Pole Star Space Applications

Fleet Management Basic

User Guide

Distributor V1 Issue Nov 2006

Getting Started 3
Introduction 3
What is the Fleet Management System? 3
What is Fleet Management Basic? 3
How does the system work? 3
Where can I get help if I need it? 3
Initial Setup 4
1 Check login details 4
2 Enter username and password 4
3 Replace the temporary password 4

Operating your Fleet Management System 5

Position reports 5
Fleet list 5
Tools 6
1 Postings: Inserting text into a position report 6
2 Asset details 8
World map 9
Reports 9
Contract report 9
Login profile 10
Deactivating the Asset 11
Appendix 1: Troubleshooting 12
Appendix 2: Hardware compatibility 14

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Getting Started

Introduction
This User Guide has been prepared to take you through the basic operations of your Pole Star Fleet
Management System. It covers: initial online set up and online operations. To help you get started,
your distributor will telephone you to go through these procedures.

What is the Fleet Management System?

Pole Star’s Fleet Management System is a powerful web-based service that provides an effective way
of automatically tracking and managing vessels in real time. The service supports the use of Inmarsat
C and Inmarsat D+ transceivers, although if you have an older Inmarsat C terminal installed on a
vessel, you should check hardware compatibility with your distributor. (See Appendix 2: Hardware
compatibility, page 14, for a list of Inmarsat C transceivers compatible with Fleet Management
Basic.)

What is Fleet Management Basic?

Fleet Management Basic is a fixed-price annual package enabling you to manage your fleet at low
cost. For each vessel registered in your login, you will receive two Automatic Position Reports (APRs)
per day, keeping you informed of position, heading, speed, nearest port etc. You can view this
information on the Fleet list and see the position of a vessel at a glance on the World map.

How does the system work?

Data reporting is managed through Pole Star’s Fleet Management System – powered by
PurpleFinder. By going on to the PurpleFinder website and logging in with a username and password,
you and other designated users can access data relating to your fleet via your pc. All you need is
access to the web.

Where can I get help if I need it?

The Fleet Management system is designed to be managed completely by the user. However, if you
have any queries or problems with on-line operations, please contact your distributor. If you have any
problems with the hardware, please refer to Appendix 1: Troubleshooting, page 12.

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Initial Setup

Please note: For all applications in your login, use the left click on your mouse or touchpad.

1 Check login details

The email accompanying this guide gives your account login details, comprising a username and
password which gives full access to the system, allowing complete control of all functions. For
security purposes, you will be asked to replace the temporary password with your own permanent
password as part of the initial set up.

2 Enter username and password

• Go to www.purplefinder.com
• On the Homepage, enter your username and password. This will take you straight to the
Fleet list. If a vessel has already sent its first position report, you will see a thumbnail map
with a vessel icon indicating its position and information will appear from the latest position
report on that individual vessel. If no position report has been sent, you will see a world
map with no icon, and only the vessel name displayed along with the Origin date & time.

Please note: The first time you access the Fleet list, the position report details may not be available
for each vessel. The reasons for this vary according to the type of transceiver being used to track the
vessel.
An Inmarsat C transceiver will take up to 24 hours to send the first position report after the terminal is
registered, so you may see only the Origin date & time data, which indicates when the unit was
registered.
A D+ transceiver will automatically send a position report as soon as it is connected to power and has
line of sight of a satellite. If no data appears on the Fleet list, this will be because the unit has not
been connected or there is interference.

• Above the Fleet list is the toolbar with the main menu options:

Figure 1: Fleet Management Basic toolbar

• Fleet gives access to the Fleet list and the Tools menu.
• Maps takes you to the World map.
• Reports provides a record of expiry date and time of annual contracts for all vessels
registered.
• Setup gives access to administration features: eg login, passwords, how to deactivate a
vessel.
• Use Help to download an online copy of this User Guide.

3 Replace the temporary password

• Go to Setup>Passwords>Update password.
• Complete the boxes as directed.
• Click on UPDATE in order to activate your own secure permanent password. The
message: “New master password is now active” will appear on the screen. You will need to
use this next time you log in.

