I've had impressive results with the Tacktick Micronet system on the Annie G., but the gear is expensive. Good then that Tacktick has introduced an economy version of the T101 wind system, called the mn30 and/or T033 (click on photo above for larger version). The nifty solar-powered, wireless masthead sensor is the same, but the display is powered from a boat's 12v supply instead of solar cells. Which seems like a reasonable trade for a discount of over $400 retail, and might even be preferable on boats where the display doesn't get sufficient sunlight. Actually, there may be some other features missing from the mn30/T033 that I haven't found yet. But I do know that it supports basic calibration like offset and speed %, and can integrate with a Micronet wireless speedo or NMEA box (& GPS) for True Wind readings. Here's the manual PDF and U.S. distributor Ocean Equipment's listing.
Photographing a brochure leads to distortions (thanks regardless to Richard “Widescreen” Brain), but use your imagination to square up and sharpen the new Raymarine ST70+ image above. Then understand that this 6.5” 640 x 400 pixel screen is capable of showing all the SeaTalkNG/NMEA 2000 navigation, engine, and systems data promised in the original ST70, and I think you’ll agree that this is a welcome product indeed. But where are the control buttons?
It’s come to my attention that not every Panbo reader is obsessed with AIS! So how about a new charting app for the iPhone? That would be Navionics Mobile, which was just introduced at the Genoa Boat Show. It is, in fact, a relative of iNavX, the first iPhone charting app (why reinvent good code?), though obviously different. iNavX can’t download a NOAA raster chart of Genoa, Italy, for instance, and no raster chart can offer a choice of nav aid presentation as illustrated in the split screen shots above and below...
So how about a product whose details are mysterious and which may not exist, and even if it does, probably doesn’t work very well? The thing is that I’ve gotten a little Bluetooth happy, and the Deckband 4i concept looks like a particulary interesting way to use it on a boat. From what I can gather at the unfinished site above, this hub not only permits four crew to communicate via Bluetooth cell phone type headsets, but can also somehow mix in VHF, and (I think) serves as a proactive man overboard alarm system.
So I’ve been testing two marine WiFi systems. First up is newcomer 5MileWiFi, pictured above. Its heart is in that little machined aluminum case which delivers Internet to your PC via that main USB cable, also used to get some of the power needed to run what’s claimed to be a 1,000 mW WiFi transceiver. The side mounted USB cable is just for added power and can go to your PC or any other USB power source. The $399 package also includes 25’ of LMR240 coax and a 38” high 9 dbi omni-directional marine WiFi antenna.
I’m truly excited about the imminent release of ActiveCaptain Mobile, the long awaited heir to the Outdoor Navigator (ON) PDA & smart phone charting program that went dormant two years ago. Of course we got some big hints when developers Jeff and Karen Siegel introduced the ActiveCaptain (AC) web site about a year ago. Now 5,000 boaters are registered there, and together they’ve made some 150,000 updates to its visual database of marina, anchorage, etc. cruising info. So the idea of ActiveCaptain Mobile (ACM) is to be not only an ON-style mini-plotter but also a live-anywhere connection with the AC database.
Type my zip code into the Sprint coverage map and you’ll get the above. The green color indicates some level of service, but the little dots mean “Signal strength information unavailable.” Well, when I queried AnyTrack last week, a tech there told me that “usually, in areas with this sort of coverage there is very spotty Sprint cellular coverage.” I’ll say!
I finally launched Annie G., my Rhodes 18 (named after me mum), and am getting pretty excited about the various Tacktick instruments I’ve installed. I had to drill a substantial hole in the hull just forward of the mast for a T910 triducer that’s wired to a T121 Hull Transmitter mounted just under the mast partners. And I had to modify the old Windex mast-head plate to attach the T120 Wind Transmitter . But I did not have to run a wire down the mast, which would have been a major pain. And of course the T112 Analogue and T111 Dual Digital displays—also wireless and solar powered—don’t need wires either, as I’m demonstrating from my skiff above.
Last night, I had an enlightening email exchange with Aaron Lynch as he tested his new WiFi setup from a slip at Marina Del Rey:
I spent a buttload of money trying to buy high power cards and then pigtails and antennas on the cheap. $20 or $30 here or there, but it just never quite worked. I was going to get the WaveRV USB, but they never responded to me, and their drivers only supported 10.3, not the current Mac OS 10.4. Finally I got so fed up I bought an Engenius 3220 EXT {$170 on eBay, and elsewhere}. I can’t say enough about it! The most important features for me are the 400mw transmit power and an external antenna connector so I can add a yagi or something like that if I need it {it came with the 5dBi rubber stubby shown}. Currently it’s on the stern rail and I’m surfing at 1.7 megabits/sec where before I would surf intermittently, and very, very slowly. Unlike previous Engenius products this one has a web interface that works with Firefox on a Mac. It has a site-survey feature that makes it really easy to see and connect.
Now Aaron can see 20-30 networks and was able to get online with an open hotel conference room system at about 1,800 feet (illustrated in GE below) and a boatyard that “blew my mind, it’s 1900’ and diagonally through a 60's era concrete hotel building.” The 3220 is a Power over Ethernet (POE) device, like the Port Networks I tried, so you’ll need 110 ac or an inverter. By the way, Aaron has his connected to an Apple Airport Express “which gives me full WiFi signal within the boat, and I can stream music to the stereo too,” but the set up “got awfully complicated” requiring a “weird double-NAT thing.” Thanks, Aaron! (Coincidentally, David Pogue has piece on the travails of WiFi routers in the Times today. Don’t miss the video, especially you Mac fans.)
When I first heard of the WaveRV Marine USB WiFi combo radio/antenna last year, I wrote that the radio pumped out 400 milliwatts. One Panbo commenter wrote in doubting that figure, and he was right (that was AdriftAtSea, and hearts out to him for his recent tragedy). As you can see in the connect software that comes with the WaveRV (and is quite good), the actual “Tx Power Level” is 100 mW. When I questioned RadioLabs about this, they said that their 400mW spec is based on the combined power of the amp and antenna, justifiable since they are physically combined. Well OK, fellas, but how about putting that information clearly into your specs? RadioLabs has scaled down its performance claims from the “Up to 30 Times the Range of Standard Integrated Wireless Cards. Line-of-sight up to 4 Miles.” on the original press release to the “Over 15x the range of your notebook wireless card!! Up to 1 mile of range to a wireless access point.” now on their Web site. But I doubt I saw any ranges approaching a mile when testing the WaveRV in Maine, the Netherlands, and Florida over several months. But it certainly did increase my range as compared to the Intel PRO radio built into my HP laptop. I also tried it in the same Camden Harbor locations as I did the Port Networks Ethernet radio and, while changes in the APs spoiled a direct comparison, I’d say that PN’s box did better. (And I also tried it with an older laptop, but the connection was pokey due to the limitations of USB 1, not the WaveRV.)
