Simrad Yachting's New Broadband 3G Radar

Simrad Yachting this week announced a significant upgrade to its “”broadband” radar capability with the “Broadband 3G Radar,” which increases the range of its not-so-old BR24 Broadband Radar.  I wrote about the BR24 when it was demonstrated at the Miami show last year and decided it was the real deal for short-range, high-definition radar detection.  At the time I thought it would make the perfect second radar unit for a typical trawler owner, who would probably have a high-power, open-array unit for long-range detection and surveillance.

As you can see in the photo above, at a 6 NM range, the new Broadband 3G has much better detection but appears to maintain the same level of high-definition target discrimination, compared side-by-side with the “old” BR24.  Although the folks who develop and program this technology really could be rocket scientists, the latest improvements derive mostly from a doubled RF transmit power.  You might recall that one of the really nice features of the BR24 was its incredibly low RF output, which meant that antenna placement wasn’t really critical anymore in terms of radiation safety.  Well, upping the power by a factor of two for the Broadband 3G really doesn’t change that; it’s still less than 1/10th the energy of a mobile phone, and 1/20,000th the energy of a traditional pulse radar.

Another really cool feature of this FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) radar is it’s incredible near-field detection capability.  Objects as close as 2 meters can be detected and displayed.  Ben Ellison noted that a demonstration unit he saw at a Navico press event last month clearly displayed someone walking toward the bow of the boat he was on.

Simrad Yachting says the unit will have a suggested retail price of $1,699 when it is available in June from authorized dealers and distributors in the United States and Canada.  And here is a copy of the press release issued this week.

Copyright © 2011 by OceanLines LLC.  All rights reserved.

The helm of the new Kadey-Krogen 55 Expedition Awaits Outfitting

On Monday, February 2, 2009, OceanLines will publish the first in a unique series of articles intended to demonstrate the current state-of-the-art of passagemaking-level marine electronics.  We have been working with Kadey-Krogen Yachts and its vice president, Larry Polster, to demonstrate how each of four of the top marine electronics companies would outfit the newest Kadey-Krogen Yacht — the 55′ Expedition, which just arrived here in the U.S. and made its public debut at the Stuart Trawlerfest last weekend.  The 55 Expedition will be on prominent display at the upcoming Miami International Boatshow.

For this series, we asked Furuno, Garmin, Raymarine and Simrad to give us their recommendations, based on a fictional Request For Proposal (RFP) from a a fictional couple just acquiring their new 55 Expedition.  The RFP — which you can read in detail HERE – discusses the couple’s cruising plans, their general preferences in equipment, and the specific capabilities they require from the new electronics installed on board.

In order to help the marine electronics OEMs, Kadey-Krogen provided detailed drawings and specifications on the 55 Expedition, converting CAD files directly from the design into more portable document formats.  The OEMs were each given the RFP and the boat documentation early this month and they have responded with their recommendations and rationale.  Beginning Monday, we will present each individual response — one at a time, each day next week, concluding on Friday with a wrap-up and analysis of the series.

So, have a good look at this pristine helm station onboard one of the newest passagemaking yachts available and come back on Monday to see how Garmin proposes our fictional couple outfit the helm.

Copyright ©  2009 by OceanLines LLC