adjacent Channel Selectivity ≥70dB 7. Spurious response Rejection ≥70dB 8. Inter-modulation Rejection ≥65 dB 9. Mode of Reception 16K0G2B 10. Spurious Emission, Radiation ≤2nW, 9KHz to 2GHz 12.3 TRANSMITTER 1.Type of emission 16K0F3E(Voice) 13K5G2B(DSC) 2.Frequency range 156.
Operation Manual S15 13. International VHF Marine Channel Chart Channel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 Transmitter Frequency Receiver Frequency Mode S/D 156.050 156.100 156.150 156.200 156.250 156.300 156.350 156.400 156.450 156.500 156.550 156.600 156.650 156.700 156.750 156.800 156.850 156.900 156.950 157.000 157.050 157.100 157.150 157.200 157.250 157.300 157.350 157.400 156.
Operation Manual S15 14. Installation 14.1 Unit Installation The S15 should be sited so that engine noise and vibration or other background noise does not make it difficult for the operator to hear. It is recommended that it is not installed where it will be exposed to continuous direct sunlight as this will eventually damage the LCD display. As loudspeakers contain powerful magnets, the radio should not be installed within 1m (3ft 3in) of any compasses, whether magnetic or electronic.
Operation Manual S15 On the back of the case of S15 there is a antenna socket, a power cable socket and a jack socket for an external speaker / the GPS input and NAVTEX input (Fig D). Fig D The S15 requires a 12v DC supply to operate, this lead should be connected to the vessel’s power supply (the red wire is positive, black is negative), keeping the cable runs as short as possible.
Operation Manual S15 As the range of VHF signals are governed by line of sight, the antenna should be placed as high as possible, while remaining clear of any metallic objects that could influence the resonance of the antenna. The most popular antennae for marine use are 1m (3ft 3in) long. On sail boats these are usually mounted at the masthead, where the length of the antenna keeps it clear from the navigation lights and wind vanes etc.
Operation Manual S15 15. Supplied Parts 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Mounting Bracket ……………1 Microphone Hanger ………… 1 Bracket Knob Washers …… 2 Mounting Bracket Knobs …… 2 Mounting Bracket Screws ……4 Mic Hanger Screws ………...2 7. Power Cord ……………… 1 8. Mounting Bracket Washer… 4 9. Hanger Spring washer …… 2 10. GPS/NAVTEX/Speaker Plug cord ………………… 1 11. Thermoshrink Tube ……… 4 6 1 4 7 8 5 9 10 3 2 11 16. Warranty.
Operation Manual S15 17. Declaration of Conformity We Silva UK Ltd. of Fleming Road, Kirkton Campus, Livingston, EH54 7BN, SCOTLAND. declare that the product identified below complies with the essential requirements of Council Directive 99/05/EC according to the conformity assessment procedure laid down in Annex IV of the Directive. QINETIQ statement of opinion: QQ-RTTE 22/02-01 Product: Silva S15 25 Watt Marine Band Class D Transceiver. For non-compulsory fit use only.
Operation Manual S15 0191 Page 50