Marine Electronics - Ocean Navigator

28 Jan

New Anti-Collision System and Gyrocompass

Eric ColbyBoat & Gear News, Electronic charting, Marine Apps, Marine Electronics, Navigation, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Safety

Artificial Intelligence company SEA.AI has added to its machine vision systems with the SEA.AI brain. It integrates the technology with existing thermal cameras on a boat. The company demonstrated its abilities in its new Watchkeeper series of modular safety systems at the Boot Düsseldorf Show in Germany in January. Starting at less than $5,200, the Watchkeeper lets boaters customize a SEA.AI system based on personal preferences. The system comes with a 4k low-light camera with a wide field of view of 135 degrees, providing a comprehensive view of the surroundings around the boat. With integrated GPS and Intertial Measurement Units,…

23 Dec

Why You Should Consider a Vessel Monitoring System

Eric ColbyMarine Electronics, Marine Electronics Newsletter

With boats getting more sophisticated, an owner would do well to add some technological help when it comes to keeping track of the health of on-board equipment. That’s why monitoring systems are growing in popularity and working their way into what would previously have been considered smaller boats. Monitoring systems can help track things like battery status, fuel and water levels and can send an alert when the bilge pump starts or smoke or carbon monoxide detectors are triggered. Some also offer geofencing that alerts the owner when the vessel is moved outside a set distance. At the International BoatBuilders…

19 Dec

Maretron and Raymarine Announce Collaboration

Eric ColbyBluewater Gear, Electronic charting, Industry & Company News, Marine Electronics, Marine Technology

Marine electronics maker Raymarine has partnered with Maretron to integrate the latter’s vessel monitoring systems into the former’s Axiom chartplotter displays. Maretron’s MConnect is a client-server technology that offers access to real-time data across hundreds of data points on a vessel. Integrating MConnect with Raymarine’s Axiom family of multifunction displays lets users monitor and control vessel components from Raymarine’s LightHouse interface. MConnect’s data visualization and customization tools are compatible with Raymarine’s MFDs. They let a user configure personalized interfaces and control vessel systems with ease. By combining MConnect’s graphics editor with Raymarine’s high-definition displays, users can create dashboards that consolidate…

06 Nov

App uses AI to Improve Trip Planning

Eric ColbyBoat & Gear News, Communications, Marine Apps, Marine Electronics, Navigation

Ditch, an AI-powered navigation app, introduced its Smart ETA feature at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October. The launch coincides with the app’s one-year anniversary. In addition to Smart ETA, Ditch is launching a new live navigation view that provides real-time updates on route distance, time to arrival and speed over ground. Smart ETA considers factors that are sometimes overlooked by ETA calculators including no-wake zones and a boat’s cruising speed. Ditch says users will experience more accurate ETAs, reducing stress and providing more accurate arrival times. The app also provides live updates on route distance, time to…

30 Oct

New Numbering Format for VHF Marine Radios

Eric ColbyBoat & Gear News, Communications, Marine Electronics, Marine Technology

New marine radios for the VHF-FM band (156 to 162 MHz) are being made with a new channel numbering scheme. The “A” designation for some channels in the U.S. is being replaced with 10. Going forward, channel 22A, which is used by the Coast Guard for all ship’s calls and Urgent Marine Information Broadcasts, will become 1022. There’s no effect on operation. All two-digit assignments, designated uses and frequencies stay the same. Eighteen channels for the U.S. numbering scheme are affected, while four “B” channels in Canada will change to “20” designations. The change was ordered by the International Telecommunications…

22 Oct

The Benefits of a Dock Boost Transformer

Eric ColbyMarine Electronics, Marine Electronics Newsletter

Pulling into a transient slip at a new marina can sometimes feel like a game of Russian Roulette. When you plug in to the shore power pedestal, will the connection be clean? Will your boat’s electrical system be blown up by a massive surge or will the power sag and try to drain your system. In a freshwater facility, is there current leaching into the water that could lead to an electric-shock drowning incident? For sail and power cruisers, a dock boost transformer could be a worthwhile investment. ASEA Power Systems in Huntington Beach, Calif., makes Dock Boost Transformers that…

10 Sep

Masthead VHF antennas

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics, Marine Electronics Newsletter

In the age of cell phones, satellite phones and long-distance HAM/SSB radios, your marine VHF radio is still the most basic, foundational, go-to electronic communication device on your vessel. But a good, properly installed VHF is worth nothing unless it is properly grounded and connected to an external antenna, preferably at the masthead. With prices ranging from around $50 to roughly $500, depending on length, mounting system and type of vessel, the span of choices can at first be intimidating. Among most cruising boats ranging from, say, 30 to 45 feet LOA, the size of boat is irrelevant when it…

09 Jul

Marine Stereo Systems

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics, Marine Electronics Newsletter, Newsletter

Cruising on our vessels along the coast or on the high seas is exciting, but sometimes we require a bit of entertainment to fill the hours between conversations with crew and other fellow cruisers in VHF and HF radio conversations. A remote-controlled stereo system with wireless speakers is an easy, affordable way to bring some extra cheer aboard while we count the nautical miles left to our next anchorage. Before you shop for a stereo system, keep in mind some stereos include speakers while others do not. If you already have dependable, waterproof speakers mounted out on deck, then all…

22 Apr

Handheld VHF for the Life Raft

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics, Newsletter, Voyaging Tips Newsletter

Probably the worst fear you can face as an offshore sailor is losing your vessel at sea. And while we definitely want to make sure we have a vessel-mounted and personal EPIRB ready to send out a distress signal immediately, we also need some means of communicating with rescue operations should this unthinkable horror ever come to pass. Packing a survival VHF radio in your ditch bag is the best guarantee you will have voice communication with nearby ships. However, the ideal choice for this radio should include the ability to summon help beyond the typical eight-mile range of a…

13 Mar

The Latest Tech in EPIRBs

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics, Marine Electronics Newsletter

What started out decades ago as a military tracking device has become standard equipment on offshore cruising vessels: Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs). Fortunately for today’s coastal and offshore cruisers, numerous manufacturers compete to give us the best EPIRB technology, battery life and ease of use. When we sailors go shopping for marine products, we have the advantage of choice and competitive pricing, and the same goes for EPIRBs. McMurdo, RescueME and ACR Electronics are among the leaders in both technology and competitive pricing. The McMurdo SmartFind G8 Automatic EPIRB is a revolutionary device, the first to combine both…