International VHF Radio Telephone System with 4-Digits Channel Support

At the 104th session of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC104) held on October 2021, MSC.1/Circ.1460/Rev.3 was introduced where it was announced that the implementation of the latest Radio Communication Regulations Appendix No.18, including 4-digit channel, will be effective at the first radio survey on or after 1 January 2028.

1. Implementation Deadline
   • The first radio survey on or after 1 January 2028.
2. Status of Furuno Equipment

   • Equipment	Status/Action	Note
     FM-8500	Software to meet the requirement is not available. Solution is to retrofit with FM-8900s.	Spare parts obsolete since August 2017.
     FM-8700		Spare parts obsolete since August 2017.
     FM-8800S/D		Spare parts will be phased-out in February 2023.
     FM-8900S	Software upgrade is required.	Software version: lower than ver.4.01.
     	No software upgrade is required.	Software version: ver.4.01 or higher

3. How to Check the Software Version
   • Daily test on FM-8900s (Operation manual Chapter 7-1).
   • 
4. Attachments
   • MSC.1/Circ.1460/Rev.3
   • Appx.2-Marine-VHF-Channel

Contact us for more information:

For Retrofits: salesgrp@furuno.sg

For Software Upgrade: sdc@furuno.sg