Syrens Onboard is the relatively new brand name for the high end marine WiFi systems developed by GeoSat Solutions (now also marketed by Syrens At Sea). I’ve heard mostly good things about this gear’s performance, even one report of getting usable WiFi 12 miles offshore! I may have misunderstood that range, and it’s certainly not common; WiFi may get you true broadband in some marinas and anchorages, but it’s cellular always-on data plans that keep your e-mail, weather reports, etc. flowing as you move along the coast. Which is why I saw a number of cellular data products in Miami, including the Syrens Onboard EC-Hybrid model above, which includes high power WiFi radio, amplified Cingular radio, local WiFi access point, and Ethernet router. It will supposedly even be able to use both forms of Internet access together.
In the meantime I just discovered that my hotel's Wayport WiFi service (I’m in Miami until Wed.) is also part of the Boingo WiFi service, the main difference being price. Like instead of paying $50 for five days Boingo is $22 for a month and includes coverage in the airports I’ll be passing through, and lots of other places! The problem is that your computer will not see the Boingo service in many places, like this hotel, unless you use Boingo software as your WiFi "sniffer". It's free, there is a Mac version, and actually it's quite good for seeing and connecting to any WiFi access point. If you use WiFi on the road, or water, you might want to download Boingo software today.
PS 2/20: Here’s a screen shot illustrating Boingo’s software, and the unfortunate attitude of more and more WiFi users I’m afraid…i.e. a secured AP named “NoFreeWiFiMoFo”.
A comment in the Velocitek S10 entry reminded me of this DeLorme Blue Logger that I tested a couple of years ago. It’s a pretty powerful little gizmo for the money, but one thing I didn’t get into in the short review was the annoying file format it logs into. As I recall I had a devil of a time getting the data into non-DeLorme mapping programs, but that issue may now be easily solvable with some of the conversion programs we’ve discussed (though I haven’t checked). Apparently I also missed the fact that the real time Bluetooth NMEA 0183 output does not include the WAAS corrections, as discovered by a PMY reader. I don’t know why DeLorme did that, or if it’s still true.
I’d bet there are 100’s of blogs like these out there—wonderful for tapping into boat passion, and wells of useful info—but Jeff Siegel is a man apart. For years now he has been collecting and sharing valuable information on cruising communications (mostly via Trawlers-and-trawling). Last summer, for instance, he posted a thorough entry on his cell amp testing, and now has just posted his cell and WiFi experience during that 1,000 mile coastal trip. I recommend reading the full posts, but here are some highlights:
“My general finding is that WiFi isn't worth the effort of all the special hardware any longer. This is a sad conclusion. I've been using much of this WiFi hardware over the last three years with stellar success in the beginning. …My story isn't all bad. In fact, my "connected boat" experience during the last five weeks has been the best experience that I've ever had with being connected on the water. Where WiFi has fallen off, cellular has picked up the ball with amazing results. I maintained a continuous Internet connection WHILE UNDERWAY from Maine to North Carolina except in one 25 mile spot. This included sections where I was offshore: Maine (3-10 miles), Boston (12 miles), Long Island (10 miles), New Jersey (4-5 miles). The only dead zone that I experienced was along most of the Alligator-Pungo Canal in North Carolina.”
Good news, eh? Jeff will do more testing in a few months during leg two to the Bahamas (plus he continues to work on the next, very interesting, iteration of Activemap). His cell set up, by the way, is:
PS And how about V.I.V.A., the online log of a Vinalhaven voc ed teacher sailing to Florida and back with some of his students, and some comms gear Jeff helped spec out (small world).
Here’s another marine WiFi system, this one QuickerTek’s $1,000 QMS (QuckerTek Marine System). The release and web page are light on specs, but this seems to be a high powered WiFi transceiver bridged to an onboard WiFi LAN such that any computer onboard (Mac or Windows) can get online (which, by the way, is the hot ticket system amongst some rec.boats.electronics geeks). It sounds interesting, if pricey, but what really got my attention was this note at the bottom of the product page:
“No returns. All sales are final. This is what happens when the few abuse our good graces, install our products, sail around with them for a couple of weeks, soak them with salt water and then return them with no reason given. We don't like it either...”
Well, I wouldn’t even consider buying expensive hardware under that policy. I think QuickerTek has ignored an important lesson of modern retailing: A company hurts its best customers, and itself, by basing policy on its worst customers. I would refer them to Paul Hawken’s classic Growing a Business, which splendidly lays out the smartness of generous customer service, and also to L.L. Bean, the Maine business which may have invented the no-questions-asked return policy. I once got a behind-the-scenes tour of Bean’s and naturally asked if the famous policy wasn’t abused. The answer, delivered with a smile, was something like, “Hell yes! For instance, we’ve tracked one guy who’s had the same pair of boots replaced 22 times. But the guarantee is so good for our business that we’ll never change it!”
That little silver Nokia shining up through six feet of saltwater isn’t mine, but it did slip out of a friend’s holster as he helped with a project on Ralph (still for sale). I’m not sure even the Sony Ericsson SO902iWP+ would have survived. Doh!
I’ve never heard of RadioLabs before, but maybe it’s come up with an excellent aid to onboard WiFi reception. The WaveRV Marine is an 22” 8dB omnidirectional 2.4 GHz antenna with a 400 mW WiFi radio built into its base. A 15’ USB cable moves data and power between the WaveRV and a down-below Windows, Mac, or even Linux computer. The unit is waterproof, fits a standard marine antenna mount, and costs $170 plus shipping. The fifteen foot power/data cable might be too short for some boats, but otherwise this looks like a good alternative to Wayne’s Way, etc. Here’s RadioLab’s WaveRV Marine page, and here’s a highly optimistic press release PDF. (Four mile range? I don’t think so.) By the way, I’m hoping to test this product.
A chap named Wayne B. is very happy with his new boat WiFi set up over at rec.boats.electronics. He says he’s “hitting low power, indoor access points at least 300 yards away,” and expects to get commercial outdoor APs at over a mile. Wayne’s using an external USB-powered NUB-362(EXT) radio connected with 30’ of Hawking CoAX to a 9dB Hawking omni-directional antenna that’s 30’ off the water. Those links go to online sources and the whole kit adds up to around $185, plus, per Wayne, “an adapter to go from an SMA connector to type N coax, also available at CompUSA”. Cool, and less expensive than purpose built marine gear we’ve seen here and here. But I couldn’t get the NUB362’s specs to open and am not sure this will work with my son’s Mac. Anyone know a sure fire way to improve a Mac’s WiFi range?
PS 7/31: There’s another interesting discussion of Wayne’s WiFi rig going on at rec.boats.cruising. Also the whole bundle of hardware is available cheaper at Netgate (though it turns out the radio is only 200mW, not good enough for Jeff). And thanks, everyone, for Mac WiFi booster ideas!
