Date: Apr 2003

To: QINSy Users

From: QINSy Suppport
Subject: How to use anchor handling

HOW TO Use Anchor Handling

QINSy Console
Ensure that a project folder is selected in the Console (File, manage projects). If there is no project, create a new one
(File, manage projects). Select in QINSy Console “Setup”. In the “Template Manager” select the database that will be
used.

Database Setup
Use the wizards of Database Setup to define a survey setup….
Geodetic wizard: for the geodetic parameters
Object wizard: for the rig/barge and tug(s)
System wizard: for the positioning and heading sensors, and the tug manager as an output
system.

When complete, use Exit (File menu command) to save changes. Click Online (Action menu command) to start the
Controller.

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Line Data Manager

During anchor handling, the pick-up and drop positions of the anchors can automatically be stored to a line database file
(*.PRO). Enable this option in the Anchor Planning dialog (Controller). Prior to starting the Controller, it is worth opening
the Line Data utility and creating a line database file for your project and at least includes the “intended location”. If the
Client has also provided the intended anchor locations, or these are known, it is worth entering those to, as later they can
be selected from the line database, for the anchor planning.

Controller

Pos (andHdg?)
GPS Tug 1 Rig
GPS Rig

Pos (andHdg?) Heading Rig

GPS Tug 2

Step 1 Use the Observation Physics display (Options menu, Displays command) to check if the defined sytems are
correct and data is being decoded.

Step 2 Using the Computation Setup (Settings menu command) create a computation for EACH object as shown in the
figure below. (For more info about the Computation Setup, see QINSy 7.0 Quikstart and the Online Help).

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Step 3 Use the Node QC display to check that the computations are correct and that positions are being calculated for
each object.

Use the Navigation display to show all objects.

Step 4 In the controller select “Settings” --> “Session setup” to open the Anchor menu.

The Anchor menu consists of three menus: Overview, Generate and Settings. Notice that this dialog can be left open for
as long as it is needed.

The Overview menu is shown the anchors, which are available, and in what state they are. When an anchor is dropped,
the position of the anchor is recorded in Easting and Northing. An anchor in transit will be displayed as a dashed line from
the rig to the tug in the Navigation display.

Add a new anchor

To add new anchors click on the button with the green plus sign. A new anchor can be edited in the anchor properties,
here you can give the anchor a name and a planned Easting and Northing. Select the rig that will be used, the
computation and to which winch the anchor chain is connected.

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Beneath that select the tug and the computation that will be used for this anchor, also select the stern roller to where the
chain is connected.

Delete an exiting anchor

To delete an anchor, select the button with the red cross sign, select an anchor and confirm this with yes.

Generate / store anchors.

To open this menu click on generate. In this menu there is the ability to generate predefined anchor positions.

On the top of the window choose a vessel and its reference node from which the anchor will be laid. After that choose a
position for the reference node, this can be a grid position or a geographical position.
If a different reference node is selected, for example the GPS-antenna that has an offset of “X 2 meters” and “Y –3
meters” from the CoG, the anchor pattern will heva the same shift.
Beneath that there is a list of available nodes. Select the nodes that will be used for connecting an anchor chain.
introduce a range and a bearing for the anchor. Before pushing the generate button verify the anchor settings in the
“Settings menu”

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In the “Settings menu” choose in what sort of manner the generated anchor positions will be stored.

At the top select the sort of storage file. There are two options: “mainline linedatabase” and “anchor linedatabase”. If an
“anchor linedatabase” is chosen a “linedatabase file ”, a so-called “pro” file, need to be selected.
If needed the dropped or picked up anchor positions can be stored. Also the convention for the dropped or picked up
anchor positions and the radius of the positions need to be selcted.
The generated anchor positions will also have a radius.
If the settings are correct go back to the “generate menu” and press the generate button.
If necessary the generated anchor positions can be edited in the “Line Data Manager”

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 Navigation display

This is an example of three dropped anchors and one in transit, and the dynamic rubber band between each winch and
dropped anchor. A dropped anchor has a solid line and an anchor in transit has a dashed line.

Each anchor chain has a range and a bearing from the winch to the anchor displayed. The same goes with the anchor in
transit that is shown in the figure at “TUG1ref”. This has a range and bearing from the winch to the tugboat, and from the
tugboat to the planned anchor position.

To insert an anchor pattern, that has been made in the generate window, a “line database” must be imported in the
“Navigation Display”.

Step 1 Go to “layers” on the taskbar and select “line database”.

Step 2 In the window that appears select “File” --> “Add”. Open the file to import and finish with the “Apply” button.

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Step 3 In the “Navigation display” click “Settings” and select “Anchor Setup” to open the following dialog…

The first three options are only useful if intended anchor details have NOT been entered into a line database file. When
you do not have intended anchor location details, use the “Range / Bearing from selected position” in the Controller
Anchor Planning dialog, and then also use the first two options to show the intended locations in the Navigation display.

