Panbo

Simplified Battery Maintenance

Somehow batteries are often located in difficult spots. But keeping them in good shape is very essential, even if you have only a small percentage of the gadgets that are mentioned on this website.... Trailer Boats Magazine reviews Flow-Rite's Qwik-Fill solution, which "replaces standard wet-cell battery caps with a pair of manifold-like caps that allow the cells to be filled perfectly without even seeing or touching the batteries."

Clean Sweep

Looking for some fresh air while boating...? Check out Dirt Devil’s CV950 central vacuum cleaning system...

"Dirt Devil’s CV950 central vacuum cleaning system has the power to rid your boat of germs and mildew, protecting you from allergens and dust mites, while its small size lets you get the most out of your space on board. This lightweight vacuum comes with various accessories, including rug tools, a crevice nozzle, and upholstery and dusting brushes."

Marina Internet Kiosks With Added Wi-Fi

If you happen to be a big marina operator, may be you will be able to develop a business case for this solution at $60K per installation. I'm sure you will please a lot of boaters...

"The robust, weather proof metal and glass terminals have touch sensitive screens that allow passers by to surf their favourite websites even when out and about in town. Each teminal will also have a Wi-Fi transmitter attached, which will allow anyone with a suitably equipped portable computer to surf the web within a radius of 300 metres around each terminal."

Big Fish, A Fishing Gadgets And Technology Roundup

Looking for some technology and gadgets that will help you catch some fish? Boating World has a round up of 9 products that will help "stack the odds a little more in your favor"... Highlighted products are the Eagle Cuda 240 S/GPS, Navman TrackFish 6600, Raymarine DS600X, Humminbird Fishfinder 565, Garmin Fishfinder 250C, Northstar 6000i, Bottom Line Tournament 320 MAX, Furuno LS4100 and C-MAP’s NT+.

"These days, a host of electronics is available to help anglers in their timeless pursuit of fish. True, they won’t catch the fish for you, and you’ll likely still wind up getting outwitted by more than your fair share of dastardly sea creatures. But these cutting-edge gizmos will help stack the odds a little more in your favor. The rest is up to you."

Raymarine Launches RayTechRNS 5.0 Software

Raymarine finally launched RayTech 5.0 last week. I've written about it before.

"It is easier to enter waypoints and build routes with this latest release. RayTechRNS' new 3D Rolling Road display allows for more intuitive navigation. Among the benefits of this high performance, lightning fast redraw chartplotting package is the capability of merging chart layers with live radar data, and overlaying weather and satellite image data."

Installing A GPS Chartplotter

Boating World's Chris Caswell has written a short how-to on installing a GPS Chartplotter. He uses Magellan’s FX324 Map GPS Color Plotter as an example.

"Today, however, navigational accuracy with a GPS/chartplotter combo is available at everyman prices. Even better, these are very easy to install and set up. With the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), GPS accuracy has been greatly enhanced, and the chartplotter shows you the position of your boat on an electronic chart, complete with depths, buoys and all the details of a paper chart. A GPS/chartplotter combination makes for worry-free navigation in all types of weather."

What's On Board: Tiara

A private sailing yacht with a seven-seat helicopter and an aviation communications systems. How about that...?

"After completing sea-trials in Auckland in April and May, the 54m (178ft) Dubois-designed sloop Tiara landed an EC 130 helicopter on the aft-deck. It is believed Tiara is the first privately-owned sailing yacht with a helipad. Tiara, built by Alloy Yachts Auckland New Zealand, was specifically designed to accommodate the owner's seven-seat helicopter. The aft deck has landing lights sunk into the teak and the yacht has aviation communications systems."

Ligtning Strikes

I've written before about ways to prevent serious damage being done to your on-board electronics as a result of a lightning strike. Here is an article that makes some interesting statements about the way we try to avoid being struck by lightning. And you will learn that over an 80-year life span, your chances of being involved in a lightning strike are about 1 in 3,000 (averaged worldwide stat)....

