I have a Furuno GP7000 at the nav station that I'm going to replace with an ICOM M506-21 VHF radio (also has AIS RX and is N2K compliant). This seemed like a good choice since it will be an AIS backup and includes the ability to add a remote handset, and has the PA/Foghorn features.
The Furuno has a face dimension of about 12" x 6" and the M506 has a faceplate of 7" x 4.5" so I need to cover the old cutout.
I'm thinking of dark plexiglass, but that tends to become less attractive over time as it dulls. I don't think I would like bare aluminum, although I could paint the aluminum black...
