Simrad professional navigation for megayacht market

Designed to meet the most stringent requirements onboard commercial vessels, the next generation Simrad MX510/512 professional navigation systems are now available to the megayacht market, providing the ultimate in navigational accuracy, said Simrad parent company Navico.

The company explained the Simrad MX510 is a two-serial port control and display unit, while the MX512 is a nine-serial port control and display unit. Both are compatible with the MX421, MX521A ‘smart’ D/GPS antennas, MX525A Black Box DGPS receiver and MX575A DGPS Compass.

The MX510/512 systems are said to feature Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM); with RAIM enabled, the MX510 and MX512 are IMO Type Approved — and carry CE, USCG, CCS (Pending) and Wheelmark approvals as well.

The MX510/512 systems are also backward compatible with MX421, MX521, MX525 ‘smart’ antennas and MX575 DGPS Compass, for easy integration into existing navigation systems, said Navico.

“The new Simrad MX510/512 uses advanced PC-based technology and a powerful Intel PXA255 XScale processor to provide position data with the unprecedented speed and accuracy. Position can be presented in latitude/longitude (four decimal places), UTM, and a user-defined Grid (with optional software),” said Navico in a press blurb.

“The MX510/512 can store up to 2000 waypoints with 20-character alphanumeric names and icons, and 100 routes with a dynamic number of waypoints (up to 2000 in all routes). A long list of special features includes GO TO, MARK and MOB keys, 3D Panoramic Steering Display, Tide, Speed Graph, Sun/Moon Almanac and Wind Calculations. Data is provided on a large and clear 14.5cm backlit LCD display,” the release added.

Navico said new features provide the flexibility to use the MX510/512 as stand-alone navigation systems or in multi-control mode with one or more slaves via high-speed LAN connectivity. Operators, said the company, also have the choice to save and restore navigation data using either a USB memory stick or through the unit’s built-in flash RAM. Optional software updates can easily be made through either of the unit’s two USB ports.

“A user-friendly MMI (Man Machine Interface) — something professional navigators expect from MX products — expands the MX510/512’s versatility and makes accessing its many advanced features easy. Its multi-port interface capabilities (using LAN or NMEA ports) provide easy integration with ECDIS, ARPA, Gyro and other important navigation information systems,” said Navico.

For further information contact Navico Australia, phone (02) 9936 1000 or visit www.simrad-yachting.com