Archive for December 2009

• 18 December 2009
  B&G and Simrad Yachting Awarded Contract with Sailing Boat and Motorboat Manufacturer Maxi Dolphin
  

  B&G and Simrad Yachting, leaders in the design and manufacture of world-class marine electronics, have been awarded a contract to supply Italian boat builder Maxi Dolphin with high performance instrument and autopilot systems.

  Maxi Dolphin has a proud history in producing quality sailing boats, using only the finest materials and advanced technology. Maxi Dolphin will install the B&G H3000 system in to their range of sailing boats ranging between 33 and 118 feet. The new Simrad NSE will be installed onboard their new elegant motorboat.

  The B&G H3000 is the first instrument and autopilot system to utilise bonded display technology with index-matched materials for maximum high resolution display clarity. Constructed using the highest quality materials, the H3000 is the most durable and reliable system on the market.

  The Simrad NSE8 and NSE12 are 8-inch and 12-inch marine electronic displays incorporating ‘best in class’ radar, chart and echo sounder technology.

  Luca Botter, Sales Manager of Maxi Dolphin, said: “B&G and Simrad products have an excellent reputation and are used by the best sailors in the world. The H3000 system will give our customers the confidence to go sailing with the utmost confidence in their navigational and autopilot equipment. B&G and Simrad’s impressive technology is complimented by superb customer service – we are delighted with the whole package.”

  Edoardo Padiglione, Navico Italy OEM manager said: “We are delighted that Maxi Dolphin has chosen B&G and Simrad as preferred suppliers of electronics on their range of boats.
  “Being associated with prestigious boatbuilders like Maxi Dolphin is a great endorsement of the innovation and service delivered by B&G and Simrad. “The race-proven technology provided by the B&G H3000 system and exciting new Simrad NSE navigation system offer compelling solutions for cruising and racing sailors that demand the best from their boats and their equipment.”

  For more information on the B&G H3000 system, or to learn more about
  B&G and its entire product range, please visit www.bandg.com.
  For Simrad please visit www.simrad-yachting.com.

• 18 December 2009
  Lowrance & Sportmanship Marin Awarded Major Contract with Swedish Boatbuilder RYDS
  

  Lowrance and GPS navigational systems since 1992, and Swedish distributor, Sportmanship Marin, have been chosen by one of Sweden’s largest boat builders, RYDS, to supply the impressive new Lowrance High Definition System (HDS).

  RYDS, who currently produce around 1,600 boats a year, will now install the Lowrance HDS-5 (5 inch screen) and HDS-7 (7 inch screen) systems as standard on 11 boats in their range. A further three models will incorporate the Lowrance transducer as standard to ensure they are ‘HDS ready’.

  The HDS-5 unit will be installed on the 520 GTS, 568 GTS, 620 GTS and 20 Family; while the HDS-7 unit will be used on the 568 DC, 620 DCI, 620 MC, 20 DCI, 20 MC, 23 WA and 23 DC models.

  Combining built-in broadband sounder technology with high-sensitivity 16-channel GPS+WAAS, and Navionics Platinum Plus 3-D charting, the HDS system offers high definition fishfinder technology for anglers and water sports enthusiasts.

  Pelle Svensson, RYDS Sales Manager said: “The Lowrance HDS-5 and HDS-7 offer us an excellent space-saving, high performance, multifunction chartplotter solution. They are the ideal choice for installation on our smaller boats targeted at fishermen and water sports enthusiasts. The Lowrance systems provide us with the quality and reliability synonymous with the RYDS name in Swedish boating.”

  Leif Ottosson, Navico CEO and President said: “We are delighted that RYDS has chosen the Lowrance HDS units. The contract with RYDS is an important step forward for Lowrance as it continues to prove confidence in the marketplace for the much coveted HDS system.”

  The HDS units offer solid-performing, reliable GPS and chartplotter options at an affordable price. As an innovator in the global marine electronics industry it is important that we continue to develop new technologies to provide boat builders such as RYDS with innovative products.”
   
  For more information on the Lowrance HDS, or to learn more about Lowrance and its entire product range, please visit www.lowrance.com/HDS

• 18 December 2009
  B&G Systems Awarded Contract with Sailing Boat Manufacturer Comar Yachts
  

  B&G, a leader in the design and manufacture of world-class marine electronics, has been awarded a contract to supply Italian boat builder Comar Yachts with high performance instrument and autopilot systems.