"Devices claiming to reduce your chances of being struck, by bleeding ions or electrostatic charge off of your masthead, do not work. If the device increases your mast height, it will actually increase your probability of being struck. This opinion was rendered in response to my direct question on the subject, and was unequivocal."

GPS Accuracy Through WAAS And EGNOS

Although Americans have enjoyed the advantages of a differential GPS (DGPS) system to improve accuracy of GOS fixes, Europeans and Japanese will soon have their own methods. And the good news is that there is interoperability when it comes to navigation equipment. Read this article (subscription required) for a more detailed explanation of the various systems and there reasons for being in existence.

"The answer is good news for voyagers in European waters. The Europeans are implementing their own version of WAAS. Called the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. This service will provide the same high-accuracy GPS corrections that WAAS does in North American waters. And the domain of improved GPS expands beyond that; a similar Japanese service, called MSAS will also provide satellite GPS corrections in the waters around Japan."

A Sure Sound And Waterproof TV

Lots of 'boat entertainment' related news this week. In this month's Boating World Gearlocker you can find the new SeaWorthy SEA2211B/W mid-tweeter highlighted. And what about this waterproof wireless TV from Casio found over at eHomeUpgrade...?

"You might find it enjoyable to lose yourself in the music, but never should it be the music that gets lost. The SeaWorthy SEA2211B/W mid-tweeter is mountable in two 18-inch gauge cutouts, which makes certain that sound is emitted at prime listening levels. Measuring 2-3/4 inches, this 30-watt speaker is ideal for V-berths, cuddy cabins and bows, and conveniently complements any system."

"The Casio XFER XF-1000 can operate for 3hours on a battery charge. This new Casio TV features a 10" screen with 640x480dots. The tuner unit can receive terrestrial TV and also has connectors for receivers or dvd players. The video signal is transmitted over the 2.4Ghz band with DS-SS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum/ direct spread). The reach is about 30m. Because the Casio XFER XF-1000 and the Remote are water-proof, users can take it with them to the bath tube or on a float in the pool."

Marine Wireless Navigation Server

Todd Huss wrote me an email about a new product he is developing, allowing secure wireless access to navigation information anywhere on a boat. He warns me not to expect it to be cheap at launch, but have a look for yourself at their website.

"The Marine Wireless Navigation Server enables secure wireless access (802.11b 128bit WEP encryption) to navigation information anywhere on a vessel. Any number of navigation clients (handhelds, laptops, weatherproof tablet PC's) can wirelessly access data from Seatalk or NMEA enabled navigation devices such as GPS, radar, wind, depth, autopilot, and speed. Using the included virtual serial port software will enable your existing navigation applications (e.g. The Capn, Nobeltec, Raytech Navigator, SeaClear, etc...) to work wirelessly so you can navigate from the nav station, your bunk, or in the cockpit!"

Use "Not Marine" Car Stereos?

Someone on Yahoo Group's World-Cruising mailing-list asked whether it is really necessary to have a 'marine grade' car stereo. Here are some of the replies to that question.

S/V Aquarius says: "we have a 40 footer that we cruise 24/7. Bought a Pioneer car stereo (XM ready) from Crutchfield with no external or added amp (draws too much power). Have ADS bookshelf speakers (great sound) that have been on board 15 years and still going strong...five years on another boat before that."

David B adds to that: "the real problem is with speakers. It's worth getting some marinized speakers (if you're putting speakers in the cockpit)....and to install them so you can screw in a deckplate or cover when the spray starts to fly, not to mention getting pooped or something. Speaker holes are very big and can let in a lot of water!"

And, again, Mike from S/V Aquarius sums it up: "in my estimation, marine stereos for cruisers are either overkill or a marketing triumph over technology!"

Oh, and Bryan Genez makes a comment that I have seen many times before: "FWIW, I installed a new stereo last year because I wanted satellite radio capability. I've since subscribed to Sirius, and am delighted. Almost completely eliminates the need for CDs."

