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PHOTOS: (COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM TOP) COURTESY GARMIN, COURTESY FURUNO, COURTESY SIMRAD, CRAIG HASHIMOTO

Double Vision

New-age solid-state marine radar systems

from brands such as Furuno, Garmin,

Raymarine and Simrad all transmit a

relatively long, compressed pulse over a

wide range of frequencies. By processing the

relative strength of the returning frequencies,

these radars can more accurately gauge the

sizes and distances between targets than old-

school radars using magnetrons.

Pulse compression also combines

outstanding long- and short-range target

detection. Simrad’s Halo pulse-compression

radars, for example, can see targets as close

as 20 feet and (in the top-of-the-line

Halo 6) out to 72 nautical miles. Such pulse-

compression benefi ts are also available in

Furuno’s NXT, Garmin’s Fantom series and

Raymarine’s Quantum CHIRP dome radar.

On the Furuno, Garmin and Simrad sys-

tems, you can view two range scales at once

in a split-screen mode (seen left on a Simrad

display) on compatible multifunction displays,

allowing you to monitor possible threats close

to the boat while also keeping an eye on far-

off targets or weather cells.

Furuno’s NXT starts at $2,600 , Garmin’s

Fantom at $6,999.99, Raymarine’s Quantum

CHIRP at $1,599.99 and Simrad’s Halo at

$4,500. — J.H.

My VHF radio and GPS

both stopped working.

What can be done to

prevent electronics

failure on board?

Before each trip, make

an on-air radio check

before leaving the

marina. VHF radios are

relatively inexpensive, so

install a second radio if

room allows and keep a

handheld VHF radio on

board too.

For navigation, a

portable GPS can serve

as a backup. Consider

a combination VHF/

GPS handheld for a

communications and

navigation backup.

Also, always charge

your portable devices

before a trip and replace

batteries in all portable

equipment, f lashlights

and safety devices at

least once a year.

I also like to keep

several fuses for every

electrical device on

board. Know what

equipment is connected

to every circuit breaker

and that each is also

correctly marked.

Finally, owner’s

manuals have a trouble-

shooting section that

provides tips when

failures occur.

— Ken Englert

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electronics content, visit

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Solid-state marine radars from Furuno and Garmin now feature Doppler

technology to help boaters quickly and easily recognize targets that pose a

collision risk. Both radar systems automatically change the color of a target if

it’s moving toward your boat, making for safer navigation in fog or darkness.

— Jim Hendricks

To understand how Doppler

works, think of the differences

in sound from a siren on a fi re

truck speeding toward you,

then away. The processors in

the Furuno DRS4D-NXT and

Garmin Fantom series sense such

dynamic differences in the radar

returns to identify and highlight

approaching targets.

Furuno calls the Doppler

system in its new NXT dome

radar Target Analyzer. A similar

feature in Garmin’s Fantom

open-array radar series is known

as MotionScope. In both sys-

tems, targets moving toward

your boat at 2 knots or more are

painted in a contrasting red color.

“With the Furuno ARPA

(automatic radar plotting aid)

Doppler

Marine Radar

on, the red targets also get an

echo trail, and an audible alarm

is sounded,” says Eric Kunz,

senior product manager for

Furuno USA. “There’s no need

to set an acquisition zone; the

ARPA automatically shows

the vector, closest point of

approach and time to closest

point of approach.”

84 BOATINGMAG.COM APRIL 2016