40W Doppler radar

US-headquartered navigation specialist Garmin has launched its latest radar series - the new GMR Fantom solid-state pulse compression radar series with MotionScope Doppler technology and 40W of power, which Garmin claims is the highest in the industry for its kind.

Available in a 4 or 6 foot open array, the Fantom series uses the Doppler processing to detect and highlight moving targets to help users avoid potential collisions, find flocks of birds, and track weather in a single ping.

With its pulse compression technology, Garmin says the Fantom provides high resolution while maximising energy on targets to enhance detection and identification of targets. It uses pulse expansion to maximise target size to help differentiate real targets from noise.

Featuring a unique design that’s smaller and lighter than previous open-array radar models, the new Fantom radars deliver high sensitivity for both close and long range without any compromise in ruggedness or reliability. As no warm-up time is needed, mariners can start tracking targets instantly.

“Fantom is the first radar of its kind that allows mariners to see targets moving instantaneously thanks to MotionScope,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “Whether the targets are moving towards or away from the radar, Fantom provides instant detection, highlighting the targets on the radar display so you can navigate around other boats or severe weather.”

The Doppler effect is the frequency shift in the radar echo due to the relative motion of the target. This allows for instant detection of any targets moving toward or away from the radar in real time. MotionScope highlights the moving targets on the radar display with an easy-to-see colour.

When the Echo Trails setting is turned on, a fading “trail” on the screen can help easily identify the direction of the moving targets and potential collision threats. The trails shown are corrected for the boat’s rotation when an autopilot or heading sensor is connected to the Garmin Marine Network.

Garmin also says that the Fantom series offers excellent range performance with close and long range detection from 20 feet to 72 nautical miles. The radars have dual radar support that provides radar redundancy and more flexibility to view different data on independent display units.

Due to the dual range feature, navigators have the ability to see both close and long range simultaneously, with an overlay on a chart for one or both ranges. This eliminates the need to toggle between views, and allows the skipper to keep a close eye on both immediate surroundings and the horizon to ensure weather patterns, land and structure is always under observation.

Dynamic Auto Gain and Dynamic Sea Filter continually adjust to the surroundings, water and weather conditions to provide optimal performance whilst reducing excess noise and clutter. The MARPA settings enable the tracking of ten targets simultaneously.