Running A Software Business From The Antarctic

New marine communications methods allow for new life styles. Here is a perfect example of that. Jonathan Selby is sailing the world over, sometimes single-handedly, but still is an active co-owner of Xaxero Marine Software.

"Today we sailed through the mind-bending Lemaire Channel that separates Booth Island from the Antarctic Peninsula. The staggering, crazy shapes of beached icebergs dominate the landscape, and the particularly nasty email I got from a disgruntled customer fades to insignificance. Working out of a briefcase is the norm for many of us, but the freedom of modern communications allows us to take this to extremes — in my case, to the limits of where cruising is possible and the Antarctic Peninsula."

AC Maintenance

The DIY newsletter (free subscription) helps you make sure your AC will work once the summer starts...

"Spring weather in many regions may not require the use of your boat's air conditioning unit but by mid-summer you'll be glad you have this amenity. An hour spent maintaining the AC now will ensure it pumps out cold air when needed. Check your service manual and follow the procedures below."

Ethernet Or NMEA 2000?

Good question posed to Ben Ellison for his monthly Q&A session on marine electronics. I too wish the answer could be different...

"I’m starting to spec a 45-foot custom boat and want it to have a “future-proof” electronics networking backbone. Should I go with NMEA 2000 or Ethernet?"... ...As we say in Maine, “You can’t get there from here!” The confusing truth is that a single, universal networking protocol and hardware standard for marine electronics has not yet appeared and probably never will."

Offshore Wi-Fi

An article on TeleSea, the company that provides Wi-Fi within 30 miles of the (US) coast. Still pretty expensive I must say, and it's primarily being used by commercial ships at this moment. But expect prices to drop so we can all use our Vonage subscription 30 miles offshore...

"For a one-time installation cost of $7500 and $500 per month, TeleSea installs an omnidirectional antenna and transmitter relay node onto a boat and provides Internet access via the company's wireless network along the coast. The relay node turns the boat into a floating Wi-Fi hot spot, so no additional wiring is necessary. With an additional piece of hardware, Wheat's system also has the capability to forward voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone calls onto the telephone network."

Can You Hear Me Now?

Good article by Ben Ellison on "how the mess of gadgets and wires pictured above is actually one sensible system for getting the most out of marine cellular." In this June 2004 column for Power & Motoryacht he talks about the actual performance of gear from, a.o., CellSocket, Shakespeare and Digital Antenna.

"I can tell you that Digital’s gear really works. I often saw 5- to 10-dBm improvements just by attaching my phone to the antenna, another 10 to 15 by adding the amplifier, which also seemed to flatten signal fluctuations. I was the strange guy repeatedly calling my own office answering machine from the boat (and pickup truck, as I also had a 3-dB car antenna) last season. I’d find a marginal reception area and then place separate calls with the cell alone and with the bidirectional booster attached. I could hear the difference both ways, first in my machine’s outgoing message and then when I got home on the messages I left."

HF Radio E-Mail for 'Idi-Yachts'

Ocean Navigator has a very short, but also very positive, review of a book called 'HF Radio E-Mail for 'Idi-Yachts'', written by Marti Brown. It's a guide for setting up and using wireless e-mail through ham/marine SSB radio.

"The book offers the information simply, assumes limited knowledge on the part of the reader without being overly simplistic. Chapters include discussion of HF equipment, both ham and single-sideband radios and modem choices; rigging an HF radio in a sailboat; a discussion of various service providers and their offerings; a valuable chapter that describes how to make all your communications gear work together; and discussions on HF operation. The book’s CD-ROM includes related articles, software programs and samples of data sounds encountered in HF comms."

First Wireless Fish Finder Wrist Watch

Humminbird's SmartCast Fish Finder Watch has been out for a while, and I've written about it before. But here is another link to it since a new weblog called Wrist Dreams has found out about it as well. They also highlight some other watches for marine use.

