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Simrad HS50 Heading Sensor
3.4Sensor unit
Location of the unit
The Sensor unit is the most important part of the HS50 system, and great care should be taken when deciding the mounting location.
The space above the Sensor unit has to be free of obstructions of any kind. A GPS compass is more sensitive for blocking and reflections (multipath) of GPS signals than GPS sensors that are only used for calculating position. This since HS50 also utilizes carrier phase measurements for heading determination, and both GPS antennas need to see at least two common satellites at the same time.
The unit should be protected from direct illumination of radar beams and other transmitting antennas such as Inmarsat antennas.
The Sensor unit has to be mounted horizontally in the mast or directly on deck, with 5° maximum allowed deviation angle from the horizontal plane. If mounted in the mast, the distance from the unit to the nearest deck should be as large as possible to reduce problem due to the multipath effect.
The unit should also be mounted parallel to the vessel’s centerline with the bow arrow pointing forward. The heading offset feature will however compensate for a heading offset caused by the orientation of the Sensor unit. An eventual offset correction is performed after the calibration as described in Software setup procedure, Heading offset, page 31.
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