4. What size table do I need / What are the space requirements? The table should be a minimum of 30" deep and 5' wide, with a thickness

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1 United States Power Squadrons FAQs updated 1/27/15 1. What is The Boating Skills Virtual Trainer? The Boating Skills Virtual Trainer (BSVT) is a training unit made up of three 20-inch monitors and a responsive steering wheel and an electronic shift/throttle with trim tab controls. There are also buttons on the wheel to expand the vision field to the left or right to a full 360 degrees, console switches for horn and navigation lights, two speakers, a mouse and a keyboard. In simulation, students may maneuver a power boat (20 Boston Whaler) through training exercises in a virtual environment, without the risks of a real boat on the water. The training exercises are performed in a helm seat that can be set up at a regular desk or conference table. The units are now multilingual, with capabilities in English, French, Spanish and other languages in development. 2. What is the commercial name? The commercial name is Boating Skills Virtual Trainer or Boating Skills VT. 3. Is there any training necessary? The trainer uses standard controls such as a real Mercury Marine throttle with trim and light and horn switches. If an operator knows how to drive a boat, they should be able to drive the trainer with no instructions. The trainer comes with an instructor manual including all course content as well as a set up guide (with videos) and easy step by step instructions for setting up and taking down the trainer. 4. What size table do I need / What are the space requirements? The table should be a minimum of 30" deep and 5' wide, with a thickness Page 1 of 9

2 of no more than 1.5" and a lip no shorter than 1" and ideally 2+". The table should not should not have a prohibitive lip underneath that would prevent clamping the unit to the table; however original units will have a separate board included to which the steering unit can be attached and two 2 ¾ clamps which can be used for tables up to 2 ¾ width. Units will be built with a wider base that can use external clamps for wider tables. 5.What are the power requirements? The trainer has 6 standard plugs for the pc, monitors and accessories. A standard power strip with six sockets is all that is needed. The unit draws 10 amps. For ordering blocks for boat shows, should order 1000 watts to launch program and then about 500 watts ongoing to run. Must be clean power no industrial construction site generators. 6. What is the website for the Boating Skills VT? The reservation website is which is the US Power Squadrons internal site for reserving the use of the units owned by USPS and entering any pertinent usage data used for reporting to the Coast Guard. This website is internal to USPS and a member number will be required for reservation of the units. The external website for public viewing is and can be used for organizations other than USPS to see videos and submit questions for commercial purchase to our partner VDI. This website is maintained by Virtual Driver Interactive, but also has links back to the United States Power Squadrons educational classes landing page. Any internal USPS organization wishing to purchase a unit should contact USPS HQ for special rates. 7. What are features of the lake and its layout? The virtual lake is 3 x 4 miles, and the virtual boat can travel at will all over the lake; however, the intent of the trainer and the design of the exercises are to take the boater to a specific location on the lake for the particular exercise, such as docking or going through the slalom course. Instructors will also use the buoys and features to teach man overboard, driving on a range and other maneuvers. There is a full marina for close quarters maneuvers and includes red/green Page 2 of 9

3 navigational aids. 8. What maneuvers/exercises are featured? Docking Slalom course Crossing/overtaking other vessels (both sail and power) Departing dock Spring lines Maneuvering in fairways Pivot turn Mooring Emergency stop Trim control in throttle Night mode for all exercises 360 degrees of vision - stern view now available and can be locked in for docking or backing exercises. Generation two functionality to be added in 2015: exercises for beaching and man overboard; timer/stopwatch; additional nav aids (range, day, mid-channel marks) 9.What is USPS relationship with VDI? Virtual Driver Interactive (VDI) is a valued partner of United States Power Squadrons and is the developer of the simulator. VDI was a part of the planning process and integral to the submission of the U.S. Coast Guard grant that helped fund the development of the simulator. The commercial agreement is one of cobranding, and a sales referral process has been developed to refer all sales inquiries to VDI for handling. VDI has trained thousands of students and professional drivers on their other simulators (including the UPS driver fleet) and will be working on future developments of the Boating Skills Virtual Trainer. USPS will be paid an affiliate fee for referring other organizations to VDI and will share the margin above the base price charged to USPS. 10. What is the sales referral process with VDI? There is a common webpage developed and monitored by VDI which features strong USPS branding and has a link back to USPS landing page if anyone desires further info on USPS classes. USPS will be paid an affiliate fee for referring other organizations to VDI and will share the margin above the base price charged to USPS. All sales referrals, both internally for USPS organizations, and any external partner or other interested party, should be referred to VDI via Page 3 of 9