"The sensor reads water depth up to 100' with a 90° sonar beam to find the sport where fish hide. All controls are operated from the one-touch wrist unit, including the fish proximity alarm, sensitivity level, depth range, and fish identifier. The remote sensor provides 400 hours of continuous usage, and automatically shuts off after it is removed from water to conserve battery life."
(Humminbird's Smartcast at Amazon.com)

Smaller Autopilot

MotorBoating has a short review on ComNav's new small-boat autopilot. Read about it here.

"ComNav has introduced a small-boat autopilot that delivers features found on its larger units. Compatible with NAV interface input and NMEA 0183 heading output data, the new ComNav 1500 Autopilot’s drive draws a maximum of 25 amps. Its easy-to-read, five-button control head has a high-contrast LCD display, measures 4.3" x 4.3" x 1" and has adjustable backlighting."

Electronic Nautical Charts Developments

Missed this one before, but in the Digital Ship Plus edition I mentioned yesterday there is also an interesting discussion (pdf, page 13) on electronic nautical charts. Although vector charts are generally preferred, there are some things that frustrate progress in this area.

"There is growth - many say that almost all new-build vessels have an electronic chart display onboard, and many chart display systems are being sold on existing vessels, and many new official vector charts are coming onto the market. But there is also stalemate as hydrographic offices around the world are slow to produce the official vector charts and maritime authorities do not allow ships to navigate relying on vector charts from private companies such as C-MAP and Transas. The result is supreme confusion and cost for shipping companies. If they want the safety benefits of electronic charts, in most cases they still have to pay for paper charts as well, which means paying double; consequently many shipping companies decide to only use paper, even if the vessel has a chart display system onboard. It looks like paper charts are here to stay for many more years."

On-board Satellite Communications

Two weeks ago there was a conference organized by Digital Ship, with one of the topics being on-board satellite communications. Although its main focus was on the larger shipping companies, some lessons can be learned for private yacht owners as well. You can find the report here (pdf).

"The result of the trial was that V.Ships saved 67 per cent of its communications costs on Fleet 55... ...EMS Satcom also calculated that Fleet 55 MPDS was 87 per cent cheaper than Mini-M for data communications with the same real life communications pattern, since mini-M was not designed to carry data."

"Dimitris Theodossiou, managing director of Danaos Management Consultants, created a stir by saying he could offer VSAT 64 kpbs always on for $400 a month, guaranteed 99.99 per cent availability, not including lease of the equipment, through Danaos' partnership with Broadband Maritime of New York."

Water Resistant Portable Speakers

Although intended for use in the shower, I'm sure you'll have fun with it while sailing as well...

"These portable speakers by JVC are safe to take with you in the shower. So load it up with your favorite karaoke tunes (on MiniDisk) and sing away as you soap. It comes in three pastel colors and will be available in Japan on June 1st. Also comes with a pocket-sized remote controller."

Detecting Harmful Electricity

Looking for a better way to detect stray electrical currents, and therefore prevent injuring swimmers or damaging underwater metals? Have a look at ESC's DockTester, a winner of the the 2003 NMMA Innovation Award.

"Before DockTester, onboard electrical problems could only be detected by an impractical, time-consuming visual inspection of every wire and connection. DockTester easily identifies the existence and magnitude of stray electrical currents on vessels and in the surrounding water. The portable in-line tester connects between a boat's shore power cord and the dock's AC receptacle."

Switched On Security

Like I said before, security is a hot issue. Besides Motor Boat & Yachting's special feature on this topic, Yachting World has one as well in their June 2004 issue. So if you can't get enough...

"The modern way to protect your boat is to use the latest remote technology to keep an eye on it for you. Mike Kopman reports on alarms, tracking devices and electric fences"

Tricolor and Anchor Combination LED Light

LEDs have been discussed many times before on this weblog, and here is an another example of the advances in this area. Orca Green Marine's TriAnchor is the first to achieve compliance to the USCG standard with a LED-based Tricolor and Anchor combination light.

