TimeZero navigation software supplied, activated and commissioned in Busan
NAVION supplies TimeZero licences and modules across Asia and installs them on the bridge PC while the vessel is alongside in Busan: activation, MapMedia chart catalogues, radar overlay, PBG and the sensor interfacing behind all of it.
- Territory
- Asia
- Service base
- Busan, Korea
- Service
- TimeZero
NAVION is an Official dealer for TimeZero in Asia and provides Authorized service on the software it supplies. A TimeZero licence is not a box on a pallet. It is a serial number, an activation tied to one machine, a chart catalogue that has to match the trading area, and a set of NMEA and network inputs that have to be wired and mapped before the display is worth anything on a bridge. We handle all four, alongside.
The range divides by vessel and by task. TIMEZERO Professional is the commercial and fishing edition, licensed as a base plotting application with add-on modules: Radar, Sounder, Sonar, PBG, Camera and weather routing. TIMEZERO Navigator is the lighter edition for smaller vessels; Coastal Monitoring is the shore-side variant for stations watching AIS and radar traffic. Because the capability sits in the module, a vessel can start with plotting and add PBG or radar overlay later without replacing the installation.
Licences and activation are what goes wrong later. Activation binds to hardware: a rebuilt bridge PC, a replaced motherboard or a fresh Windows install needs a deactivation before the old machine goes and a reactivation on the new. We record the licence, the module list and the machine it is bound to, so a refit does not turn into a lost licence. Upgrades from earlier TimeZero versions and legacy MaxSea TimeZero installations follow the same route: version check, module mapping, chart entitlement, then routes and marks carried across.
Charts come from MapMedia: MM3D vector catalogues built on C-MAP and Navionics data, raster catalogues and satellite photo layers, licensed by area. The wrong area catalogue is an expensive way to find the boundary, so we confirm coverage against the trading area and load and verify the charts onboard rather than leaving it to a ship's connection at sea.
Radar overlay and PBG are where the software meets the wiring. Overlay is only as good as the position and heading feeding it: a slow or noisy heading input shows as an echo smeared across the chart, so we check the heading source, its update rate and the antenna offset before anyone blames the software. PBG builds a bathymetric map from the vessel's own sounder, so depth source, transducer and draft offsets, sound speed and tide settings must be entered once, properly. Sensor interfacing covers GPS, heading, AIS, autopilot, echosounder and sonar feeds over NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet.
The work is planned around the port call. Installation, activation, chart load, sensor mapping and a check-out with the officer who will use the system are done alongside at Gamcheon, in the Yeongdo repair yards, at Busan New Port, or at another yard on request. Training is part of the handover, in Russian, English or Korean: routes and layers, PBG recording and cleanup, overlay checks, and the workspace backup that lets the next crew restore it.
Equipment we work with
- TIMEZERO Professional — The commercial and fishing edition: base charting and route work with add-on modules licensed on top. The usual choice for trawlers and working vessels calling at Busan.
- TIMEZERO Navigator — The lighter edition for smaller vessels: charting, routes, AIS and instrument display, with a reduced module set.
- TIMEZERO Coastal Monitoring — Shore-side variant used by stations and offices to watch AIS and radar targets rather than to navigate.
- Radar module — Adds radar display and chart overlay to TZ Professional, working with compatible Furuno DRS-series sensors and a heading input of adequate quality and update rate.
- Sounder and Sonar modules — Echosounder and omni-sonar presentation inside TimeZero from compatible Furuno network sounders and sonars, on the same screen as the chart.
- PBG module — Personal Bathymetric Generator: records the vessel's own depth data into 3D seabed maps, contours and slope layers built from its own tracks.
- Weather routing module — Downloads GRIB weather and ocean data and computes routing options against the vessel polar and the departure window.
- Camera module — Brings IP camera views into the TimeZero workspace alongside the chart and radar windows.
- MapMedia MM3D chart catalogues — Vector charts built on C-MAP and Navionics data, raster catalogues and satellite photo layers, licensed by geographic area and loaded onboard.
- MaxSea TimeZero and earlier TZ upgrades — Migration of legacy installations to a current TimeZero version: version check, module mapping, chart entitlement, and existing routes and marks carried over.
What we do on this brand
- Supply of TIMEZERO Professional, Navigator and add-on module licences for vessels working in Asia
- Activation, deactivation before a bridge PC change, and reactivation on replacement hardware
- Version upgrades from earlier TimeZero and legacy MaxSea TimeZero installations, with routes and marks carried over
- MapMedia MM3D chart selection against the trading area, loading and verification onboard
- Radar overlay commissioning: heading source, update rate, antenna offset and alignment check
- PBG setup and sensor interfacing over NMEA 0183, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet, including sounder, sonar and autopilot feeds
- Onboard training and workspace backup, in Russian, English or Korean
Documents issued
- Licence record: edition, registration number and the modules activated, with the machine the activation is bound to
- Sensor interface list: every input used by TimeZero with its port, protocol and baud rate as configured
- Chart record: MapMedia catalogues installed, area coverage and version
- Workspace and settings backup handed to the vessel, with the restore procedure
- Commissioning and training note signed off with the officer who took the handover
Frequently asked
Can we buy a TimeZero licence from you and install it ourselves?
Yes. We supply licences and modules as an Official dealer for Asia and can send activation details to the vessel. Most of the time that is not where the hours go: chart catalogue selection, sensor mapping and radar overlay setup are the parts that take a bridge visit, so many owners take the licence and the commissioning together during the Busan call.
The bridge PC failed and TimeZero was never deactivated. Is the licence lost?
Not necessarily. Where the old machine still runs, deactivate before it is scrapped and the licence moves cleanly. Where it does not, send us the registration details and we raise the reactivation case with TimeZero as part of Authorized service. Keeping the licence record and hardware ID on file makes that faster.
Do we need the Radar module to see radar on the chart?
Yes. Radar display and chart overlay in TZ Professional are a licensed module, and they need a compatible radar sensor plus a heading input of adequate quality and update rate. A slow heading source is usually the reason an overlay looks smeared against the coastline.
What does PBG need from the vessel before it produces usable seabed maps?
A stable position and heading, a depth source TimeZero can read, and correct transducer and draft offsets, sound speed and tide settings. Enter those wrong and every recorded track is wrong by the same amount. We set them at commissioning and show the crew how to record, review and clean up the data.
Which MapMedia charts do we need for our trading area?
MM3D catalogues are licensed by geographic area, so the answer depends on where the vessel works, not on the software edition. Send the intended area and we check catalogue coverage and entitlement before the charts are ordered and loaded.
TimeZero licence, upgrade or commissioning during your Busan call
Send the vessel name, ETA and berth area, the TimeZero version and modules already on the bridge PC, and the sensors to be connected. info@contact-navion.com, +82 10 9690 2104.