My photo is none too great, but at least at bigger size you can make out the hardware components. Port Network’s approach to marine WiFi is not a fixed high dB antenna but rather minimizing the distance between an independent, well amplified WiFi radio and its relatively small antenna. The wiring is further simplified by ‘injecting’ power into the 25’ Ethernet cable. The result: a waterproof, portable WiFi bridge that you deploy on deck when you anchor or tie up. I’ve tried it now in Boston and around Camden Harbor and can say with assurance that it locks in way more WiFi signals than my little Linksys PCMCIA card. It finds available access points automatically, too, though you can use a browser to get into its extensive software, below, and survey what APs are in sight.
The screen shot, incidently, shows how two commercial providers, Abacus Technology and Mesh-Air, have blanketed Camden Harbor with WiFi, and right now the latter is giving it away. Thank you, Mesh-Air. I could barely get two of those APs with my regular card, but I must say I’m curious how this thing would work with a 9dB antenna. On the other hand, it would quite handy as is in several hotels and other situations I’ve been in over the last year. (Here’s a PDF describing the MWB-200 in more detail, and here’s its online store blurb).
PS, 6/15, Port Networks comments:
To answer your speculation about how it would perform with a 9dB antenna: great, when it worked at all. Here's why...
Omni antennas like these are passive devices, achieving their gain by focusing the signal passing through them. They redirect signal that would go up and down, using it to push farther out to each side. (Imagine someone taking a ball of dough and squeezing it down into a pancake. The radius of the pancake is considerably larger than the radius of the ball, and that's the gain.) The tradeoff for higher gain is less coverage -- relatively little signal is being sent above and below that horizontal beam. With a very high-gain antenna, the beam is so flat that alignment becomes critical. If the antennas on either end aren't in exactly the same plane, then they won't even communicate. We chose a 5.5dB antenna to provide a balance between gain and a wider beam. A 9dB antenna would provide twice as much gain, but if the boat rolled, or the antenna wasn't at 90 degrees to the path between the two radios, etc., the signal might be lost entirely.
P.S. I should mention that the above applies primarily to omni antennas. Another way to get gain without giving up too much beamwidth is to use a directional antenna, akin to the reflector inside a flashlight. We will be introducing a second model with a directional antenna shortly. By virtue of its directionality, it will have to be aimed, and you'll therefore need to know the location of the access point to which you want to connect, but for those people who are in the situation of trying to connect a long way within their own marina, it will offer twice the gain of our current model.
I’m happy to report that GSM phones not only do voice calls in midcoast Maine (finally), but also data. The bit of screenshot above shows a program called Motorola Phone Tools Deluxe 4.0, which can set up an Internet connection quite easily (though I did have to call Unicel for an ‘apn’ address because it’s not one of the many presets). Once set up, it’s just a matter of plugging the phone into a standard mini USB cable and hitting that lower button. It shows a speed of 230 Kbps (though it doesn’t feel that fast) and it logs the amount of data passed. This bodes well for checking my email when I’m beyond local WiFi access points. The software, by the way, also does well at backing up the phone, synching it with selected Outlook calendar and contact info, and making your own wall paper and ringtones (the long intro to UB 40’s “Rat in me kitchen”, if you must know…and, sure, you can have a copy
). Plus the phone charges via the USB cable.
Meanwhile, I’ve continued to experiment with GYMsim. It works fine in Boston, on my phone and also on my daughter’s unlocked Sidekick, but does not seem to work with my local Unicel GSM service. The voice mail is nicely done, and you only pay the base rate (.39 Euros a minute) to listen to them (unlike some cards where you’ll pay roaming fees both for the getting and listening to the message). Best test: I handed the package to a friend flying to Copenhagen on Friday, then called the Liechtenstein number today. GYMsim is working fine for him, and he’s already figured out how to query his remaining balance and “top up” at GYMsim’s site.
The impressiveness of the above, bigger here, was no doubt heightened by how BIG the weather was around Boston today. I was supposed to go boating on a 44’ Sea Ray but even a few hours tied up in a very protected marina felt heroic given the volume of wind and rain. The project was interesting and I’ll tell you about it tomorrow, but today I’ll just show you the wild and crazy phone one of the guys pulled out. That is the Weather Channel playing on that Verizon XV6700 and it looked and sounded quite good. I was tickled a few weeks ago just to see just static Nexrad on a phone; this TV feed included not just animated radar and sat imagery but a live forecaster (as long as high speed EvDO is available). And it’s source was not some Web site but rather the owner’s own home TV setup which is equipped with a Slingbox, able to serve whatever channels he already pays for out to the Web where he can watch them even when he’s not home, even when he’s rolling around on a boat. The software is SlingPlayer Mobile and apparently it can even control a Tivo type recorder. So beyond live Weather Channel are a lot of other intriguing possibilities.
Blogging on a bus...trying, and liking, cellular Internet
Jun 2, 2006
If you ever travel the Boston to New York corridor, you might want to try LimoLiner, a high-end, 28–seat bus that runs several times a day from a Hilton next to the Prudential Center to another Hilton at 53rd and 6th Ave. I’m aboard right now, and this thing is wired! I’m listening to CNN through a pair of noise cancelling earphones and there’s a fairly new DVD movie playing on the other flat screen in my area. I’m also using an onboard WiFi network which in turn is using a Verizon cellular data connection, a setup that looks attractive for boats too, as we’ve discussed before. I don’t know if the particular Verizon radio on this LimoLiner supports high speed EvDO (well covered in a recent PC World), but I doubt it as I haven’t seen really high speed performance even as we passed through downtown Hartford. On the other hand, I’ve had a fairly decent connection—as seen above, and using 1x technology I think—most of the trip (CNN has stuttered some too), pretty impressive at around 60 MPH. Maybe this bodes well for a boat cruising along the coast hereabouts. By the way, I learned that Verizon is the data provider from the voyage attendant, who also served lunch and a snack. Not a real liner but a really nice bus. Have a great weekend.
It made sense to me that Simrad’s WR20 RemoteCommander shared an innovation award with the Northstar 8000i at the Miami boat show. It uses Bluetooth to wirelessly connect (“up to” 300’, as they say) with a boat's SimNet (aka NMEA 2000) network, and Simrad has equipped it with custom messages able to duplicate nearly every button push on all its SimNet-equipped devices. (These are the proprietary messages I was talking about here, and a good example of how they can be used innovatively). Potentially you can use this remote to power steer with your autopilot, zoom your chart plotter, change channels on your VHF, just about anything. Plus, if you do have the Simrad RS80 Series VHF that's SimNet enabled, the remote can also be a wireless handset (the Bluetooth audio going directly to the radio, not through SimNet). The remote can also display one to four lines of data from many sources on the network, including non-Simrad sensors. And finally, it is supposedly ready to work with Simrad equipment that hasn’t even been developed yet, though I don’t understand how.
By the way, Simrad’s purchase of Lowrance seems to be a done deal. It’s interesting that both companies have done a lot with NMEA 2000, though in different ways. I wonder how their product strategies and lines will be merged, if at all.