"For example, a typical bicolor filament light for sailboats up to 65 feet will draw 25 Watts of power. That's 2.1 Amps at 12 Volts. Much of that power is wasted in heat production. OGM's LED lights use only 1.2 Watts, or 0.1 amps at 12 VDC. At this low power draw, a boat will be able to run his navigational lights for over a month without the need to recharge to boat's battery bank. Also, very little energy is wasted in heat, which means your lights will run cooler and more efficiently. The LEDs used in OGM lights produce only the color required to meet 72 COLREGS requirements. So no colored filters are required, which have a tendency to darken,crack and cloud with age."

Refrigerated Compactor, A Waste Solution

Spending lots of time on board, don't know what to do with your waste? If you've got the space, Uson Marine might have the solution (free subscription required). The UKP-6060 Refrigerated Sack Compactor, especially suited as a waste solution for the yacht market. At least, that's what they claim.

"The compaction normally gives an approximate 80%, and up to 95% volume reduction thanks to a silent heavy-duty electromechanical drive. In addition, the waste is compacted in durable plastic bags, and the unique built-in refrigeration system keeps the waste at a hygienic 4°C, ensuring the elimination of odors and bacterial growth."

Boating Season Resolution

Some real-life lessons on boat electronics to be found in the latest Ocean Navigator marine electronics eNewsletter by Chris Parker, sailing from Bermuda to Puerto Rico.

"There’s often a deeper lesson, and here it is: Your vessel has many complex and vital systems, mechanical, electrical and otherwise. Most of these systems were designed and manufactured to be used. The majority of system failures result from LACK of use, not overuse. My recommendation is that you resolve to test all major systems on a regular schedule (say monthly) and always prior to an offshore trip, during spring commissioning and fall decommissioning."

Wireless Lighting Technology Continued

A couple of weeks ago I had a post on a company called MarineLED that keeps sending out these press releases through which they promote their new 'wireless lightning technology.' It sounded a bit like, as reader Dave stated it, a bad PR spin. I received an email from the company in which they try to clarify the whole thing.

Good Morning,

-Your 'wireless' marine lighting experts-

Continue Reading

Boat Security Continued...

Boat security seems to be a hot topic today... Further to my earlier post on this new boat security system, the Yachtwatcher, Motor Boat & Yachting has a special feature on this topic to be published in their June 2004 issue.

"A boat is an expensive bit of kit to leave in the open air unattended for long periods. But is boat theft as rife as is supposed? We talk to some of those involved in chasing lost boats and discover what type of security products are just the job to give you peace of mind."

Electronic Anchor Controllers

Muir has launched several new electronic anchor controllers. Top of the range is the Auto Anchor 500RCX model which will dock the anchor automatically, by remote control, ideal for vessels where it is difficult to see the windlass or anchor rode from the helm. Not sure if this isn't really a relaunch, since this product has been around for a while I believe.

"The 500RCX also incorporates motor overload protection and automatic cut out to stop the anchoring operation if the windlass jams. It is operable with all chain or rope/chain combination rodes and it replaces the solenoids with solid state switching."

Yachtwatcher

Not a first of its kind, but German firm NAVCOS has launched Yachtwatcher YW 5000, which sends a text message to a yacht owner's mobile phone in the vent that it is broken into or it should leave its moorings. Besides that, you can even send individual control commands via your mobile phone and turn on or off the refrigerator or the bilge pump for example.

"After activating the Yachtwatcher YW 5000, on board sensors are used to monitor the status a yacht, and GPS measurements are taken at regular intervals. The same system can also be used to activate equipment on board the yacht, such as a bilge pump, or a refrigerator. The YW 5000 features a 12 channel GPS receiver, integrated dual band GSM modem, power management system for lower power consumption, and can store 32,000 positions, which can be accessed and analysed to determine the route taken by a boat should it be stolen."

A Facelift For Your Dashboard

I'm sure this is an issue that many of you are fully aware of. "Your helm area looks a little hodge-podge. A bracket-mounted fish finder here; a flush-mounted radio that has been shoe-horned in over there. What seemed like a good spot for the GPS a few years ago now looks odd." Go Boating Magazine has a column on how to do something about this...