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Operating your Fleet Management System

Position reports
The transceiver is programmed to transmit two Automatic Position Reports (APRs) per day. The data
from the latest APR is displayed on the Fleet list (see below).

The information on the position report comes from three different sources: the user, the satellite
transceiver, PurpleFinder.

Table 1: Sources of information for position reports

Data Origin Field Comment

Set by the user Asset name Set in Fleet>Tools>Asset Details
Position date & time
Generated by
Latitude/Longitude
the satellite Recorded by the unit at the time of the transmission
transceiver Speed
Heading
Average speed Calculated between previous and current position report
Traffic status Will always be Standard
Calculated by Proximity name Of port or city within 500 nautical miles of vessel
PurpleFinder Tracking For Inmarsat C only: the programmed interval is displayed
For Inmarsat C, this is date & time of registration
Origin date & time
For D+ , when unit is transferred to your login

Fleet list

• Go to Fleet>Fleet list.

The Fleet list provides a list of vessels in your fleet in alphabetical order. Each entry shows the latest
position report data and a thumbnail map giving the position for each vessel with a short history trail,
as shown here in Figure 2: Fleet list.

Figure 2: Fleet list

The vessel icon will be green indicating normal operational status or grey which means that no
position report has been received – this is set at a default interval of 48 hours after the report is due. If
the unit is not reporting, see Appendix 1: Troubleshooting, page 12, for possible reasons and help
to get the unit reporting again.

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The default view of the Fleet list gives the full contents of each position report for the entire fleet. To
condense the data, click on the COLLAPSE /EXPAND button at the top of the list. Now only the main
title bar for each vessel will appear, giving the date and time of the latest position report.

There are two useful links on the Fleet list:

• Below the thumbnail map, click on the following links:

o Postings: (see page 6) to insert text into a position report;
o Asset details: (see page 8) to review information on the vessel.

Tools

1 Postings: Inserting text into a position report

The Postings function allows you to insert text into a position report; for example, the ETA of a vessel.
This information will be included in the next APR to be transmitted, but it will also be shown
immediately on the Fleet list which, therefore, becomes a useful notice board for information.

For all posting applications, whether for individual vessels or for the entire fleet:

• Go to Fleet>Tools>Postings.
• Go to the Asset name box and click on the arrow for the drop-down menu listing all units
registered to your login.
• Scroll down and click on vessel name.

This is a typical example of a Postings page:

Figure 3: Postings

You can add, delete or edit a posting, as required, for individual vessels or for the whole fleet.

You can, however, only enter one posting at a time and must complete that application before you
move on to the next.

i) To add a posting

To add a posting for an individual vessel:

• Click on ENTER.
• Fill in the Posting title, using a unique title for each entry. (Example: ETA.)

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 • Fill in the Posting content. Enter the information you wish to appear in the vessels
position report. (Example: Portland 05 Nov/1500LT.)
• Go to Post to: and click on Asset.
• Click on INSERT to confirm and complete. This will automatically take you back to the
Postings page for the vessel where you can view the information you have just added.

If you want to add a posting for all vessels:

• Click on ENTER.
• Fill in the Posting title, as above.
• Fill in the Posting content, as above.
• Go to Post to: and click on Asset.
• Go to Asset name(s) box at the top of the page and click on the arrow to reveal options.
• Scroll down and click on All.
• Click on INSERT.

ii ) To delete a posting

Please note: When deleting a posting, you will not be asked to confirm the step. So make sure you
select the correct line before pressing the DELETE button.

To delete a posting for an individual vessel:

• Click on the DELETE button to the right of the posting you wish to remove. This will delete
the whole posting line for this particular vessel.

If you want to delete the same posting from all vessels:

• Click on the EDIT button to the right of the line you wish to delete.
• Go to Asset name(s) box at the top of the page and click on the arrow to reveal options.
• Scroll down and click on All.
• Click on DELETE.

iii ) To edit a posting

To edit a posting for an individual vessel:

• Click on the EDIT button to the right of the posting line you wish to edit. This will take you
to the editing page.
• Edit the details as required.
• Click on INSERT to confirm and complete. This will automatically take you back to the
Postings list page for the vessel.

