Better than an atomic clock
01 Sep

Better than an atomic clock

Story and photos by Craig SmithMarine Technology, , , , , , , , ,
An essential element for navigation is time. For navigation via celestial observations, you need to know your time down to the second. When we get into electronic navigation systems like GPS, second-level accuracy is not good enough. For that application, we need to start adding prefixes like milli-, micro- and nano- to seconds. The better we know time, the more accurate the navigation solution will be. And now the scientists and engineers are devising a new type of timepiece, called a nuclear clock, that will be the ultimate timepiece.  One of the great stories in the history of navigation was…
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14 Jul
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Newsletter
The possibility of someone stealing our floating palace or some high-end piece of onboard electronic equipment is a frightening thought. Fortunately, there are efficient, affordable digital tracking devices available to assuage our fears and keep our thoughts focused on our cruising aspirations. The SPOT Trace Theft-Alert Tracking Device offers a broad set of features to keep you in touch with its location at all times via your cellular device or home computer. What’s more, it is the only, or one of the only, tracking devices offering coverage in virtually all of North America, Mexico, Europe and Australia, plus limited coverage…
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30 Jun
Harry HungateCommunications, Marine Technology
In the past 20 years satellite communications has grown from a novelty item for voyagers to something more like standard equipment for the voyaging boat. Between fixed terminal satcom options and handheld satphones, there are a variety of choices and combination products. And now companies like SpaceX and OneWeb are launching fleets of thousands of low earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft that will provide Internet connectivity to every point on the globe. While these LEO-based systems are primarily intended for land-based users, there will likely be options for mobile and marine users as well.  We asked Dave Brengelmann, an avid sailor…
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11 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Newsletter
Until recently, the only way you could have a VHF radio with AIS capability in the palm of your hand was through a remote working off a base unit. In my July 2016 ON electronics newsletter, “Wireless remote VHF-AIS radios,” I predicted the eventual advent of the VHF/DSC/AIS/GPS handheld radio. Well, folks, it’s here. Now you can have access to DSC with AIS and GPS in your VHF handheld radio totally independent from your vessel’s VHF base-mount unit.  This new, expanded capability offers a number of advantages. First, if you leave your base unit on while you leave an anchorage in your dinghy to do some exploring, you can find your way back to your yacht even in a dense fog by simply honing…
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03 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, , , , , ,
With seven employees, the closing of Broomfield & Son, Inc., in Providence, R.I., in March 2020 didn’t make a splash on the business pages. For boat builders, boat owners and repair yards, however, Broomfield’s shutdown was an outsized event. That’s because Broomfield & Son, Inc., makes production keels, custom keels, and does re-surfacing and the replacement of keel bolts for customers nationwide. The company also offers billets (block and custom shapes and sizes), M-blocks, and more, and does repair work. The small, family-run business, a fourth-generation enterprise in existence for more than 60 years, was forced to close last March…
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03 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, , , ,
When sails fail due to sunlight damage, what parts of sails are most likely to fail? We asked a sailmaker, Mike Bartles of M&H Bartles Sailmakers in Boothbay, Maine, this question. According to Bartles, it usually isn’t the cloth but the stitching. The most common damage to modern sails happens silently and invisibly: the steady beating of the sun. Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) light, which is more energetic than the wavelengths of visible light. This UV light has enough energy to slowly break down the fibers in nylon and polyester. The stitching holding the panels together is what breaks down…
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03 May
Story and photos by Craig SmithMarine Technology, , , , , ,
An obscure press release from NOAA on February 26, 2021, made an announcement about the availability of a chart in its catalog. Though the chart in question might never be used by ocean sailors, this release from NOAA was a big deal both for the history of US nautical charts and for their future. The announcement stated that as of August 2021, chart no. 18665 — the NOAA chart for land-locked Lake Tahoe, Calif. — would no longer be available in paper form from NOAA chart dealers. This first phase-out of a paper chart is part of a program that…
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03 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Power Voyaging, , ,
[gtx_gallery] I’m often asked by my power voyaging clients, “What do I need to know about making good crimp connections?” Fortunately, not very much. Material selection High quality solderless or “crimp” connectors start with high quality materials. When a connector is manufactured, a die stamps it repeatedly. This helps to cut and form the metal, but it also work-hardens it. Work-hardened metal is brittle and difficult to form. As a result, it is not preferable for crimping. Annealing returns the copper to a softer, more malleable state. The barrel portion of a quality connector appears seamless. This is because it…
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03 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, , , , , , ,
If you are planning an offshore cruise under sail, you need access to as much vessel data as possible in one single place. A multifunction chartplotter display is the nerve center of the modern offshore cruising vessel, bringing together chart navigation, radio communication and a variety of other inputs onto one screen to inform you of the overall performance of the craft while underway and at anchor. Before committing yourself to a particular model of chartplotter, you need to consider several factors: vessel size, deck layout, planned location of monitor installation and of course, your own specific needs and tastes.…
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03 May
Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, , , , , , ,
Earlier this year, I finally upgraded from lead acid batteries to lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4) batteries on my Valiant 40, Brick House. I’d researched for at least a year and South Africa, with its great tech base and good exchange rate, was the place to do it. [gtx_gallery] Lithium batteries favor the inclusion of a battery management system (BMS) in most applications on boats. The BMS ensures that the battery is not over or undercharged, and that it doesn’t overheat, freeze, or have to deal with oversized currents. Most people understand that a lithium battery BMS is the brains of…
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