"When it comes to updating your helm control area, you don't have to engage in a major reconstruction effort. If there is enough structure remaining to tie into, a plexiglass cover plate will provide a new surface to mount all the new goodies and whatever you decide to keep. An added benefit is that you can basically start all over again and arrange your gear in a logical, orderly layout."

What's On Board: Octopus

In the 'What's On Board' series, we've seen some pretty amazing yachts. But when it comes to electronics, gadgets, etc, Paul Allen's Octopus is probably the one to beat. He is the co-founder of Microsoft and therefore, besides rich, pretty tech savvy we might assume... Although I can't find many specifics, I'm sure you'll get a feeling of it when you read one of the many articles on this new mega-yacht. For some additional pictures (and speculation) have a look at the Power & Motoryacht Forum.

"But guests reported that the boat was over the top -- even by billionaire-yacht standards. Details include: teak floors, a theater and basketball court, two helicopter pads and a sound-mixing studio large enough, guests were told, to produce a major motion picture. For times when Mr. Allen feels like roughing it, the yacht ports a 60-foot yacht and eventually will boast a 10-person submarine that will run on fuel cells so it can stay under water for as long as two weeks."

$1,000 West Marine Shopping Spree

Would like to win a $1,000 shopping spree, redeemable on purchases from any West Marine retail store, catalog or web site? It's just the 2nd prize to be awarded in West Marine's 36th anniversary sweepstake.

"36 years after opening for business, West Marine is the world's favorite boating supply source. To celebrate we're giving away a wealth of prizes - including a Hunter Sailboat, a $1,000 West Marine Shopping Spree and Raymarine electronics. Enter at any West Marine store between May 13th and the 23rd!"

Storm Trackers

Lengthy piece over at Yachtingnet on real-time weather data systems from WSI and WxWorx.

"Imagine a wall of gray between you and your destination. Ship’s radar sees only 24 miles ahead, and your little boat is not particularly speedy. With real-time weather sent from one of these providers to your chart plotter, you can expand your weather window and display the same NEXRAD Doppler-radar feed you see on television, complete with lightning flashes."

Dock Slips

Nice to see how your marina can be managed using dedicated software. Would be even better if they provided a web-based interface where you, as a yacht owner, could select certain services you need at a certain time at your slip. Power, internet access, cleaning, etc.

"As you see in the example image above, Dock Slips provides an interactive, user-friendly map of a marina. When you purchase Dock Slips, the map will be a fully-customized layout of YOUR marina."

Water Resistant Digital Camera Roundup

Practical Boat Owner has published its water resistant digital camera test online. Check it out if you are in the market for such a device, but be aware of the fact that there are many more options out there. These, the Pentax Optio 22WR, Casio GV-20, Sony Cybershot DSC-U60, and the Ricoh Capillo 300G, are low-end cameras as Gizmodo correctly notes.

"As it's awkward getting a fair representation on to the printed page, we have also put the jpegs on this page for you to download and compare. All the images were taken in a basic automatic mode, at their finest setting, but to show you how they could look, the last image has been tweaked slightly in Photoshop."

Big GPS Savings

If you're shopping for a GPS device, you might find some interesting prices over at Yachting & Boating World's Marine Store.

"The ybw marine store has lowered its prices, with upto 20% off Garmin and Magellan products delivered to your door, yacht or marina. If you order before Saturday 15 May you will also get free postage and packaging. The ybw marine store offers you over 8,000 items of chandlery for both yachts and motorboats."

Hand-Held VHF Radios

My website statistics show me that for the last week, the post on Uniden's Mystic was the most read page. So here is an article by Chuck Husick on hand-held VHF radios that might be interesting to you. It has some tips and tricks on the workings of these devices and how to use them.

