Spectra Logic TAC/COM SERIES manual

CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY TO NORTHERN AIRBORNE TECHNOLOGY LTD. SM06 TAC/COM SERIES Control Head INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL REV 4.10 January 4, 2006 Northern Airborne Technology Ltd. 1925 Kirschner Road Kelowna, BC, Canada. V1Y 4N7 Telephone (250) 763-2232 Facsimile (250) 762-3374 Copyright 2005 by Northern Airborne Technology[...]

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SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Jan 4, 2006 Page ii ENG-FORM: 820-0110.DOT CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY TO NORTHERN AIRBORNE TECHNOLOGY LTD. Periodically NAT will release manual amendments. In order to maintain the most accurate and up to date manual these am endments should be carried out immediately upon receipt and recorded on the fol[...]

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SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Jan 4, 2006 Page iii ENG-FORM: 820-0110.DOT CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY TO NORTHERN AIRBORNE TECHNOLOGY LTD. Table of Contents Section Title Page 1 Description 1.1 Introduction 1-1 1.2 General 1-1 1.2.1 Tac/Com Control Head Family 1-2 1.2.2 Accessories 1-3 1.3 Purpose of Equipment 1-5 1.3.1 Interface Cons[...]

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SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Jan 4, 2006 Page iv ENG-FORM: 820-0110.DOT CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY TO NORTHERN AIRBORNE TECHNOLOGY LTD. Section Title Page 2.5 Troubleshooting 2-6 2.5.1 Weak Receive/Transmit, Intermi ttent Operation, E rratic Squelch 2-6 2.5.2 Strange Noises, No Receive Audio, Transmit Keying problems 2-6 2.5.3 Some [...]

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SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Section 1 Description 1.1 Introduction This manual contains information on the NA T Tac/Com control heads. All derivative products and interface cards will be covered by manual supplements, which can be obtained from NAT as required. Information in this section consists of purpose of equipment, features an[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 The Tac/Com control head carries its own operat or's manual in internal software, and can provide on-line help to the operator for all functions. An initial help mode at power- up can provide a complete tutorial of the control head and its operating and storage functions, and pressing the HELP button [...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Four-Radio Control Heads 1.2.2 Accessories The Tac/Com family encompasses numerous specialized accessories to extend system capability, as well as transceivers and the control heads reviewed in this manual. NAT transceiver capabilities ar e covered in separate manuals. For reference, the additional system [...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 1.2.2.3 TE12/DTE12/DP12 DTMF Tone Generator/Keyboard Data Entry Unit These devices can output DTMF signalling tones from either keyboard control or stored sequences, and can serve as a direct keyboar d data entry system for Tac/Com control heads to change channels and frequencies. Consult NAT Ltd. for furt[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 1.3 Purpose of Equipment The Tac/Com series of control heads provides a centralized location for tactical radio control and channelling of up to four i ndependent transceiver syst ems. Only the Tac/Com II series will be considered; for further information, contact NAT Ltd. Alphanumeric labeling of each rad[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 1.3.1 Interface Considerations Tac/Com offers direct plug compatibility fo r replacement of C-962/ A and C-722/A control heads (for use with the RT-9600 and RT-7200) , including the second audio connector. For USFS applications, Tac/Com provides some additional capability when used with the RT-9600. Full g[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 1.3.3 Radio Capability Increase With Tac/Com Wherever possible, NAT has increased the capability of ot her transceivers via the Tac/Com control head, and those features are summarized below, compared to the original controls: Feature Tac/Com I Tac/Com II C1000 C962/722 Stored Channels 32/56 per Radio 128 p[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 1.3.4 Master/Sl ave Configuration One powerful configuration that NAT's Tac/ Com controls support is the master/slave configuration. In this confi guration, two controls can be acti ve at the same time (flight crew and medical crew, for example), and both can select channels and radios. The extraordin[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 1.3.5 Frequency Data Considerations Tac/Com controls have an intelligent editor that prevents incorrect data entry when programming frequencies for a given agile radi o. VHF radios can receive only valid VHF frequencies; UHF radios only UHF frequencies at the correct intervals, and so on. This greatly ease[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 1.4 Hardware Design Features & Considerations 1.4.1 General The Dzus mounted Tac/Com control heads us e extremely high quality components, including sealed gold contact switches, gol d contact connectors and fully masked, conformal-coated FR4 flame retardant circui t boards. Each unit is fully temperat[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 1.5 Specifications 1.5.1 Electrical Specifications Input Power: 16-33 Vdc. Current: 0.25 A/LED Control 250 Series 0.35 A/LED Control 350 Series 0.45 A/LED Control 450 Series 0.15 A/LCD Control 400 Series +0.075 A/Interface Card Installed (for all types) +0.250 A/28 Vdc for panel lighting Values above are m[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 1.5.2 Physical Specifications Height Tac/Com Series Rail Height Required 250/260 and 350/360 3.00” 450A 3.75” 450B and 460B 3.375” 450/460 4.875” Length 6.27 inches (159.3 mm) excluding connector Width 5.8 inches (146.1 mm) Weight 2.2 to 2.9 lbs (1 kg to 1.3 kg) depending on model Mounting Horizont[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 1.5.3 Environmental Specifications Altitude: Pressurized alt. equivalent to 15,000' Unpressurized alt. equivalent to 35,000' Temperature: -20º C to +60º C Operating -55º C to +85º C Survival Humidity: 90% @ +60º C Vibration: DO-160 ca tegory K/P/S, console or panel mounting in both helicopte[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 1.6.3 Display Type TH4 50 - 2FFNN 00 = LCD Display, Master (Discontinued) 10 = LCD Display, Slave (Discontinued) 50 = LED Display, Master 60 = LED Display, Slave Above example: LED Master 1.6.4 Display Filter/Lighting Suffix Information TH260 - 2 ZZ 0 = Yellow/Green LED Filter, or Clear LCD Filter, Natural[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 1.6.5 Interface-Specific Suffix Information The position of the digit in the code reflects the position of the card in the control. The code position from left to right equals the rele vant card position from top to bottom. TH450 - 2 NNNE A = ARINC 2 of 5 Comm M = Midland Syn-Tech I B = Blank (No Controls)[...]

