Guard Zones

The "Furuno Radar Module" needs to be unlocked and radar configured to access this feature

Guard Zones can be setup in TimeZero from the Radar WorkSpace using the Guard Zone tool located in the Toolbar. Guard Zones are used to detect and warn you about radar echo that enters or exits a specific area. When a target (AIS or ARPA) or Radar Echo (picture) triggers the Guard Zone, a "Target Alarm" is raised and displayed in the Status Bar. When the ARPA targets are computed by TimeZero ("Enable Local TimeZero ARPA Processing" selected from the Radar Options), Guard Zone can also be used as Automatic ARPA Acquisition Area.

If you right click on the tool, you can select which Guard Zone to draw (either Guard Zone 1 or Guard Zone 2).

With the tool selected, click and drag on the screen to draw the Guard Zone. Note that the Guard Zone are always "fan" shaped and relative to the bow of your vessel (they move with vessel orientation). That way, a Guard Zone displayed at the top of the screen in Head Up mode will always stay in front of your vessel.

Once the Guard Zone has been drawn, you can right click on it to adjust its parameters:

  • Hide: If you hide a Guard Zone, it is not active anymore and disappears from the screen. The only way to make it appear again is to select "Guard Zone -> Show" from the Radar Ribbon button or to create a new Guard Zone with the tool

  • Sleep: When you sleep a guard zone, it remains displayed on the screen but the alarm is inactive. Note that if "ARPA Auto Acquisition" is selected, the ARPA acquisition will still be operating (even when the Guard Zone is set to sleep)

  • Work: After putting a guard zone to sleep, you can re-activate it by selecting "Work". This will activate the Alarm again.

  • Guard Zone Alarm Level: this adjusts the sensitivity of the Alarm. If you want the alarm to only be triggered with strong echo, set it to "Low"

  • Guard Zone Alarm In/Out: adjust if the guard zone is triggered when target enter or exit the zone.

Note: if a Guard Zone is working and displayed, you will get a notification if the Radar Range becomes smaller than the Guard Zone range. This is because the Radar will not be able to "see far enough" to monitor the Guard Zone area. To correct this problem, increase the Radar Range until the Guard Zone is covered by the radar range or sleep the Guard Zone to stop using it.