"As with all marine VHF transceivers, hand-helds must provide a 1 watt transmit power selection in addition to whatever higher power may be available (usually 3-6 watts). The general considerations that govern the choice of a fixed mount VHF set apply to a hand-held radio. The receiver is the most costly part of the radio and its ability to separate the signal you need to hear from interfering signals may determine the radio's worth. Transmit power is a secondary consideration. Remember, communication on the marine VHF band is essentially line of sight. Unless the radio is connected to a fixed antenna, mounted at some height above the water, the one watt low power setting will usually be all you need for clear communication. Further, unless the radio is connected to an external power source it will be drawing energy from its internal battery. Battery life is greatly extended by using the low power setting."

Sunglasses With Integrated Instrument Displays...?

This may sound, and probably is, a bit far fetched, but heads up displays are coming, to the yachting scene as well. Someday. They're being used in the military right now and have found their way into the industry. While useful/usable applications for recreational sailing might take a while to appear, I guess that something like this could be valuable to those of you that are really into performance sailing. And don't forget the yachting maintenance and engineering industry.

"These screens, often referred to as "heads up" displays, are used extensively by the military, which is loading soldiers up with displays that help them do everything from seeing around corners to referencing global positioning maps."

A Waterproof iPod (Case)

May be not as submersive as the two MP3 players I wrote about last week, but since many of you surely will have an iPod, this is the way to make sure you can use it while on (or accidentally in) the water.

(Lilipod at Amazon.com)

On Radars And Microwave Ovens...

For those of you that have an interest in the history of marine electronics, here is a funny quote in an article on innovation and offshoring that I would like to share with you. It tells the story of how the microwave oven was invented as a result of research into radar technology.

"It happened one day in 1946, the story goes, when Percy Spencer noticed that a candy bar had melted in his pocket while he was testing a new magnetron vacuum tube for Raytheon, as part of its radar research that began during World War II. Intrigued, he placed some popcorn kernels near the tube, and an egg, the next morning--and discovered that the intense heat had similar effects."

Bluetooth For Bluewater And WinGPS 4

Stentec Software has launched their new GPS-Navigation program WinGPS 4. One of the nicer features is that it, supposedly, helps you get the most out of the Bluetooth enabled NMEA multiplexer from ShipModul I wrote about before.

"The Miniplex-42BT comes with an extra utility which allows the multiplexer to be fully configured. Full configuration will also be possible from the GPS-navigation program WinGPS 4 Pro, which is currently being developed by Stentec Software."

Troubleshooting Radio Frequency Interference

So when you're list of on board electronics and gadgets looks like a summary of this website, how do you make sure interference won't be spoiling the party? Well, start by reading John Payne's electronics column in DIY boat owner magazine's 2004#1 issue.

"Noise sources on a boat are often classified as radio frequency interference (RFI) or electromagnetic interference (EMI). They are major enemies of electronic systems, corrupting your GPS position fixes, degrading radio communications and causing general electronics performance problems. RFI is essentially interference and noise that is superimposed as a disturbance or voltage transient either on the electrical power supply or the data and signal lines. This is then processed along with the good data to corrupt or degrade the processed information."

Online Tidal Information

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) launches 'Admiralty EasyTide', the new tidal information service, on May 17. It has a worldwide coverage of around 6000 primary and secondary ports.

"A new port search function including world map, area and text search means the required tidal data can be identified effortlessly. The new service has been designed for easy PDA access with minimal loading times and the display has been adjusted to suit the smaller screen size."

Updated: Submersive MP3 Players

Engadget reports on the not particularly cheap, but very convenient MP3 player for listening to music on boats. Never mind the weather, or the water for that matter, since the device is submersive as well.

"The Oceanic DV-64 can be submerged to depth of 200 meters, but getting your MP3 while undersea will cost you, this baby retails for $399, or as much as a 20GB iPod."

Engadget's Peter Rojas found an even better submersive MP3 player, both in terms of cost and memory...

