Looking at the animated version of this graphic too long may make you ill, but it does nicely illustrate the very different schemes that Sirius and XM chose in their efforts to blanket North America in audio and data, including, of course, our recent obsession…live marine weather. Both schemes seem to work fine around the U.S., especially on boats with their naturally wide open sky views, but how far offshore, north, and south can you receive Sirius or XM? A lot of cruisers would like to know, but the company Web sites seem vague on the subject. For one thing, I don’t think they themselves are positive about their footprint edges, and don’t want to over promise. Another issue is that XM and Sirius may broadcast into countries where they are not licensed to, and where someone thinks they should be. You may recall a long period when Canadians could only subscribe to satellite radio using U.S. addresses, even though most could get it fine. XM and Sirius were not bragging about their Canadian coverage then! Both Audio services are now licensed in Canada but, head’s up, Sirius Weather isn’t yet. Which brings us to some legalese in the Raymarine Sirius literature suggesting that your expensive weather receiver might not work if you go outside U.S. territorial waters. Not true; I checked! And judging from the unofficial footprint map kicking around the Internet (right, and slightly bigger here), Sirius will deliver fine service in Canada, out past Bermuda, down to around Antigua, across to maybe the Canal, and actually further into Alaska than shown (so I’ve heard). I understand that XM is similar except that it doesn’t reach as far south, which seems confirmed by the unofficial XM footprint map below, created by WxWorx, the company that’s developed a PC hardware/software system for XM Weather. They’d like to hear more reports from XM users on the edge, and I’d like to hear from anyone who knows more about how far either service reaches. Thanks.
PS, 7/28: We’ve been kindly sent links to a good collection of footprint maps and to a related forum discussion in which one poster describes getting XM in the Azores using a dinky home antenna (though it was before some changes in XM’s satellites).
What really gets me is that when you click on a movie, it starts instantly where you want it to…no fooling with a disk, no previews, no FBI warning. That’s luxurious. Of course it’s cool as hell to have your entire DVD collection organized by cover art, actors, genre, etc. Pick one of those films above and all the other covers will dance around for a moment, then show you the movies most like your pick. The brawn behind all this is the Kaleidescape Entertainment Server with twelve 400 meg hard drives able to hold, and back up, 660 full res DVDs (or 6,000 CDs, and you can chain on more servers as needed). The brains is a reader that hooks via Internet to Kaleidescape’s master database of cover art, categories, and the bookmarks that start the movie just so. Ethernet sends the goods to as many as 25 players around the boat. These babies are becoming quite popular on megayachts. Perfect accessory: a huge Crestron touch screen remote. The whole deal, preferably enjoyed on a sky lounge off the Italian Riviera, almost makes a guy want to be filthy rich.
The music screen above is from a Lowrance iWay automobile mapping system. It has a touchscreen and a 20 gig hard drive—partitioned so that 10 gigs are for onboard maps, 10 for tunes. PC Magazine made the iWay its Editor’s Choice in a May roundup review that included units from Garmin, Magellan, and Navman. I just came across it and was reminded of how Darrell Lowrance enthused about touch screens for multifunction marine displays during a press conference at the Miami Boat Show last winter. Lowrance’s best 2005 plotter/fishfinders are already similar to the iWay series in many aspects, like the hard drive; will they get touchscreens and MP3 players next year? There’s a ferocious competition going on to be a dominant player in the car plotter market, which has got to explode at some point. What are the manufacturers learning and developing that might migrate to boats?
I hesitate to report RUMORS, but given that strong caveat, these seem worth a “head’s up”: supposedly Lowrance’s NMEA 2000 GPS sensors have trouble with radar transmissions, and supposedly its NauticPath marine charts don’t properly show obstructions that are awash between high and low tide. Mind you, these are only rumors and, even if true, may have been fixed already or are about to be.
I tried plugging a regular household DVD player into two video capable plotters last week, and the results were quite viewable, confirming the value of helm stereos that can also play video discs. That’s a Standard Horizon CP1000 10” above and a Raymarine E120 12” below. Both have some control over picture brightness, contrast, and color saturation, though the E’s is easier to find and use. The E also has a choice of aspect ratios, but I still couldn’t get the picture to fill the full width of the screen. And yes, that is the actor from Friends who now mocks his acting career on the TV show Joey. This particular job, Lost in Space, must have been inspirational. I have no idea why the DVD is lying around my house.