  Comar Yachts has a proud history in producing quality sailing boats since 1961, using only the finest materials and advanced technology. Comar will install the B&G H3000 system to their range of boats ranging between 35 and 62 feet.

  B&G H3000 is the first instrument and autopilot system to utilise bonded display technology with index-matched materials for maximum high resolution display clarity. Constructed using the highest quality materials, the B&G H3000 is the most durable and reliable system on the market. Designed to appeal to both the racing and cruising owner, B&G H3000 provides rugged reliability as well as race winning performance.

  Massimo Guardigli, CEO of Comar Yachts, said: “B&G products have an excellent reputation and are used by the best sailors in the world. The H3000 system will allow our customers to go sailing with the utmost confidence in their navigational and autopilot equipment. The impressive B&G technology is complimented by superb customer service – we are delighted with the whole B&G package.”

  Edoardo Padiglione, OEM manager said: “We are delighted that Comar Yachts has chosen B&G as a preferred supplier of electronics on their range of boats. We pride ourselves in providing the highest standards of products and service and our ongoing challenge is to develop new technological solutions for every sailor’s need. The race proven technology provided by the B&G H3000 system is designed to appeal to both the serious cruising and racing boat owner. It combines an easy to operate, highly durable system that delivers uncompromising performance.”

  For more information on the B&G H3000 system, or to learn more about B&G and its entire product range, please visit www.bandg.co.uk

• 13 December 2009
  Simrad Yachting and Sportmanship Marin to Supply Prestigious Boat Builder Nord West with Marine Electronics
  

  Simrad Yachting and Swedish distributor, Sportmanship Marin, have been named alongside Raymarine and Furuno as preferred suppliers for Swedish boat builder Nord West.

  Nord West, who build approximately 40 boats a year, ranging between 37 and 56 feet, will now offer its customers a complete, factory installed, SIMRAD navigation system.

  This will include the impressive new Simrad NSE multifunctional display system and the acclaimed Simrad Broadband Radar (BR24), along with VHF and Autopilot options.

  The Simrad NSE8 and Simrad NSE12 are 8-inch and 12-inch marine electronic displays incorporating “best in class” radar, chart plotter and echo sounder technology. Likewise, the Simrad BR24 is unlike anything else on the recreational marine market and will bring a host of important performance and safety benefits to navigators.

  Benny Martinsson, managing director of Nord West, said: “We are extremely impressed with the Simrad equipment, especially the new NSE system and the Simrad Broadband Radar. This innovative technology will help Nord West continue a strong tradition for building quality motorboats that marry modern design efficiency with classic good looks.”

  Christian Olsson, managing director of Sportmanship Marin, said: “We are delighted that Nord West has chosen to equip their fleet with these marketleading Simrad products. They will undoubtedly compliment the high standards in quality and performance expected from such a prestigious boat builder.”

  For more information on the Simrad NSE or Broadband Radar, or to learn more about Navico and its entire product range, please visit: www.navico.com

• 13 December 2009
  Raymarine hosts ‘Ask the Experts’ stage talks at Tullet Prebon London Boat Show
  

  Marine electronics manufacturers are at the forefront of introducing new technology, but this can sometimes leave users wondering which product is best for their needs.  One development which brings tangible benefits to both leisure and commercial marine users is AIS, the Automatic Information System. 

  AIS provides real time and factual information about vessels, including identification details, size, cargo, speed, course and destination.  Its adoption for worldwide use was accelerated after the New York 9/11 tragedy; with AIS providing tangible safety benefits for port authorities with all vessels over 300 tons carrying a designated Class A AIS transponder. 

  Radar and marine electronics expert Alan Watson will be hosting Raymarine’s “Ask the Experts” sessions on the main stage at the Tullet Prebon London Boat Show, taking place every weekday from 3.00-3.30 pm.  He will be explaining how AIS provides tangible safety benefits to leisure boaters, whether inshore or blue water sailing.  He will describe what information AIS gives, and how this data appears on a chart plotter and radar.  With several choices of AIS products available, Alan will explain the differences between a receive-only AIS and a transponder AIS, and explain which is best for different types of users.  The talk will also explain how to use AIS for anti-collision.  The ‘Ask the Experts’ talk also allows plenty of time for questions from the audience, and Alan will be available on the Raymarine stand (NO28J) for further consultation and advice before and after the sessions.