At METS, the U.K. company TackTick—a prior DAME winner for its Micronet wireless instruments—introduced these remote displays. Like the Micronet fixed displays, they’re solar powered and, using a Universal Wireless Interface, can show most any NMEA 0183 data, besides, of course, what’s collected with Micronet sensors. I’m just now realizing how powerful this Interface could be—capable of, say, data networking GPS, PC, another manufacturer’s instruments/sensors, and Micronet. In fact, TackTick even supports proprietary data sentences created on the boat’s PC and then displayed as desired on the Micronet screens (pdf here). It sounds like a savvy sailor or developer could use this to create a very sophisticated instrument system.
Speaking of which, Sailing Anarchy put up a fascinating piece on the super high end sail racing instrumentation that B&G is capable of these days. Note that it is apparently written by a B&G employee, but nonetheless…wow.
Here’s wishing all the Yanks in Panbo world a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It’s spitting snow here in Maine, perfect for holing up with friends, family, and a lots of good food. There’s much to give thanks for, but let’s include gizmos too. Needed they’re not, but aren’t they fun?
Yup, it’s funny to imagine paying $3,500 to wear this gizmo around your megayacht, but if it works as advertised I’ll bet there’s a small market for it. The idea of ReVA—Remote Video Assistance from/to Anywhere—is to troubleshoot a problem by voice and video with an expert ashore. That’s a tiny color monitor near my right eye so I can aim the camera that’s at my left temple. Clipped to my waist is a little WiFi video/audio server and loaded into the yacht’s computer is “tunneling” software designed to get the 30 frames per second .mpg stream smoothly ashore via the vessel’s Internet connection. ReVA handles the shore end, either routing the problem to its partner Nauti-Tech or sending it on to 3rd parties. ReVA may seem a bit far fetched but many megayachts already have fast, always-on Internet connections these days, and you can imagine that they may also have problems keeping all their megacomplex systems working (wait till you hear about the entertainment rigs I saw!).
I’m a long time fan of the PDA charting program Memory Map, which is also sold as Maptech Pocket Navigator, and think that its developer, Richard Stephens, is one hell of a programmer. It’s no great surprise then that Richard has mastered mini PC navigation, even while overnight racing aboard a wickedly wet Corsair 28R trimaran (In fact, it was so wet, at one point we had a 2’ long fish flapping around in the cockpit!). But it’s good to know that a coder is out there getting his butt soggy (getting to be one of my favorite blogs), and it surely is interesting to hear about his set up:
I used a PDA for navigation (of course). Itwas connected by Bluetooth to a GPS and to a cell phone in the cabin, which was in turn connected to a Digital Antenna signal booster and 4' antenna. The PDA was an iPaq 4700, in a Otterbox 1900 hard case. I wear the PDA most of the time, strapped to my body with bungee cord (under my PFD belt so it does not flap around). It is turned off when I am not actively navigating, to save power. I also wear a Garmin Foretrex on my wrist, programmed with the route and strategic waypoints [using Memory Map either on the PDA or a PC].
The PDA runs Memory-Map for navigation, using the full detail of NOAA raster charts, with all weekly NTM corrections applied. I used the cellular internet connection to access weather information from NOAA. The real-time buoy/weather station reports, weather radar images, and the ETA wind model. were all extremely useful at different stages of the race. All of these were accessed just using the web browser on the PDA.
Richard and the rest of the Flight Simulator team won first in class in their latest race, the Mackinac. How geek cool is that?
I was a little stunned this morning to discover two very interesting and ambitious marine weather services that seem to have sprung up fully formed, but without my knowledge! SailFlow and FishWeather are sister services, each offering tailored weather products either graphically via the Web or a WAP enabled cell phone (there are lots), or via a regular voice call. The services boast their own weather sensors covering a lot of the U.S. coastline, plus their own meteorologists and even computer modeling programs (in addition to public resources, of course). It turns out that both are the spawn of WeatherFlow, a company which has spent 15 years building a “national coastal mesonet with a presence in over 20 states…The WeatherFlow staff of engineers, meteorologists, and IT professionals are dedicated to increasing the understanding of the complex nature of climate within the coastal zone.” I intend to try out at least each service’s free month trial Web subscription. By the way, Eli of EliBoat—whom I had the pleasure of meeting last week—has been using WSI live satellite weather, which is a whole other animal than SailFlow. He posted some comments yesterday.
The heh, heh irony in the promo at right is that what really looks good is the little wireless fob tied to the pneumatic lady’s bikini sash. Right. But it does actually look good; Virtual Lifeline can supposedly be easily setup with any outboard or inboard engines so that they will shut down if anybody on board goes overboard. This product just won a safety Innovation Award at the MAATS show in Las Vegas. The electronics award was split between two products we’ve already talked about here—Navionics’ Platinum charts and Humminbird’s side scanning sonar. It’s not online but I just purloined a list of all the entries to the contest, and there are some neat items I had not heard of. More later.
Unfortunately Web posting at PMY has gotten a little slow lately—just so many minutes in the day—but my June Wifi column is now up. It includes a thumbnail of this picture above, which deserves more detail. That’s a gentleman named Park Walker who lives aboard a 41’ Little Harbor trawler with the fine name of Om Sweet Om. He’s had good luck using WiFi to do some technical consulting while cruising. "Without wireless I would be severely restricted in where and when I could roam. Now my clients ask 'Where are you today?'." The details of Park's sophisticated setup are worth knowing for those of us who’d like to do something similar:
I have a 9dBi omni-directional antenna mounted on my radar arch with 25ft of LMR400 cable running into the main cabin. The antenna cable is connected to a LinkSys WET11 wireless bridge. This is an 802.11b device that operates as a pass-thru client rather than a router. The ethernet interface is currently connected to the WAN port on a Netgear WGR614 which provides wireless service to the desktop computer and the laptops on-board.
The LinkSys box is what makes the connection to the available WiFi service. With the 9dBi antenna I have been able to connect to base stations with a clear line of sight up to about 1 mile from the boat. We used it extensively in the Abacos over a two month period roaming from Green Turtle to Little Harbor without ever being without a usable signal. I didn't go with a higher gain antenna as this one suited my needs, but the range can be increased to 5 or 6 miles using a 15dBi standard antenna and even more using amplification.
Running the connection from the LinkSys into the Netgear router provides NAT, DHCP and a firewall to the computers on-board. While in a marina I typically make the service available to neighboring boats who happen to find out that it's available, although I have started putting MAC address filtering in place to keep track of who is using it.
The original hi res picture, by the way, was taken by Park and send via WiFi.
Alrighty, then, it’s Uniden Day. While getting links for the earlier entry, I spotted this new Bluetooth cordless phone system that just might be terrific for bigger yachts. The key feature is connectivity between a Bluetooth cell phone and the base station which supports up to 10 cordless handsets. Hence you could tuck your precious cell away on the boat, safe from saltwater and preferably connected to an amp and high gain marine antenna. Bluetooth headsets are also supported, which means that some yachties may eventually look like those guys at the airports with blue LEDs blinking on their ears.