4 > contact link. This ensures that USPS gets revenue for the sales referral. VDI will also be available to discuss customized models with other organizations based on the water physics they have developed; however USPS maintains the rights to the courses and special exercises developed by USPS. All grant information is public knowledge per the funding by the United States Coast Guard. There is a grandfathered partner list and those named on the list will benefit from special USPS pricing, while USPS will maintain all margin above base costs. 11. How do I reserve a BSVT unit? When fully deployed in 2Q15, USPS will have a total of thirteen BSVT units funded through two U.S. Coast Guard grants. Currently all units are housed and distributed from Raleigh USPS headquarters. Units are being added as funding is allocated and when all thirteen units are deemed to be stable (no repair issues) and updated to the latest generation two software, there may be some units dispersed geographically in order to lessen the impact of shipping costs. The units can be reserved by accessing the link and clicking on Reserve Unit to submit via the reservation web form. When reserving a BSVT unit, squadrons will be asked for the event name(s) where the BSVT will be used and approximate attendance at the event for U.S. Coast Guard grant reporting requirements. Eventually the squadron/district will also be asked to go online after the event and enter the number of participants actually using the BSVT at the event as well as any other survey info necessary for Coast Guard tracking reports until this is an automated process, tracking forms should be returned to project manager Lisa Herndon at lisa@herndon.net or mailed to 1332 Cambridge Ct, Atlanta, GA Reservations will only be confirmed when received in writing, through a Web form at This is the information that will be requested on the reservation form:. 1) Name Page 4 of 9

5 . 2) Contact . 3) Contact number. 4) Member Certificate Number. 5) Squadron or District to be billed. 6) Ship-to address. 5) Address unit is to be shipped from (back to HQ). 6) Reason / event unit is being requested The form will contain duplicate lines for multiple events; each line will describe: name of event, start/end dates and expected attendance at event. A reservation will be accepted for up to 14 days/2 weeks and only if there is less than one week of down time between events. Otherwise, unit needs to be returned the day after the event in order to maximize usage among districts and squadrons. 12. Does USPS accept a waitlist for high-demand dates? To avoid confusion and due to limitations in the supporting reservation software, there will not be a waitlist at this time. While questions can be answered by calling USPS HQ, reservations will not be finalized and confirmed until a written request is received through the Web form on User requests will be posted to the master schedule for all to see when accepted, and a reply confirmation will be sent to the requester. 13. What if there are multiple events at the same time in our geographic region? Reservations are first-come, first-served through the website form. Customer Service will make assignments based on available units at the time, and shipping will vary based on actual cost where the unit is being shipped from. Districts can reserve a unit up to two weeks and use the unit for named events throughout the district before returning it, Page 5 of 9

6 providing transportation themselves. 14. How much does it cost to reserve a BSVT unit? Squadrons/districts will pay for actual shipping and return shipping associated with the rental of the BSVT. The unit ships in 3 cases containing 3 monitors, throttle/steering wheel, mouse, keyboard, speakers, wiring and instruction booklets. Contact USPS customer service at for an estimate on shipping costs, which are based on geographic shipping distance. The squadrons/districts will be charged for shipping at the actual rate at the time of shipping, which will be the actual cost. The quoted cost is a quote/estimate given for shipping at the time of reservation. *Note: At this time, the squadrons/districts will NOT be charged a rental fee; This will be evaluated after 6 months to see if there has been maintenance or other damage costs that will warrant rental fees ongoing. 15. How much time should I allow for shipping? Squadrons/districts should make reservations with a minimum of 10 business days advance notice in order for ground shipping to arrive in time. If a squadron/district requires a quicker delivery, they will be charged the premium shipping fee which could be very expensive (two day air, for example). They should return the unit the day after the event in order to stay on schedule for someone else using the unit. There may be late fees imposed due to the inconvenience caused to downstream squadrons waiting for the unit. Returning the unit on time is critical for maintaining the schedule of reservations. USPS Customer Service will include shipping labels for return shipping. The squadron/district requesting the unit will be charged for return shipping at the time the unit is shipped. Shipping charges are estimated to be between $115 and $175 one way. 16. How long can I reserve the BSVT unit? Squadrons or districts may reserve the BSVT for multiple events for up to 2 weeks/14 days; The Page 6 of 9

