Scandinavian Micros Systems A/S (SMS) announces from its headquarters today a new ScanRepeater™ line of navigational instruments.
The new SR02-01 is an Optical Bearing Device (OBD) that enables the navigator to quickly double-check the ship’s position in a tight waterway by making fast and accurate optical observations.
Originally created for the Norwegian navy and coast guard ships, this OBD was designed to accurately record true and relative bearings while patrolling the fjords. “There are some waterways
that are extremely tight so knowing your precise position is important to avoid disaster,” stated SMS President and Founder Oddbjorn Steinsland.
“We were asked to come up with a solution because the naval vessels GPS systems and electronic charts may not be accurate enough under all circumstances”. A brush up against the rocks, reef or grounding could create a serious incident. Mr. Steinsland concluded that this instrument can help avoid these types of unfortunate situations.
The SR02-01 unit can hold up to 99 bearing observations and can be stored and reviewed at any time. The OBD device receives heading information from the ship’s gyro compass and transmits the resulting relative and true bearing observations to other navigation equipment as serial data (NMEA output). Recording these readings is called a ‘mark-list’ which can be filed and used for future navigation in the same area.
Typical applications include; accurate optical X-Bearing observations for position fixes, making quick optical bearing observations for ‘on the run’ navigation decisions, Optical Bearing Line for the Radar Display.
Besides the additional safety benefits, the SR02-01 has also found acceptance on board Super Yachts. “I think it is that feel of a periscope, bringing it down and swinging it into position that has yacht owners wanting the next ‘high tech gadget’ said Mr. Steinsland.
The SR02-01 is attached to a sturdy mechanical mounting arm on the bridge that can be easily adjusted to a comfortable position and has no vibration. After use, the mechanical arm can easily be raised up and locked in position out of the way.
Once in position, three control buttons are mounted on the main Control Grip allowing taking readings with one hand.
The ‘shoot button’ is used for ‘sample-and-hold’ bearing. Find your target and aim using the red dot that you see in the scope and push the button to record your first marked bearing. The ‘shoot button’ is also used as enter/selector/execution button in the menu.
The ‘up-button’ is used to increase the LCD backlight. It is also used to navigate up in the main menu. The ‘down button’ is used to decrease the backlight brilliance and move down the main menu. Pressing both ‘up’ and ‘down’ button simultaneously will enter and leave the set-up and control menu.
For over a quarter of a century Scandinavian Micro Systems (SMS) has been known around the world for innovation and leadership providing advanced maritime navigation instruments – ScanRepeater™, guest ‘infotainment’ systems – ScanDisplay® and introducing our newest software for FleetOperation™.
The people of SMS are ‘solutions providers’ drawing on resources from across SMS and key SMS Business partners, committed to helping you increase efficiency in fleet operations and helping provide your guests with advanced information and ‘on-demand’ entertainment systems. With offices in the USA, the UK, Norway and India we have you covered globally providing expert support, solutions and technologies.