Boating USA — March 2018

AskKEN

Q&A

ELECTRONICS

E

94 | BOATINGMAG.COM | MARCH 2018

TEACHING

OTHERS

Electronics training benefi ts the captain and crew.

PHOTOS: (COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT) CRAIG HASHIMOTO, JIM HENDRICKS, COURTESY FURUNO USA

Consider this real-life

example. Garmin’s Ken Cirillo

was visiting me last spring in

California from his home

in Massachusetts when we

decided to go fishing off Santa

Catalina Island. On the cruise

back to Long Beach, dense fog

closed in about halfway home.

This occurred in an area

where commercial shipping

lanes converge to funnel

traffic in and out of the United

States’ largest port.

A saying goes: “Give a man a fish, you feed

him for day. Teach a man to fish, and you

feed him for life.” T h e same principle holds

when it comes to a captain teaching crew-

members to use marine electronics, except the

captain can also benefit from the effort.

I slowed the boat and

fired up the radar. Cirillo

volunteered to serve as the

electronics operator. “Sounds

like a good plan,” I said. The

marine electronics exec’s

previous experience as oper-

ations officer aboard a NOA A

research vessel in Alaska more

than qualified him for the

task. As the display filled with

radar returns and AIS targets,

Cirillo approached his task in

earnest, calling out relative

bearings, speeds, closest point

of approach (CPA), and time

to CPA of possible threats. He

also suggested course alter-

ations to avoid hazards. As a

result, I was able to pilot the

boat with fewer distractions

and greater safety.

Cirillo’s assistance solidi-

fied my idea of teaching my

regular fishing buddies —

mostly my three sons — how

to be proficient with the elec-

tronics. We began to review

the operation of every thing,

from the chart plotter, fish

finder and AIS, to the autopi-

lot, radar and VHF radio, until

each crewmember could run

the electronics.

This paid off when fog once

again socked in the Catalina

Channel, except this time it

was at night and we had the

entire passage ahead of us.

Just as with Cirillo, my middle

son, Joshua, monitored the

electronics, calling out radar

returns and AIS targets.

Thanks to the training, we

were better able to navigate

safely and confidently back

to Long Beach, despite the

gloomy zero visibility.

Teach your crew how to

use the electronics, and it will

make them better seamen

and help you immensely when

darkness descends and fog

blankets the water.

By Jim Hendricks

WHAT

ELECTRONICS

CAN BE USED IN A

MAN-OVERBOARD

SITUATION?

ASK KEN ONLINE

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Furuno’s solid-state Doppler radar is now available with open-array

scanners. The pulse-compression Doppler technology in the

DRS6A-NXT series allows boaters to identify approaching targets

in red; safe targets appear in green. Three arrays are available,

including scanners measuring 40.8, 49.4 and 70.7 inches wide.

The new models also feature Furuno’s Fast Target Tracking and

Auto Target Acquire, which let you monitor returns with a target

vector and echo trail. The RezBoost beam-sharpening feature

allows you to increase resolution. The radar’s Bird Mode helps

identify distant bird activity that can lead to fi nding schools of

feeding fi sh. $5,400 for the DRS6A-NXT module plus the

antenna; furunousa.com

You can activate the MOB

(man overboard) function

found on most chart

plotters. It will mark the

incident and automatically

plot a course back.

Personal AIS (automatic

identification system) trans-

mitters, like the McMurdo

S20 ($249), transmit a signal

that triggers an audible

alarm on all AIS-equipped

boats within a 4-mile radius

and places a flashing icon on

navigation screens.

Some newer personal

MOB devices, like the ACR

AISLink MOB ($335), com-

bine both AIS and DSC

(digital selective calling) to

signal both AIS sets and

DSC-equipped VHF radios.

The Ocean Signal MOB1

($270) also transmits dual

AIS and DSC emergency sig-

nals. When fastened to a life

jacket, the MOB1 automati-

cally sends emergency alarm

signals unassisted when the

life jacket is inflated.

Handheld waterproof,

floatable VHF radios, such

as the Icom M93D ($299)

or Standard Horizon HX870

($249), with built-in GPS can

send a Mayday alarm with

position coordinates at the

push of a button. You also

have the added benefit of

being able to talk directly to

rescuers or any boat in the

area. —Ken Englert

FURUNO

DRS6A-NXT

OPEN-ARRAY

DOPPLER RADAR