Tech File: Inside the Furuno ‘Future Bridge’
With autonomous navigation and remote electronics management, Furuno is on a digital transformation journey to help revolutionize the maritime industry. Matt Wood, National Sales Manager, Furuno USA takes a deeper dive.In 1938, Kiyotaka Furuno founded Furuno Electric Shokai Ltd., the predecessor of Furuno Electric Company. Today Furuno is best known as a radar and navigation company with nearly 90 percent of its business in the maritime sector. “We are still principally a family-owned…
COVID-19 Mitigation on Rigs & Ships
Steve Lykins, President, Mako Industries, discusses the case for investing in Puradigm COVID-19 mitigation and monitoring technology onboard offshore rigs and ships.The creation of Mako Industries, a subsidiary of Mako Oilfield Services, is proof that every storm cloud has a silver lining. “Mako Industries is an interesting company that was spawned as a result of Mako Oilfield pivoting as a result of the downturn in early 2020 and Q1 2020,” said Steve Lykins, President, Mako Industries.
Furuno Debuts FAR22X8BB
With more than 60,000 installations on vessels ranging from tugboats to aircraft carriers, Furuno's FAR21X7 Series Radar has been one of the most popular commercial Radar models on the water since its release in 2004. Due to its unparalleled feature set, and the well-known reliability of the Furuno brand, the X7 series has earned serious bragging rights after a decade-and-a-half of market dominance, a claim that is virtually unheard of in the realm of consumer electronics. This year…
New ‘Intelligent’ Power Converters
To operate marine electronics and communication devices, power converters such as inverters, battery chargers and power supplies are often installed to convert available DC or AC to the appropriate power outputs required. Complicating matters, both the power source (DC in varying voltages from battery banks and AC from generators or shore power) and the outputs (voltage, frequency, etc.) can vary for each piece of equipment. So much so, that finding the ideal converter can be difficult and often requires a customized solution.
Si-Tex Expands Offering with New Koden Echosounders
Si-Tex Marine Electronics now offers echosounding technology from Koden, expanding its line of FX Series sounders with the new CVS-FX2 and CVS-FX2 BB (Black Box) models. These are powerful professional-grade sounders engineered for a wide variety of commercial vessels and fishing applications, Si-Tex said. Their advanced fish-finding capabilities also make both new FX2 Series models suited for use on high-end sportfishing vessels, as well. The Koden CVS-FX2 features a large-format 15-inch color LCD display with an antireflective filter bonded directly to the screen…
Navy Sonobuoy Contract for Sparton & USSI J/V
US-based Sparton Corporation and Ultra Electronics - USSI, a subsidiary of Ultra Electronics Holdings plc (ULE) announce the award of subcontracts valued at $10.8 million to their ERAPSCO joint venture, for the manufacture of sonobuoys for the United States Navy. The Q53F and Q125 sonobuoys are used to support the United States Naval Antisubmarine Forces. The primary purpose of a sonobuoy is to detect acoustic emissions or reflections from potentially hostile submarines and transmit these signals to US Navy airborne antisubmarine warfare forces. ERAPSCO was awarded a contract for the AN/SSQ-53F, a passive acoustic sensor used for detection…
Inmarsat Alphasat Satellite Launch Successfrul
Inmarsat provider of global mobile satellite communications services, confirms the successful launch of Alphasat, the largest satellite, designated I-4A F4. Alphasat was launched on an Ariane 5 ECA, the latest version of the Ariane 5 launcher, from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana at 20.54hrs BST on 25th July (16.54hrs Kourou local time). Arianespace confirmed a successful spacecraft separation at 27 minutes 45 seconds after launch and the Alphasat Mission Operations Team confirmed telemetry reception and that they have command of the satellite at 21.47 BST.
Koden's Sounder Combines Digital Processing with Broadband
Powerful 3kW Commercial Sounder Provides Variable Frequencies From 24kHz to 240kHz; Can Transmit on Four Separate Frequencies Simultaneously. SI-TEX has introduced the new Koden CVS-FX1 12.1-inch Color LCD Echo Sounder for the North American fishing industry. This new-for-2012 system boasts a large 12.1-inch XGA color LCD display, proven digital signal processing and 3kW RMS output power, making the CVS-FX1 an ideal choice for a wide range of commercial fishing vessels. However, these are just some of this sounderʼs professional grade credentials.
WESMAR to Introduce New Fin for Yachts
WESMAR (Western Marine Electronics) will introduce a 50-square-foot mega fin at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show on October 27-31 in Florida. Designed for luxury yachts, charter and super yachts, these new fins, coupled with WESMAR’s triple axis digital DSP4800 control electronics, are designed to reduce up to 90% of vessel roll. They are rugged with a neutrally buoyant design that adds lift, and are designed with added strength and reliability to meet the high performance requirements of vessels up to 250+ feet.
Divex Introduces HeliCom for Diver Comms
International diving equipment technology company Divex announced the launch of a communication system for the saturation diver. Divex, headquartered in Westhill, Aberdeen, Scotland launched HeliCom, the Helium Speech Unscrambler Communication System. Saturation divers use helium as the major component of the special breathing-gas mixture called heliox (a mixture of helium and oxygen). One of the disadvantages of helium is the "Donald Duck" effect on the voice which complicates the communication process.
Furuno Releases New Digital Network Fish Finder
In 2006, Furuno laid the groundwork for new sounders with the introduction of their FCV620 and FCV585 digital fish finders. These units featured FDF (Furuno Digital Filter) Technology. FDF is the latest in digital signal processing technology that delivers noise-free underwater images. In less than a year, Furuno's FDF technology was so well received that it won the National Marine Electronics Associations 2006 Best Fish Finder award for the FCV585. Now, Furuno is bringing this same FDF technology to their NavNet system with the new DFF1 Digital Fish Finder module.