Navico Introduces Broadband 4G™ Radar

From a Navico Press Release:
Date: 10/27/2011 

Revolutionary New Dual-Range Radar System Features ‘Beam Sharpening’ For Unprecedented Target Resolution

Tulsa, Okla. — Navico — the world leader in recreational marine electronics and parent company to the Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G brands — announced today its next-generation, solid-state Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radome, the Lowrance, Simrad and B&G Broadband 4G™ Radar models. Offering unparalleled performance, Broadband 4G Radar redefines what is possible in radar-based navigation and collision avoidance.

Joining the award-winning and world’s first recreational marine FMCW Broadband Radar™ line, 4G radar delivers 50-percent greater range and target detection than Broadband 3G Radar. All 4G radar models feature revolutionary Beam Sharpening technology that provides the sharpest-possible radar images. When networked with most display options, the new Simrad and B&G Broadband 4G models also have the unprecedented ability to present dual-range radar returns from a single scanner, combined with the benefits of greater high-speed operation.*

The new Lowrance, Simrad and B&G Broadband 4G Radar models are compatible, respectively, with the award-winning Lowrance HDS®, Simrad NSO Offshore, NSE Expert and NSS Sport, and B&G Zeus™ multifunction displays.

For optimal target separation, Broadband 4G Radar is the world’s first dome radar to use Beam Sharpening, which significantly improves azimuth resolution — the effective horizontal beam width of the radar signal. The result is a resolution that is equivalent to a 3.5-foot open array radar. When combined with a Simrad NSE, NSO or B&G Zeus multifunction display, the system’s user-defined, target-separation control allows users to adjust the level of separation to meet specific navigational needs.

The Simrad and B&G Broadband 4G Radars’ exclusive dual-range functionality — available with Simrad NSE, NSO and B&G Zeus displays — makes them the only recreational radars capable of displaying distances from 200 feet to 36 nautical miles — all from a single dome. The ultimate navigational safety tool, Broadband 4G Radar allows boaters to see a buoy 200 feet away on the multifunction display, while simultaneously monitoring coastal projections up to 36 nautical miles. In addition, Simrad and B&G Broadband 4G Radar models can track up to 10 MARPA targets per range — each with independent control, for a total of 20 tracked targets in split-screen mode.

All Broadband 4G Radars provide an unequalled number of working ranges, 18, for premier performance and navigational awareness. Providing intuitive and easy-to-use operation, each model also features smart, pre-defined Offshore and Harbor modes on all ranges without requiring special tuning knowledge.

Broadband 4G Radar not only raises the bar in radome performance by providing far superior resolution at long-range distances, it also delivers the same exceptional close-range capability signature to Broadband Radar. The system marks objects within 6.5 feet (2 meters) of the boat, providing target definition and separation in close quarters where traditional pulse radar is blind.

“Broadband 4G Radar will change the way boaters navigate,” said Louis Chemi, COO for Navico Americas. “With unrivalled close-range visibility and new groundbreaking long-distance capability, this latest addition to the Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G Broadband Radar lineup provides the sharpest radar images of any radome in the world for best-in-class situational awareness on the water.”

Maintaining high-sensitivity and clarity in all weather conditions, the radar provides easy-to-view detail of targets even in high-sea states. Additional Broadband 4G Radar safety and convenience features include: revolution speeds up to 36 rpm for Lowrance HDS and Simrad NSS, and 48 rpm for Simrad NSE, NSO and B&G Zeus — providing near-instant updates at ranges less than 1 nautical miles; directional sidelobe-clutter suppression to reduce clutter and echoes caused by large targets; accurate chart overlay and MARPA; display networking; extremely low emissions (less than 1/5th the energy of a mobile phone); flexible antenna-placement options for safe and easy installation almost anywhere on a boat; InstantOn™ — allowing the radar to power up immediately from cold start and standby; and incredibly low power consumption.

Broadband 4G Radar’s compact 18-inch radome measures 11.02-inches high x 19.28-inches in diameter (280 mm x 489 mm), weighs 16.3 pounds (7.4 kg), and installs quickly with an easy-to-route 0.5-inch (13.5 mm) diameter scanner cable. Drawing only 20 watts of power during operation (21 watts in dual range mode) and 2.9 watts in standby, Broadband 4G Radar has an operating temperature range of -13 to +131 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 to +55 degrees Celsius) and can operate in winds up to 100 knots. Broadband 4G™ Radar is waterproof to the IPX6 standard and is protected by a two-year parts and labor warranty and the Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G Advantage Program.

Price & Availability: Available in November 2011 from authorized dealers and distributors throughout the United States and Canada, the new Lowrance Broadband 4G Radar has a minimum advertised price of US $1,899, while the Simrad and B&G Broadband 4G Radars have a suggested retail price of US $2,299. For more information on Lowrance, Simrad and B&G Broadband 4G Radar, or their entire line of performance marine electronics, contact 800-324-1356 (toll-free) in the USA or 800-661-3983 (toll-free) in Canada or visit www.lowrance.com, www.simrad-yachting.com and www.bandg.com, for details on brand-specific models.

*Available with the Simrad NSE and NSO and B&G Zeus multifunction displays.