A Division of TSS (UK) Limited

Meridian Bearing Repeater

User Manual

SG Brown
1 Garnett Close
Greycaine Industrial Estate
Watford
Hertfordshire WD24 7JZ UK
Telephone +44 (0)1923 470800
The information in this Manual is subject to Facsimile +44 (0)1923 470838
change without notice and does not represent
a commitment on the part of SG Brown

Abcdef
Document P/N 060082
Issue 1.1
© SG Brown October 2001
Meridian Bearing Repeater

CONTENTS

1 Introduction 3

2 Installation 4
2.1 Suitable Cable Types 5
2.2 Physical Installation 5
2.3 Electrical Connection 8

3 Operation 10
3.1 Display illumination 10
3.2 Repeater Heading Alignment 10
3.3 Alarm Conditions 11
3.3.1 Input failure 11
3.3.2 Power failure 11

4 Technical Data 12
4.1 Data Inputs 14
4.1.1 NMEA Inputs 14
4.1.2 Robertson Input 16
4.1.3 Step Inputs 17
4.2 Data Output 17

DPN 060082 Issue 1.1 © SG Brown Page 1 of 18

 Meridian Bearing Repeater

AMENDMENTS

Old Issue New Issue Date Details

– 1.0 October 2001 New issue

1.0 1.1 October 2001 Addition of the Pedestal mounting arrangement drawing

Page 2 of 18 © SG Brown Issue 1.1 DPN 060082

Meridian Bearing Repeater

1 INTRODUCTION
The Meridian Bearing Repeater from SG Brown comprises the following elements:-

❐ Cast Aluminium alloy gimbal-mounted bowl.

❐ Illuminated compass card mounted beneath a single glazed window and ruled in 1° inter-
vals and numbered at 10° intervals.
❐ Fixed relative bearing ring, ruled in 1° intervals and numbered at 10° intervals.
❐ The machined outer diameter of the top surface allows an SG Brown Azimuth Circle to be
fitted to facilitate the taking of true and relative bearing sightings.
❐ Illumination is dimmable to allow operation in all ambient lighting conditions.
❐ The Bowl is sealed to standard IP65.
❐ The bowl gimbals are mounted on a gimbal ring mounting bracket, which houses an inte-
gral connection box.
The Meridian Bearing Repeater operates from a DC electrical supply in the range 18 to 36V
from which it draws less than 15W.

The Meridian Bearing Repeater requires one of the following input signals representing True
or Magnetic heading data:-

❐ Serial data
It accepts and interprets NMEA 0183 and Robertson data through an RS422 serial link
operating at 4800, 9600 or 38400 baud. When serial data is selected the Repeater is self-
synchronous (self-aligning)
❐ Stepper (5V to 70V positive common)
Stepper-type heading input step-by-step (5V to 70V) at six steps per degree using a posi-
tive common.
The Repeater re-transmits all input heading information in a serial data form.
Refer to Section 2 for instructions to install and connect the Meridian Bearing Repeater.
There is a simple push-button operation to adjust illumination and align heading. Refer to Sec-
tion 3 for instructions to operate the Meridian Bearing Repeater.
Figure 1: Meridian Bearing Repeater

000 010
350
020
340
0 03
33 0

350 000 010

0 020 04
32 340 0
0 03
33 0
040
0

05
31

320
0
310

050

000
06
0

350 010
30

ALIGN HEADING
0
W

NE

020
340
N

06
0

0 03
30

33 0
0

070
290

350 000 010

0 020 04
32 340 0
070
290

0 03
33 0
04 SLEW
05
0

0
31

080
280

0
0

32
280

080

05
0
31
0

06
0
30

0
NW

NE090
270
270

090
W

06
E
0
30

070
290

070
290

100
260

100
260

080
280

280

080
250

110
250

110

090
270

090
270

E
0

12
24

TRUE MAG
SW

100
SE
260

100
260

12
0
24

230

130

110
250

140
220
110
250

13
0
23

S
0

12
0

0 15
24

0
0

21
TRUE MAG
SW

SE

160 14
0 200
12
0

0
24

13
0

22 170
0
23

190 180
0

0 15 14
21 0 0 0
13
0

22
23

S
0

0 160 15
200 21 0
190 0
170 160 14
22
180 200 0
190 180 170
0 15
21 0
160
200
190 170
180

DPN 060082 Issue 1.1 © SG Brown Page 3 of 18

 Meridian Bearing Repeater

2 INSTALLATION
Unpack the Meridian Bearing Repeater and check all items against the shipping documents. If
there are any parts missing, or if any of the parts have become damaged during transportation,
contact SG Brown or an authorised representative of SG Brown for advice.