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SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Section 2 Installation 2.1 Introduction Information in this section consists of: unpa cking and inspection procedures, installation procedures, post-installation checks, and installation drawings. 2.2 Unpacking and Inspection Unpack the equipment carefully and locate the warranty card. Inspect the unit vis[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 2.3.2 Cautions All audio installations can be severely degraded by incorrect wiring and shielding, and may result in much higher cross-talk, hum , and ground-loop interference. This should be considered when installing audi o wiring to and from the specific radio. Both the audio Hi and Lo wires must be con[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 2. The interface cards for the RT9600 and RT7200 have different locks from those on the original harness. The tight pa ckaging on the Tac/Com control head does not allow spring locks to be used. The harness locks must be changed to jackscrews to match the Tac/Com connec tors before flight. New locking hard[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 2.4 Post Installation Checks Before the unit is permanently mounted, per form the following functional tests and make any needed adjustments and switch or jumper settings. Ensure that the unit is securely mounted before any flight is attempted. 2.4.1 Voltage/Resistance Checks DO NOT ATTACH THE T AC/COM CON[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Make the following performance checks (refer to Section 3, Operation): a) Confirm that the desired radios are installed in the assigned Tac/Com control head slots (this data appears at power-up on the display). If any aspect of the radio assignments is incorrect, or if mess ages such as 'waiting for s[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 2.5 Troubleshooting 2.5.1 Weak Receive/Transmit, Intermi ttent Operation, Erratic Squelch Ensure all antenna mounts are secure, cl eanly grounded, and well terminated. Avoid sharp coax cable bends or cr ushed coax from tie wraps. Never mount any antenna on a composite surface unless a well-grounded and ade[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual aircraft, such as Aerospatiale airframes, there are two dimmers, one of which MUST be ON for normal daylight flight, to drive engine instruments. If this line is accidentally used, then the display will always be at half int ensity. A dimmer must be used that is OFF during normal daylight flyi ng, and ON d[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 2.8 Installation Drawings This section has the complete interconnect drawing set for all installations, both current and previous revisions. Be sure to use the co rrect drawings for your installation. Any unique notes for a given installation type appear in the relevant Interface Card Supplement and in Sec[...]