As mentioned, if the Client has given planned anchor details, or knowing the intended location and heading, it is
recommended to show the intended anchor locations using the Line Database layer of the Navigation display.

Once an anchor has been picked up by a tug, a rubber band is shown between the winch and the tug, and also a rubber
band between the tug and the intended anchor drop target. Once the anchor has been dropped a rubber band is shown
between the winch and the dropped anchor.

Ensure there is a check mark in the check box “Show anchor deployment pattern” and click Properties to open the
following dialog…

Again, this option is perhaps only useful when little idea is known of the intended anchor locations, and using the overlay
attached to the rig, one can get a better idea, presuming one has to run anchors in a regular, angular, pattern.

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Tug output from the Tug Manager output driver:

Use Database Setup to add an Output System to the setup, and select the Tug Manager driver, and the COM port over
which the data will be sent. Depending upon the capability of the telemetry link, one link can be used for each tug, or one
link can be used for more than one tug. When one link is to be used for each tug, one tug manager needs to be defined
for each tug.

Tug Manager is a driver to output tug positions to the Tug Display. User should click “Add Tug” to add a tug and click
“Tug Properties” to set the nodes for the stern roller and the antenna. The target is obtained from the Anchor Planning
dialog in the Controller.
The driver supports multiple tugs. It is important to give each tug a unique ID so that the Tug Display on the tug can filter
out the data meant for that tug. By checking / un-checking the checkboxes in front of the tugs data can be sent (or not).

The tug manager is developed in conjunction with the Tug Display. In operation it will make use of a two-way radio
telemetry link. The tug, position (and heading data when a compass is installed) will be sent to the rig/barge. Only when
this is sent in a combined GGA / HDT message, it is advised to use the combined NMEA GGA / HDT input driver. On the
barge, the tug data is send back to the tugs.

Pos / Hdg
Tug 1 Rig
$PQTUG

Pos / Hdg
Tug 2

$PQTUG

If there is a two way radio telemetry link each tug will get a position / heading on an I/O port and for all the tugs one I/O
port for the tug manager output driver. This data then needs to be split to each of the separate radio links to the tugs.

More information can be found in the Drivers And Interfacing Manual.

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Tug Display

The QINSy Tug display is intended as a stand-alone application that receives data from QINSy, but does not need the
QINSy software also to be installed on the same computer. It is installed using a separate installation option, which can
be found on your QINSy CD-ROM. The Tug display is designed to run on simple Notebook type computers (Pentium with
limited RAM memory) that can easily be deployed on tug vessels. No computations take place within the display, it merely
decodes and displays what is received from the QINSy Survey computer.

Having opened the Tug display for the first time, you should follow the “Vessel” setup wizard. And then, you should follow
the “Serial Input” setup wizard. It’s important that the ID-number corresponds with the ID-number that was awarded in the
Tug Manager, otherwise the wrong tugboat will be tracked.
Only for VSP Operations, will the Tug display be used to send on (“Serial Output) Client specific VSP messages.

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In the View Options adjust the view to your satisfaction, it’s also possible to import a DXF or PRO background file.

When no data has been received by the display for more than five seconds, the alphanumerics turn red, indicating bad
data.

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Other Notes: Final Report

The deployed anchor pattern can be captured from the Navigation display. The anchor positions can be obtained from
the Line Database file.

Other Notes: Manual Heading

In case either the rig or more commonly the tug does not have a heading value, in Database Setup it is possible to define,
for each object, a “gyro and compass” sensor (system) and choose “manual heading” as the driver. Then when online
with the Controller, the Generic manual Input driver is shown, and a manual value can be entered for each object.

Note, it is important to check the settings of the “Rotation attitude” in the “Computation Setup” to ensure the Course Over
Ground, heading or manual value has been selected.

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Other Notes: Position Filter

One should not forget that the manner in which the Course / Speed Over Ground is calculated can be influenced (click
Position Filters, Settings menu command, Controller).

For example, when a tug has no heading sensor, it may be desirable to lengthen the filter (increase the value of “position
count” to twenty and enter a value for “position threshold”, say two) so that a slower response / more stable values are
derived. This will avoid a “spinning” object (that might happen when using default course over ground values) that is
nearly still when preparing drop the anchor.

Other Notes: Final Fix

Use the available calibrations, Options menu command (Controller), to obtain final position details.

 Position Fix: will calculate the mean position and it’s standard deviation of a selected node, using a user defined
number of samples, or number of samples in a user defined time.
 Establishment Fix: will calculate the mean delta-position and it’s standard deviation of the Steered Node (Controller,
Settings menu) compared against the user-defined point, using a user defined number of samples, or number of
samples in a user defined time.
 Rig Position Fix: will calculate the mean Steered Node and user-selected Node positions and their standard
deviations, compared against a user-defined point, using a user defined number of samples, or number of samples
in a user defined time. Values can be rejected manually, automatically, or by quality. If available, the Object Heading
(from sensor) can be compared against the intended heading, and the delta heading calculated.
All results can be printed, including scatter plot.

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