MobileMapper™ Beacon
USER MANUAL
www.thalesgroup.com/navigation
Copyright Notice
© 2005 Thales S.A. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication or the computer programs described in it may be 
reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any 
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording, or 
otherwise, without prior written permission of Thales Navigation. Your 
rights with regard to this publication and the computer programs are subject 
to the restrictions and limitations imposed by the copyright laws and/or the 
jurisdiction in which you are located
Trademarks
All product and brand names mentioned in this publication are trademarks 
of their respective holders.
FCC Notice
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to 
the following two conditions:
1.This device may not cause harmful interference, and 
2.This device must accept any interference received, including interference 
that may cause undesired operation.
 Table of Contents
Preface..........................................................................................................1
Key Features.........................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................3
Receiving Your Shipment ....................................................................3
MobileMapper Beacon System ............................................................3
Using the MobileMapper Beacon ..............................................................4
User Interface .......................................................................................4
Powering the MobileMapper Beacon...................................................5
Powering the MobileMapper Beacon...................................................9
Belt-mounting.....................................................................................10
Bluetooth Wireless Communications with MobileMapper CE..........11
Establishing a Bluetooth Connection............................................12
Serial Communications ......................................................................13
Serial Port Parameters ........................................................................14
Beacon Lock.......................................................................................15
Knowing What Beacon Station To Use..............................................15
MobileMapper CE Bluetooth Manager..............................................16
Windows CE Configuration Utility....................................................17
Differential Mode .........................................................................17
Tuning the Beacon Frequency ......................................................18
Monitoring Reception Performance..............................................20
Beacon Interference............................................................................20
Troubleshooting Reception ................................................................21
Coast Guard DGPS Service .....................................................................23
Radiobeacon Range............................................................................23
Radiobeacon Reception......................................................................24
Spatial Decorrelation..........................................................................25
Coast Guard Beacon vs WAAS/EGNOS ...........................................25
Benefits of Coast Guard Beacon...................................................25
Benefits of WAAS/EGNOS..........................................................26
Radiobeacon DGPS............................................................................27
Radiobeacon Coverage.......................................................................28
Preface
Welcome to the Thales MobileMapper™ Beacon User Man-
ual and thank you for buying this high-performance, belt-
mounted DGPS system. This product is an accessory to the 
MobileMapper and MobileMapper CE handheld GPS/GIS 
data collection systems. The purpose of the MobileMapper 
Beacon system is to receive accuracy-enhancing corrections 
from Coast Guard beacon networks.  
Coast Guard differential GPS beacons have been installed 
throughout many locations in the world, and send GPS cor-
rections to users in order to improve GPS accuracy and in-
tegrity, using a medium frequency signal. This service 
facilitates the Coast Guard requirements to provide a safe 
navigation and position service to its users. Over the last 
many years, Coast Guard beacons have been used to great 
success by terrestrial users. In fact, a program is currently in 
place to provide dual redundant coverage of beacons 
throughout the continental United States for a variety of 
land-based uses.
GPS corrections received by the MobileMapper Beacon are 
transmitted to the GPS data collection system using Blue-
tooth® (1) wireless technology.
 
(1) The Bluetooth® trademark and logos are owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. 
and any use of such marks by Thales is under license. Other trademarks and 
trade names are those of their respective owners.
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The MobileMapper Beacon may also be used with 3rd-party 
GPS systems that accept RTCM SC-104 corrections via a 
Bluetooth or traditional hard-wired serial connection. 
The following figure shows the MobileMapper Beacon sys-
tem.
We have written this document to assist you with learning 
how to use the MobileMapper Beacon system, how it oper-
ates with GPS equipment, and provide some general infor-
mation on Coast Guard beacon technology.
Key Features
• Fully integrated Coast Guard beacon receiver and 
antenna
• All-day battery life using either four alkaline, 1.5-V Lith-
•
ium or NiMH rechargeable AA-type batteries 
Integrated Bluetooth wireless technology for communi-
cations with the MobileMapper CE 
• Convenient belt-mounted carrying system
• User interface includes a power button and status lights
• Conventional hard-wired serial port for communication 
with other GPS equipment via a cable with standard DB9 
connector.
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Introduction
The Thales MobileMapper Beacon system is an accessory to 
the Thales MobileMapper CE GPS data collection system. 
The MobileMapper Beacon is a self-contained, Coast Guard 
beacon receiver system. It features an internal beacon re-
ceiver and magnetic field beacon antenna, wireless commu-
nications, and a compartment for 4 AA batteries.
The following figure illustrates the use of the MobileMapper 
Beacon.
Note - Though the 
MobileMapper Beacon 
is primarily intended for 
use with our 
MobileMapper and 
MobileMapper CE GPS/
GIS data collections sys-
tems, it may be used with 
any GPS system that 
support RTCM-based 
real-time differential 
corrections. In order to 
connect to other devices, 
you will need to ensure 
the GPS supports either 
Bluetooth wireless tech-
nology or an RS-232 
serial port.
Receiving Your Shipment
If you find that any of the items are damaged due to ship-
ment, please contact the freight carrier immediately for as-
sistance. If you find that the system is incomplete for some 
reason, please contact your point of sale for assistance.
MobileMapper Beacon System 
Each MobileMapper Beacon system is composed of:
• MobileMapper Beacon Coast Guard beacon receiver unit
• 4 AA Batteries
• Belt-mounted carrying system
•   1 battery clip for easy loading of batteries
• Warranty card
• User Manual
• A PC-interface cable for serial communications.
3
Using the MobileMapper Beacon
User Interface
The MobileMapper Beacon user interface is located on the 
top of the unit. This interface consists of a power button and 
three lights. A red light next to the power button indicates the 
unit is on. A green light comes on once the unit has locked 
onto a DGPS transmitter with a signal-to-noise ratio greater 
than seven and is sending the corrections to the GPS receiv-
er. A blue light next to the Bluetooth symbol is illuminated 
when the unit is sending the corrections to the GPS receiver 
via the Bluetooth connection. 
The following picture shows the status lights and power but-
ton located on the top surface of the product. Please note the 
power button and indicator lights are visible through a cut-
out located on the top of the pouch, supplied with the system.
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