Simrad Yachting launches BR24PC software development kit

by SIMRAD on 22 Jun 2010 Simrad introduces PC-based FMCW radar technology for the commercial, marine, military and surveillance markets.

Simrad Yachting, a leader in the design and manufacture of world-class marine navigation, autopilots, communications and fishfinding systems, has announced today its BR24PC Software Development Kit (SDK) for the commercial, military, marine and surveillance markets. Giving developers access to the Simrad BR24 Broadband Radar™ opens a wide spectrum of applications for land and sea. Approved third parties can obtain a license to the BR24PC SDK and create PC-based software that utilizes Simrad Yachting’s award-winning Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radome technology.

Potential applications include on- and offshore security, unmanned vessels, military (stationary and moving), river navigation, boundary surveillance, fish-farm monitoring and oilrig ship-docking management. Providing the opportunity for a user-friendly, real-time, fully-automated and integrated PC-based radar system, the BR24PC SDK is compatible with any off-the-shelf Simrad BR24 Broadband Radar.

'The Simrad BR24PC Software Development Kit allows integration of our revolutionary radar technology to a nearly unlimited range of new possibilities in custom marine and on-shore applications,' said Louis Chemi, chief operating officer, Navico Americas. 'Not only is the technology the future of navigation, security and surveillance, our BR24PC SDK makes commercial-grade radar available at a competitive price.'

For marine navigation, the Simrad B24 Broadband Radar paired with the BR24PC SDK delivers a computer-aided marine navigation system that combines PC-based radar, Marine Automated Radar Plotting Aids (MARPA) and modern electronic charting technology to create a state-of-the-art, cost-effective navigation system that offers powerful, simultaneous collision and grounding avoidance.

The system is ideal for small-vessels applications such as search and rescue, coast guard and pilot boats. With the ability to be adapted for a number of military, commercial or surveillance markets, the Simrad BR24PC SDK can also be used as a portable radar display for temporary or covert surveillance applications.

Considered one of the most innovative product developments in recreational marine electronics, Simrad Yachting’s BR24 Broadband Radar features solid-state technology similar to that used in military and IMO-certified radar applications. The BR24 delivers a host of important performance and safety benefits including superior target definition and separation inside 30 meters -- eliminating nearby-vessel 'blind spots' (main bang) to provide highly detailed intuitive views of surroundings down to a 1/32 nautical mile range scale. BR24 interference rejection is five times better than traditional pulse radar technology for an easy-to-interpret radar display in all conditions.

It also provides automatic and instant radar tuning for optimum performance whenever the range scale is changed -- eliminating guesswork and allowing users to keep their eyes on their surroundings. The BR24 also offers unprecedented environmental safety, effectively eliminating harmful radiation outside the dome by transmitting less than 1/20,000 of the peak power of traditional radar, and allowing for low-power operation and flexible installation in places never before possible.

The Simrad BR24PC SDK is available with two levels of functionality and requires unique unlock codes, for either basic level (LL1), or advanced control (LL2) operation.

For more information on the Simrad BR24PC SDK, licensing, Simrad BR24 Broadband Radar technology or the entire line of Simrad-branded professional-grade marine electronics, please contact 800-628-4487 (toll-free) in the USA or 800-661-3983 (toll-free) in Canada, or visit www.simrad-yachting.com