SPERRY MARINE UK

Service Bulletin No. 97

Product: VisionMaster FT series Displays

Subject: Advisory Notice: VMFT Displays Software versions 3.x.x

Please be aware of the following Advisory Notice which was recently issued.

Attached: Product Advisory Notice PAN/09-01 (2 pages)

sb97.doc Page 1 of 1 Oct 2009

 Product Advisory Notice – PAN/09-01

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SPERRY MARINE

PRODUCT ADVISORY NOTICE – PAN/09-01
October 2009

Product Line: VisionMaster FT

Software Versions: 3.x

Notice

WHO IS AFFECTED BY THIS NOTICE?

Vessels operating in the Canary Islands area or who intend to visit the area which are fitted
with VisionMaster FT Systems.

BACKGROUND

Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine (NGSM) has become aware of corrupt or invalid AIS Base
Station reports being received in the vicinity of the Canary Islands, Spain. The message in question
is ITU-R M. 1371 message 4, Base Station Report:

MMSI: 2242202
Lat 28°31.059'N
Lon 016°50.094'W
UTC: 2030-02-29 07:00:07

VisionMaster FT displays receiving such corrupted AIS reports could, under certain circumstances,
lead to a system error in any or all VisionMaster displays connected to the AIS. Such an event
would result in the temporary loss of the display whilst the vessel is in the vicinity of the corrupt or
invalid AIS transmission.

This issue has only been observed when operating in this sea area. NGSM are unaware of any
other instance.

The following versions of VisionMaster software are potentially affected:

3.3.1.1175
3.3.0.1160
3.2.0.1116
3.1.1.1009
3.1.0.1003
3.0.0.0942

The version number is

displayed on the bottom right
hand corner of the display.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP. ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SPERRY MARINE B.V.
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 Product Advisory Notice – PAN/09-01
Precautionary Advice

If your vessel is currently operating in the Canary Islands area or is planning to operate in the area
and the VisionMaster system is running any of the potentially affected software listed above then as
a precautionary measure NGSM recommends that the AIS be temporarily disconnected from the
VisionMaster system by a competent person.

Please be advised that once disconnected from VisionMaster, the AIS display will be the only
source for reading AIS messages. It is advisable for the AIS to be reconnected, by a competent
person, to VisionMaster once clear of the base station range.

Follow-Up Action

NGSM are in contact with the base station operator to eliminate the source of the messages
containing invalid or corrupted data.

In addition, NGSM are in the process of making a modification to the VisionMaster product to
strengthen the resilience to these messages in the future. This modification will be available from
the end of October 2009.

For vessels operating in the Canary Islands area, you should contact NGSM to discuss a permanent
resolution.

Contact Details: Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine

E-mail: service.uk@sperry.ngc.com
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 8329 2400

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP. ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SPERRY MARINE B.V.
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