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• Commented on Furuno TZT chart plotting, feeling the love
  Lo and behold, FurunoUSA has a TZT underway video up (and more coming apparently): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYoDUzrJGiU In the small world dept, I spotted that video crew in Miami: http://www.panbo.com/archives/2013/03/furuno_at_mibs_2013_chirp_fcv587627_and_navpilot_fps8.html...
• Commented on Furuno TZT chart plotting, feeling the love
  It's not quite TZT underway but FurunoDan just posted a video of live underway data playing back in MaxSea TimeZero that's pretty neat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua2rKF2GRzQ I also heard from Eliboat after his first night sailing offshore with a TZT9 at the...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  It turns out that Lowrance 3G/4G radar software updates may have been online for a while, even if their respective product pages say "no software available": http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Software-Updates/Broadband-3G-Radar/ http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Software-Updates/Broadband-4G-Radar/ So maybe I wasn't such a hero to send poor Kevin off...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  I can add a few details. DownScan is part of StructureScan and is similarly better at looking at structure than fish. With StructureScan you will get a numerical depth overlaid on the SS screens and at least on my NSS...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  My pleasure, Kevin! But you might tell Navico that Panbo offers not only amateur tech support but banner advertising that gets seen by the right folks like yourself ;-)...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  Unzip the files, Kevin. The instructions aren't crystal clear but if you look at Step #7, you will see the MFD operator choosing the "radar.riw" file, not a xxxx.zip file. Right clicking the xxx.zip file on your PC should get...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  One other idea, probably irrelevant as most Lowrance/Radar setups don't use the RI10 Radar Interface Box. But if you do have one that's somewhat old, it too needs an update: http://www.simrad-yachting.com/en-US/Support/Downloads/RI10-New-Software-1-4-0-and-1-4-1/...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  Hi Kevin, I looked at the Simrad instructions and remembered that there are two update files, "radar.riw" for NSO/NSE/NSS/Zues and "radar.ri2" for GB40/NX4x. Was it the .riw file you tried?...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  Kevin, to be extra clear I was getting the same "please update radar" that Jim Klauser describes, only at the bottom of an NSS8 screen. And it took at least one total reboot to get everything working right. But after...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  Hi Kevin, I had to update my boat's 4G radar to version 4.1.57 in order for a Simrad NSS8 and NSE12 to still recognize the scanner with a WiFi1 in the network. It seems odd that this update seems to...
• Commented on Furuno TZT chart plotting, feeling the love
  Well, Anon, there's another way to look at that. Isn't Furuno the only major marine electronics company that hosts a forum and often answers customer questions on it? The Furuno Forum is also easily searched and I found the "NN3D...
• Commented on Marine fuel prices, why so hard?
  Writing that "CruisersNet only covers the ICW" fuel prices was shortsighted of me! "Please be advised that we report many fuel prices for marinas and other fuel retailers from southern Virginia to the Western Florida coastline which are not directly...
• Posted Furuno TZT chart plotting, feeling the love to Panbo: The Marine Electronics Hub
  

  One problem with cruising north early during a late spring was that Gizmo's open fly bridge was usually too cold to work with electronics like the Furuno TZT14 that I'd installed there just before finishing the trip south (as seen in this photo). I look forward to much more testing here in Maine but this I already know: For me, there is no other MFD or PC navigation program that does underway chart plotting so well. TimeZero software from MaxSea and Nobeltec are obviously excepted -- and note that TZ for iPad is on its way -- because Furuno essentially built the NavNet3D and TZT series as very specialized marine computers that run TZ with tight integration to their radars, sounders, etc. as well as to NMEA 2000, Ethernet and analog cameras, and more. Let's look at some screens that illustrate what TZT does so well...

• Commented on MIBS 2013 Raymarine: Dragonfly, gS-Series, Evolution AP & much more!
  Interesting! Victron has joined the Raymarine/Empirebus relationship so that "With this system the Victron MultiPlus {inverter/charger} can be monitored and controlled via the Raymarine display."...
• Commented on NV-Charts on Navico displays, another 'paper' option!
