How do I check or change my LD8 L-band beam?

Note: Where available Quantum should be used for all LD8 configuration. This article details changing an LD8 L-band beam using either Quantum or a the LD8 Web user interface (WEBUI).

Changing beam using Quantum

From the Quantum main screen go to SETTINGS. Navigate to System Configuration > Receiver Management > Edit:

Within the Receiver Management - Edit page click the Corrections tab to view the current L-Band configuration:

Selecting the L-band beam Mode will determine which L-band beam management options are available. When in Mode: AUTOMATIC the LD8 will track and utilise data from up to three beams simultaneously, with the satellite selection based on the receiver location (the highest elevation beams automatically selected).

Using Mode: AUTOMATIC can mitigate against the impact of a single beam failure , commonly caused by masking / blockage.  AUTOMATIC mode will also remove then need to manually select beams after the vessel has travelled to a new operating area.

If MANUAL mode is selected then (as shown above) the additional configurable options Beam will be shown. When selecting Mode: Manual, an option to toggle Beam Types between EXISTING and USER will appear. As above, when Beam Types is toggled to EXISTING, it allows the choice of one of the 6 VERIPOS pre-configured beam frequencies.

The table below can be use as a reference when selecting a beam manually:

Switching the Beam Types option to USER will allow for the input of a user beam (this should be used only under the instruction of VERIPOS support):

Once the appropriate changes have been made select Apply, found at the bottom right-hand side of the page.

Changing beam using the LD8 WebUI

The LD8 WebUI provides an option to change the L-band beam settings. WebUI is accessed by using the latest version of Explorer, Chrome or Firefox. Browse to the IP address of the LD8. If the IP address is unknown refer to the guide 'How do I find my LD8 IP address?'  To check the status or change the L-band beam selected, in the WebUI navigate to Configuration > Positioning, then choose Receive(Rover) and expand the PPP section. The active beam will be already highlighted. Auto and single beam selection options are available, but note the is no custom user beam configuration. Select the appropriate option Auto or the a specific beam and click Apply to confirm the change.

Changing beam via Terminal

The LD8 WebUI also provides a terminal that can send commands and receive information directly from the LD8. It is worth noting terminal applications can also be used to issue commands directly to the LD8 ( using either the COM ports or TCPIP sockets available) .

The WebUI terminal can be accessed by navigating to Tools > Terminal.

To verify the current LD8 L-band beam configuration enter the command:

LOG ASSIGNLBANDBEAM

If the LD8 is not configured to track an L-band beam, the output will as shown below in the example below, the indication is that the L-band tracking status is 'IDLE':

<OK
[WCOM1]
<ASSIGNLBANDBEAM WCOM1_30 0 67.5 FINESTEERING 2042 464654.273 03008020 f8d5 14970
 < IDLE "" 0 0 6000
[WCOM1]

If the LD8 has been configured to track an L-band beam, the output will be similar to the below example, where the L-band tracking status is 'MANUAL', and the L-band beam selected is '25E' (Note: When the LD8 in configured in Auto Mode, three beams will be displayed):

<OK
[WCOM1]
<ASSIGNLBANDBEAM WCOM1_30 0 66.5 FINESTEERING 2042 465112.034 03008020 f8d5 14970
 < MANUAL "25E" 0 0 6000
[WCOM1]

When selecting a suitable beam the below table can be used as a reference:

To select one of the listed beams, for example the 25E beam enter the following text:

ASSIGNLBANDBEAM 25E

Once changes have been made, enter SAVECONFIG.