Navico Broadband radar opens new markets

by Jeni Bone & Rob Kothe on 12 May 2009 Hailed as a 'paradigm shift' and the most revolutionary advance in radar since 1940, Navico’s BR24 Broadband radar has lived up to the hype and expectations.

Joining the coterie of dealers around the country, a small band of marine journos experienced the new radar for themselves on the Gold Coast last week and in Pittwater this week.

Jargon and gadget-marveling aside, the BR24 is an incredible piece of equipment that has been designed for people who are not necessarily fascinated by technical-wizardary – perhaps the majority of boaties . . . some of whom it would be safe to say, can’t operate a DVD player!

And it really delivers.

Combining straightforward installation, flexible antenna placement options, and a 24-NM- to 2 metre range and low power draw, it offers simplicity itself and when it comes to clarity of vision, there's no comparison.

The first noticeable advantage of the BR24 is that it takes no time at all to charge up. Switch it on and it is operational with 16 seconds from a cold boot start and instantaneously from stand-by, as the BR24 does not rely on magnetron technology (a vacuum tube containing a magnet and a cathode, which charges up when voltage is passed through it.) It can take up to three minutes for conventional radar to charge up, which can be a long time to wait to judge your position.

The next obvious improvement on traditional radar is there is no need for continual calibration. The BR24 requires minimal tuning. There is no messing around with the controls for gain, frequency, pulse length, sea clutter and rain clutter. Simply turn it on and go.

The world's first recreational marine Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radome (rather than the traditional pulse radar), the BR24 represents the next generation in safety, affordability and ease of use. Until the BR24, only the military and commercial boats could afford FMCW radar.

While pulse radar works by transmitting and receiving pulses of radio waves, alternating between transmission and reception at intervals of microseconds, Navico’s BR24 Broadband Radar works in a radically different way. The Broadband Radar transmits continuously. The radar picks up objects within a 24 nautical mile radius (hence the name, the BR24) by varying the frequency of its continuously transmitted signal, then looking for those variations in the echo.

Because the BR24 transmits continuously and not in bangs, it eliminates any 'dead zone'. Whereas conventional scanners often have a 30m dead zone around them, Navico’s Broadband Radar picks up objects within two metres of the boat.

The so-called 'dead zone' is a problem when navigating at night or in obscure conditions such as fog or rain, or when undertaking close-in operations such as docking or moving through a narrow, busy channel. Even if a user tunes a conventional radar to minimise the 'dead zone', the scanner still has trouble discriminating between close-by targets. It may be hard to distinguish a fibreglass canoe from a pylon.

But the intricate detail offered by the BR24 is impressive. The picture it produces is testament to the superiority of this system – showing up beacons, bridges, boats, small moorings buoys, oyster beds , kayakers and even parasailors with accuracy and clarity. There were no lobster traps around for testing but they should be picked up too.

On the Gold Coast, Ken from Navico (giddy with the effectiveness of his 'new toy'), deftly guided our small vessel between moorings, boats (even a sunken wreck), navaids and hazards around Paradise Point - surely one of the most densely packed coves in the country - referring to the screen of the BR24 and demonstrating the full range of overlays, showing coastal and shore landmarks, streets and positioning, colour palette choices and zoom functions.

Down in Sydney, the Church Point moored fleet was perfectly displayed, as were the oyster bed poles, which is invistible to standard radar.

You don’t have to be a boffin, a geek or a show off to get it. And there’s the rub. Whereas conventional radar needs experienced interpretation, the BR24 is virtually WYSIWYG.

The BR24 will prove a godsend for all boat owners, endowing the weekend sailor with the confidence to get out in all circumstances and navigate congested coastal waters. It has serious cruising applications as well as offshore racing uses, when you want to keep your competitors in sight 24x7.

Another plus is that boat owners needn’t worry about microwave radiation any more!

The BR24 draws and emits a fraction of the power than that’s used by conventional radar. It draws a mere 17 watts when operating and a minute 1.6 watts in standby mode. Compare that to the two and four-kilowatt pulse radars that make up the bulk of the market, which use 25-30 watts when operating and 10-15 watts in standby mode.

The BR24 Broadband Radar also produces a tiny 0.1 watt of transmit power. That’s about 1/20,000 the amount of energy produced by conventional radars, which typically emit between two and 25 kilowatts, and just a fraction (or roughly 1/10) of the energy produced by a mobile phone.

This also means boat owners have more choice about where to install the scanner and a better chance of reducing blind and shadow sectors – the areas behind obstructions such as masts or funnels that block the beams of conventional radar.

You can place the BR24 radome in the easiest place for access and removal for servicing.

Is it any wonder then that the accolades and awards have started to be heaped on this product of $10m worth of R&D.

In February this year at the Miami International Boat Show, Navico’s BR24 Broadband Radar was awarded the 2009 National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and Boating Writers International (BWI) Innovation Award for the Consumer Electronics category. The award recognizes those products that best meet the following criteria: innovative distinction from other products currently being manufactured; benefit to the marine industry and/or consumer; practicality; and cost-effectiveness.

To be officially unveiled to consumers at SCIBS in May, the BR24 is available across the Navico range of brands: Lowrance, Northstar and Simrad to suit each of these markets, RRP $3999.

More at www.navico.com