FEEDBACK AND TESTIMONIALS
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Ross Hobson - Feedback
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Good season following Round Ireland (where Echomax was brilliant and v reassuring as we had lost of poor viz
Have a mates trip cross the the channel islands in July in v thick fog – at one stage could barely seen bow from stern, and we got radar “hits” on the Echomax before AIS had the boat displayed – v reassuring
The Echomax has been spot on all season : we have checked it against another boat with radar and they could see us clearly. I checked its position, wiring etc last weekend as it is ‘hung’ between spreader and it is still secure with no problems. The ‘hanging’ version is obviously an advantage to a race yacht like ourselves
Ross
Passive
Andrew Ridley, Conservancy Operations Manager of Tees & Hartlepool Port Authority Limited first discovered Echomax at Seawork 2001. He was so impressed with their QinetiQ test results and a series of on-site tests that he insisted Echomax arrays were fitted into all the new Eason Marine buoys which he was in the process of ordering. Eason Marine, probably one of the largest suppliers of navigation buoys in the U.K, modified their top marks and cases to suit the EM230/305 arrays. Since they have been laid he has received unsolicited compliments regarding both the radar response and visibility of these units. It was confirmed that the radar response from the Eason Polyethylene 2.4m maintenance free buoy fitted with Echomax arrays was at least equal to if not better than 3m steel buoys fitted with 32" octahedral reflectors. (It is probably only the sheer mass of the metal buoys which has enabled the octahedral reflectors to be fitted for so long).
Mr. Ridley was also receiving complaints from the Harbour Master when another commercially available reflector fitted to a GRP pilot boat built in 2000 provided inconsistent response resulting in loss of the traces on the VTS radar.
New white and orange Echomax 230's have now been fitted to all seven vessels in Tees & Hartlepool Port Authority's pilot and workboat fleet to comply with SOLAS Chapter V regulation 19.
(Andrew Ridley is too much a gentleman to state that the poorly performing radar reflectors he removed from his vessels were Firdell Blippers 210-5, 210-7 and Firdell Pilot 300's).