Please note: If you change the Posting title as part of your edit, you will see both the new entry and
the original entry, when you return to the Postings list page. To remove the original entry, click on the
DELETE button to the right. The same procedure applies to a change of Posting title for all vessels,
explained below.

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If you want to edit a posting for all vessels:

• Click on the EDIT button to the right of the posting.

• Go to the Asset name(s) option at the top of the page, scroll down and click on All.
• Edit the postings in the appropriate boxes, then click on INSERT.

2 Asset details

The Asset details page provides detailed information on the satellite transceiver and gives the user
the ability to change information relating to individual vessels registered in the login.

• Click on Fleet>Tools>Asset details.

• Go to the Asset name box and click on the arrow for the drop-down menu of vessels
registered to your login.
• Click on the vessel. This will take you through to the Asset details page for the specific
vessel.

Figure 4: Asset details (Inmarsat C)

The top details relate to the type of satellite transceiver registered to track the vessel.

The following items can be changed or entered online:

• Asset name: Should there be a change of name for the vessel.

• IMO number: To enter the IMO number.

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World map

• Go to Maps>World map.

The World map is a quick reference map showing the position of the vessel(s) registered to your
PurpleFinder login. A typical example of a World map is shown here:

Figure 5: World map

• You can choose to have the World map as your initial login page by going to
Setup>Profile>Login profile, then scrolling down the Initial login page options and
clicking on Maps>World map. Click UPDATE to confirm.

Reports

Contract report

This option gives a record of expiry date and time of annual contracts for all vessels registered. The
vessels appear in alphabetical order, as shown below in Figure 6: Fleet Management Basic
contract report.

Figure 6: Fleet Management Basic contract report

You will be sent a reminder to renew your contract. If, however, the contract is allowed to lapse, the
vessel will automatically be deactivated and you will have to re-register the transceiver before you can
renew the contract.

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Login profile

To update your Login profile

Use this option to select an initial login page and to control other login settings.

• Go to Setup>Profile>Login profile.

Figure 7: Login profile

• Initial login page: Use this option to control which page will appear when you login.
• Time conversion: This allows you to control the time the position reports are displayed in
your login. If you wish the reports to appear in your local time, select from the drop-down
menu as required, or choose My computer for the reports to default to the time on your
pc.
• Cryptographic public key/modulus: This enables you to install a higher level of
encryption in your Fleet Management Plus system. If you are interested in this, please
contact the Pole Star Customer Support team.

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Deactivating the Asset
If you wish to permanently deactivate a vessel from your login:

• Log in to www.purplefinder.com with your master password.

• Go to Setup>My Account>Deactivate asset.
• Go to Asset name box, click on the arrow, scroll down and click on the vessel you wish to
delete.
• Go to Deactivation date & time. Using the options provided in the shaded prompt box to
the right, select a date and time for deletion. This must be at least 30 minutes into the
future.
• Go to Reason for deactivation and select a reason for deactivation from the drop-down
menu.
• Click on DEACTIVATE.
• Your selection will be displayed on screen. Click on CONFIRM to start the deactivation
process.
• A confirmation message DEACTIVATION INITIATED will appear on the screen and a
confirmation e-mail will be sent to your distributor.

An example of the Deactivate asset page is given here:

Figure 8: Deactivate asset

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Appendix 1: Troubleshooting

1 Position reports not received

Under normal conditions, transceivers will reliably transmit position reports. However, there may be an
occasion when an expected position report fails to arrive. This could be due to exceptional weather
conditions causing the vessel to pitch and yaw making it difficult to maintain the satellite connection,
or, if the vessel is in port, it is likely to be an obstruction breaking the line of sight to the satellite.