"That MP3 player for scuba divers we mentioned yesterday isn’t your only option for getting your MP3 on while underwater. There’s also the SWIMMAN, a waterproof player that has twice as much memory as the Oceanic DV-64 (i.e. 128MB vs 64MB) and costs $150 less."

Cool Lights

There's no question that the trend towards light-emittingdiode technology is very strong. I have covered it a couple of times already and the benefits are clear. Trailer Boats Magazine has discovered them as well.

"What would you say if I told you there were products for your trailer that would save you time and money, and make it look more attractive? And the best part is you can install these products yourself in a matter of minutes with simple hand tools. These amazing products are light-emitting diode (LED) systems. LEDs are certainly not new, but they have recently been incorporated into lighting systems for trailers, and these products are readily available at reasonable prices."

Headings: Get A GRIB On The Weather

Let's start with a quote from the article: "Sailors are preoccupied with weather." I guess that's a true statement, so where should we get our weather information? If you have a Practical-Sailor.com subscription, you can find out all about it right here. For those of you who don't, there is a free trial available...

"Once you step aboard the boat and drop the mooring, however, things change. Unless you have satellite television aboard, The Weather Channel is a fond memory, and (lacking an unlimited budget) high-speed Internet access is just wishful thinking."

Tested: Nobeltec’s eChart Planner

MotorBoating has a short review on Nobeltec’s eChart Planner. Read all about it here....

"If you want to learn something new about personal computers, simply ask a teenager. But if you’re interested in learning how to operate a navigation program with your computer, ask Nobeltec. Better yet, get Nobeltec’s eChart Planner software for PCs. This software puts charts, weather and tide animation at your fingertips, and as I discovered during my test, it’s fun to use."

Thinking Like Your GPS System

An article by Dick Aarons from Yachtingnet that discusses the problems that arise with having so many options to navigate your boat. It's a short guide into the different components of a ship's navigation system.

"Today's electronic navigation systems let you accomplish just about any navigation task in three or four ways. And therein lies the problem. Some of these systems offer so many options we can easily lose track of the fundamental task at hand: getting from point A to point B safely and relatively gracefully."

Tuning To A Quarter Wave

Nice thread on how short SSB antennas operate and why. The discussion is concerning antennas that are shorter than a quarter wavelength. It's a bit technical, but you might find it helpful if you are into SSB.

"It may seem like semantics but there are a lot of people that get confused and think that when making the system resonant with a shorter antenna that the antenna is really the same as a quarter wave length antenna when there is a loading coil. It is far from that. Its radiation resistance and its feed point resistance are both much lower."

Boat U.S.

Forbes awarded the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.) Web site as a “Best of the Web Pick. A special remark was made on Chuck Husick's marine electronics contributions.

"You can also find information on on-the-water towers, boat lettering services and boater education, and there's even a state-recognized free online boater safety course," she said. The Forbes.com editors rate each site according to five criteria: content, design, speed, navigation and customization, and BoatUS.com ranked near the top in every category, BoatU.S. said. "Some of the best information was the Boat Tech Guides with no-nonsense how-to's, and Chuck Husick's marine electronics information that demystifies higher-tech gear like GPS systems and electronic navigation charts," McErlane said."

Racing Aspirations...?

Thinking of competing in one of the major ocean races, or may be just pretend you are..? Have a look at SetSail's special race package.

"It's 2004, and the Bermuda Race, Pacific Cup, and Transatlantic races are on the horizon. SetSail and MaxSea have teamed up to create special packages for these events. These include our high-end Yacht software, together with modules for Routing and Performance. These elements give you the best routing software in the world, the choice of boats like Mari Cha lV and Cheyenne, along with virtually the entire singlehanded racing and Volvo Ocean Race fleets, not to mention the ORMA racing trimarans. The best part is that this software is easy to learn and easy to use (you don't even need to be a professional navigator or teenager). In addition, this software comes with the latest in S57 Vector charts from NOAA (which include details of Newport, San Francisco, and New York) plus our package of world-wide and U.S. planning charts."