Users Manual Tron ARR.pdf - Jotron

Amendment
No.
Incorp.
By
Date Page(S) Version Change
Note
( EM)
1 FIT 27.05.05 21 A
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
10
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

The information in this book has been carefully checked and is
believed to be accurate. However, no responsibility is assumed
for inaccuracies.
JOTRON electronics a.s reserves the right to make changes
without further notice to any products or modules described
herein to improve reliability, function or design. JOTRON
electronic a.s does not assume any liability arising out of the
application or use of the described product.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
CAUTION!
This equipment contains CMOS integrated circuits. Observe handling
precautions to avoid static discharges which may damage these devices.

LIST OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................... 5
1.1 GENERAL ......................................................................... 5
1.2 FEATURES ....................................................................... 7
2. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION ................................ 8
3. INSTALLATION ................................................................... 10
3.1 POWERED BY BATTERY: ................................................. 10
3.1.1 Directly mounted on battery: ....................................... 10
3.1.2 Using Lifeboat bracket, 92424:.................................... 10
3.1.3 Using Outside Lifeboat bracket, 93494: ...................... 11
3.2 POWERED BY EXTERNAL POWER SOURCE (12 V) ..... 12
3.2.1 Mounted on mounting flange, w/ 7m cable, 92936 .... 14
3.2.2 Mounted on bracket with 1”x14 thread, 81836 ........... 15
4. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS .......................................... 16
4.1 BATTERY POWERED .............................................................. 16
4.1.1 Activating the Tron ARR .............................................. 16
4.1.2 Deactivating the Tron ARR .......................................... 16
4.2 POWER BY EXTERNAL 12V SOURCE....................................... 16
4.2.1 Activating the Tron ARR .............................................. 16
4.2.2 Deactivating the Tron ARR .......................................... 16
4.3 TESTING THE TRON ARR ...................................................... 17
5. MAINTENANCE ................................................................... 19
5.1 MAINTENANCE :.................................................................... 19
5.2 BATTERY REPLACEMENT (IF EQUIPPED)................................ 19
6. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS....................................... 20
6.1 ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS........................................ 20
6.2 MECHANICAL SPECIFICATIONS ..................................... 21
6.2.1 Layout of bracket 92936 ............................................. 21

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL
Tron ARR consists of :
1. Tron ARR Main unit (97496)
2. Operators Manual (92875)
3. (Option) Mounting flange (92936)
4. (Option) Bracket, for 1”x14 std
mount (81836)
97496 mounted on
bracket 81836
5. (Option) Universal bracket 1”x14 for wall and mast
mounting (81977)
6. (Option) 1 meter suspension cord w/ hook
(98796).
7. (Option) Battery, 4 year maintenance kit
(96978). The battery can either be
connected directly to the Tron ARR or
through a cable using the mounting flange
as shown on the piture to the right.
8. (Option) Bracket, 92422, Bracket for Tron
ARR if mounted ontop of the battery ( see
left picture)
97946 mounted on
81836 +81977
Tron ARR mounted with
battery and mounting
flange 92936

The JOTRON 9 GHz radar transponder type Tron ARR is an active
radar transponder that extends the range the boat or object can be
seen on a radar. It can also give an indication to the user that there
is radar activity in the area, and sends out one pulse to indicate the
transponders position on the radar display.
The operating range of the Tron ARR is up to 30 nautical miles,
depending on the height of the electronic unit and the radar height
of the vessel carrying the radar. With a radar height of 20m and the
Tron ARR placed at 1m a.s.l.(above sea level) the range will be up
to 10 nautical miles.
Tron ARR is buoyant if connected to the battery directly, however to
obtain maximum performance the transponder should be placed in
a vertical position and as high up as possible in order to achieve
maximum coverage.
Several mounting brackets and mounting aids are developed to
ease a correct mounting and use of the radar transponder.
When the Tron ARR is interrogated (hit) by a radar signal, it will
immediately start to transmit a sweep covering the complete
maritime 3 cm radar band. This sweep is detected on the radar
screen and can be used to find the distance and bearing to the
Tron ARR.
In addition, the Tron ARR will give an audible signal that tells the
operator that there is radar activity in the area (Only if mounted
directly ontop of the Battery, 96978). It is therefore perfect for small
vessels sailing in open sea as an early warning for ships in the
area.
Maximum distance to a ship will normally be about 10 nm and
approximately 30 nm to a helicopter, dependent on the helicopters
altitude. The transponder will not give any signals when located
further away than this.
The batteries of the Tron ARR will last at least 96 hours in standby
after activation and then minimum 8 hours of continuous operation
(continuously interrogated).

