Honeywell Primus 660 and 880 Weather Radar
Honeywell Primus 660 and 880 weather radars answer the call of operators who want quality radar performance, improved reliability and advanced features in their weather radar systems. The Primus 660 weather radar is ideally suited for mid-range business jets and regional aircraft while the Primus 880 is the most powerful, feature-packed turbulence detection weather radar on the market. Both offer an integrated receiver/transmitter/antenna with (RTA) architecture that is lighter and reduces installation complexity.
Performance and Reliability
The Honeywell Primus 660 and 880 uses all of Honeywell’s RF expertise to provide the ultimate in both performance and reliability. The 660 and 880 excels in all three weather radar performance categories.
- Pulse width: Primus 660 and 880’s narrow pulse width provides better resolution of the reflected signal which, in turn, makes it easier to distinguish ground from weather.
- Transmitter power: 10 kilowatts of power allows for unsurpassed range in class.
- Receiver sensitivity: Primus 660 and 880’s high receiver sensitivity allows the radar to detect extremely weak signals from distant storms.
Honeywell Primus 660 and 880 BITE
Weather Detection
Rainfall intensity levels are displayed in four brilliant colors contrasted against a black background. The result is a crisp display that makes any target readable under any cockpit lighting condition. Magenta represents areas of severe rainfall, red shows heavy rainfall, yellow represents medium rainfall and green indicates light rain. To help in analyzing the storm, Honeywell’s Primus® 660 and 880 informs pilots of the operating mode, distance to each range mark and antenna tilt angle.
REACT
Honeywell’s exclusive Rain Echo Attenuation Compensation Technique (REACT) safety feature alerts pilots to areas where storms may be hidden behind other storms. REACT performs three distinct functions. First, it maintains target calibration by compensating for attenuation caused by intervening rainfall. Second, REACT advises pilots of areas where target calibration cannot be maintained by changing the screen background to blue, warning that attenuation may be hiding areas of severe weather. Third, any target displayed in the blue field will appear in magenta to alert the pilot to its probable severity.
NEXRAD
The United States has designed and implemented a ground-based radar, referred to as NEXRAD. These radars are very large (24 foot antennas) and use a very complicated technique to derive the weather information, with results that are quite exact. Honeywell has performed extensive testing to ensure that the Honeywell Primus 660 and 880 matches the data derived from the NEXRAD.
Target Alert
Target Alert (TGT) notifies the pilot of potentially hazardous targets directly in front of the aircraft that are not yet within the selected range. When “T” is displayed in green (right), Target Alert is armed. When the yellow “TGT” is displayed (left), the pilot is warned of a red level target directly in front of the aircraft (within ±7.5° of the aircraft’s nose). The storm at 50 miles (right) tripped the “TGT” (left).
Sector Scan
In normal mode, Primus 660 and 880 scans once every four seconds. In Sector Scan (SECT) mode, the scan rate increases to two seconds when faster updates are needed due to storm activity directly ahead on short range.
Lightning Sensor
Honeywell’s optional LSZ-850 Lightning Sensor System (LSS) protects aircraft from the inherent hazards of lightning. The overlay of lightning information onto the precipitation/turbulence display of the Primus 660 and 880 provides the safest and most powerful severe weather avoidance tool available today.
The LSS determines the rate of vertical lightning in a geographical area, then displays its center with unique Honeywell symbology. The LSS accurately displays the position and lightning rate of up to 50 storm cells at the same time.
Dual Mode and Displays
Honeywell Primus 660 and 880 naturally integrates with EFIS accompanied with one or two radar controllers, WC-880/884. With two controllers, Primus 660 and 880 can be operated like two separate radars. The pilot’s controller settings are used for one sweep, then the co-pilot’s are used for the subsequent sweep.
Also, the Primus 660 and 880 has its own independent weather radar indicator, the WI-880. The radar indicator has a special interface to connect the Lightning Sensor System or Data Nav V for added versatility in the cockpit.
Hostile Environment
Honeywell Primus 660 and 880 vs. its hostile environment: A radar system is installed in one of the most hostile environments on an aircraft–the nose. Water in the adome can cause weather radar problems. Primus 660 and 880 have been designed to work in the worst of all environments, even a direct shower.
What’s the difference between the Honeywell Primus 660 and the Primus 880?
The Honeywell Primus 880 additional features include:
Altitude Compensated Tilt (ACT)
ACT allows easier detection of weather that may affect the aircraft in an en route condition and reduces the amount of tilt management required by the pilot. When ACT is selected, the Primus 880 reads the altitude and selected range, then points the antenna at the ground just inside the selected range. ACT automatically adjusts the tilt with any change in altitude. ACT also changes the tilt control from the normal ±15° to ±2° for finer control.
Ground Mapping
Ground mapping (GMAP) is a navigation aid, and the Primus 880 has a mode specifically for depicting terrain features. Notice the detail shown on the radar picture (right) of Tampa Bay with the three causeways crossing the bay. Low power radars with long pulse widths are unable to give this type of detail and clarity.
Turbulence Detection
Turbulence exposes pilots, passengers and aircraft to unnecessary risk that may be present in any level of precipitation — even those with weak radar returns that may appear safe to fly through.
The Primus 880 radar uses advanced Doppler “pulse pair processing” techniques to detect spectrum spreading caused by turbulence within any storm cell — regardless of rainfall rates. Once detected, the turbulent areas are displayed in white on all ranges up to 50 nautical miles. This allows pilots to safely maneuver around uncomfortable, possibly hazardous weather.
| FEATURE | PRIMUS 880 | PRIMUS 660 |
|---|---|---|
| TRANSMITTER POWER | 10,000 W | 10,000 W |
| PULSE WIDTH | 1 or 2 usec | 1 or 2 usec |
| RECEIVER SENSITIVITY | 1 or 2 usec | 1 or 2 usec |
| REACT | Yes | Yes |
| ADVANCED BITE | Yes | Yes |
| TURBULENCE DETECTION | Yes | No |
| ALTITUDE COMPENSATED TILT (ACT) | Yes | No |
| AVAILABLE ANTENNA SIZE | 10″, 12″, 15″, 18″, 24″ | 10″, 12″, 15″, 18″ |
| MAXIMUM SCAN ANGLE | 120° | 120° |
| STABILIZED ANTENNA | Yes | Yes |
| TARGET ALERT | Yes | Yes |
| REDUCED SECTOR SCAN | Yes | Yes |
| MAX DISPLAY RNG (WXPD MODE ONLY) | 300 NM | 300 NM |
| MAX DISPLAY RNG (ARINC 453 MODE ONLY) | 320 NM | 320 NM |
| GROUND MAP MODE | Yes | Yes |
| DUAL CONTROL | Yes | Yes |
| VOLTAGE | 28VDC | 28VDC |
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954.492.3555