by orangeshirt » February 18, 2018, 10:34 am
One of the radars on the Valor is a Raytheon Pathfinder ST of 1990's vintage. The manufacturer has not supported this radar for many years, and if I recall correctly, it had some problems. I don't remember what the second radar was, but it was probably and old Sperry, again, no longer supported. New radio regulations in the pipeline, based on IMO regulations, require new VHF marine radios have the capability to receive position information from the GPS and have the MMSI programmed for digital distress call capability, similar to mandatory GMDSS requirements for deep sea vessels. The radios on the Valor did not have this capability. The communications equipment and even the radars are a relatively minor expense. The wheelstand, autopilot and gyro are also obsolete and no longer supported by the manufacturer. So, basically, the entire communications and navigation electronics package would require replacement. When Interlake considered putting the Sherwin back in service, this upgrade was in their plans. The satellite TV antenna system is no longer compatible and would be replaced the VSAT is probably functional, but all fleets on the Great Lakes have now replaced the model on the Valor with new, updated systems. Marine electronic is advancing and equipment becomes obsolete almost as fast as smart phones and computers. Bottom line is that if a new owner wanted to put the Valor back into service, the electronics would all end up getting replaced, but this would be a small part of the cost of getting her ready for service.
One of the radars on the Valor is a Raytheon Pathfinder ST of 1990's vintage. The manufacturer has not supported this radar for many years, and if I recall correctly, it had some problems. I don't remember what the second radar was, but it was probably and old Sperry, again, no longer supported. New radio regulations in the pipeline, based on IMO regulations, require new VHF marine radios have the capability to receive position information from the GPS and have the MMSI programmed for digital distress call capability, similar to mandatory GMDSS requirements for deep sea vessels. The radios on the Valor did not have this capability. The communications equipment and even the radars are a relatively minor expense. The wheelstand, autopilot and gyro are also obsolete and no longer supported by the manufacturer. So, basically, the entire communications and navigation electronics package would require replacement. When Interlake considered putting the Sherwin back in service, this upgrade was in their plans. The satellite TV antenna system is no longer compatible and would be replaced the VSAT is probably functional, but all fleets on the Great Lakes have now replaced the model on the Valor with new, updated systems. Marine electronic is advancing and equipment becomes obsolete almost as fast as smart phones and computers. Bottom line is that if a new owner wanted to put the Valor back into service, the electronics would all end up getting replaced, but this would be a small part of the cost of getting her ready for service.