I actually think that the most important innovations in marine networking are happening over wires — Ethernet and NMEA 2000 wires — but some of the wireless happenings certainly are, er, sexy. I tested Uniden’s first WHAM wireless mic and, while it worked OK, the screen was hard to read and the overall build quality didn’t impress. Now I’ve seen a prototype of the second generation WHAM and it is a whole new animal. Not only does the screen look very readable, but it now has greater range and function. It seems possible that you’ll be able to wander anywhere on a boat, and maybe a ways down the docks, easily carrying full power (25W) VHF and intercom capabilities. I’m supposedly on the list to try a couple of WHAMs, along with the interesting UM625c (for color) fixed radio, soon.
Just got a note from a beloved, though former, in-law who’s wicked frustrated in his quest to find the right radar/plotter for his classic sail boat. The Raymarine C80 would do the trick, except for all the “damn cables”:
“There are at least three of them to allow for radar, gps, and power, and more if you want more instruments. And these are not lightweight lamp cords, either: the C-series specs tell us to allow 8" clearance behind the instrument for the radar cable. Absurd. And it really ties down the unit to a very fixed mount, which is my ultimate objection. I'd like to have it mounted at the nav station, but be able to swing it out to the cockpit at need. It's possible, but with all those heavy cables, very clumsy and inelegant.”
He wonders if there is a black box solution with wireless display? There is the Panasonic MDWD and other untethered PC solutions, not to mention some really interesting wireless instruments coming from the likes of TackTick and Deep Blue Marine, but a real marine portable multifunction display doesn’t really exist…yet. The good news is that most of the big boys—Furuno, Northstar, Garmin, and Raymarine—now use Ethernet to connect multiple displays, which means a WiFi connection is quite possible. (My “it could be worse” photo shows one locker on the bridge of a mega yacht under construction in Italy.)
I’ve learned a lot about how boaters are using WiFi along the our coasts, and it’s darn exciting. Savvy folks are using the Internet to the max for fun, work, and even cruise planning (weather, slip reservations, etc.) using fast wireless connections, either free or from dedicated marine services, in anchorages and marinas from the Abacos to the Straits of Georgia. You won’t hear much about this in the marine press because it’s kind of a helter skelter scene with very few big players.
Yet a clear key to success is good equipment. You might find an occasional hotspot using Centrino built in WiFi and standard Windows XP WiFi software but you’ll do a whole lot better with a high power (200 mw) WiFi card or USB device connected to a high gain (6–12 db) 2.4 GHz omnidirectional antenna with low loss LMR400 coax cable and some decent WiFi software (like the free program available from Boingo). You won’t find this stuff at Staples! And so far hardly any regular marine electronics outlets have gotten into this market. Places to look for long range WiFi gear are: Broadband Express, a Pacific Northwest marine service provider (gear shown); MarineNet, a Florida marine communications outfit; and HyperLink Technologies, a commercial all-things-wireless equipment vendor (where there’s also great detail on which cards use which connectors, etc.).
Heck, let’s make this Jeffrey Siegel day at Panbo. You see what I didn’t mention below is that Siegel is also the developer of Maptech’s Outdoor Navigator, an excellent PDA (Palm and PPC) charting program that I wrote about back in early 2002 and which has recently evolved in very interesting ways. I thought it was a pretty good deal at $100 with a year access to all the U.S. charts or topos you wanted to download, but now ON costs a mere $20 and you can keep downloading maps as long as you own the PDA it’s registered to. ON also now works on "Smartphones" using Microsoft's cell operating system. The phones from Audiovox, Motorola, and others do not have touch screens, so all ON's controls have been neatly moved to the keypad. Jeff, who naturally is cruising with all versions of his creation, notes that the lack of a touchscreen is one reason why his smartphone has an extra long battery life. He also notes how useful ON is just as a chart reference tool, no messing with a GPS, especially as Maptech corrects the charts on their servers every month. The whole ON story is here.
Another item in the May PMY is my test of WeatherWave, a neat service that delivers NOAA alerts to your cell phone and also lets you dial up specific forecasts and buoy reports. I note that it will work on any phone because its servers convert NOAA text to voice. That’s in contrast to Ekkosoft’s MarineWeather, another clever service that translates NOAA alerts and forecasts into informative graphics (right). You do need to be using Verizon Wireless on a handset that supports “Get It Now” applications, but I was very impressed with the results when I tried it. Both services can get a boater just what they need from NOAA’s vast weather resources…without having to wait through a long and tedious VHF loop.
Check out this article if you're thinking about Wi-Fi enabling your boat. Also have a look at HauteRoute's Distance Calculator...
"When used in conjunction with extended range base station equipment such as the HauteRoute HR-2611DX 802.11b Access Point, HR-3054DX 802.11b/g Access Point or the HR-5354DX 802.11a/b/g Access Point, and appropriate outdoor antennas, users can expect line of sight and near line of sight performance ranges measured in miles rather than feet."
Although we are seeing more and more Bluetooth enabled devices appearing in the marine electronics environment, I stll very strongly believe that ZigBee has many advantages over Bluetooth in a typical boating context. I can't imagine that it will take very long for a smart marine electronics manufacturer to incorporate this technology in a new range of products. Here's a nice update on the state of ZigBee.
"Given enough devices spread around a house, this multi-hop “mesh networking” approach can use redundant pathways to make sure the message gets through even if one of the devices is out of order. For example, if you were sitting in bed and flipped a portable switch to preheat the hot tub in the back yard, the message might normally pass through a node in the kitchen. However, if your kitchen ZigBee’s battery died, the message could still get through in a wireless version of an end-around play. By simultaneously transmitting the message to the den, your tub switch could bypass the kitchen transmitter, still getting the “on” message to the tub. But because another major ZigBee innovation is power efficiency, the kitchen battery is not likely to go dead in the first place. By instructing nodes to wake up only for those split second intervals when they’re needed, ZigBee is so chintzy with electricity that batteries might last for years."
A new Bluetooth GPS receiver from GlobalSat with an optional GPRS function for surfing on internet. They claim it will keep working within an 80m (250ft) range, but if your yacht is that big you probably don't use a portable Bluetooth GPS receiver....
"For those of you who have seen the Globalsat BT308 the BT318 does not look too much different, it has sleeker styling, but the main improvements are a removeable battery with a claimed life of 15+ hours, and a cradle which is a bluetooth GPRS modem."(Bluetooth GPS at Amazon.com)
Since I am using the Amsterdam waterways quite often this is especially relevant (pdf) to me.... Not sure about the exact coverage area, but would be nice if Amsterdam was to become a giant 'hotzone'.
"To access the system, ships need to have computers with a standard wi-fi data access card. The system is provided by Radionet, a supplier of wi-fi "hot zone" technology, and Baas WDS (wireless data systems), a system integrator. It was installed in June 2004. The network is owned and operated by Amsterdam Port Authority. The system uses the 2.4 GHz WLAN spectrum and 802.11 wi-fi protocol. The wi-fi access points, located around the port, also communicate with the data backbone system by radio, at up to 10 Mbps; the
backbone itself can carry 34 Mbps."
