Bill Morris - Ocean Navigator

13 Sep

Stay on course with electronic charts

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newslettermarine electronics, marine gear, multifunction display, navigation, voyaging

by Bill Morris Staying on course under sail, particularly within 100 miles of any coast, is a lot easier with a modern, GPS-controlled chartplotter. With the latest generation of chartplotters, you can navigate to virtually any point on the world’s oceans while staying on course and out of harm’s way. To start off, there are two types of digital charts: raster and vector. Raster charts are digitalized copies of paper charts, such as those published by NOAA and the British Admiralty. On the other hand, vector charts are purely digital, capable of changing the amount of chart detail depending on…

11 Jul

SSB whip antennas

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newslettercommunications, HF antenna, HF SSB, HF whip antennas, marine ba, radio communications, SSB, Whip antennas

by Bill Morris If you have chosen to install a single-sideband (SSB) transceiver with an automatic tuner on your vessel, you will also need to install an antenna system capable of transmitting and receiving from 0.5 to 30 MHz, come rain or shine anywhere on the world’s oceans. On sailing vessels less than roughly 50 feet LOA, the common practice is to install a backstay antenna. This requires removing the backstay, cutting out a long piece of the wire and reinstalling it with insulators to ensure transmitted power is kept safely above the heads and hands of crew. Another approach…

10 May

Dependable multimeters

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newsletterbatteries, battery voltage, electrical testing, marine electronics, multimeter

by Bill Morris Arriving at our next port successfully depends, in great measure, on properly functioning electronic navigation and communication systems. And maintaining those systems in tip-top condition requires dependable test equipment, most notably a high-quality multimeter. Surprisingly, many cruising vessels carry no more than a current tester consisting of two wires and a sealed lightbulb to demonstrate the presence of current — how much is anyone’s guess. Some skippers rely on a small, inexpensive battery tester with color bands: green for good, yellow for so-so and red for replace. Properly prepared skippers, on the other hand, equip their vessels…

13 Mar

VHF antenna mounts

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newslettermarine, VHF, VHF antenna

by Bill Morris While we are perusing the various types and brands of radios for our boat’s nav station, we should give ample attention not only to what type of VHF antenna we intend to install, but the mounting system for that antenna as well. Holding the antenna securely to the deck, mast or aft pulpit plays a critical role in getting our signal out efficiently and safely, especially in an emergency. To be sure, if you are crossing oceans, you will undoubtedly carry, at the very least, an antenna for your marine SSB or ham radio station, but we’ll…

11 Jan

Marine multi-band Ham radios

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics NewsletterHam radio, HF SSB, radio communications

by Bill Morris With the growing array of communication options for offshore sailors, it is easy to be dazzled by the growing availability of satellite phones and even digital television. In reality, though, hardcore voyaging sailors by and large depend on the flexibility and independence afforded by amateur, or “ham,” radio, which allows you to speak with other radio operators on both land and sea anywhere in the world with no monthly or per-minute charge to worry about. As long as you have the requisite FCC license, at least General Class, you can rag-chew to your heart’s content from any…

14 Nov

Wireless VHF interface systems

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newsletter

If you are the skipper of a large yacht, you are keenly aware of the need to have immediate communication capability with all crew and passengers at all times. The quickest, easiest way to make announcements to all onboard, particularly in the event of an emergency, is with a hailer, which is usually nothing more than a large, conical speaker mounted on the mast or other elevated surface. Until recently, hailers have been connected to an intercom system via a long pair of wires, which can be run down inside the mast, through the coach roof and then tacked to…

13 Sep

High-gain cellular antennas

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newslettermarine, marine electronics

Getting out on the boat in coastal waters can separate us from important phone calls from family and the office that we’d rather not miss. That is, unless our boat is equipped with a high-gain marine cellular antenna. The Marine weBoost Drive Reach Cell Signal Booster is a great example of the accessibility and power available for cell phones within 15 to 20 miles offshore. “This kit includes a high-gain outside antenna for either the RFI 82-inch Whip or the Poynting high-gain omni antenna,” explained Marketing Director Chad Steglich of Powerful Signal of Hurricane, Utah. The 29.5-inch Poynting OMNI-493 UV-stable…

10 May

Chartplotter battery monitoring

Bill MorrisBatteries, Marine Electronics Newsletter

Battery monitoring on our vessels is an obsession comparable to keeping an eye on the wind indicator and the sail telltales. With all of us skippers fussing over slight changes in battery charge several times a day while on passage, we would expect a horde of manufacturers pandering to us with battery monitoring systems compatible with our chartplotters, right? Nope! Of all the marine and recreational battery monitoring systems on the market, only one offers compatibility with our chartplotters: the Victron Cerbo GX, “a hub for all energy on board.” To be sure, other monitoring systems have jumped straight ahead…

09 Mar

Stand-alone AIS units

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newsletter

A stand-alone AIS transceiver is a must for both coastal and offshore sailing craft, especially around large harbors with lots of ship traffic and sometimes dense fog. AIS-equipped VHF radios are generally limited to receiving AIS transmissions and displaying them either on a small screen or a separate chartplotter. To alert another vessel, the operator can either call by VHF radio or activate the DSC (digital select calling) function, which transmits the vessel’s name and position with the vessel’s Maritime Mobile Service Identities code. The advantage of a self-contained AIS transceiver is obvious: Every AIS-equipped vessel in your area is…

12 Jan

Marine Electronics, December 2022

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics, Newsletter

With all the advertising and dockside chatter surrounding satellite cell phones and the cost of monthly plans, it is comforting to know there are still active marine SSB nets for cruisers all around the globe. As a matter of fact, SSB transceivers, along with ham radios, are still the norm among offshore cruisers. However, because we offshore sailing folk do not (but should) comprise the huge customer base it takes to shape economies of scale, we are relegated to limited sources for some of our specialized electronics, particularly single-sideband AM radios. Which explains why three manufacturers — ICOM, Furuno and…