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SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Section 3 Operation 3.1 Introduction Information in this section consists of t he functional and operating procedures for the Tac/Com Control Heads. 3.2 General To understand the operation of the Tac/Com control, a quick review of basic FM radio operation is helpful here. It is normally a requirement to ca[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 3.3 Initial Operation 3.3.1 Power-up Help Turn the Tac/Com system on by rotating any radio volume control away from the OFF detent position. The software revision number will be briefly displayed, followed by a screen presenting an option for use of the on-line HELP system, as shown below. If help is selec[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual NAT NT-150 or WULFS RT-7200 (etc.) This is the radio type designated for that transceiver slot in the control head (RT1-4), and will change if either the interface card, the stor ed software set-up or hardware jumper selections are changed in the control head. This message is to advise what the control hea[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 3.4.1 Radio Specific Controls Radio-specific Controls Radio specific controls allow the general operation and function of each radio to be modified independently. The radios are identified as 'RT1, RT2', etc. to the left of the display, and the line of text continues thr ough the display to conne[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.4.1.2 RX (Receive) Volume Control RX Volume Controls The RX volume control is adjusted via the round knob for each radio. Rotating this control fully counter-clockwise to OFF turns the specific radio off. If all controls are OFF , then the control head itself turns off. 3.4.1.3 RX/TX Status Indicator RX/[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 3.4.1.4 Radio Mode Switch Radio Mode Switch The last radio specific control is the MODE or FUNCTION switch, which varies with the type of radio used. For NT-series transceivers, it selects either NORM or SCAN modes of operation, as specifically defined in the status line. For NT-series transceivers scannin[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual The TOP ROW is for NORMAL OPERATION. CHAN RADIO SQ SELECT NEXT EDIT HELP The BOTTOM ROW is for EDITING. To show that they are rela ted, engraved panel lines tie the EDITING functions together. The alternate EDITING functions become active whenever the EDIT switch is in any position other than OFF . 3.4.2.1[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 3.4.2.2 CHAN -/+ Toggle S witch - NORMAL Operation To change channels, press the CHAN switch in the desired direction, either + for ascending, or - for descending numbers. Channel se lection can also be accomplished remotely if the remote channelling switch is in stalled. The radio t hat has the cursor in [...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.4.2.4 EDIT Switch F unction - NORMAL Operation Edit Switch When the EDIT switch is in the centre-off locked position, all editing functions are off, and the control is in normal operation. It the switch is set to any other position, then editing is active, and either radio or channel data can be altered [...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 3.5 Editing Editing is the general term for changing any in formation stored in the Tac/Com control head. There are two basic types of editing that can be selected from the front panel of the control head. These are CH (channel) editing, and ST (status) editing. As the name implies, channel editing permits[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.5.1 Channel Editing EDIT Switch When the EDIT switch is in the CH position, the ID , RX , and TX information may be edited. The position or character to be edited will flash or blink on and off. When channel editing of data is in pr ogress, operation of the radi os is suspended, and the dual function edi[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 Depending on which way the SELECT switch is set (+ or - ), the choices will move around the circle in either dire ction. The editor removes numbers from this circle that don't apply to the particular cursor position. For example, VHF High Band radios can only have a 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 in the 10's of[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual Note that a STAR appears at the right si de of the RT #2 ID label in the diagram below. This means that the channel discrete line is enabled for that channel. This is a line to control external switching of a special func tion. It is programmed just like a scan flag, by advancing to that position with the [...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 3.5.2 Summary of Channel Editing For each channel stored in the control head, there are three possible data entries; identification label ( ID ), receive frequency ( RX ) and transmit frequency ( TX ). If equipped, the radio may also have tone and scan information associated with these entries. Note that n[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.5.3 Summary of Channel Labels Tac/Com permits two kinds of channel numbers (set at installation time) for ease of use and as a memory aid. Bl ock numbers begin with a letter, a-d, and have 32 channels per block. This allows channels to be grouped together for convenience (i.e., all channels for forestry [...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 As soon as the data is loaded in to the radio, the next channel in the next block appears (d32). Channels wrap around from highest to lowe st, so that it is never necessary to reverse direction to advance to any channel. 