Located in Portland, Maine, DiMillo's Marina at Long Wharf seems to have done everything right when it comes to letting boaters connect to the internet as easy as possible. They even took advantage of that by offering value added services over the wireless network. That way the Wi-Fi network might even pay for itself so access can be free...
"DiMillo's caters to boaters from all over the world, piloting yachts up to 250 feet in length. With the new Wi-Fi service, captains enjoy convenient dockside check-in and the entire crew can instantly converse with family and friends via email from the comfort of their cabins. Strolling along the 130 slips, it's not uncommon to find people relaxing on their boats with a cold drink while surfing the Internet."
A GPS/Bluetooth combination is not something new, but this implementation by Mobile Tracker is quite nice because the device is battery powered as well. Which allows for a very easy set-up on any type of boat.
"Compact GPS Receiver with Bluetooth connectivity and a nine hour battery provides real time location information to any Bluetooth enabled devices such as SmartPhones, PocketPCs, Laptops, and Tablet PCs."
Can you imagine that here are still marinas out there that do not offer Wi-Fi internet access...? It won't be long before yacht owners expect to have it like they expect to have water and electricity at their slip.
"When Ed and Betty Jo Chipman, two members of the yacht club, heard the yacht club was offering Wi-Fi (through smartBridges), they immediately asked SmartWires to design a personal local area network 'on-board' their trawler. "Now with the wireless network, we can transfer files between our computers and access the Internet from anywhere on our boat or in the club. We cannot imagine going back to our old dial-up Internet connection" explained Mr. Chipman"
IBI News reports that B&G will demonstrate its RemoteVision wireless autopilot/instrument control system at the Southampton International Boat Show in September. Can't find anything about it, except for a short quote from Conrad Humphreys, who will be skippering HELLOMOTO during the Vendée Globe.
"RemoteVision is smaller than a palm PC and features a full LCD graphical screen and simple four-button control. It utilises wireless technology to instantly send and receive signals from B&G's h2000 Hercules and Hydra pilots and instruments. All readings from the instruments can be viewed on the RemoteVision anywhere on a vessel, "be it at the top of a 60ft mast in torrential weather or down in the galley preparing a meal," said the company."
I have been looking for easy ways to get the music from my MP3 player into the cockpit of my 21ft boat that I use to travel the Amsterdam canals. Here's a good, and weather-resistant, solution called Tivoli PAL or iPAL.
"The tiny PAL has an amazing rich and deep sound. You plug an iPod in, turn up the volume, and it uses its internal rechargeable battery to play your musical playlists longer than your iPod battery will last (I can get 8 hours on the PAL in one charge). Clear, marvelous sound from a small, rugged box that has survived rain and being dropped into a pool. That doesn't usually happen because it is carefully designed with handy finger grips and a grippy covering. It comes with an adapter for running on AC."
I was talking about having problems with watching and securing my own boat the other day. Here's another solution for those of you with similar problems (and a GSM cellphone...).
"The Harbormaster Mark II is a new remote wireless monitoring security system that checks a vacant boat's vital systems and on-board conditions. The system uses a GSM based network to send data about the boat to a central server, enabling the boat owner to be able to check their craft at any time via the World Wide Web, mobile phone, text message, fax or email."
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."
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."
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)
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."
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."
A new solution from WeatherData for those of you who prefer to sail the coastal waters, since it won't work if you are to far away from land... Apparently they have some special marine features as well, but it was originally developed with land based applications in mind.
"Special features will be available for marine use including marine charts for the U.S. and surrounding coastal waters, and reports on wave height, buoy observations, high surf advisories and tide data tables. A future version of Storm Hawk will also offer predicted radar that includes the location of storms ten to 30 minutes into the future and will provide the location and prediction of cloud-to-ground lightning with up to 97 percent accuracy, a WeatherData exclusive service."
A quite funny quote from a Netstumbler forum thread shows very well that the combination of Wi-Fi and boating is still in the early adopter stage, and that 'wardriving' has its equivalent at sea....
"WARBOATING!!!! It was actually sort of tough to set this up (see photo below). The boat has a double door that snaps open, so I used the double doors to hold tight the NiteIze case flap. The case flap has a metal insert in the back and this is very strong. It held the Jornada, PC card adapter, Orinoco Gold card, yagi antenna, and wires in place for our entire four hour ocean voyage. I set the 8dbi yagi to point towards the shore. When we neared any boats I'd turn the yagi around if need be. (Or is this warshipping? Is that praying?) We received several pings from shore locations, but when we were passed by a police boat we also got a ping! Seems the sonar ping sound is perfect for being on a boat. I checked just now to see if we did indeed get a ping off the boat, it is WEP enabled for Seal Beach police. Good going guys! You're secure! (Warcopping?)"
Nowadays wireless LCD TVs still have a few disadvantages, but on a boat they could provide more flexibility when it comes to entertainment. Plug all your video sources (DVD, STB, aerial) in the base station, and use your wireless display everywhere. Its range of 50ft should be perfect for on board viewing, wether on deck or in a cabin. Let's just hope battery live will improve rapidly.
"When the signal is solid, the picture is terrific, with a wide viewing angle, high contrast and defined images characteristic of Sharp's outstanding approach to LCD (viewing on the sun deck at high noon isn't recommended, though). The issue is whether cable-free living and potentially dicey performance is worth twice the price of a wired 15-inch LCD TV."
Great to see that more and more marine electronics and communications functions are being integrated. Not only on a hardware level, but definitely also on a software level. What I really like about Uniden's MYSTIC, a full VHF/GPS Mapping Marine Radio, are simple functions like having a buddy list. Product design that starts with user needs is something we don't see often enough.
"Uniden is making an emphatic comeback with its new Mystic, a strikingly original and well-executed marriage of a full-on Magellan hand-held WAAS-GPS plotter and the first portable DSC-VHF radio with advanced functions like buddy lists. The two work together, plotting the origin point of incoming DSC calls and including your position with your outgoing calls (for fun or in distress). In my testing, the submersible unit demonstrated long battery life and solid performance. It comes with U.S. street and buoy maps and supports Magellan's full-detail BlueNav charts. The Mystic, which is 13" tall and lists for $699, is not a trivial gizmo to clip on your belt, but -wow!- is it capable."
Carl, who told me to about wireless anchoring solution, also pointed at eDigitalWireless, a company selling several outdoor wireless solutions. Amongst which the new SureShot, a 200mW NEMA 4X rated, ruggedized, weatherproof 2.4gHz radio solution. The reason Carl mentioned this company however, was because of their 12dBi high performance omnidirectional antenna. It performs great, or in Carl's words:
"This is simply awesome for picking up wireless networks - with the omnidirectional antenna you get a range of up to 1000M - it was working for me when I tested it in the middle of San Francisco bay."
A couple of weeks a go I mentioned Ascend Marine's Deep Blue Marine's Anchor Alert, a wireless anchor monitoring system. To make the anchoring experience completely wireless (except for the anchor chain...), I got a tip from Carl Midson on Coastline Technology's Windlass Radio Remote. Carl claims it's brilliant if your shorthanded on board, so check out this review in Power & Motoryacht.
