There is no denying the fact that the Maritime Industry in the United States is the engine of growth for the US economy. In fact, between 2007 and 2014, the total economic value provided by this sector to US coastal ports in terms of revenue to businesses, personal income and economic output by exporters and importers, rose 43 percent to $4.6 trillion. This constituted about 26 percent of the nation’s $17.4 trillion economy in 2014, up from 20 percent of its $16.1 trillion economy in 2007, according to the US Port Economic Impacts report released by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA).
The efficiency of this industry, therefore, lies in the cutting-edge technology that it uses, and a GPS-based marine radar is one such important equipment.
“While radar is certainly one of the most useful pieces of marine electronics, it is possibly one of the most underutilized,” says Scott Heffernan of The GPS Store, Inc.
The Mechanics of a Marine Radar Explained
• A rotating antenna on the top of a radar will flash continuously
• These flashes are frequency beams that help the radar in detecting any objects in the path of the ship
• The frequency and reflections that come back help the system to determine if a collision is imminent or if the path is safe
• Reflections are easily available on LED screens, which help a navigator make safe decisions
Not just due to compliance fears, you must explore the use of a radar for safe travel on the seas. Such radars are extremely user-friendly and do not lead to high maintenance costs either, given their low power and electricity consumption.
GPS Radars are Key to Preventing Maritime Accidents
Over the years, several cases have been documented across the world, bringing home the important point on the safety and utility of GPS-based marine radars. Here is one such example that reiterates the importance of such devices on boats and ships.
“On RIG, the watchkeeping officer was not actively using the radar and did not plot the vessels in the area.” This observation is an integral part of a Marine Accident Report, documenting the RIG and INGER Marie Collision of July 2014, prepared by the Danish Maritime Accident Investigation Board.
Steps to Optimize the Performance of Marine Radars
• Warming Up – It will take around 3 minutes for a GPS radar with automatic tuning to start displaying accurate range.
• Find a Distant Object– Making the required adjustments becomes easy if you look for the farthest possible object while making these adjustments.
• Adjust Rain and Sea Clutter Settings – The fuzzy cluster of dots that you see on your radar can quite easily be cleared using the Sea Control Cluster (STC) setting. Use the FTC or AC rain knobs to make the rain clutter adjustments.
• “Gain” Matters – The role of Gain is to amplify the signal received by your GPS radar. To make the most of this feature, you can change it to a “high setting” and then gradually turn the control in a clockwise direction to arrive at the right setting.
• Brilliance Settings – You cannot have a static setting for your “Brilliance” controls. Keep adjusting it based on the prevailing visibility.
The safe upkeep of marine radars, therefore, becomes an important necessity, not just from a compliance standpoint, but to prevent the loss of life and money in the wake of a disaster. If you haven’t already mastered the basics from your marine radar manual yet, now is the time to do so. In addition, you must follow the above-mentioned steps to optimize your marine radar to work to its optimum capacity.
Marcelo Fincher is a blogger & writer on technology related topics with years of experience in studying technological advancements. In his spare time, Marcelo likes to read books and take a walk on the beach.
