▶ ARPA Video Manual Acquisition

▶ ARPA Video Manual Acquisition - YouTube





Published on Jul 23, 2013

In 1960, the U.S. Maritime Administration developed a 10 target  automatic radar plotter with manual and guard ring automatic acquisition,  true and relative vectors, and with collision threat alarms and a trial  maneuver capability. In 1971, MARAD made this type of "computer aided"  plotter mandatory on all MARAD subsidized tankers. Sperry developed a 20  target, manual acquisition, predicted area of danger plotting equipment and  lotron developed DIGIPLOT, which plotted 40 target vectors with fully  automatic all area acquisition of the targets. IBM introduced their Maritime Integrated Bridge System that was automatic acquisition of 20 targets and included Transit Satellite Navigation and an Adaptive fuel saving autopilot for improved steering.

The International Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) deliberated  over two years on the United States proposal for mandatory carriage of  "MARAD equivalent" automatic radar plotters on all vessels above 10,000  grt. In November 1979, a minimum standard was agreed upon, as well as a  worldwide fitting schedule, starting in January 1984 and continuing over a  five year period, depending on vessel type and size. The original 1960  MARAD prototype could probably meet the IMCO standard with only minor  changes, mainly including the addition of 4 history dots with coice of 1 or 2 minute spacing. This concept showed up as an indicator of other surrounding vessels course and speed but was too slow to be considered as a useful maneuvering aid in traffic and the USCG adapted the Digiplot less than 15 second prompt course calculation to take forward to the IMO for the minimuum standard ARP on a radar PPI display.

The IMCO 10 target minimum operational ARPA standard set requirements for an aid  which will prevent collisions at sea and in relatively open ocean waters.  Although the systems are also intended to function approaching or leaving  harbors; the minimum IMCO standard does not require the radar plotting  equipment to work in high traffic density or in narrow waters or restricted  waterways when pilots would normally be aboard and added a second higher standard for 20 targets that could provide an indication of the direction of othr vessels in one minute and a fully very accurate course and speed to tight specified tolerances in four close passings.

The technology is now available today and is a much lower priced third generation  system whose ARPA calculated vectors are displayed on an e-chart, exceeding the IMCO minimum standards by a factor of 6 that now offers the potential for aiding a pilot in the safe navigation of the vessel in and out of harbors in dense traffic and in restricted waterways, are currently on the market. Now DIGIPLOT is the only example now resuming production.

Automatic radar plotting aid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia