Furuno

Appendix1
Model-Naming Convention

            This manufacturer has produced the widest known range of MNR systems of all manufacturers, and has a confusing range of product/model numbers, prefixes and suffixes to identify its product line. Some of this confusion stems from inaccuracy, with many models reported with a misrepresentation of the true identity. For example, an 'FR-21xx' may be very different from an 'FAR-21xx,' but that may not be apparent to the owner/advertiser/ship-chandler who advertises the product on the internet. Adding to this, the process by which Furuno assigns labels to its product has varied considerably over time; some model numbers were simply incrementally assigned, while others attempted to convey fundamental information about the model. Fortunately, the situation may have stabilized with more recent ventures, and this series of notes attempts to explain the key features necessary to interpret an assignment as of October 2006.

Prefixes

            There are two prefixes used commonly by Furuno, 'FAR-' and 'FR-' (or No prefix, which may sometimes have the same meaning as 'FR-'). A specific Furuno radar type with the prefix 'FAR-' is deemed by a certifying authority to comply with IMO regulation regarding the suitability for large vessels, and the availability and capability of ARPA - Automated Radar Plotting Aid. Thus, a Furuno FAR-xxxx radar is most likely to be found on larger, ocean-going vessels.

            The absence of the 'FAR-' designation, whether it be replaced by the 'FR-' designation or no prefix, simply states that the radar does not comply with the IMO regulations for larger vessels. The radar may nonetheless be considered suitable for smaller vessels, and there may be ARPA or other plotting devices, such as ATA or EPA (Automated Tracking Aid, or Electronic Plotting Aid), but these are not implicit in the prefix.

Number Series

 There is some apparent rationality in the assignment of a model number to a radar family:

  • The 15xx series appear to use 15" CRT displays
  • The 16xx series appear to use 6" LCD displays
  • The 17xx series appear to use 7" LCD displays
  • The 18xx series appear to use 10" LCD displays
  • The 19xx series appear to use10" LCD or CRT displays
  • (There is no 20xx-series product line today)
  • The 21xx series appear to use 21" CRT displays
  • The 28xx series appear to use >21" CRT or LCD displays

            However, with later models, the company introduced more number-mayhem: The 7xx2 and 8xx2 (there are no extant models between 28xx and 7xxx) appear to use 12" CRT displays, and their two middle digits reflect rated magnetron peak power: the FR-7062 has a peak-power rating of 6 kW; the FR-7112 and FR-8112 have peak-power ratings of 12 kW, and the FR-7252/FR-8252 are rated at 25 kW. As of October 2006, it was not clear whether the 7xx2 and 8xx2 nomenclatures represent a new methodology. Further compounding potential confusion, the company has adopted an entirely different approach with its latest Navnet3 series, using 'DRS' to indicate a digital radar system, a numeral to indicate peak power, and a suffix to indicate whether the antenna is a radome or an open array; for example, 'DRS4D' and 'DRS25A.'

 
Suffixes

           Suffixes are used extensively by Furuno and suppliers to indicate various facets of the radars, sometimes resulting in very lengthy strings of characters. As of October 2006, the following suffixes had been identified:

 
BB 

B denotes 'Black Box', a designation growing in usage among radar suppliers to signify that the video output of the radar is delivered to a user-provided display (often an XVGA output is specified). 'Black Box' systems are modular, designed to be integrated into a 'glass cockpit.'    

C

The letter C following a model number denotes that a color display system is used. In this context, color may not be used to depict a target's 'density' in  IMO-compliant systems: all target detections are explicitly required by the IMO to be plotted in a single color and intensity. 

D

This suffix denotes 'down-mast', indicating that the radar transceiver and video processing system are separated from the antenna. Like the suffix -W, it is rarely used - and typically signifies a high-power system

NT

A Furuno-specific suffix denoting that the radar is intended to be netted (NT is an abbreviation for NavNet) with other gizmos:  fish-finding sonar, echo-sounders, Automated Identification System, Global Position System and Galileo, Vessel Traffic Systems, Voyage Data Recorders and especially electronic charts (using the Furuno-proprietary C-MAP/NT format). Not to be confused with Kelvin Hughes' 'New Technology.'

S The letter S placed (usually immediately) after a model number denotes a 10-cm/3-GHz/S-Band radar. Its absence denotes a 3-cm/9-GHz/X-Band radar
vx2

The suffix vx2 is a Furuno-specific designation, indicating that a model is designed to be built into an integrated network structure with many of the functions of the NT designation. In essence, vx2 indicates a second-generation NT system with extended exploitation of networked resources.

W

Rarely used, this suffix denotes that the radar transceiver and video-processing are located somewhere below the mast-head location of the antenna; possibly 'W' signifies 'wheelhouse,' although wheelhouse installation may be acoustically undesirable. The terms, Up'/'Aloft' and 'Down'/'Bulkhead' are also used in technical literature, but not in the name. Usage (presence or absence) by Furuno is consistent, but elsewhere its absence should not be interpreted as meaning 'mast-head electronics'.

/n

Some suppliers will indicate the horizontal length (e.g. '/8') of the antenna supplied with a radar. This is not a practice used by Furuno, but it may appear in re-seller sales literature.