I’ve already noodled on my theory that the proliferation of video capable plotters will stimulate more and more boaters toward helm stereos that can also play DVDs. Well, here’s a new one from Jensen that would fit the bill even installed in a place that sometimes takes spray. The MDV6115 has a dual gasketed CD door and conformal coated circuit boards, and its LCD is supposedly sunlight readable. Besides AM & FM, the 200 watt stereo plays VHF weather stations. Besides regular CDs, the deck will play MP3 CDs, and of course DVDs. You can even select the PAL region, meaning it should work with DVDs rented in any country you travel to. It comes with both wired and wireless remotes, all for a suggested retail of $500. The Jensen site doesn’t have info on this model yet, but an interesting online store called Rock the Boat Audio does, though not in their marine video section (we’re all just getting used to this video thing).
I’ve been lucky to experience many kinds of boating over the years, but, man, I’ve missed a lot too. For instance, I know zip about the high end ski boats which might sport this Infinity 6000M system, made by Prospec and an entry in the MAATS Innovation contest. The watertight speakers can blast a 100 watts of music out to the skiers in the boat’s wake, but the driver can cut in with his mic as needed. This wouldn’t go over well on some quiet Maine lakes, and no one skiis on the cold salt water here, but imagine the big lake scenes in the really hot parts of the country. In fact, check out this New York Times piece on Party Cove, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, where 3,000 boats often “gather for weekends of sun-drenched, alcohol-fueled, sometimes X-rated revelry”. Yike. Google “Party Cove videos” for a peek at what the Times only hints at. Party Cove is definitely not On Golden Pond (which, by the way, is a wonderful play my wife opens in tonight at a local community theater…much more my speed, and maybe yours).
It strikes me that with so many multifunction displays able to show video pretty darn well, a lot of boaters will be looking to upgrade their 12v helm stereo so it can play DVDs. Sound track on the stereo, picture on the bright display. Quarter screen underway in open waters, full screen on the hook. Why not, especially when you’ve already spent the big bucks on the MFD (an acronym I’m not quite comfortable with yet, but “plotter” doesn’t really cut it anymore). At any rate, there’s a lot of activity in “mobile video” because of the screens also appearing in cars, and yesterday I stumbled on this $125 add-on DVD/MP3/CDRW deck which even has a built-in TV tuner. It’s a Boss 3800T and I don’t know much more about it. There is, of course, some good dope on car video (and marine stereo) over at Crutchfield, which I’m exploring. No one’s talking about “marine mobile video” yet, but I’m sure someone out there is trying it, and I’d like hear from them.
I visited the HISWA boatshow in IJmuiden, The Netherlands, yesterday. Can't really say I saw anyting exciting, but the one thing I noticed was a very strong trend towards in-boat entertainment. Even in small boats I saw LCD-screens popping-up everywhere, lots of (somehow all) Clarion speakers installed and marinized stereo equipment. In a couple of weeks I will be at the Monaco Yacht Show and should be able to experience some real state of the art equipment over there...
Jerry Hall, Guinness world record holder for longest underwater submergence with scuba gear, will this time try to stay underwater for 94 hours and 9 minutes in Watauga Lake. He's got all sorts of underwater electronics with him, allowing him to read and play chess. And this time he will also have the opportunity to listen to music since Oceanic is one of his sponsors. And I've written about their H20 Audio product-line before.
"For this dive, I will have the use of powerful underwater speakers and an underwater MP3 player," said Hall. "I can't describe what it's like to be able to listen to music underwater. That alone is going to make a tremendous difference."
"To get the commercial-free ear candy, you need a Sirius receiver and antenna. I opted for the Clarion DSH920S Tuner ($160) and the 1 1/3"-by-3 1/2" Shakespeare Galaxy SRA-30 antenna ($140). The final piece of the Clarion/Sirius system was a pair of 6.5" Clarion CM1622 marine coaxial speakers ($160/each). Then there's a $13-per-month subscription fee — a promotional $500 lifetime fee ends August 31—and a one-time activation fee of $15 ($5 online). Is it worth the price? Silly question. While testing the watertight, sealed-circuit XMD3 with an LCD display, I discovered the Sirius programming to be so diverse and comprehensive that for the first month I didn’t touch the CD player or AM/FM radio.(Sirius at Amazon.com)
Looking at the animated version of this graphic too long may make you ill, but it does nicely illustrate the very different schemes that Sirius and XM chose in their efforts to blanket North America in audio and data, including, of course, our recent obsession…live marine weather. Both schemes seem to work fine around the U.S., especially on boats with their naturally wide open sky views, but how far offshore, north, and south can you receive Sirius or XM? A lot of cruisers would like to know, but the company Web sites seem vague on the subject. For one thing, I don’t think they themselves are positive about their footprint edges, and don’t want to over promise. 
go outside U.S. territorial waters. Not true; I checked! 
The brawn behind all this is the 
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Jerry Hall, Guinness world record holder for longest underwater submergence with scuba gear, will this time 
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