3.5.4 Summary of Subaudible Tones Subaudible tones are sometimes used to screen unwant[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.5.4.2 CTCSS or Subaudible Tone Table The following table shows the relationship of the supported tone codes. All of these are available in the contro l head, and when editing, the SELECT slew switch ( +/- ) will bring up only valid choices for each type of code. Pressing HELP while editing these position[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 The additional codes and frequency display were added in the new control head software in 1991 for USFS/OAS contracts. Tone data is often received in the EIA sequential number format, or as the raw fr equency, and requires additional tone support for ease of use. Controls with USFS interfaces (guard contro[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.6 Status Line Editing The status lines for each radio contain all the extra functions supported by the radio. Because this is largely defined in software, it also provides a very cost-effective method of upgrading the system perform ance or features through simple software (EPROM) changes, rather than ra[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 3.6.1 NEXT and SELECT Switch Use = SIMPLEX This choice will cycle with the SELECT switch. TX MODE This function will cycle with the NEXT switch. Cycling SELECT will change the choice displayed for any given function. To advance to the next function, press NEXT , and it will appear. Use the SELECT switch to[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual To illustrate the choices possible in the STATUS EDIT MODE, the following diagram shows all the current options and c hoices for an NT-series transceiver . While this appears complicated as a chart, it is very simple to use and just represents a sequence of clear choices that cycle around for user selectio[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 This is used where the tones are needed onl y to open the repeater and serve no RX squelch function. 3.6.2.3 POWER= Some radios, such as NAT's NT-serie s and the RT-9600/7200 support a high and low power transmitter function. Many radio st ation licenses have power restrictions at altitude, and must b[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.6.2.8 PWR-UP CHAN= This is the channel the control head will go to when it is powered up. This may be set for each radio. On early Tac/Com I controls, only a specific channel could be set, but current generation Tac/Com I & II motherboards have additional non-volatile memory to remember the last chan[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 NAT NTX138 radios provide wide-band and na rrow-band operation. The bandwidth flag indicates the selected mode. It indicate s the current modulation acceptance and transmit deviation mode. When a character is displayed the channel is operating in wide-band mode. When a character is displayed the channel is[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.8 Changing Display Brightness There is one additional display function, whic h is the INTENSITY/CONTRAST setting. On LED controls, this is selected by advanc ing the cursor past the bottom radio. The display brightness screen below will be shown. On a two radio control, simply press the RADIO button two [...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 approximately 90 channels/second. It takes almost half a second to provide tone or DPL decoding, which would result in virtua lly useless scanning of 2 channels/second. It is therefore recommended that when using either the NT150 or the NTX138, the tones should be turned off to prevent slow scanning. When [...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.9.1 Scan Modes If priority scan channels are enabled through t he status editing mode, the channel label will then be followed by the ident: P1 or P2 viewed in the ID display mode, indicating priority status. If the channel was added to the list scan mode, the SC flag will also be displayed when viewing [...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 3.9.1.3 LIST+PRIORITY Scanning In this mode, both LIST & PRIORITY features are combined, so that a list can be checked while still periodically testing for activi ty on two priority channels. This is a new feature and only exists on software revisi ons 2.13 and later for Tac/Com II, and 1.45 and later [...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.11 Master Edit Mode USE THIS MODE WITH GREAT CARE. SERIOUS PROBLEMS CAN DEVELOP IF TH IS MODE IS USED INCORRECTLY, RESULTING IN SEVERE CHANNELING DIFFICULTY. This mode is intended for service related activities, but is presented here briefly for reference, and to aid with any field related data problems.[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 Anything visible on the screen may now be edited, SO BE CAREFUL!!! If channel numbers are being changed, be sure that they are CORRECT! A mistake here can be very difficult to correct later. IMPORTANT! This mode stays active until the unit is powered down, and is active for ALL RADIOS, not just the one ini[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual 3.12 Installation & Configuration Mode This mode of operation is also not requir ed for normal operation and is intended to aid in servicing and control head set-up. Some firmware functions of the control head can be set via this mode, including the following installation parameters: -Transceiver selec[...]

Tac/Com Control Head Manual SM06 Rev. 4.10 f) Using the normal editing procedure ( SELECT/NEXT ), select a valid option for each feature presented. The configuration mode may not be left until all options are completed. g) It is up to you to ensure that the sele cted options are compat ible with each other and with the hardware being used. If t hey[...]

SM06 Rev. 4.10 Tac/Com Control Head Manual FEATURE VALID OPTIONS COMMENTS S/W VER.* The number of channels available for each radio. Does NOT include guard channels. Ensure that the number of channels is valid for the radio-type selected as follows: RT9600/7200 - any up to and including 126 FLEXCOMM - any up to and including 127 FLEXCOMM SYSTEM - a[...]