FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Quark-elec AIS receiver and NMEA multiplexer products questions
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

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1. “Can I configure my device over Wi-Fi”-
no; our devices are compatible with all major software’s like Android, Windows, Mac, Linux and IOS. However configuration will need to be done on a platform running the Windows operating system. Once this is configured you will be able to view the data on a platform of your choice. Check out our configuration tool (GUI) instruction guide. https://www.quark-elec.com/downloads/co ... ion-tools/

2. “Cant configure my device” –
configuring your device will require a Windows operating system. This can be done with a standalone Windows PC or with an emulated Windows 10 on Mac. We would recommend using a native Windows system for configuration. Check out our configuration tool (GUI) instruction guide. http://www.quark-elec.com/doc/QK-A0xx_G ... n_note.pdf. Please be aware that all software needs to be closed in order to use the configuration tool (GUI). The configuration tool must be the only program running when changing parameters to your device.

3. “Does my device need configuring” -
most of the devices don’t need configuring for normal AIS use; for example the A021, AS03, A023 AND A022. Please see the table below
Image

4. “What do the LED’S stand for” –
each device has its own set of LED’s which correspond to the working level of that particular part of the device. For example the AIS LED will flash every time it receives an AIS signal. This can seem random and very fast.
On the other scale the power LED (usually red) will flash every 3 seconds during the operation of the device. If this is not the case then the device is not receiving power or is damaged in some way.
The other most common LED is the GPS. This light will flash slower and intermittent compared to the others. This will flash to signify that a valid GPS signal is being received by the device
Image

5. “My device isn’t working"-
it uses NMEA-0183 using the RS232 standard. The rest of my stuff is NMEA-0183 using rs422 standard. HELP “– Our Garmin bridge device will convert your RS232 signal into the RS422 signal used by our devices. This is very handy for keeping older technology up to date with modern equipment. Reasonably priced at £15 see this link for more information. https://www.quark-elec.com/product/qk-a ... dge-board/
• It is worth noting the Garmin bridge we supply converts any rs232 signal into rs422 (for example; printers, display and other devices using RS232)


6. “What is the IP address and password for my device” -
The IP address for your device as default will be 192.168.1.100 and the password as default is 88888888. In some cases you will need to add the protocol which is TCP and the port number which is 2000
Item Setting
SSID: Similar to ‘QK-A026xxxx’
Password: 88888888
Protocol: TCP
IP address: 192.168.1.100
Gateway address: 192.168.1.100
Port: 2000


7. “Device manager says that my drivers are not working. What should I do?” -
First thing to do is to click on the offending driver in drive manager and click uninstall driver.
• Once you have cleared the driver, you will need to re-install it. To make sure this works smoothly we advise to always fully extract the zipped folder inside the disk that came with your device.
• Once that has been done; find out if you’re PC runs 32bit windows or 64bit windows in the system (can be found in control panel of your pc under system). Depending on your version it will either look like dpinst_amd64 or dpinst_x86. For windows 64bit you need to run the file ending in 64. And for the 32bit you run the one ending in 86. Double click the corresponding file to install.
• If you follow the wizard to completion then hopefully it should have installed correctly. Now if you try the configuration tool and click connect, you should see the device and the version of the software on the bottom of the configuration tool.

8. “what is the difference between Raymarine, Seatalk, Garmin and NMEA”-
• Raymarine is a marine electronics company founded in 1923. They are the creators of Seatalk. There devices use Seatalk to interface between their devices. The Current generation of Seatalk, is Seatalk NG
• Seatalk is Raymarine’s in house protocol for communication between their propriety devices. Seatalk 1 has been around for a while and the new system they are using is called Seatalk NG. Seatalk NG is similar to NMEA 2000 in that it has a backbone supplying power and data through one single cable.
• Garmin is a multinational company specializing in GPS products. Garmin like Raymarine is one of the larger companies in the marine technology world. They use NMEA protocols and are expanding into using NMEA 2000 protocols that need a backbone. Garmin does use NMEA however most of these devices output through RS232 (This is less the case with their modern range of equipment. Check your devices manual first). Devices can communicate with them; however there are many new devices which use NMEA RS422. We supply an RS232 to RS422 converter specifically for Garmin products to integrate with your vessels system.
• NMEA stands for the National Marine Electronics Association. They set standards and protocols for the electronic marine market, hence NMEA 0183/2000. The most widely used version of NMEA is 0183 but that is to be replaced with the newer and faster NMEA 2000. NMEA 2000 allows for multiple listener and talker devices to all communicate through a single backbone cable. This makes life for the consumer easier as there is generally only one cable to connect and can be plugged in anywhere across the line.

9. “My A027 wont power on” –
This is a common misconception with our products. The A027 uses 12v power usually from the Seatalk system. The USB is for transferring data and not for powering the device.

10. “Can I use my marine VHF antenna with an AIS receiver or a transponder”?:-
You can use a splitter to share your existing VHF antenna to your VHF radio and your AIS receiver. You must use an active splitter that automatically disconnects the signal to the AIS device if a transmission is detected from the VHF radio.

• Be aware: Do not use splitters designed for use with AIS receivers with AIS transponders (e.g. the Smart Radio VHF Antenna Splitter) or you may damage your splitter and / or radio.

Since you have two receiving devices on one antenna, you may also experience some small amount of signal degradation with some splitters. While broadcasting on the VHF radio, you will likely see some interruption of incoming AIS signals. Since AIS broadcasts from each ship are repeated every few seconds, this is not normally noticeable in your tracking software.

• Be aware: If you use a common T-connector to share a VHF antenna with a radio and an AIS device and then broadcast on the VHF radio, you will damage your AIS device.

Another option is to use a dedicated VHF antenna that is mounted away from your VHF radio antenna. This will mean less interference and will allow both the AIS device and the VHF radio receiver to get maximum receiving distances. In order for the antenna to work properly, you must install your AIS antenna at least 0.5 metres from any other radio antenna or vertical metal structure and mount it as high as possible.

11. STMicroelectronics driver error
We often get asked about driver issues relating to older windows operating systems. We know that with upgrading from windows vista or 8 to a windows 10 operating system will create errors. This is due to the upgrade process not carrying over all the necessary files sometimes. We have two options for our customers to start with. Firstly we would like you to try and install the drivers manually. Please follow the instructions below.

1. go to device manager
2. right click on the port that is having problems
3. click uninstall drivers and follow instructions
4. Once the drivers are uninstalled. right click on the port with the issue again
5. select update driver software this time
6. then select browse my computer for driver software
7. Browse and navigate to the folder where you placed the driver setup files.
8. Click next until finished.

Hopefully that will help solve the issue.
If it doesn't then the next step is to download the driver from the original manufacture. You will need to scroll down the page to the ‘get software’ page at the bottom. Download the free software from their website.
https://www.st.com/en/development-tools ... 32102.html
Once you have downloaded this driver then please install it following the instructions. This should complete your installation.

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