13 Sep

Stay on course with electronic charts

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newsletter, , , ,
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…
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10 May

Dependable multimeters

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newsletter, , , ,
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…
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13 Sep

High-gain cellular antennas

Bill MorrisMarine Electronics Newsletter,
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…
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Furuno leads the pack in 2021 NMEA Awards
01 Oct

Furuno leads the pack in 2021 NMEA Awards

Ocean NavigatorHome Page Hero, Ocean Navigator, Ocean Voyaging, , , , ,
  Most voyagers are probably most familiar with the initial NMEA as part of a networking designation, either NMEA 0183 or NMEA 2000. Maybe not as many could tell you that NMEA stands for the National Marine Electronics Association. Or that NMEA includes all the top marine electronics manufacturers or that the NMEA has a yearly conference at which the organization gives out awards in a variety of categories. This year marine electronics manufacturer Furuno was the overall winner, taking home seven awards, including the Technology Award for its NavNet TZT16F TZtouch 3 v2. The 2021 NMEA conference was held…
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20 Aug
Harry HungateIndustry & Company News, , ,
From the NMEA press release: The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) has released an extensively updated and expanded version of the NMEA 0400 Installation Standard. This standard is the basis for the popular day-long NMEA Marine Electronics Installer training certification courses that are taught virtually and in person. “Version 5.0, Edition 2021 is a major revision to the world’s most extensive Installation Standard for marine electronics,” said Mark Reedenauer, NMEA President & Executive Director. “The new 336-page document includes 30 sections, 13 appendices, 117 figures and 52 tables. The unique design of the Installation Standard allows it to either stand…
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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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12 Mar
Ocean NavigatorOcean Voyaging, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,
Is there a piece of marine electronics that does so much yet has such a non-descript name? The multifunction display, usually dryly shortened to simply "MFD," is a powerhouse that can combine electronic charts, AIS, radar, GPS, voyage planning, tide data, performance instrument display, depth sounder display, engine gauge displays and a lot more. The MFD is more of a "Houston mission control" on your boat than some anonymous three-letter acronym, which is usually better suited to black box units that reside unseen behind a bulkhead. An example of the kind of power features available to MFDs was recently announced…
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