rgano
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2007
- Messages
- 4,995
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- FROLIC
- Vessel Make
- Mainship 30 Pilot II since 2015. GB-42 1986-2015. Former Unlimited Tonnage Master
ARPA stands for Automatic Radar Plotting Aid which is a means by which radar targets can be automatically (or manually if so desired) picked up for tracking with data displayed for the operator's use. Most boat radars I have been associated with do not have it, and in all likelihood don't need it.
That said, I became aware that my older Furuno radar and MFD (an RPD-149) combo had an option at purchase to add the ARPA option. A little online research quickly found that the necessary circuit board is no longer available from Furuno and that some eBay sellers were happy to part with them at prices which made the idea of upgrading just because I just wanted to, not because I NEEDED to, ridiculous. One board stood WAY out because of its affordability at about one ninth the others advertised, and I ordered it from the individual thinking I would not be out much if it failed - I did buy a Square D warranty. The original radar installation instructions aboard the boat give screw-by-screw (all 20 or so of them) steps to insert the board. I then found that the ARPA board will not function without what is called AD-10 data from the PG-500 fluxgate compass which strangely enough has an "AD-10" plug on it. The AD-10 cable part number was in the instructions, and R&D Marine had one for sale on good ol' eBay.
A quick pierside test this evening shows all ARPA functions working with the cable run directly to the MFD. Now come the hard part, threading it through the boat's interior between the compass down forward and the MFD up at the helm. Then a training run down the bay. This boat stuff is just a bunch of PHUN, ain't it?
That said, I became aware that my older Furuno radar and MFD (an RPD-149) combo had an option at purchase to add the ARPA option. A little online research quickly found that the necessary circuit board is no longer available from Furuno and that some eBay sellers were happy to part with them at prices which made the idea of upgrading just because I just wanted to, not because I NEEDED to, ridiculous. One board stood WAY out because of its affordability at about one ninth the others advertised, and I ordered it from the individual thinking I would not be out much if it failed - I did buy a Square D warranty. The original radar installation instructions aboard the boat give screw-by-screw (all 20 or so of them) steps to insert the board. I then found that the ARPA board will not function without what is called AD-10 data from the PG-500 fluxgate compass which strangely enough has an "AD-10" plug on it. The AD-10 cable part number was in the instructions, and R&D Marine had one for sale on good ol' eBay.
A quick pierside test this evening shows all ARPA functions working with the cable run directly to the MFD. Now come the hard part, threading it through the boat's interior between the compass down forward and the MFD up at the helm. Then a training run down the bay. This boat stuff is just a bunch of PHUN, ain't it?