7 BSVT must be returned if there is more than 5 days between events in order to make the unit available for other organizations and/or events. 15. How do I return the BSVT or ship it to the next destination? Contact customer service at x0 for assistance with return shipping instructions and to receive UPS shipping labels. 16. What do I do if I need technical assistance during the time I have the simulator? Do not attempt to make any corrections without the guidance of a VDI technician doing so may damage the program and/or void the warranty. Call Virtual Driver Interactive help desk at , option 3. Technical assistance is available Monday Friday Pacific Time. If the problem occurs outside of hours, leave a message and the call will be returned as soon as possible. If possible, have the unit delivered on a weekday when it can be tested before a show during VDI work hours in case there is any problem during transport. 17. What is the best use for the BSVT simulator? The primary purpose for the BSVT is for teaching and to complement the current onthe-water and other USPS classes; however, squadrons are encouraged to be imaginative in how the unit can be used for promoting USPS and its educational capabilities as well as improving new boater skills in venues like boat shows and seminars. Squadrons can charge nominal fees, for example, for private lessons or instruction which can help fund the shipping charges for the units. 18. Is the BSVT simulator insured? Yes, USPS has insurance coverage for damage but simulators must be handled cautiously to keep the simulators in use, avoiding down time and costly service or repairs. 19. What kind of instructors do I need to have? The exercises are designed to be instructor-led. Instructors will be trained to provide the necessary level of guidance and will be provided with instructor manuals to Page 7 of 9

8 accompany the unit. 22. How do I get help with the setup of the trainer unit? There will be a setup instructional booklet included in the shipping case. There is also an instructional video on the USPS home page to show you how to set up and take down the unit. 23. What if I have ideas for other things the units can do? If you have functionality ideas or suggestions, please send them to R/C Bob Palmer aneorrp@mindspring.com and/or P/C project manager Lisa Herndon lisa@herndon.net for incorporation into future grant requests/model upgrades. 24. If a squadron/district wants to buy their own self-funded simulators, what do they do? Please contact USPS customer service representatives if your squadron or district wishes to purchase a simulator to ensure that you receive the discounted squadron/district purchase price. USPS will then take the appropriate referral contact information from the squadrons/districts in order to enter this information into the VDI website referral tracking system. This will automatically alert VDI who will call the purchases and make arrangements for payment and shipping directly to the purchaser and ensures that USPS gets revenue for the sales referral. 25. How much does a BSVT simulator cost for purchase? The cost to a Squadron/District for a BSVT unit is $14, plus shipping in plain cardboard boxes. Optional protective shipping cases may be purchased for $1,850 If the squadron decides to have the unit on permanent display, they may not need to purchase a permanent shipping container and the units will arrive in three large cardboard boxes (monitors will be in original packing boxes). However, if the units will be moved around and need protection, Pelican shipping cases are available for purchase for $1,850. Please contact USPS customer service representatives if your squadron or district wishes to purchase a protective shipping case. Page 8 of 9

9 26. If a non-usps organization wants to buy a BSVT unit, how do we handle this? Refer the interested party to VDI via > contact link; they will take an order. They can also discuss any customization and associated charges. The base cost to an external organization (with the exception of the Canadian Sail and Power Squadrons and Coast Guard Auxiliary who will be charged the same as internal USPS) is $18, plus shipping and container costs (if applicable). 27. What info needs to be collected to make a sales referral to VDI? All sales referrals, both internally for USPS organizations, and any external partner or other interested party, should be referred to VDI via > contact link. This ensures that USPS gets revenue for the sales referral. 28. What is the 2015 update schedule for generation two capabilities? Two prototype generation two units were shown at the USPS annual meeting in Jacksonville in January Because the fleet of units are now actively dispersed and showing throughout the U.S., units will be upgraded as schedule allows when they come back through HQ and there are resources trained to do the upgrade. Developments for fully functional Generation two models are still underway and scheduled to be shown at the International Boating and Water Safety Summit in April 15. After this show, all units will be upgraded to full generation two capabilities as they come back through HQ. New Gen 2 functions include expanded navigational aids (range markers, day marks, mid-channel mark), a beaching scene for beaching exercise, man overboard exercise, Timer/stopwatch, picture in a picture showing placement on the lake. Page 9 of 9