ELECTRONICS
This screen shot taken from the Lowrance model of Navico
Broadband Radar shows a daymark less than 100 feet away.
Note the smaller return at 1 o’clock—that’s a crab pot. The wispy
returns on either side of center are the boat’s own outriggers.
through the display center, and then behind it as we left
the piling astern. Our Navico crew pointed to two wispy
lines on either side just aft of the display center (as shown
in the screen shot above). What were they? We were
aboard a center console sportfishing boat, and those wisps
were returns from the tips of the boat’s own outriggers.
By now, anyone reading this who has cruising
experience is mulling over the advantages of Broadband
Radar in a real-world setting. Let me offer a few of
my thoughts.
Having delivered my share of trawlers on a deadline,
I have found myself, like the rest of the delivery breed,
having to disregard conventional wisdom that advises us
not to transit the Intracoastal Waterway after dark. Thanks
to GPS chart plotters, we do it anyway, but it’s no fun.
There may be a lighted marker 2 miles ahead, but there
are six unlighted buoys between your position and the
flasher. Not only do you risk going aground because of
changes in the channel, but there’s some chance you may
hit one of the markers, which are not perfectly plotted
on charts. With Broadband Radar, you can augment
your electronic navigation system and run mark to mark
as if in daylight.
Courtesy of Navico
The sales success of infrared night vision cameras such
as FLIR imagers underscore the demand for devices that
allow a helmsperson to see in the dark. FLIR imagers,
and now Broadband Radar, give cruisers more options.
At nightfall, a prudent skipper with just another 12
miles to go to reach a favorite ICW marina might find
himself having to drop the hook in some creek instead
of continuing to a snug berth and dinner at a restaurant.
There’s nothing wrong with anchoring in creeks, but with
Broadband Radar, those additional 12 miles would be no
big deal.
Peter Swanson
The electronic guts behind the hardware components for two
Navico multifunction displays integrated with fishfinders, GPS,
radar, AIS, and satellite radio.
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