Furuno Compasses

Furuno Compasses: Satellite-Precision Heading for Every Vessel

When reliable navigation is a matter of safety, few names carry as much weight on the water as Furuno. As a global leader in marine electronics, Furuno has built a reputation for rugged, precision-engineered instruments trusted by commercial mariners and recreational boaters alike. Nowhere is that engineering excellence more apparent than in their line of marine compasses — a category where Furuno has pushed the technology far beyond the traditional magnetic compass.

From Fluxgate to Satellite: A Full Compass Lineup

Furuno's compass lineup spans from Satellite Compasses to fluxgate magnetic sensors, reflecting the brand's legendary quality and rugged reliability. The fluxgate models, which use a solid-state rate gyroscope for enhanced stability, serve as capable and affordable heading solutions for smaller vessels. But it is Furuno's proprietary SATELLITE COMPASS™ technology that truly sets the brand apart in this category.

The SATELLITE COMPASS™ Advantage

Furuno offers high-accuracy Satellite Compasses with compact multi-sensor antennas, using GPS, Galileo, and/or GLONASS satellite systems to ensure the highest precision and coverage — with heading accuracy as fine as 0.25 degrees. Unlike a traditional magnetic compass, these instruments are completely immune to magnetic deviation caused by onboard electronics, engines, or metal structures.

A standout in the Furuno Satellite Compass range is the SCX-20. Utilizing four separate GNSS antennas, the SCX-20 set a new standard for reliable and accurate heading; traditionally, a Satellite Compass™ calculates heading using one baseline between two antennas, but the SCX-20's four antennas can calculate heading using any one of six baselines drawn between them. This unprecedented quad-antenna design makes it capable of calculating extremely accurate heading, pitch, roll, and heave information.

For mariners seeking commercial-grade performance, the SC130 is another flagship offering. This advanced satellite compass harnesses GNSS technology — drawing from GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellites — to deliver rock-solid heading data that traditional magnetic compasses simply can't match. Beyond pointing north, it calculates real-time speed over ground (SOG), course over ground (COG), rate of turn (ROT), and three-axis speeds for bow, stern, and longitudinal motion.

Seamless Integration with Your Navigation Ecosystem

Furuno Satellite Compasses enhance the performance of onboard equipment such as radar, fish finders, sonar, and autopilots — with accurate heading information helping NAVpilot systems keep a better course, saving time and fuel on every voyage. These satellite compasses prove their value by increasing the accuracy of other devices, such as Radar, ARPA, Scanning Sonar, Chart Plotters, ECDIS, and Autopilots.

Whether you are outfitting a sportfishing boat, a yacht, or a commercial working vessel, Furuno's compass solutions deliver the heading integrity that modern navigation demands. Explore the full Furuno brand page to see how their compasses fit into a broader, fully integrated marine electronics system, or browse all marine compasses to compare your options.