(CAMAS, Wash.) — Furuno in 2018 released the FM4800, a five-in-one unit featuring VHF radiotelephone, Class D DSC, GPS receiver, AIS receiver, and simplified loud hailer with intercom. Mariners appreciated the unit's rich feature set, rugged durability, and the ease with which it connects to other models within the Furuno family of marine electronics. Now, Furuno has introduced a new version of this unit in a space-saving black box configuration. With the FM4850, mariners can take advantage of the same feature set found in the FM4800, only with a much smaller footprint.
The Furuno FM4850 includes the same "all-in-one" features found in its companion model, but with a twist. The FM4850's black box configuration allows for it to be installed in an out-of-the-way location, so it's not taking up valuable space on the helm, while the included handset with LCD screen and waterproof speaker can be installed in easy-to-access locations. Up to three individual stations can be connected to a single black box installation, each of them with full access to the FM4850's capabilities. This means you can have a marine VHF radiotelephone with built-in Class D DSC, GPS receiver, AIS receiver, multi-station intercom, and 30-W loud hailer with listen back capability installed at multiple locations onboard, all with one installation.
With its built-in GPS receiver, all the FM4850 requires is an external GPS antenna. The unit does not require an external GPS source to enable its DSC functionality, and the unit can be used as a backup source of GPS positioning for other onboard electronics.
Its built-in AIS receiver can be used to overlay AIS targets with networked GPS plotters or MFDs, such as Furuno's NavNet TZtouch and NavNet TZtouch2, or its new GP1871F/GP1971F combo units. You can also share GPS, DSC and AIS information via NMEA0183 or NMEA2000. What's more, when connected via NMEA2000 to any NavNet TZtouch2 MFD, DSC calling can be initiated directly from the TZtouch2 display by merely tapping on the AIS/DSC target and selecting "DSC Call." Additionally, when MOB (man overboard) is activated on a TZtouch2 MFD, the FM4850 enters a special mode where you can initiate a distress call by pushing the rotary knob.
The FM4850 can operate as a 30-W loud hailer with 8 patterns of alert sounds. Loudhailer, foghorn and warning signal features are all available, enhancing onboard safety and communications while navigating in the dark or fog. When connected with the second-station handset, its intercom feature is available, allowing communications between the devices from multiple locations. Additionally, the horn speaker can be used to collect external sounds and transmit them through the external speaker with a function called listen back. In this way, a person on the deck can easily communicate with the bridge, a particularly useful feature for a variety of fishing vessels and workboats.
For more information, visit www.furuno.com.