The Meridian Bearing Repeater is normally mounted on either the SG Brown Bulkhead
Bracket or the SG Brown Pedestal Stand. The principal dimensions for these mounting
arrangements are shown in figures 2 and 3.

Provide all necessary signal connections and electrical supplies at the intended installation
location. Note that the Meridian Bearing Repeater includes interface terminal blocks but does
not include the cabling necessary for installation.

❐ The Meridian Bearing Repeater requires a DC electrical supply in the range 18 to 36V DC
from which it draws less than 15W. The power supply should be switched and protected by
a suitable circuit breaker at source.

❐ The Meridian Bearing Repeater receives heading information from an external source
using either the NMEA 0183 or Robertson formats through a serial channel, or as a stepper
input (5V to 70V) at six steps per degree. If serial data is used the repeater software will
automatically configure for the appropriate NMEA or Robertson format input.

❐ The Meridian Bearing Repeater can retransmit heading information as an RS485 serial
output encoded in NMEA 0183 format.

Page 4 of 18 © SG Brown Issue 1.1 DPN 060082

Meridian Bearing Repeater

2.1 SUITABLE CABLE TYPES

The following cables are suitable for use with the Meridian Bearing Repeater.
Table 1: Suitable Cable Types

Signal Suitable Cable

Power Supply 7/0.4mm (1.0mm2) butyl or EP rubber insulated, CSP sheathed, wire braided and CSP
oversheathed

Stepper-Type 7/0.4mm (1.0mm2) butyl or EP rubber insulated, CSP sheathed, wire braided and CSP
Heading Input oversheathed

Serial Data Input 1/0.85mm (0.6mm2) twisted pair butyl or EP rubber insulated, collectively screened and CSP
oversheathed

Serial Data Output 1/0.85mm (0.6mm2) twisted pair butyl or EP rubber insulated, collectively screened and CSP
oversheathed

2.2 PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

The Meridian Bearing Repeater is normally mounted within its gimbal ring mounting bracket
on either the SG Brown Bulkhead Bracket or the SG Brown Pedestal Stand. Figures 2 and 3
show the bulkhead and the pedestal mounting arrangements respectively.

The Meridian Bearing Repeater must be aligned so that its fore-and-aft axis is parallel to the
ship’s fore-and-aft datum. The SG Brown Azimuth Circle may be used as an aid to alignment.
Two elongated securing holes are machined into the gimbal ring mounting bracket to facilitate
alignment adjustment.

The Repeater must be connected to the ship’s earth, via an earthing stud situated adjacent to
the exit of the control cable on the Gimbal ring mounting bracket.

DPN 060082 Issue 1.1 © SG Brown Page 5 of 18

 Meridian Bearing Repeater

Figure 2: Bulkhead mounting arrangements

000 010
350
020
340
030
330
000 010
350 04
0 020 0
32 340
0 03
33 0
04
05
0

0
31

32 0
0
05
0
31

060
300

0
NW

NE

06
0
30

070
290

070
290

080
280

080
280

090

090
270
270

100
260

100
260

110
250

110
250

12
0
24

TRUE MAG
SW

SE

120
240

13
0
23

0 14
22 0
13
0
23

S
0

0 15
21 0
160 14
22
0 200 0
190 170
180
150
210
160
200
190 170
180

ALIGN HEADING

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Meridian Bearing Repeater

Figure 3: Pedestal mounting arrangements

270 280
260
290
250
300
240
270 280
0 260 290 31
23 250 0
0 30
24 0
W 31

32
0
0

22
0

0
23

32

330
22
210

0
N
SW

33
0
21

0
200

340
340
200

TRUE

350
190

350
190
180

000

000
180

S
170

010
MAG

010
170

160

020

020
160

03
15

0
SE

N
E

030
150

04
14

0
0 05
0

04
13

14
E

0
0 06
12 0
0 070 05
110 0
13 100 080
090
060
120
070
110
100 080
090

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 Meridian Bearing Repeater

2.3 ELECTRICAL CONNECTION

You do not need to open the Repeater Bowl at any time to install the Meridian Bearing
Repeater.

❐ All power and signal connections to the repeater are made at the interface PCB. The inter-
face PCB is situated under the gimbal ring mounting bracket. See Figure 4.

❐ Table 2 lists the connection terminals for the power supply on TB1 on the interface PCB.
See Figure 5 for location on interface PCB.

❐ Table 3 lists the connection terminals for the signal inputs and outputs on TB2 on the inter-
face PCB. See Figure 5 for location on interface PCB.

❐ Route all cables to the repeater carefully so they do not present a hazard. Avoid exposing
the cables to excessively tight bends or other mechanical stresses as you install them.

❐ Connect a good quality ground connection to the repeater at the ‘Earth’ stud situated on
the lid of the Gimbal Mounting Bracket.

❐ To maintain EMC compliance you should terminate cable wire braiding with the connec-
tion clamps (one clamp adjacent to each of the three cable glands) on the bottom plate.

Figure 4: Interface PCB door

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Meridian Bearing Repeater

Table 2: Connection details – Power supply Connections TB1

TB1 Power In

1 Positive 18V to 36V DC

2 Negative

3 Ground

Table 3: Connection details - Terminal connections TB2

TB2 Signals

1 RS485 transmit (A)

2 RS485 transmit (B)

3 RS422 receive (A)

4 RS422 receive (B)

5 No Connection

6 S-Type line 1 (5V to 35V)

7 S-Type line 2 (5V to 35V)

8 S-Type line 3 (5V to 35V)

9 S-Type Return (5V to 70V)

10 S-Type line 1 (35V to 70V)

11 S-Type line 2 (35V to 70V)

12 S-Type line 3 (35V to 70V)

Figure 5: Meridian Bearing Repeater Interface PCB connections

TB2

TB1

DPN 060082 Issue 1.1 © SG Brown Page 9 of 18

 Meridian Bearing Repeater

3 OPERATION
3.1 DISPLAY ILLUMINATION
The Meridian Bearing Repeater has differing levels of illumination which are controlled by
two buttons on the side of the bowl, press the UP button to increase or the DOWN button to
decrease the display illumination. See Figure 6.

Figure 6: Location of UP, DOWN and ALIGN HEADING buttons

ALIGN HEADING
SLEW

3.2 REPEATER HEADING ALIGNMENT

The Meridian Bearing Repeater can be aligned to the ships master compass bt use of the UP,
DOWN and ALIGN HEADING buttons. Note that manual alignment is only required when
the repeater is being driven by a Stepper input signal. See Figure 6.

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Meridian Bearing Repeater

3.3 ALARM CONDITIONS

3.3.1 Input failure
With the Meridian Bearing Repeater accepting either NMEA 0183 or Robertson formats, any
loss of input lasting for more than five seconds will initiate an alarm indication. The backlight-
ing will increase to its maximum level and flash at a rate of 0.5Hz. The alarm indication will
appear for a minimum of three seconds and will cancel when the repeater receives a valid
input signal. The backlighting level will revert to its original level when the alarm condition is
removed.

The Meridian Bearing Repeater is not self aligning when it auto selects a Stepper input. Any
loss of this input will therefore require you to realign the repeater manually to the ships master
compass.

The following conditions that will initiate an alarm indication.

❐ At power-on, with Stepper input, the repeater will require alignment to the ships master
compass.

❐ If the repeater receives an illegal step sequence.

❐ If all three step inputs are either all high or all low.

Provided the repeater receives a valid Stepper input, you can clear the alarm indication by
selecting the heading alignment facility.

3.3.2 Power failure

The Meridian Bearing Repeater stores the following parameters in non-volatile memory and
restores them when you power-on the equipment after a power failure.

❐ Illumination level - The repeater will default to the minimum visible level if the previous
setting was ‘off’.

❐ Input source type

❐ Input connection polarity

❐ Output baud rate

❐ Output update rate

DPN 060082 Issue 1.1 © SG Brown Page 11 of 18

 Meridian Bearing Repeater

4 TECHNICAL DATA
Power Requirements
Voltage: 18 to 36V DC
Power consumption: Less than 15W

The Meridian Bearing Repeater contains a non-isolated PSU. Therefore, you should supply it
with power from an SELV source as defined in IEC/EN 60950. The power supply source
should be switched and protected by a suitable circuit breaker.