  Thanks, Jeppe, I was hoping you'd make those samples available. I don't think anyone will be disappointed, though. I just tried the sample charts on both NSS-8 and NSE-12 with radar, StructureScan, and lots of N2K going on. The NV...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  GoFree flexibility: I was just running iNavX and iRegatta Pro with streaming AIS, wind, depth, heading, etc. on two iPads while NSS-8 was in Standby mode....
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  It seems like Navico is becoming chart agnostic, something like Furuno. The Insight store is getting quite interesting with C-Map and Insight cartography already for sale and download: https://insightstore.navico.com/...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  I have the NSS8 plugged into one WiFi1 port and the NSE12/4G/LSS all coming into its other port, and that may have complicated things. GoFree worked with NSS right away but the radar and StructureScan to be seen by both...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  I did find where Lowrance warns that "GoFree Wireless Technology will not function when a Gen1 display is on the network": http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Products/Wireless/GoFree-WIFI-1-Module-en-us.aspx On the other hand, some WiFi1 pages now include Web Interface and Advanced Settings instructions that seem promising....
• Commented on Simrad RS35 & Lowrance Link-8: DSC VHF + AISrx + N2K = YES!
  Did you leave the radio on for a while, Peter? In both Class A and B AIS, the info you saw is broadcast much for frequently than what's called a vessel's "static data" like name and dimensions. The static data...
• Commented on A closer look at Lowrance's HDS Gen2 Touch
  Thanks, Kees! Your ability to understand the hardware and software behind the Navico scene is much appreciated. I for one am very curious if you have your HDS2T networked with radar, sonar, and/or your older HDS while also doing GoFree...
• Commented on Lowrance HDS Gen2 TOUCH, StructureScan included!
  Thanks, DJ, but which manual says that? Also note that we just posted a detailed entry by Kees about the new 2.0 GoFree software on HDS. Probably a better place to continue this discussion: http://www.panbo.com/archives/2013/05/a_closer_look_at_lowrances_hds_gen2_touch.html...
• Commented on Navionics NavPlanner2, from Fugawi
  Moe, I'm a little surprised that you simple expect free PC support, but in fact Navionics is about the one chart card manufacturer that delivers it. Just download their Web store software and register your card and then you'll have...
• Commented on Marine fuel prices, why so hard?
  Hi, Christine. I can see the changes your data department made and they make the MarineFuel app a lot more useful. I also appreciate it when a developer is willing to discuss their product on a blog like this. Thanks!...
• Commented on DSM150, Maretron for the masses?
  I've got argue with you about that, Carl. Consider an older sailboat with a hard-to-wire helm pedestal that wants to update electronics with, say, three N2K instrument displays, an AP head and an MFD. Here are the three possible scenarios:...
• Commented on BEP CZone Signal Interface, a NMEA 2000 winner
  Thanks, Paul. I think you gave good guidance, but I can add more about how the Simrad MFDs and CZone work together. First note that I too am using the USB CAN Adapter and Configuration software to set up and...
• Commented on SPOT 2G, and 1G test unit report
  Details about the Spot Gen3 are starting to show up, though I don't think it's been formally announced nor is it shipping yet: http://www.cyclenutz.com/SPOT-Gen3-Satellite-GPS-Messenger_p_936.html...
• Commented on Lowrance HDS Gen2 TOUCH, StructureScan included!
  Credit for HDS Gen2 software update scoop properly goes to Jim Klauser, who is part of an interesting Forum thread called "iPad or Laptop?": http://www.panbo.com/forum/2011/02/ipad-or-laptop.html...
• Commented on Lowrance HDS Gen2 TOUCH, StructureScan included!
  Just out -- Lowrance HDS Gen2 major software update 2.0. Features GoFree, chart sharing, 5hz internal GPS, HD StructureMaps and more: http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Software-Updates/HDS-Gen2-Touch/ http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Software-Updates/HDS-Gen2/ Kees Verruijt has been testing (and liking) an HDS Touch and will review it on Panbo soon....
• Commented on iPad or Laptop?
  Good catch, Jim! Make sure that all your Lowrance Ethernet components like radar and StructureScan have the latest updates. That's what it took on my Simrad system to make WiFi1 work well. But work well it does. All sorts of...