1.2 FEATURES
• Watertight:
Tron ARR is watertight to a depth of minimum 1 meter.
• Buoyant:
Tron ARR is buoyant in case the transponder is accidentally
dropped into the water (Only if mounted directly ontop of the
Battery, 96978. To increase coverage the Tron ARR should
always be held or mounted as high as possible.
• Rugged design:
The TronARR is resistant to seawater, oil and sunlight.
• Handling:
The Tron ARR is made for easy operation, with a brief
operating instruction printed on the unit.
• It comes standard with a mounting bracket. Indicators:
The Tron ARR battery unit are equipped with a LED and a built
in speaker to show operation of the ARR(Only if connected to
the Battery, 96978). An external LED or buzzer may be used if
not connected to the battery, but long power cables may
interfere and give false alerts.The LED will normally flash with a
frequency of 1 per second to show that the ARR is activated.
When a vessel with an active radar is approaching, the
internal speaker will sound each time the ARR is hit by the
radar. A continuos sound in the loudspeaker means that the
ship or helicopter is close to the ARR and the radar is hitting
the ARR continuously.

• Battery unit.(If equipped)
The battery unit consists of the complete lower half of the Tron
ARR, and must be replaced when battery expiration date is
due.
A new battery comes complete with switch and indicators and are
easily replaced by connecting the new battery to the cable running
from the ARR unit.
2. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
The Tron ARR is a X-band radartransponder which returns 2
sweeps (1 return and 1 forward) covering the X-band when hit by
a radar pulse.
The transmission characteristics of the ARR is as follows (after a
radar pulse is detected)
• First an initial delay of maximum 0.5 µs.
• return sweep over a period of 0.4 (+/- 0.1) µs sweeping from
9.2 to 9.5 GHz.
• forward sweep over a period of 7.5 (+/- 1) µs sweeping from
9.5 to 9.2 GHz.
The delay compared to a passive target will vary, depending on
the frequency of the radar.
Close to the transponder (

The radar pulse travels with a speed of 3*10 8 m/s. On a radar
screen 1 µs delay gives an error of 150 m because the signal
travels both ways (to and from the target).
The maximum distance offset on a radar screen will be appear
when the radar operates in the lower part of the X-band, 9.2 GHz,
and will be (0.5+0.5+7.5)*150 = 1275 metres (0.7 nm).
The minimum distance offset on a radar screen will be when the
radar operates at 9.5 GHz.
(0.5+0.5)*150 = 150 metres (0.1 nm).
The sweep is linear, i.e. in the centre of the band, 9.35 GHz the
offset will be:
(0.5+0.5+3.75)*150 = 712 metres (0.4 nm).
Because the frequency of the radar is fixed and the sweep
characteristics of the transponder is fixed, the delay will not vary
more than the drift caused by temperature in both units.
Therefore, the distance offset on a particular radar can be found
by experiments and taken into consideration when calculating the
distance to the transponder.
The direction to the transponder will be accurate within the
horizontal beamwidth of the radar antenna.

3. Installation
Tron Arr can be installed in several different ways dependent of
what kind of boat it shall be installed on. As a general rule, the
transponder should be mounted as high as possible to increase
line of sight to the search and rescue units.
Metal objects close to the transponder should be avoided, these
will limit the performance in the directions they are located. There
are however, two main different installation instruction dependent
if the Tron ARR is powered by a directly connected battery, 96978
or if powered by external 12V power supply.
3.1 Powered by battery:
3.1.1 Directly mounted on battery:
If Tron ARR is powered by battery 96978, it can be
mounted either with the standard bracket shown
here, 92422. This bracket is made of anodised
aluminium, with a rubber sleeve locking the Tron
ARR to the bracket. This bracket should be
mounted high on the boat, but it must be possible
to activate it even in high seas.
3.1.2 Using Lifeboat
bracket, 92424:
If Tron ARR is mounted with the Lifeboat
Bracket, the Tron ARR can be mounted
higher than the above method. This bracket
is delivered with 5 meter cable, so it is
possible to have the battery with the switch
and indicators inside a lifeboat, while the
antenna and electronics are outside.

3.1.3 Using Outside Lifeboat bracket, 93494:
If Tron ARR is mounted with the Outside
Lifeboat Bracket, the Tron ARR can be mounted
similar to the other lifeboat bracket. This bracket
is not delivered with a cable since the battery is
attached directly to the Tron ARR here. A
lanyard secures the Tron ARR from falling out of
the bracket. This bracket is made of anodised
aluminium. In emergency, it is required that the
user need to activate the unit before put it in this
bracket.

3.2 Powered by external power source (12 v)
It is a special filter mounted inside the Tron ARR to withstand
spikes from external power sources as outboard/inboard engines
with alternators. All these installations requires an external switch
to the power source or can be connected to be activated with the
ignition on a boat. Below is a schematic of how this connection is
done:

Table showing what to connect were:
Color: Funktion:
Yellow
Green
Brown
White
Grey
Battery + 12V DC
Can be connected through a switch to 12 V DC or the
switch can be placed between the Green an Brown
cable
Switch connected to Brown, or can be grounded if
the switch is connected in series with the power
supply (Yellow)
- Switch connected to Green unless the switch is
connected in series with power supply (Yellow)
-Battery 0V DC (ground -)
If a LED is connected to indicate hit by radars, the
positive end of a LED is connected here (Long leg)
Can be attached to a buzzer, but the not
recommended if the boat has lot of “electrical noise”
that can activate the Tron ARR

3.2.1 Mounted on mounting flange, w/
7m cable, 92936
Tron Arr can be mounted with this bracket if used
on RIB boats or others with targa as seen on
picture below.