Performance
Static Accuracy: ± 0.5°
Follow up speed: Greater than 20°/sec

Temperature
Operating: –25°C to +55°C
Storage: –25°C to +70°C

Signal Inputs
Serial Data Input: True or magnetic heading signals using RS422
line standard encoded in NMEA 0183 (IEC61162
supported) formats at 4800, 9600 or 38400 baud.
NMEA 0183 true heading: HDT, VHW or HDG with or without Checksum
NMEA 0183 magnetic heading: HDM or HDG with or without Checksum
or Robertson format
S-type Heading Input: Step-by-step (5V to 70V) at six steps per degree
with a positive common.

Signal Outputs
Serial Data Output: RS485 encoded in NMEA 0183 (IEC61162 sup-
ported) format at 4800, 9600 or 38400 baud. With
an NMEA serial input, the output echoes the input
in format and speed.

When the input is Robertson or Stepper, the out-

put is NMEA 0183 $HEHDT with checksum at
4800 baud rate and 10Hz update rate.

Dimensions and Weight

Digital Repeater on bulkhead bracket: 435.5mm (H) × 320mm (W) × 388mm (D)
Weight 11.1kg

Digital Repeater on pedestal stand: 1280.5mm (H) × 320mm (W) × 388mm (D)
Weight 15.6kg

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Meridian Bearing Repeater

Equipment Classification
❐ The equipment is intended to be permanently connected.

❐ The equipment must be correctly grounded via the earthing stud.

❐ The repeater is classified as ‘exposed to the the weather’ (formally class X).

❐ The degree of protection provided by the equipment enclosure is classified as IP65.

Standards
The repeater is designed to meet the requirements of the following resolutions and standards:

❐ BS EN 60945 (January 1997), Maritime navigation and radio-communication equipment

and requirements Methods of testing and required test results (equivalent to IEC 945:1996)

❐ BS EN ISO 8728:1994, Shipbuilding – Marine gyrocompasses

❐ CE marking

❐ Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive (note that correctly terminated cable

screens are a requirements to meet this standard).

❐ The Marine Equipment Directive 96/98/EC

Disposal
❐ Do not dispose of by fire or compacting, as toxic fumes, dust or liquids may be released.

❐ Units may be returned to the manufacturer for safe disposal.

DPN 060082 Issue 1.1 © SG Brown Page 13 of 18

 Meridian Bearing Repeater

4.1 DATA INPUTS

The Meridian Bearing Repeater has a serial input channel that accepts NMEA 0183 sentences
through an RS422 serial connection at 4800, 9600 or 38400 baud. The serial channel can also
accept heading input using the Robertson format at 9600 baud.

Alternatively, the repeater can accept a Step input (5V to 70V) at six steps per degree.

There are two LEDs on the display panel designated as TRUE and MAGNETIC. With each
sentence there is a description of which LED will be displayed.

4.1.1 NMEA Inputs

The Meridian Bearing Repeater supports the following NMEA 0183 sentences in accordance
with IEC61162:

❐ NMEA 0183 $aaHDT – Refer to Table 4 for a description of this sentence.

❐ NMEA 0183 $aaVHW – Refer to Table 5 for a description of this sentence.

❐ NMEA 0183 $aaHDG – Refer to Table 6 for a description of this sentence.

❐ NMEA 0183 $aaHDM – Refer to Table 7 for a description of this sentence.

The repeater will display heading information if any one of the above sentences is present. If
the input includes more than one of the above sentences, the repeater will use the heading
information prioritised in the sequence listed above. The repeater is self aligning when using
NMEA 0183 and Robertson heading sentences.

NMEA 0183 sentences can include an optional checksum as indicated in the descriptive
tables.

The Meridian Bearing Repeater accepts NMEA 0183 input sentences at 4800, 9600 or 38400
baud. The update rate for NMEA 0183 sentences is either 1Hz, 10Hz or 50Hz.

The repeater shows whether it is displaying a True, a Magnetic or a Magnetic Sensor heading
as defined by the received data format. Refer to the supporting text for Table 6 for an explana-
tion of these terms.

Table 4: NMEA 0183 $aaHDT sentence structure

$aaHDT,XXX.X,T*hh[CR][LF]
Talker identifier

Heading in degrees and tenths

Mnemonic for True heading

Checksum (optional)
Mnemonic for heading true present
Start character

Carriage return Line-feed characters

The Display LED will show TRUE.

