Koden radar, echosounder and plotter service in Busan
NAVION supplies, installs, commissions and repairs Koden radars, echosounders, GPS and DGPS plotters and net sondes on vessels calling at Busan. Work covers fault diagnosis, magnetron and transducer replacement, antenna and cable renewal, and interfacing to the rest of the bridge. Engineers attend in Gamcheon, at the Yeongdo repair yards and at Busan New Port, and travel to other yards on request.
Koden hardware is common on the fishing fleet and mid-size commercial vessels calling at Busan, and most of what goes wrong with it is predictable. Radar scanners that have run through several seasons of salt spray and freezing spray lose transmit power as the magnetron ages, so targets fade at range long before the display shows a fault. Echosounder readings go soft when a transducer face is fouled, waterlogged or when the cable run has taken water into a junction box. Plotter positions jump or drop out when the GPS or DGPS antenna cable has corroded at the connector. NAVION supplies, installs, commissions and repairs Koden radars, echosounders, GPS and DGPS plotters and net sondes on vessels alongside in Busan port. We are not appointed as a Koden dealer, and we do not claim to be. We source equipment and spares through legitimate supply channels and we do the installation and service work ourselves.
Integration is where most of the value sits. A Koden radar, sounder or plotter rarely stands alone on a modern bridge, and we set up the NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 interfacing so heading, position, speed, depth and waypoints move correctly between the Koden units, the ECDIS or plotting software, the autopilot and the VDR. That means checking talker and listener assignments, baud rates, sentence formats, backbone termination and power on an N2K network -- not just confirming that a number appears on a screen. Where a vessel runs TimeZero or Olex on the same bridge, we test the Koden feeds into that software before we sign off. Handover is a working demonstration with the officer who will use it, plus interface and settings records left aboard so the next engineer is not starting from zero. Service requests go to info@contact-navion.com or +82 10 9690 2104.
What the job includes
- Radar magnetron replacement and retune — Magnetron replacement with correct isolation and modulator discharge, ageing procedure, retune, and target picture checked at close and long range.
- Scanner mechanical overhaul and bearing check — Motor brushes, gearbox oil, seals and bearings checked, rotary joint and waveguide inspected for water ingress, encoder and bearing signal verified.
- Echosounder fault diagnosis — Fault isolated between transducer, cabling, matching and the sounder itself using insulation resistance and impedance measurement rather than substitution.
- Transducer replacement and calibration — Transducer renewal with cable run, junction box and matching renewed, then sound speed, draft and keel offset set and bottom trace verified against known depth.
- GPS and DGPS antenna and cable renewal — Corroded connectors and water-damaged coax renewed, cable screen and continuity proven end to end, position fix and DGPS correction status confirmed on the plotter.
- Net sonde check and setup — Sonde and hydrophone cabling checked, signal path proven, display settings set with the mate so depth and door readings are usable on the tow.
- NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 interfacing — Talker and listener assignments, sentence formats, baud rates, backbone termination and power verified so heading, position, depth and waypoints move correctly between units.
- Integration with existing bridge systems — Koden position, depth and radar data proven into the ECDIS or plotting software, autopilot and VDR, including vessels running TimeZero or Olex on the same bridge.
- New equipment supply and installation — Units, brackets, cable and connectors supplied and fitted, with mounting position, cable route and power source agreed with the vessel before work starts.
- Commissioning, handover and spares advice — Working demonstration with the watch officer, settings and interface records left aboard, and a spares list of the parts most likely to be needed next.
Timing
Everything except in-water hull work is planned to finish inside the port call. Ranges below are typical for a vessel alongside with normal access and are not a guarantee; mast access, weather, cargo operations and parts availability move them. Tell us your ETA, ETD and berth area and we will say what fits and what does not before you commit.
- Fault diagnosis, one unit
- typically 2-4 hours
- Radar magnetron replacement and tuning
- typically 4-8 hours
- Plotter or DGPS antenna and cable renewal
- typically 4-8 hours
- New unit install and bridge integration
- typically 1-2 days
- Hull transducer replacement
- yard period, vessel out of water
What we need from the vessel
- Access to the bridge, the scanner or mast, and the sounder space, with the equipment released from operational use for the duration
- Ship's power available on the relevant breakers, and permission to isolate and lock out the radar transmitter during scanner work
- Model and serial numbers sent in advance so spares can be checked or ordered before arrival
- An officer or engineer familiar with how the equipment is used, present for fault description and for handover
- Permit-to-work and gas-free certification where a transducer or cable run passes through a tank, void or enclosed space
- Mast work stopped or safe access arranged if cargo, bunkering or fishing gear operations conflict
Documents issued
- Service report listing units worked on, model and serial numbers, faults found and parts fitted
- Radar performance record after magnetron replacement: tuning, target picture at close and long range
- Echosounder settings sheet: gain, TVG, pulse length, sound speed, draft and keel offset as left
- NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 interface record showing talkers, listeners, sentences and baud rates
- List of parts consumed and recommended spares to carry aboard
Photographs of this work are being prepared.
Frequently asked
Is NAVION an authorized Koden dealer?
No. We supply, install, commission and service Koden equipment, and we say so plainly. We hold dealer appointments for Marport, TimeZero and Olex; Koden is not among them. If you need warranty work handled through an appointed channel, tell us and we will say so up front rather than take the job on a false footing.
Can you replace a radar magnetron while we are alongside?
Usually yes, if the tube is in stock or can be ordered in time and the scanner is safe to open. The electrical work and ageing procedure typically take a few hours; the limiting factors are mast access, weather and whether the scanner can be stopped and locked out during cargo or fishing operations.
Our sounder loses bottom at speed but reads fine in harbour. What is that?
That pattern usually points to aeration over the transducer face, a fouled or damaged face, or a mounting problem, rather than a failed sounder. We check the cable and insulation resistance first because it is quick, then look at settings, pulse length and TVG, and if the hull side is implicated we scope it for the next yard period.
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Send the model numbers, the fault symptoms and your ETA and berth area. We will confirm what we can carry aboard, what needs ordering, and how much of the job fits your port call.