Article by Capt. Steve Katz
Award Winning Marine Electronics
The marine electronics industry honors manufacturers with product awards during its annual National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) conference every fall.
These awards are voted on by the 600+ members of the National Marine Electronics Association and represent a cross section of people in the marine electronics business, including installers, trade members, dealers and manufacturers. There were 16 product categories for 2016, including three new ones: “Commercial”, “Safety & Security” and “Multimedia Entertainment”. The category for Manufacturer of the Year-Support went to Garmin for the second consecutive year.
So, let’s learn a little about a few of the award winning products.
The Garmin Reactor Autopilot won 1st place in the Autopilot Category. With its solid-state, 9-axis Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS), the GHP Reactor autopilot series holds your course even when your boat is pitching and rolling in rough water. The Reactor offers flexible installation options and requires a minimum amount of commissioning and calibration. The result is that everyone onboard enjoys a comfortable ride while heading error, course deviation, rudder movement and power consumption are minimized. This 9-axis Attitude Heading Reference System replaces the traditional Garmin round compass ball or the traditional fluxgate heading sensors traditionally used on other autopilot systems. The AHRS sensor is a small electronic device, connected to the autopilot system with two cables. Garmin developed this marine sensor by using the same technology Garmin uses in its aviation electronics found in airplane cockpits.
Garmin offers the Reactor autopilot in a few different versions. The Compact Reactor is designed to be used on smaller boats to provide basic cruising autopilot control. This model is not recommended for fishing or low speed operation like trolling. The Compact Reactor can be used in conjunction with one of Garmin’s newer multifunction displays as the only user interface without the need for a dedicated autopilot control screen. The standard GHP Reactor autopilot is available in a few different configurations. The top of the line version is sold as a complete kit, including a smartpump, which is the hydraulic pump that does the work of steering the boat for you. This Smartpump is capable of self configuring itself to almost any boats steering system, allowing this one pump solution as compared to the careful selection and configuration of other autopilot pumps. This pump is a modern brushless DC motor that can automatically adjust its output volume based on the needs of your vessel. There is also a version of the GHP Reactor autopilot that can be retrofitted into an existing autopilot system, allowing you to re-use your existing autopilot hydraulic pump.
In the Radar award category, Furuno won with the DRS4DNXT, a solid-state Doppler pulse compression radar in a 24-inch closed dome. This radar also includes Target Analyzer and Fast Target Tracking utilizing Doppler technology. Combined with FURUNO exclusive RezBoost technology for beam sharpening, the DRS4DNXT packs the performance of an open array radar, in a compact 24-inch radome. This radar works with modern Furuno multifunction displays such as the TZT or TZT2.
The DRS4DNXT is the first radar to use the new exclusive Furuno Target Analyzer function, where targets that are approaching your vessel automatically change color. Green targets are targets that stay stationary or are moving away from you, while red targets are moving towards your vessel. The Target Analyzer works independent of vessel speed, both your own vessels and target vessels, with minor limitations. Echoes dynamically change colors as targets approach, or get farther away from your vessel. Target Analyzer can increase safety, as well as improve situational awareness.
This radar uses only 2.5 amps of 12 volt power to operate, and since it does not use a traditional magnetron, it can go into standby and transmit modes very quickly and does not emit dangerously high power microwaves. This is great for center consoles and as a second radar for larger boats.
This radar includes an all-new "Bird Mode" as another useful feature. With a single selection on the MFD, the radar automatically adjusts settings for echo enhancement to help you locate birds. For those fishing fanatics, finding the birds is an important step to zeroing-in on the bite.
This radar includes an ARPA function, The ARPA signal processor will automatically acquire and track up to 40 targets in a single sweep, without the need to set any kind of acquisition zone. “ARPA” stands for Automatic Radar Plotting Aid. This means that the radar can automatically lock onto targets and determine their course and speed, as well as the Closest Point of Approach (CPA) and Time of CPA (TCPA) that you and that vessel will experience as long as both maintain their course and speed. A similar version is MARPA or mini-ARPA, referred to as manual ARPA, because you have to select each radar target to acquire.
In upcoming columns we will review some of the other 16 award winning products.
Capt. Steve Katz is the owner of Steve’s Marine Service and holds NMEA, AMEI and NMEA2000 certificates along with ABYC Master Technician certification and factory training from many manufacturers.
