Monthly Archive: November 2016

METS 2016: Navico, Fusion, Airmar and Signal K 24

METS 2016: Navico, Fusion, Airmar and Signal K

METS_2016_floorplan_n_image_aPanbo.jpg

This year’s annual Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in Amsterdam seemed busier than ever. It’s good to see that the marine industry has largely recovered, although the sailboat business still seems to lag behind behind motorboats. The super yacht halls were very busy too. I saw some exciting new developments from Navico, who were showing the brand new NSS evo3 and B&G Zeus3 as well as their recently announced instrument displays. Fusion had a new high-end speaker, and Airmar showed me their brand new electromagnetic DX900+ multifunction speed sensor.

WilhelmSK app shows what Signal K, good boat WiFi, and smart DIY coding can do 18

WilhelmSK app shows what Signal K, good boat WiFi, and smart DIY coding can do

testing_WilhelmSK_app_and_solid-state_radars_on_Gizmo_cPanbo.jpg

Hey, those are all solid-state radomes showing on the 7-inch displays at Gizmo’s lower helm, and you’d see a fourth one running on the flybridge. Comparative testing is underway, but today I’m going to write about the rather amazing WilhelmSK app running on the iPad above. It is not only mirroring the Raymarine a77 screen, touch control included, but also neatly displaying lots of NMEA sensor data that’s been converted to the app-friendly Signal K protocol, thanks to Digital Yacht’s iKommunicate gateway. In my opinion, WilhelmSK is a terrific early example of Signal K’s potential and also a testament to Raymarine’s powerful WiFi strategy…

If you want to sail away, free FastSeas weather routing can help 22

If you want to sail away, free FastSeas weather routing can help

FastSeas_calculating_fast_getaway_to_Bermuda_cPanbo.jpg

If you’re looking for a real getaway this morning, or even just an online distraction, FastSeas.com can help. It’s also a testament to how much goodness a smart boater/coder can create for his or her fellow mariners these days. And while FastSeas is primarily an online weather routing service for sailors embarking on ocean passages, it’s easy and flexible enough that even a coastal power cruiser can benefit…

New Garmin: Fantom radomes & Panoptix thru-hull FLS, plus radios & “budget” MFDs 29

New Garmin: Fantom radomes & Panoptix thru-hull FLS, plus radios & “budget” MFDs

Garmin_Fantom_18_and_24_solid-state_Doppler_radars_aPanbo_.jpg

Were you hoping that Garmin would bring its Fantom solid-state radar technology down to radome size, including the Doppler-assisted target motion highlighting they call MotionScope? How about two sizes, 18 and 24 inch? Or maybe you’re a Garmin owning cruiser jealous of Simrad or B&G users with ForwardScan forward looking sonar? That’s also taken care of, sort of. And these are just two highlights of all the new products Garmin announced today, many of which will ship soon…

Lauderdale ‘lectronics: sensors, sats, cams, boats, ROVs and ? 4

Lauderdale ‘lectronics: sensors, sats, cams, boats, ROVs and ?

Fort_Lauderdale_Boat_Show_2016_maps.jpgThe Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) has become an enormous event, and I would have a hard time covering all the interesting electronics-related exhibits even if I actually motivated my lazy old butt out of Maine this week. But I do have the goods on one important set of new products (that I can share tomorrow), and I’ve also got some ideas about booths and docks to visit that some of you might enjoy and perhaps even report back about…