In this situation, you may choose to wait for the next position report or follow these instructions and
stop when the issue has been identified. (&)

1. Is the vessel in port or dry dock?

⇒ If so, the transceiver may not be able to see the satellite. Once the vessel puts out to
sea, you should expect to receive a position report within 24 hours. &
2. Have there been any recent changes to the vessel’s radar, communications equipment or
superstructure? For example, has new radar been fitted next to the transceiver?
⇒ Interference is stopping the transceiver seeing the satellite. Please check your
installation guide for instructions. &
3. Depending on the type of transceiver onboard, follow the instructions below:

Pole Star D+

Pole Star D+ units are very reliable at sea. If they do fail, it is usually because new equipment has
been installed (see 2 above) or because of a power supply problem. If you have verified that the
vessel is at sea and has not had new equipment fitted (see 1and 2 above), then you will need to
contact the vessel and ask them to follow these instructions:

1. Verify that the supply voltage to the Pole Star D+ transceiver is between 12Vdc and 24Vdc
and that the 2A fuse is intact.
⇒ If this was the problem then you should receive a position report within 1 hour of
resuming the power supply. &

If there is no problem with the power supply, then:

2. Reboot the D+ by removing the power for 10 seconds. (For example, by removing the fuse.)
⇒ You should receive a position report within 1 hour. &
⇒ If you do not, then please contact your distributor.

Inmarsat C

Inmarsat C transceivers are less reliable than dedicated Pole Star D+ transceivers because they are
used for other activities and may be inadvertently reprogrammed by crew onboard.

If you have verified that the vessel is at sea and has not had new equipment fitted (see 1and 2 above):

1. View the vessel in the Fleet list.

2. If there is a posting “logged out” :
⇒ Contact the vessel and ask them to log the terminal into Inmarsat. You should receive
a position report within 12 hours. &
3. If there is a posting “Auto recovery: Mobile not in ocean region”, then Fleet Management Basic
is searching the oceans for your vessel.
⇒ You should receive a position report within 1 hour but it might take up to 48 hours.&
4. If you do not receive a position within 48 hours, please contact your distributor.

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2 Over-reporting

Your Fleet Management Basic contract includes two position reports per day. However, a transceiver
may start over-reporting and this is a serious problem.

Pole Star may terminate the service to over-reporting transceivers.

Depending on the type of transceiver onboard, follow the instructions below:

Pole Star D+

The Pole Star D+ transceiver sends a position report each time the power is restored. Please ask the
vessel to verify that the power supply is between 12Vdc and 24Vdc and constant.

If you are sure that the power supply is not the problem, then you may have a faulty transceiver.
Please contact your distributor who will be able to help with further tests and may authorize a
replacement transceiver.

Inmarsat C

Inmarsat C terminals are multipurpose devices and can be programmed onboard. This sometimes
causes problems. Typical situations include:

⇒ Macro encoded messages (MEM codes): a position report is sent in response to an

event such as power up, power down, antenna up or antenna down.
⇒ Other programming: for example, the Inmarsat C terminal is manually programmed to
send position reports hourly when it enters a specific Ocean region, or there is
reporting interference from a 3rd party DNID.

It is the customer’s responsibility to ensure the correct operation of their Inmarsat C terminal. If you
are uncertain about how to do this, please contact your distributor.

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Appendix 2: Hardware compatibility

Fleet Management Basic is compatible with the following Inmarsat C transceivers.

1 ... Anritsu
2 ... Atlas
3 ... Debeg
4 ... Furuno
5 ... Galaxy
6 ... Husun
7 ... Intermarine
8 ... JRC
9 ... Litton
10 ... Marconi Marine
11 ... Nera
12 ... Philips
13 ... Raytheon
14 ... SNEC
15 ... SP Radio
16 ... STC
17 ... Sailor
18 ... Sait Marine
19 ... Saturn C
20 ... Scanti
21 ... Sperry
22 ... Sperry Marine
23 ... Standard Radio
24 ... Thrane & Thrane
25 ... Toshiba
26 ... Trimble

Please note: If you are registering an Inmarsat C terminal with ‘Capsat’ software, then the version
must be greater than 2.20. Any version less than or equal to 2.20 will NOT work with PurpleFinder.

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