3.2.2 Mounted on bracket with 1”x14
thread, 81836
Tron Arr can be mounted with this
bracket if used on sailing boats or others
using a bracket that can be fitted on
standard 1”x14 thread used for antennas
etc. Bracket with this thread is widely
available. Delivered with 7 meter cable

4. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
4.1 Battery powered
4.1.1 Activating the Tron ARR
Pull locking pin on the battery unit’s switch and make sure
that the switch enters the «ON» position.
an audible «beep» will be heard and the indicator led will
start to flash.
When the Tron ARR is within range of an active 3 cm
radar, the internal loudspeaker (Buzzer) will be activated.
4.1.2 Deactivating the Tron ARR
1. Move the switch to the «off» position.
2. Replace the locking pin.
4.2 Power by external 12v source
4.2.1 Activating the Tron ARR
• If connected to the boats ignition it will automatically
be turned on when starting the engine. The indicator
led (If connected) will start to flash.
• If connected through a switch, turn this ON The
indicator led (If connected) will start to flash.
4.2.2 Deactivating the Tron ARR
- Turn off the engine (If connected throught the ignition)
- Set the external Switch to “OFF” (if connected through a
switch)

4.3 Testing the Tron ARR
Test of the Tron ARR is done using the ships own 3 cm radar.
The radar display will show different patterns depending on the
range to the transponder.Figure C shows details of the radar
display. Note that the examples shown are typical and will vary
with the radar performance (height, power output and sensitivity).
With the transponder located close to the radar the signals will
appear as a ring on the radar display.
The ring may be broken in some sectors, depending on ship
construction and other obstacles, and does not indicate an error
in the transponder.Placing it further away will reduce the signals
to 1 dot on the radar display, showing the distance and direction
to the transponder.
1. a) Hold the switch on the Tron ARR battery unit in the «TEST»
position. (Battery powered)
b) Turn the Tron ARR “ON” with the Switch (Ignition or
external)
2. Simultaneously a person should observe the radar display to
check for correct pattern.
3. the test should preferably be done in open sea to avoid
interference on the radar display from land echoes.
Figure A
Typ. display w/Tron ARR located
near (

Figure B
Typ. display w/Tron ARR located
close (≈1nm) to the radar.
Radar range is 10 nm
Rings are at 2 nm
The response is a stretched point
on the display.
Figure C
Typ. display w/Tron ARR located
away (>2 nm) from the radar.
Radar range is 10 nm
Rings are at 2 nm
The reponse is as a normal
reflection
If LED is flashing with long flash, but no indication on the display,
check the following:
1. Range of the radar – select correct range
2. Radar sensitivity
3. Are you to close to land, or other ships, so you can’t
differentiate the boat with TronARR from other objects?
If all above is correct, but still no indication on the radar display,
may indicate that the Tron ARR need to be calibrated by
JOTRON.

5. MAINTENANCE
Jotron Tron ARR is a Active radar reflector designed for
challenging environment. With the battery attached, it can
withstand high G-forces, like when being thrown into the water
from 20 m height. Therefore, very little maintenance is needed to
get a long life of enhanced radar visibility. There are a few points
worth noting described here:
5.1 Maintenance :
• Keep the antenna clean – wash with fresh water if lots
of salt is attached to the antenna.
• Do not paint – Paint can reduce sensitivity and power
output from the Tron ARR.
• Check that screw ring is tightened – Just tighten with
your hand, do not use tools.
5.2 Battery replacement (If equipped)
Disconnect the old battery unit and replace with a new one.
BATTERY UNIT
O-RING
X-96974 X-90624

6. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
6.1 Electrical specifications
Frequency:
X-band (3 cm) (9.2 - 9.5 GHz)
Temperature range:
Operating: -20 to +55 o C
Storage: -30 to +65 o C
Radiated power:
> 400 mW e.i.r.p (+26 dBm)
Sweep type:
1 sweep sawtooth type
Forward 7.5 us ±1 µs
Return 0.4 us ±0.1 µs
starts with return sweep.
Receive sensitivity:
Better than -50 dBm e.r.s.
Response delay:
Max 0.5 µs
Antenna pattern:
Horizontal polarisation.
Omnidirectional radiation in the horizontal plane.
Greater than ±12.5 degrees elevation angle in the vertical plane.
(Option)Battery capacity:
96 hours standby +8 hours continuous operating when activated by
a radar with 1 kHz prf at -20 o C. 4 years storage.

6.2 Mechanical specifications
Materials used:
Transponder housing: Polycarbonate with 10% glass.
(Option) Bracket, 92936 & 81836 :
POM
(Option) Universal Bracket, 1”x 14: Stainless Steel, A4
Dimensions
Transponder:
Max diameter: 85 mm
Length(w/Mounting Flange, 92936: 285 mm
Length(w/ Battery) 370 mm
Weight(w/ Battery) 1050 g
Transponder with standard storage bracket (If equipped w/
battery):
Max diameter: 96 mm
Length:
376 mm
6.2.1 Layout of
bracket 92936