• 1 December 2009
  How Weather Affects Electronics
  

  The average leisure boater relies more heavily on electronics today than ever before. Even ten years ago you would only find a radar on larger boats, but with the advent of low cost LCD systems and compact antennas, a radar system is within the budget of even small boat owners.

  However, having a full suite of electronics on your boat doesn’t mean you can sit back and relax, thinking your gadgets will do all your work for you. Even the best, state-of-the-art equipment is still subject to basic forces of nature and it’s important to remember that things such as certain weather conditions can affect the way your equipment performs.

  Radio Signals
  The weather can have varied effects on the range and quality of radio signals – some beneficial, others not so good. Because the weather is such a complex subject and changes so quickly it is difficult to give definite rules on how your radio equipment will behave in all circumstances – the temperature, wind and amount of water in the atmosphere can vary and combine in many ways. Some of these combinations can cause radio signals to be heard hundreds of miles further than the normal expected range. On the other hand, a different combination of factors may weaken the signal and dramatically reduce the range.

  Heavy rain can weaken radio signals because the raindrops absorb power from the radio waves and cause it to scatter, however this has a greater effect at microwave frequencies (see the section on Radar below), rain hardly has any effect on longer wavelengths, so the general rule is that high frequency, short wavelength radio signals will be affected by rain more than low frequency, long wavelength signals.

  Loss of signal strength due to rain

  One atmospheric condition that can greatly increase radio range is what is called a Temperature Inversion. Normally the warmest air is nearest the surface of the earth and gets cooler as you get further up, but a temperature inversion is where you get layers – known as “ducts” – of cool air sandwiched between the ground and a layer of warm air above, or between two layers of warm air.

  Effects of a Temperature Inversion

  Normally VHF and UHF signal range is limited to line-of-sight, which in practical terms for sailors is to the horizon. In a temperature inversion, high frequency transmissions may be propagated far beyond this because the warm and cool layers of air are of different densities. The sudden change in density when a radio wave enters the warm air above a duct causes the wave to be bounced back toward Earth. When the wave then hits the ground or a warm layer below the duct it gets bounced back up again. Under the right conditions this effect can be repeated, causing the radio signal to ricochet up and down through the inversion far further than it normally would.

  Radar
  A radar image can be significantly affected by precipitation (rain, snow, hail, heavy fog etc), causing a reduction in detection ranges and the clarity of the image, especially on small targets. This affects the radar image in two ways -

  Firstly, the individual drops of rain absorb and scatter radar signals causing less energy to reach the target and therefore even less returns to radar as an echo. Secondly, the rain itself creates multiple small return signals which fill up the radar image and can obscure “real” targets – this is known as rain clutter.

  Rain clutter

  The more rain-filled air that is hit by the radar beam, the more clutter that will be reflected back to the radar, so it follows that the narrower the radar beam the smaller the clutter. Therefore when shopping for a radar system you want to go for the system with the narrowest beam both in azimuth (width) and elevation (height) possible.

  Whatever the beam width of the system you have, you can compensate for rain clutter by adjusting the radar signal. Most modern radars include automatic rain clutter and gain systems which will do the job very well for you, but you can make manual adjustments to improve the radar image.

  You will often find two separate controls on your radar system, one marked “Rain Clutter” and the other “FTC”. Both controls adjust the amount of rain clutter you see, but use different techniques. The Rain Clutter control tunes the return signal around your boat. FTC (Fast Time Constant) reduces rain clutter further away from your boat.

  The duration (length) of the radar pulse has an affect on the amount of rain clutter you get returned – the longer the pulse, the more clutter you will get. Reducing the pulse duration will lower the clutter but it will also reduce the strength of the signal hitting the target, so you don’t want to turn the pulse length down so low that it doesn’t even pick up any hard stuff you might end up running into!

  It’s not just stuff falling from the sky that can affect your radar signal, the stuff you’re sitting on can interfere as well – if you’re out in very choppy conditions, sea spray or the wave tops themselves can get in the way of the radar signals, causing false images known as Sea Clutter. These false signals can be tuned out in a similar way to rain clutter and most radar systems have dedicated controls for these, usually marked “STC” (Sensitivity Time Control) and “Sea Clutter”.

  If you have a radar system, it’s important that you’re familiar with these functions, how to access them and the effects that adjusting them will have. Sailing through a storm in the middle of the night are not ideal conditions in which to be trying to figure out how to get the best of your radar!

  Martin Leathead
  Cactus Technical Support
  http://www.cactusnav.com

  

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