"Sometimes it’s easy to inadvertently activate foredeck-mounted windlass footswitches, and cabled remotes can restrict movement around the area and often need to be passed up through a hatch, which is inconvenient at best and can be dangerous under harsh conditions. The Windlass Radio Remote allows you to control your windlass from anywhere on your boat, no matter what you’re doing and regardless of the conditions."
When I was going through the log-files of this website I noticed that many people come here searching for rugged cellphones. Fortunately, Siemens unveiled the ruggedised M65 this week. Not sure if it's really rugged up to the level you would require in a marine environment, but it is a start.
"The splash, dirt and shock resistant M65 sports a 2.1in 132 x 176, 16-bit colour display, backed by a 640 x 480 digicam for video and still photography. Stills can be edited using on-board software, with special effects filters built in too. The handset supports 40-voice polyphonic ringtones, a customisable user interface, Java games - four titles are bundled with the phone - and instant messaging. The tri-band GSM/GPRS handset comes with a 750mAh lithium ion battery - enough, said Siemens, for five-and-a-half hours' talk time and 300 hours' standby time."
It's not because the are the best or the first, but the news that HP has introduced a rugged notebook (nr3600) and a rugged Tablet PC (tr3000) shows that these types of computers are becoming mainstream. And that's good news, from a pricing perspective, for the non-industrial users that would like to use them on a boat for instance...
"The computer giant on Thursday unveiled a rugged notebook PC and tablet PC designed to absorb punishment from vibration or shock, repel water during inclement weather--and keep on working. "After listening to customers in industries such as the public sector, government and law enforcement, we're responding to their needs by bringing rugged, mobile solutions into the mainstream.""
Tony Gutierrez pointed me at APRS, an Automatic Packet/Position Reporting System. ARPS is a real-time tactical digital communicatons protocol for exchanging information between a large number of stations covering a large (local) area. As a multi-user data network, it is quite different from conventional packet radio. There are many APRS applications, and I will get back to that later. First, here's what Tony uses it for:
"I dont believe I can afford satellite internet, but I was psyched to find that I could use my amateur radio licence to broadcast my position to a web page map, and to recieve and send email while at sea. The position broadcasts are tracked by a site called findu.com which allows you to use your own web page to access numerous scripts that create a map of your boat's position for your web page visitors."
The concept of marinas offering Wi-Fi internet access will by now be clear to most. Fortunately, more and more service providers are popping up, all over the world. YachtMama's YachtSpot is the latest, so check out whether you're lucky enough to be able to get your email on board very soon.
"Providing a dependable Internet connection at a marina and surrounding areas is similar to the wireless internet in your home or office. This system allows slip renters and visitors access to your private connection. Our systems are capable of extending the signal at up to 1+ miles out to sea. Users can easily check email, news, weather, stock performance, or nautical maps while mooring on their boat."
Also today, D-Link has introduced the AirPremier DWL-2700AP, the first weatherproof 802.11b/g (2.4GHz) wireless access point for use in marinas or on large yachts.
"With a die-cast watertight housing and a built-in heater, the 11-by-6-inch inch device can withstand rain, snow, sleet, humidity and even a lightning strike, the company says. It draws power through an Ethernet network cable and is compatible with the latest network management and wireless security protocols. It has a range of nearly 2,000 feet, and available antennas can extend that even further."
A company called Marine Robotic Vessels (MRV) International has developed the Ghost Guard. This brilliantly named vessel (an Unmanned Surface Vessel or USV) uses some technologies that will hopefully be available to all of us very soon. It will give 'push-button sailing' a whole different meaning...
So what's next? The boating equivalent of DARPA's Grand Challenge for autonomous ground vehicles?
"Almost any hull can be configured by MRVI as a Ghost Guard™ to function as an affordable method of mounting water-borne surveillance in all weathers and by day and night. The heart of the Ghost Guard system is MRVI's new generation software, which comprises remote command and control, navigation, route planning/re-planning, event and crisis management, full onboard diagnostics and dial-up diagnostics. COTS-sourced integrated systems, including camera and vision systems, will provide surveillance that could not be mounted in any other way. Using a launch and recovery system, Ghost Guard can be deployed, operated and recovered from vessels underway." Click here to download the Ghost Guard video (62MB, .avi).
Since I was discussing Bluetooth-enabled devices already, here is a round-up of different Bluetooth GPS receivers currently available. Although the review is focused on the use of these devices together with PDA's with streetmap software installed, they are compliant with NMEA standards. This means they will work with your Pocket PC navigation software as well. Just beware of the fact that they are not necessarily ready for use in a (harsh) maritime environment.
There is definitely a benefit in using this type of solution over using something like Mitac's Pocket PC with integrated GPS: "The major benefit of a Bluetooth-enabled GPS receiver is that it doesn’t have to be physically connected to the Pocket PC. That eliminates a tangle of cables that dangle in your way while you are walking or driving. In addition, Bluetooth solutions let you position the GPS receiver for optimal GPS reception, and your Pocket PC separately for the best viewing. Bluetooth can travel around corners, and through clothing and other material."
I've talked about the potential of radar and navigation capabilities on cellphones before, but in Japan it is already happening. Although currently meant for navigation in a city environment, it's a perfect example of how cellphones are becoming powerful enough to perform such functions. Combine that with the fact that both cellphones and marine instruments are becoming more and more Bluetooth-enabled, so they can communicate wirelessly, and you will realize that we don't need a dedicated navigation-PC anymore.... Just the monitor.
"Japanese firms Index and Jicoux have developed a navigation system application that runs on 3G GPS phones with digital compasses (which, at the moment, means KDDI's au service in Japan). It includes the ability to show a "radar display" of the location of nearby friends, places of interest, or bus and train stations useful in getting to your destination. There's also a B2B aspect to the service in that, as with most web-based map systems, it would be possible to pay to have your business location displayed on the radar."
Definitely not the most inspiring gadget I have ever seen, but at a price of $20 I'm sure there are people that will see this 'very mobile radio' device and conclude that this is exactly what they were looking for....
"Smaller than the size of your palm, the CapRadio fits on the back of your cap, on your shoulder or on the collar of your shirt. The reception is about the same as any Walkman - obviously don't take it for lengthy offshore trips - but at the dock or floating around the bay you should be fine. When you walk, it doesn't jostle, and the tight-fit clip keeps it nice and snug up against your hat."
The BBC is running a story on the advances of in-car entertainment. It's not difficult to see how all of this can be applied to yachts as well. Especially the smaller, multi-cabin, boats will benefit from the economies of scale that are being realized in the automotive industry. It's not difficult, nor very expensive (Amazon), to create a personalized entertainment set-up in every cabin. And in the cockpit or saloon as well for that matter. In case you don't feel like any roof-mounted displays, why not use Sony's new wireless Air Board (LF-X1) which is for sale as of last Friday.
One other nice feature that is discussed by the BBC article is voice-control over all these entertainment devices. Again, the development in the automotive sector will create a precedent for yachting. Voice-control can not only be applied to entertainment, but to navigation as well, even more since PC technology is making a strong entry into the maritime environment.
