Make yourself be seen with Echomax
Well-known radar-reflectors now available through All Sat Communications.
Local marine safety equipment supplier, All Sat Communications, has taken on the distribution for Echomax, the well-known UK manufacturer of radar reflectors.
Echomax makes an extensive range of passive, active and inflatable radar reflectors which are used for a wide range of marine, oil exploration, navy targeting, radar-satellite mapping and recently in automotive applications.
The distribution deal with All Sat Communications was finalised at the Sydney boat show last August and, since then, the company has been focusing on three main products: the EM230BR rigid passive reflector, the EMA03i inflatable passive reflector designed for tenders, life rafts and occasional use, and the X and the XS band active reflectors.
Passive radar reflectors are designed to create a bigger reflective signature for small boats which might otherwise be almost invisible to radar systems. Radar typically requires a large metallic mass in order to detect an object, something not found on many fibre-glass boats, so a radar reflector helps boost the return signal and create a visible target.
The EM230 passive reflector range from Echomax has the 'Ships Wheel Mark' certification to ISO 8729-1997 for use with lifeboats and rescue craft. With a robust polyethylene case, the EM230BR is a direct replacement for the Firdell Blipper 210-7, utilising the same bracket installation on masts.
The inflatable EMA03i is SOLAS-certified for stowage in liferaft emergency packs as required by IMO Specifications. It weighs less than 600 grams and is small enough to put in a grab bag. During tests by a Norwegian search helicopter for a life raft invisible to radar, when fitted with an EMA03i reflector it was picked up at 4nm.
With increasingly limited space at the mast head, the Echomax Active RTE (Radar Target Enhancer) model is designed to be compact while still returning a strong signal. Powered by 12V DC supply, the active models are designed to amplify and return a much stronger signal to both X and S band radar signals, improving a vessel’s radar cross-section and helping to alert approaching vessels of its position.
The Echomax Active XS dual band radar target enhancer, EM230 passive and inflatable radar reflectors are all mandatory fits on the Golden Globe Around the World 2018 single-handed yacht race which prohibits any electronic navigation instruments or mobile phones.
Echomax tests all its reflectors in the QinetiQ Anechoic Chamber and publishes the results on its website. Www.echomax.com.au
