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Random Quote: Does history record any case in which the majority was right? LL
I've been running a CRT radar on my boat for 15 years. A new boat is being built and I'm choosing new electronics. Pretty much favor the 10" Northstar 6000i gps/waas plotter w/ sounder, but not the N* radar. Furuno 1943 radar is my first choice. BUT, can I interface the two units?... Also, Furuno offers the 1943 with a choice of color LCD or green CRT screens..would I be dissapointed in the LCD unit for any reason?
I fell 180 degrees opposite JLR. My dad has a CRT unit and I have the same unit in LCD color...my unit is easier to view in any light conditions. It's also less prone to damage...no CRT tube.
If your in an open boat Id go with a LCD,but if you have a pilothouse crt is the only way to go much easier to read and under stand at a glance,targets jump right out at you,where as a LCD you have to give it a better look at least when looking at farther distances.Ive owned both types.JMO
Another vote for a CRT radar.My last boat had a CRT,I ordered my new one with a LCD.Just changed that out to a 4 KW CRT unit,just a lot more resolution and a better picture.I do however have an enclosed cuddy cabin!!
You should look at each before you decide. I had a Furuno 1751 CRT and loved it. My new boat has a Navnet 1933 with the 10.4" LCD. It is simply amazing. I can easily read the screen with polarized sunglasses. It also has different color combinations for bioght daylight, twilight, and night.
I will never go back to CRT and quite honestly, I believe they will be hard to find in 5 years on ANY device.
As for the new Northstar...I have no direct knowledge but Furuno has won the marine electronics award (cannot recall the acronym) for radar the past 27 years. I'll stick with Furuno!
capt. k: I'm stuck on a 10" N* plotter. Additionally, I want totally separate plotter and radar units. I presently run a Simrad CRT (from what I understand, N* radars are in fact Simrad products)and am not overwhelmed with it, although their new LCD version might very well be improved over their CRT product....
Reel H.: My boat is a 36' lobster boat w/ a long cabin, customized for sportfish. No bridge....
Troll: Are you thinking of NEMA? They have recently released their 2003 "Best of 2003" marine electronics awards. they presented Furuno NavNet 1800/1900 series recreational radars their top award in that division...and Northstar color plotters took top awards in that division. For totally integrated network systems, Furuno NavNet won out over N* 6000i mainly due to their superior radars.
I'm headed up to Consumers Marine Electronics today to hopefully further my knowledge with a hands on, side by side, simulated experience .
I'll be curious to hear some side by side comparisons of the Navnet and new Northstar gear. My choice was made before the 6000 series was available. I would still pick the Navnet for the superior radar and fishfinder but I always loved the Northstar 952 and am not surprised they are leading the plotter field.
The competition will benefit the consumers in the long term.
Yep, You got it right B....NMEA is the correct acronym.
TROLL and SWEET MARLIN:
I spent considerable time up at CME. It's great to see (and use) all of the units side by side and have extremely knowledgable people answer all of your questions and give their honest personal opinions. My primary original question on this post was CRT vs. LCD. Troll was correct. CRT is history. Most major Mfg'ers. have stopped or plan to stop production of CRT electronics in 2004. So, lets look at the major players. Furuno, N*, Raymarine and JRC.....All have their + and -'s. For me personally, it's Furuno vs. N*. For my personal opinion and those at CME. N* rules in plotters. Furuno is tops in radar. Yes, you can NMEA 0183 interface the two. But, if you're intent is to enjoy the best of both and plan to interface a networking system (my second question), such as 6000i to NavNet, you will lose some major features. So, at this juncture, I'm still undecided. For me, in my application, I'm leaning towards N* (with a continuing open mind). Furuno NavNet has been on the market a couple of years. N* 6000i was introduced only 2 months ago. This is a concern of mine. Bugs yet to be exterminated???
I wonder how those color LCDs respond to the temperature. Both my fishfinder and gps lcds take a while to warm up when its cold out. Have you noticed this with your northstar? I know that my gps is really ugly for say 15 minutes before that lc can properly d.
Yeah badbouy, I understand the decision process is tough these days. I went with Furuno for the radar AND color sounder technology. They were the FIRST to use an ethernet design. Check out the RD30s. You can have data on those and free up the Navnet screens for Radar/Sounder/Plotter.
I am not sure if Northstar has that capability.
I have only 20 hours on the new boat but so far the Navnet is amazing.
well, ced, you must be getting pretty excited by this point! just pulled mine yesterday...
i have the 1833 crt navnet unit on my boat. i am going to pick up an 1832 display this evening which is basically the same machine just without the navnet capabilities. why? because i use my radar for radar only. with the navnet capabilities, i don't like having to push multiple buttons to change things like gain and sea clutter. i will keep the 1833 unit as a backup at the house in case my 1832 display craps out...they are interchangeable with my scanner.
if i was getting a 64 mile open array radar which is what you are looking at, then i'd be getting the 1942 dedicated crt unit. then get yourself a good color N* plotter...a 957 or 958 i think maybe?
if you have interfacing ?'s give me a call or drop me a line...i did all mine myself and they work fine.
Badbouy,
Yes, you will be dissapointed if you install an LCD diaplay. That is because you will not know what to do with all the extra space leftover after getting rid of the old, outdated, should not be sold any longer, CRT display.
Capt. Adam,
Yep, mine's been out a week. The new one goes in the mold today. Now the action starts...I've been pondering my electronic's choices since the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show. I like the more powerful 6kw for its ability to pick up birds and discrimate weather. CRT vs. LCD is making me stutter. Pro's and con's for each. Although this could be the last year for a lot of CRT models. I was looking at and playing with the N* 958 plotter just yesterday at CME. On Sale, with rebate, $3,100. That is $2k less than only three months ago. They've only been on the market 1 year and are being replaced by the 6000i network series. The 958 will not accept the new advanced Navionics MMB chips that will be marketed in a few months and have a much larger footprint than the 6000i. By interfacing (via NEMA 0183) a Furuno NavNet radar/gps w/ a 6000i display/plotter. the only feature lost would be the radar overlay. The Furuno FCV1100 sounder will round out the big three. As you well know, finding console room for three 10" diplays , plus SSB, VHF, Loran C, Auto pilot, windless and several other controls, is a design / layout challange supreme. The plotter might have to be reduced to the NS6008 8" model. I certainly welcome all of your ideas and input. Really interested in your windless and pot hauler ideas. The less I go or send somebody onto the bow in heavy seas (or otherwise) the better I like it. And so does my crew.
give me a call sometime and i'll give you whatever ideas you'd like to have...to get down all my ideas here would take up way too much space!
i will share one here - 3/4 of the stuff that goes into these units are marketing. it's all great in a showroom when you've got nothing better to do than play with the stuff, but when you are on the water you are either busy fishing or concentrating on getting through the inlet or up the bay in the fog...no one is there to make the unit do all the fancy features for you, and you sure as heck don't have 20 minutes to thumb through a book figuring it out. less "features" = greater simplicity.
I just installed the same northstar 6000i with fishfinder, but without rad and also installed the furuno 1943c. The N* can not be beat for it chartplotter and the furuno for both radar and ff. I chose not to go with n* radar because I have had nothing but great luck with furuno radar. All this was just installed on a brand new 2004 32 topaz express.
Radar screen..LCD vs. CRT? 
