Operators manual

Tron ARR
9 GHz 1 blip radartransponder
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................3
1.1 GENERAL....................................................................................3
1.2 FEATURES..................................................................................4
2. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION.......................................................5
3. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS .................................................7
3.1 ACTIVATING THE TRON ARR..................................................7
3.2 DEACTIVATING THE TRON ARR ............................................7
3.3 TESTING THE TRON ARR .........................................................7
4. MOUNTING PROCEDURE .....................................................10
4.1 GENERAL..................................................................................10
4.2 USING THE FIXED BRACKET ...............................................10
5. MAINTENANCE........................................................................12
5.1 BATTERY REPLACEMENT....................................................12
6. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ...........................................13
6.1 ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................13
6.2 MECHANICAL SPECIFICATIONS .....................................................14

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1.INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL
Tron ARR consists of :

1. Tron ARR radar transponder.

2. Mounting bracket for storage.
3. Mounting rope.

The JOTRON 9 GHz radar transponder type Tron ARR is an

active radar transponder that gives 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.
the range will be up to 10 nautical miles.

Tron ARR is buoyant, 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.

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In addition, the Tron ARR will give an audible signal that tells the
operator that there is radar activity in the area. 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 continuos
operation (continously 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. 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.

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• Indicators:
The Tron ARR battery unit are equipped with a LED and a
built in speaker to show operation of the ARR.
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.
The battery unit consists of the complete lower half of the
Tron ARR, and must be replaced when finished.

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.

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The delay compared to a passive target will vary, depending on
the frequency of the radar.

Close to the transponder (<500-600 metres) the return sweep

will be visible on the radar screen, the maximum delay on this
distance will therefore be 1 µs, hovever the pulse from the
transponder will be stretched in direction and will appear as
one or two rings or part of rings on the display.

On a larger distance the return sweep will not be visible but the
forward sweep will be. The maximum (worst case) delay will be
0.5 + 0.5 + 7.5 = 8 µs.
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The radar pulse travels with a speed of 3*10 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.

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3. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

3.1 ACTIVATING THE Tron ARR

1. 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 WILL BE
ACTIVATED.

3.2 DEACTIVATING THE Tron ARR

1. MOVE THE SWITCH TO THE «OFF» POSITION.

2. REPLACE THE LOCKING PIN.

3.3 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.

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Figure A, Figure B, and Figure C for 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. HOLD THE SWITCH ON THE Tron ARR BATTERY UNIT

IN THE «TEST» POSITION.
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 (<0.2 nm) the radar.
Radar range is 10 nm, rings are off.
The response is a ring on the radar display.

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 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

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4. MOUNTING PROCEDURE

4.1 GENERAL
The Tron ARR can be mounted several ways, depending on
the options available.
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.

4.2 USING THE FIXED BRACKET

PART NO BRACKET KIT: X-92424

Figure D
Fixed bracket

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 Figure E
Blind cover

The fixed bracket consists of a mounting bracket that is fixed

on a flat surface from the bottom.
Usually a blind cover is mounted in the place for the bracket.
The blind cover must be removed and the mounting bracket
with the Tron ARR top unit attached is mounted.
The removal of the blind cover and mounting of the mounting
bracket is done using two wing nuts.
In addition to the bracket, there is a cover to be mounted on
the battery unit, and a cable connecting the two parts.

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5. MAINTENANCE

5.1 BATTERY REPLACEMENT

Disconnect the old battery unit and replace with a new one.

BATTERY UNIT O-RING

X-96974 X-90624

Figure F
Tron ARR battery unit, expanded view w/part numbers

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6. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

6.1 Electrical specifications

Frequency:
X-band (3 cm) (9.2 - 9.5 GHz)

Temperature range:
o
Operating: -20 to +55 C
o
Storage: -30 to +65 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.

Battery capacity:
96 hours standby +8 hours continuous operating when activated
o
by a radar with 1 kHz prf at -20 C. 4 years storage.

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6.2 Mechanical specifications
Materials used:
Transponder housing: Polycarbonate with 10% glass.
Bracket: Anodised aluminium.

Dimensions

Transponder:
Max diameter: 85 mm
Length: 370 mm
Weight: 1050 g

Transponder with standard storage bracket:

Max diameter: 96 mm
Length: 376 mm

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