Page 14 of 18 © SG Brown Issue 1.1 DPN 060082

Meridian Bearing Repeater

Table 5: NMEA 0183 $aaVHW sentence structure

$HEVHW,XXX.X,T,XXX.X,M,XX.X,N,XX.X,K*xx[CRLF]
Talker identifier

Comma separator
Heading in degrees and tenths
Comma separator
Mnemonic for True heading
VHW identifier
Start character

Speed in knots

Speed in km/h
Mnemonic for knots
Heading in degrees and tenths

Mnemonic for Magnetic heading

Comma separator

Comma separator
Comma separator

Comma separator

Checksum (optional)

Carriage return Line-feed characters

Mnemonic for km/h
The Display LED will show TRUE.

Table 6: NMEA 0183 $aaHDG sentence structure

$aaHDG,XXX.X,X.X,E,X.X,E*hh[CR][LF]
Talker identifier

Magnetic heading in degrees and tenths

Magnetic deviation, degrees and tenths

Magnetic deviation E or W
Magnetic variation, degrees and tenths
Magnetic variation E or W
Checksum (optional)
Mnemonic for heading, deviation, variation
Start character

Carriage return Line-feed characters

If both the deviation and the variation fields are included in the received NMEA 0183
$aaHDG sentence, then the repeater will add or subtract their values from the information in
the heading field as specified in IEC61162. The Repeater Display LED will show TRUE.

If the deviation field is present and the variation field is empty, then the repeater will add or
subtract its value from the information in the heading field as specified in IEC61162 and will
treat the heading information as Magnetic. The Repeater Display LED will show MAG-
NETIC.

If both the deviation and the variation fields are empty, then the repeater will display the
uncorrected heading and will treat the information as a magnetic sensor heading. In these con-
ditions, the Repeater Display LEDs will not illuminate.

DPN 060082 Issue 1.1 © SG Brown Page 15 of 18

 Meridian Bearing Repeater

Table 7: NMEA 0183 $aaHDM sentence structure

$aaHDM,XXX.X,M*hh[CR][LF]
Talker identifier

Heading in degrees and tenths

Mnemonic for Magnetic heading

Checksum (optional)
Mnemonic for heading magnetic present
Start character

Carriage return Line-feed characters

The Display LED will show MAGNETIC.

4.1.2 Robertson Input

The Robertson format includes heading information as a BCD-encoded four-byte ASCII
string.

Table 8: Robertson format

HTDN
Byte format:
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Always zero

BCD
heading
value

1 1 = Tenths
1 0 = Units
0 1 = Tens
0 0 = Hundreds

The Display LED will show TRUE.

Within each of the four bytes in the string:

❐ Bits 7 and 8 are always zero.

❐ Bits 5 and 4 identify the order of magnitude for the included heading information.

❐ Bits 3 to 0 include the heading information.

The repeater accepts the Robertson format at 9600 baud using 8 data and 2 stop bits with odd
parity.

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Meridian Bearing Repeater

Note that some types of gyrocompass transmit this format with each string unlatched
between bytes. This means for example that, when the ‘tens’ value is sent it might not
refer to the same heading reading as the ‘units’ value. It is therefore possible for a
gyrocompass to send the following values when the heading is increasing steadily:

199.8 199.9 100.0 200.1 ...

This should cause only a momentary effect on the heading display.

4.1.3 Step Inputs

If the repeater auto selects STEPPER as the input type then the Meridian Bearing Repeater
expects to receive an incremental step-by-step code at a resolution of six steps per degree of
heading. With this type of input it is necessary to align the repeater indication against the mas-
ter heading reference instrument. The Display LED will show TRUE.

4.2 DATA OUTPUT

The Meridian Bearing Repeater supplies heading through an RS485 serial data channel.
NMEA 0183 output sentences will include the checksum field. The output data format, baud
rate and update rate depend on the incoming data stream:

❐ If the input data type is ‘NMEA’ then the data output will use the same data format, baud
rate and update rate as the input.

❐ For Robertson and Stepper inputs the output will use the NMEA 0183 $HEHDT format at
4800 baud and updated at 10Hz. Refer to Table 9 for details of the $HEHDT format.

❐ Receiving equipment should provide opto-isolation.

Table 9: NMEA 0183 $HEHDT sentence format

$HEHDT,XXX.X,T*hh[CR][LF]
Talker identifier

Heading in degrees and tenths

Mnemonic for True heading

Mnemonic for heading true present

Checksum
Start character

Carriage return Line-feed characters

DPN 060082 Issue 1.1 © SG Brown Page 17 of 18

 Meridian Bearing Repeater

Page 18 of 18 © SG Brown Issue 1.1 DPN 060082