Library

Welcome to our Library where we will continue to add more articles, videos and information.

View Simrad Yachting product movies here.

Read more about: 

Autopilot computer 
The autopilot computer is the central unit that contains advanced software algorithms. These include position and navigation data from the GPS chartplotter and wind, speed and depth data from the instrument system. The output is a smooth proportional control of the rudder with the outmost precision providing excellent steering performance in any sea condition with a minimum of power consumption.

Buying an Marine Autopilot 
Autopilots are essential for any craft planning long distance passages, particularly when shorthanded, and can also be valuable for boats looking to steer repetitive courses while those on board are otherwise occupied, for example fishing.  They genuinely do add another crew member who works 24 hours a day without food or pay, and who never loses concentration.  That said, a human member of the crew must always be on watch to look out for other vessels and similar hazards

Choosing a Fishfinder 
There are a number of factors that a potential purchaser will want to consider when deciding which fishfinder will suit him best.  Generally speaking, the bigger the screen the better, when it comes to viewing detail of the water volume beneath your transducer. 

Choosing the right Chartplotter 
There are a number of factors that a potential purchaser will want to consider when deciding which chartplotter will suit him best. Generally speaking, the bigger the screen the better, when it comes to maintaining awareness of your surroundings on any scale.

How does Simrad GB60 Glass Bridge work?
Designed to provide owners of large yachts with a total overview of their surroundings and complete control of the vessel, the Simrad GB60 Glass Bridge promises unparalleled flexibility and superior performance through high design values and the use of powerful technology.

GMDSS and Leisure Mariner
GMDSS - Global Maritime Distress Safety System – is an internationally agreed set of procedures and communication protocols designed to increase safety at sea and ensure that no matter where a ship is in distress, aid can be dispatched quickly and efficiently. The basic concept is that search and rescue authorities ashore, as well as shipping in the vicinity of the vessel in distress, can be rapidly alerted via satellite and terrestrial communication techniques so that they can launch a coordinated search and rescue operation quickly and efficien

How AIS Works
The vessel´s primary GPS receiver needs to be interfaced with the AIS and is used as the main positioning source.

How Broadband Radar works
Broadband Radar uses a different type of technology that allows the radar to send out a continuous radar signal, with a changing tone or frequency, at a very much lower power and at the same time listen for the change in that signal.

Do I need an integrated Navigation System?
Integrated navigation systems are everywhere these days, thanks to the ability of individual components to link together to create networks where information and commands can be exchanged via cable or even wireless networks.  While an onboard network can link a wide variety of equipment including engine sensors, load cells, closed circuit television and even entertainment, integrated navigation systems focus on what can be seen as those components most vital to safety and control. 

The benefits of networked marine electronics for boats under 30m
The rise of networking – the interconnection of two or more otherwise independent items of electronic equipment – has been one of the most important developments in leisure marine electronics over the past few years.  Owners of the very smallest boats, who perhaps have on board nothing more than an echo sounder, a log and a VHF radio, may feel that this technology has little to do with them, but the fact remains that even on boats of 10 metres or less networking can play a useful role.   

NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000 or Ethernet? Which best suits my needs?
We live in an era where chartplotters, echo sounders, radars, instrumentation systems, audio-visuals inputs, engine data feeds and many other sources of on-board information can be interconnected to exchange, process and display each other’s data.  It can therefore aid the decision-making process to understand the different ways that data can travel between the various units in what is generally described as an integrated navigation system.

SimNet
SimNet is a unique marine electronics network system. Over the last 5 years, it has proven to be one of the most reliable and easy to use networks in the marine industry.

What are EGNOS, WAAS and MSAS?
These acronyms refer to a capability found on higher specification GPS chartplotter units, with each of the three effectively offering the same service in different parts of the world.

What are Marine Instruments?
Marine instruments enable the sailor to measure and plot various aspects of his on-the-water experience in real time.

What is a Chartplotter?
A chartplotter is an electronic navigation system that combines a GPS receiver with the capability to display electronic maritime charts, enabling the boat owner to continuously monitor the position and movement of his craft in relation to the surrounding physical environment, both above and below the water. Find out more about chartplotters

What is a Fishfinder?
A fish-finder is an echo sounder (sonar) specifically designed to detect the presence of fish in the underwater environs of the host boat, in addition to measuring the overall depth of the water.

What is a Glass Bridge 
The Glass Bridge is regarded as one of the most desirable and flexible integrated navigation systems on the market today.

What is a Multifunction Display
Multifunction displays (MFDs) are displays that have the capability to act as more than one type of electronic equipment.  In effect they can, for example, be a chartplotter one moment and a radar display or echosounder the next.  In recent years MFDs have become much more affordable, with screen sizes in the leisure market ranging from five to nineteen inches.

What is a NavStation?
A navstation is a widely-used term for any kind of multifunctional integrated navigation system for sail and power boats that combines some or all of the following functions:  GPS chartplotter, radar, echo sounder or fish finder and AIS. 

What is a Radar?
An acronym coined from the science of RAdio Detection And Ranging, radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction or speed of moving and fixed objects, including ships, aircraft, weather formations and terrain.

What is a Tiller pilot?
A tiller pilot is an automatic steering system specially designed for boats whose rudder movement is controlled by a handheld tiller.

What is AIS
AIS, which stands for Automatic Identification System, is at its most basic level an electronic transponder installed on a boat or vessel that continuously transmits a VHF signal containing information including its name, call sign, type and position.  An AIS receiver mounted on another craft can then receive that information and use the signal to calculate and display the vessel's course and speed. 


What is an Autopilot?
An autopilot (or pilot) is a mechanical, electrical or hydraulic system which can maintain a vessel on a predetermined course without the need for human intervention.

What is an Echo sounder?
An echo sounder, or ‘sonar’ in American terminology, is a sound-detecting instrument used to measure the distance between the surface of the water and objects in the water or on the ocean floor. 

What is an EPIRB and why do I need one?
An EPIRB - Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon - is a compact battery-powered radio transmitter which when activated sends out a distress signal via satellite to both identify the position of the user and alert the emergency services to his or her distress. More sophisticated models come with integral GPS transmitters for even greater positioning accuracy. 

What is DSC Radio?
Digital Selective Calling is a form of radio communication that was introduced in recent years as part of the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS) – an international protocol designed to co-ordinate and facilitate rescue at sea.