Furuno SC-30 satellite compass, so sensitive!
That’s a strange, but very impressive fishfinder scroll on the NavNet 3D MFD8 above, and bigger here. You see, Furuno claims that its new SC-30 satellite compass is so sensitive to a vessel’s altitude, which really only changes as it heaves up and down in seas, that NN3D can use that input to remove heave error from its fishfinder screen. I was pretty skeptical about that claim until the end of my NN3D cruise off Cape Cod, when Iker Pryzo uninstalled the SC-30 and showed us how simply pumping it up and down a couple of feet—shown below—registered immediately on the screen above. If it can respond to small, quick movements like that, it can surely detect swells and likely also compensate for pitch and roll, and thus stabilize side scanning sonar. Amazing!
The SC-30 also accounted for the lightening quick and accurate heading/overlay data I saw that day. In fact I asked that it be removed from the system for a while so we could see how NN3D Time Zero did with just the output of a Furuno PG500R compass; the “like real” boat heading line and overlay still worked well, but with a dite more hesitation. Unfortunately, the SC-30 apparently still isn’t available from FurunoUSA (though it’s listed on the company’s home site, and there’s at least one happy user in the U.K.). Meanwhile, my take on that May trip, PMY’s August electronics column, just went online along with write-ups of the 4’ UHD radar and the SC-30. The screen above, incidently, shows again how a zoomed-in NN3D raster chart can look crude, especially on a MFD8, but you can also argue that the more precise looking vector equivalent isn’t any more accurate (because it was traced off this) and/or that Furuno has done a great job of abetting these charts with “fused” photo maps.
Ben,
There's no doubt Navnet 3D is revolutionary technology and Furuno is rolling out the accessories like the SC30 to fully enable its capabilities. It's exciting to me that small boat owners will finally get the advantages of a gyro compass in the form of an affordable satellite compass.
I really want to comment on The Hull Truth; it's truly became nasty and banal. Posters are threatening class action lawsuits, to go "Rambo" on the Furuno salespeople at boatshows, claiming Furuno purposefully hid information and deceived them and a bunch of other nonsense.
I've been reading The Hull Truth for a couple of years, but I haven't registered for a number of reasons. The thread about NavNet 3D is the ultimate example of why I don't think I ever will!
I just retired from 37 years of practicing law and I speak with some expertise when I say there is no basis for any class action lawsuit as some of the posters have implied. I attended the Miami Boat Show this year and a Furuno salesperson told me although all the NOAA vector charts were loaded, the project was not completed by the government. The Furuno rep stated the raster charts were complete and it would be some time before the vector charts were finished. So from my experience, Furuno was forthright. Having been into boating for over fifty years, I try to keep up on new technology and I knew that fact about NOAA vector charts, too. The information about NOAA vector charts was and is freely available. So the threats of class action lawsuits is bellicose grandstanding. Anyone that wants to pursue it will end up paying a lawyer attorney's fees and then paying Furuno's attorneys' fees.
I'm really, terribly shocked that people, who should be of means and presumably educated would publicly post threats against Furuno people. One poster states that, "I suspect they are going to take a lot of well deserved abuse," at the Ft. Lauderdale Boatshow. Another replies, "I would go RAMBO on them if I spend that kinda of money!!!" That's scary and, in my opinion, constitutes a credible threat. No one, absolutely no one, deserves to be abused or threatened. In my opinion, the hosts of The Hull Truth, need to shut down that thread and report the personal information of every poster who made a threat of abuse against Furuno people to the authorities. This isn't about dissatisfied customers venting anymore, it's not a joke and it is a serious crime.
I've always had Furuno equipment on my boats. In dealing with this company and their dealers for many years, I've always been satisfied, although not always immediately. Sometimes, I've been frustrated; but, I never had to threaten anyone. It took a year to get the original Navnet right on my boat when it first came out. But Furuno always stood behind their dealer and product.
Sincerely,
John Roberts