"We're also building in 20GB hard drives Now you can take your home movies, and potentially other DVDS, record them onto a disc, record them onto a unit and keep them in the car. Now you don't actually have to bring in the DVD or the discs."
"A lot of it is voice-controlled and voice-interactive as well, the navigation systems, for example. But voice technology is far from perfect, and a screen can also be a life-saver. A rear view mirror can be connected to a video camera on the back bumper, or simply show an image of the backseat, obviously of potential use for baby monitoring."
Wireless displays have a bright future in yachting
Feb 16, 2004
Wireless displays, not Tablet PC's which are PC in themselves, will definitely have benefits when used while sailing. They will easily decouple the display from a computer that is used for navigation and all other kinds of purposes. Especially when they are water-resistant they should allure to sailors and Panasonic Toughbook MDWD Wireless Monitor is a good example.
"While not specifically designed for boats, this innovative addition to the Toughbook line will interest navigators who want flexible access to a yacht’s PC system. It weighs only 1.5 pounds, and its 8.4-inch, 800x600 pixel, color touchscreen LCD is both transflective and powerfully backlit."
So how about a product whose details are mysterious and which may not exist, and even if it does, probably doesn’t work very well? The thing is that I’ve gotten a little Bluetooth happy, and 
is recent tragedy). As you can see in the connect software that comes with the WaveRV (and is quite good), the actual “Tx Power Level” is 100 mW. When I questioned RadioLabs about this, they said that their 400mW spec is based on the combined power of the amp and antenna, justifiable since they are physically combined. Well OK, fellas, but how about putting that information clearly into 
Where WiFi has fallen off, cellular has picked up the ball with amazing results.
I’ve never heard of RadioLabs before, but maybe it’s come up with an excellent aid to onboard WiFi reception. The WaveRV Marine is an 22” 8dB omnidirectional 2.4 GHz antenna with a 400 mW WiFi radio built into its base. A 15’ USB cable moves data and power between the WaveRV and a down-below Windows, Mac, or even Linux computer. The unit is waterproof, fits a standard marine antenna mount, and costs $170 plus shipping. The fifteen foot power/data cable might be too short for some boats, but otherwise this looks like a good alternative to 
A chap named Wayne B. is 
At METS, the U.K. company TackTick—a prior 
I’m a long time fan of the PDA charting program 
I was a little stunned this morning to discover two very interesting and ambitious marine weather services that seem to have sprung up fully formed, but without my knowledge! 
The heh, heh irony in the promo at right is that what really looks good is the little wireless fob tied to the pneumatic lady’s bikini sash. Right. But it does actually look 
I actually think that the most important innovations in marine networking are happening over wires — Ethernet and NMEA 2000 wires — but some of the wireless happenings certainly are, er, 
Just got a note from a beloved, though former, in-law who’s wicked frustrated in his quest to find the right radar/plotter for his classic sail boat. The 
I’ve learned a lot about how boaters are using WiFi along the our coasts, and it’s darn exciting. Savvy folks are using the Internet to the max for fun, work, and even cruise planning (weather, slip reservations, etc.) using fast wireless connections, either free or from dedicated marine services, in anchorages and marinas from the Abacos to the Straits of Georgia. You won’t hear much about this in the marine press because it’s kind of a helter skelter scene with very few big players. 
Heck, let’s make this Jeffrey Siegel day at Panbo. You see what I didn’t mention 
Another item in the May PMY is my 
Check out 
I can't imagine that it will take very long for a smart marine electronics manufacturer to incorporate this technology in a new range of products. Here's a nice 
A new Bluetooth GPS receiver from 
Since I am using the Amsterdam waterways quite often this is especially 
They even took advantage of that by offering value added services over the wireless network. That way the Wi-Fi network might even pay for itself so access can be free...
Can you imagine that here are still marinas out there that do not offer Wi-Fi internet access...? It won't be long before yacht owners 
"RemoteVision is smaller than a palm PC and features a full LCD graphical screen and simple four-button control. It utilises wireless technology to instantly send and receive signals from B&G's h2000 Hercules and Hydra pilots and instruments. All readings from the instruments can be viewed on the RemoteVision anywhere on a vessel, "be it at the top of a 60ft mast in torrential weather or down in the galley preparing a meal," said the company."
I have been looking for easy ways to get the music from my MP3 player into the cockpit of my 21ft 
I was 
If you happen to be a big marina operator, may be you will be able to develop a business case for this 
An 
Humminbird's SmartCast Fish Finder Watch has been out for a while, and I've written about it 
Not a first of its kind, but German firm NAVCOS has 
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 
A new 
A quite funny 
Great to 
Carl, who told me to about wireless anchoring 
"This is simply awesome for picking up wireless networks - with the omnidirectional antenna you get a range of up to 1000M - it was working for me when I tested it in the middle of San Francisco bay."
Carl claims it's brilliant if your shorthanded on board, so check out this 
When I was going through the log-files of this website I noticed that many people come here searching for rugged cellphones. Fortunately, Siemens 
It's not because the are the best or the first, but the 
"The computer giant on Thursday unveiled a rugged notebook PC and tablet PC designed to absorb punishment from vibration or shock, repel water during inclement weather--and keep on working. "After listening to customers in industries such as the public sector, government and law enforcement, we're responding to their needs by bringing rugged, mobile solutions into the mainstream.""
Tony Gutierrez pointed me at 
The concept of marinas offering Wi-Fi internet access will by now be clear to most. Fortunately, more and more service providers are popping up, all over the 
Also today, D-Link has introduced the AirPremier DWL-2700AP, the first weatherproof 802.11b/g (2.4GHz) wireless access point for use in marinas or on large yachts. 
A company called Marine Robotic Vessels (MRV) International has 
"Almost any hull can be configured by MRVI as a Ghost Guard™ to function as an affordable method of mounting water-borne surveillance in all weathers and by day and night. The heart of the Ghost Guard system is MRVI's new generation software, which comprises remote command and control, navigation, route planning/re-planning, event and crisis management, full onboard diagnostics and dial-up diagnostics. COTS-sourced integrated systems, including camera and vision systems, will provide surveillance that could not be mounted in any other way. Using a launch and recovery system, Ghost Guard can be deployed, operated and recovered from vessels underway." Click 
Since I was 
Definitely not the most inspiring gadget I have ever seen, but at a price of $20 I'm sure there are people that will see this 'very mobile radio' device and 
One other nice feature that is discussed by the BBC article is voice-control over all these entertainment devices. Again, the development in the automotive sector will create a precedent for yachting. Voice-control can not only be applied to entertainment, but to navigation as well, even more since PC technology is making a strong entry into the maritime environment.
"While not specifically designed for boats, this innovative addition to the Toughbook line will interest navigators who want flexible access to a yacht’s PC system. It weighs only 1.5 pounds, and its 8.4-inch, 800x600 pixel, color touchscreen LCD is both transflective and powerfully backlit."