High-specification radar offered at low cost
The 'black box' behind the Kelvin Hughes Sharpeye radar
Kelvin Hughes says that customers who purchased its SharpEye, described as the first commercial solid-state marine radar, are finding several benefits to the system.
The radar is said to bring military grade performance to the commercial marine marketplace for the first time, while at the same time it is proving its claim to be a lower cost option.
“We estimate that with a total of more than one million hours of fault-free operation, the SharpEyes have saved our customers at least £200,000 in maintenance costs,” says Tony Taylor, head of world service at Kelvin Hughes. Unlike a conventional radar, SharpEye does not operate with a magnetron and so does not incur the cost of calling in an engineer every 8-10,000 hours to replace it.
“These costs can quickly add up and the replacement can be a great inconvenience if the vessel is in a remote location when the magnetron does fail,” he explains.
“Since we sold the first commercial SharpEye radar in September 2007, we have installed almost 200 units in a wide range of commercial vessels from cruise liners and luxury yachts to tankers and container ships,” says Taylor.
Already in service with navies, the productis claimed to represent a step change in commercial radar development, offering low maintenance, improved detection performance and enhanced safety of navigation.
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