multifunction display - 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…

03 May

Ocean NavigatorMarine Technology, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailingbest electronics for boats, boat electronics, boating tips, chartplotters, marine electronics, marine gear, multifunction display, voyaging tips

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.…

12 Mar

Ocean NavigatorOcean Voyaging, UncategorizedAIS, electronic charts, Furuno, GPS, marine electronics, MFD, multifunction display, PBG, personal bathymetric generator, radar

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…