Panbo

The Marine Electronics Hub

Yearly Archive: 2009

Lowrance demos StructureScan, with “DownScan” 17

Fishing & Sonar

Lowrance demos StructureScan, with “DownScan”

Lowrance_LSS-1_cPanbo.JPG

Lowrance demonstrated its new StructureScan system in Orlando yesterday, with a surprise added feature.  As expected, a high-frequency, very-narrow-beam transducer collects bottom info on each side of the boat and builds an almost photographic, though somewhat distorted, image as you move along.  In the picture above (click for big version), we’ve chosen to display only the curious structure on the left side of our track.  In other words, in that left window our boat is at the top right corner and the window shows the water column and bottom extending out about 70 feet to our left and about 200 behind us.  The lower right window is normal Broadband Sonar image, derived from a separate transducer, but that upper right window is a little different, as is the structure being imaged…

Imtra PowerLEDs, & greening Gizmo 6

Cabin & deck gear

Imtra PowerLEDs, & greening Gizmo

Imtra_LED_Eric_cPanbo.JPG

That’s Eric Braitmayer, Imtra’s marketing guy, and he’s got lots to be happy about.  The years of having to carefully explain the relative pros and cons of LED and halogen marine lighting are over.  He’s confident that the Ventura PowerLED upper left is as bright as a similar size 20 watt halogen fixture while being fully dimable (without RFI issues), much cooler, and much, much more power efficient.  In fact, Imtra is phasing out of halogen lighting altogether, and recently announced significantly increased LED sales despite the ‘downturn’.  In other words, lots of boaters and boatbuilders apparently agree with Imtra that LED technology has advanced beyond the confusion area.  Not that I would just go buy any old LED…

Boating 2009, “waves of jay”? 6

Zany

Boating 2009, “waves of jay”?

Mumbai_Yacht_Club_2_cPanbo.JPG

I’m not sure why I get such a kick out of fractured marketing talk, but I do.  And I want to honor the entrepreneur who’s been trying hard to advertise the Mumbai Yacht Club via Panbo comments (even if I haven’t let them go up).  To “The Ownership Economic entails endless technical tensions of Man-management-n- Maintenance, Berthing, etc…” could we not add interfacing NMEA 2000 and 0183, making marine WiFi work, etc., etc.?  And if I ever get back to the southwest coast of India, which I’d truly love to do, I might actually try to rent one of the “club’s” yachts…

Garmin VHF 300 AIS, xHD Radar & more 13

Communications / AIS

Garmin VHF 300 AIS, xHD Radar & more

Garmin_VHF300.JPG

Garmin announced a slew of new products yesterday, the most innovative of which is probably the black box VHF 300 AIS.  I think that this is not only the first combination VHF radio and AIS receiver (aside from the mod Icom UK apparently came up with), but also the first AIS receiver with NMEA 2000 output.  While there are a couple of issues with N2K AIS target messages right now, I’m confidant they’ll be fixed soon, and this will become the way to go.  For instance, a Garmin plotter should
easily be able to “direct dial” AIS targets, buddies included, using
N2K.  But that’s not all to like about this radio…

The Gizmo Manifesto, & magazine questions 13

Panbo & misc.

The Gizmo Manifesto, & magazine questions

Yachting_BenE_first_column.JPG

The above screenshot is from the online version of my first Yachting column.  I wasn’t tickled that the print title, The Gizmo Manifesto, got changed (to better attract search engines, supposedly), but the text is all there as written, and I hope you’ll check it out.  I turned it in before actually taking possession of Gizmo the vessel, but my notions of what’s possible for her electronics, and fears of the complications I might run into, are materializing.  My June column on Monitoring is also online, and overall I’m getting in a happy groove with Yachting and the other Bonnier marine pubs I work with.  But perhaps you can help make these magazines better…

4th of July 2009, & antenna questions 12

Zany

4th of July 2009, & antenna questions

Gizmo 7-4-2009.JPG

Here’s hoping that American panbots had a wonderful holiday weekend, and that northern hemisphere readers everywhere are enjoying the boating season.  I’m pleased to report that blue skies are finally breaking out here in Maine.  Friday night’s harbor fireworks were pretty sad — even those of us out in boats could only see vague glows in the fog — but there were times on the 4th that flags dried out enough to flutter.  And isn’t Gizmo looking good?  I still haven’t gotten around to changing the name lettering yet, but as an electronics test bed — and a cruising celebration of independence — she’s really coming along…

Navico Broadband Radar, truly safer? 23

Navigation

Navico Broadband Radar, truly safer?

Radar_minimum_safe_distance_courtesy_Navico.JPG

Since we’re already discussing the Navico BR24, let’s take a look at an interesting disagreement that’s cropped up regarding its safety claims.  At introduction, Navico’s CEO called this low wattage solid state technology “a huggable radar” — i.e. without any radiation danger whatsoever.  But how dangerous are conventional magnetron marine radars in this size range?  In the July issue of PMY, the new electronics editor Tim Bartlett tries to answer that question, and concludes, “So rest easy. While your microwave oven could theoretically cook you, a
small radar can’t because it doesn’t transmit long enough or with
enough power.”  Navico disagrees… 

BR vs UHD, Capt. Kessler is surprised 14

Navigation

BR vs UHD, Capt. Kessler is surprised

Bruce_Kessler_w_new_electronics_Camden2009_lr_cPanbo.JPG

The weather here — a phenomenal run of fog and rain — has been great for testing the Broadband Radar temporarily mounted on Li’l Gizmo, and I’m going to lay a BR screenshot show on you all soon, I promise.  But I’ve realized that while I’ve used lots of radars, and seen lots more demonstrated, I’ve never had one on my own boat before, and I’m not dead sure that the performance I’m seeing is as amazing as it seems.  How convenient, then, that the indomitable Spirit of Zapolite cruised in out of the murk on Monday, complete with a new Furuno NavNet 3D system swinging a four foot Ultra High Definition open array.  That’s the indomitable Capt. Bruce Kessler above, trying to tune NN3D/UHD to achieve as crisp and detailed an image of Camden Inner Harbor as he’d just seen on board a 14-foot outboard…

Wireless N2K wind & more, Tacktick style 9

Navigation

Wireless N2K wind & more, Tacktick style

Tacktick_remote_with_NMEA_2000_depth_cPanbo.JPG

Mission accomplished!  I tried integrating a Tacktick wireless sensor and display network with a NMEA 2000 sensor and display network, and the results were quite good.  The depth seen on the remote above is coming from a Maretron DST100 in Gizmo’s bottom.  The Micronet system is also getting Heading, Speed through Water, COG/SOG, and more from the N2K system, which it can display and/or use for True Wind calculations.  Meanwhile — and perhaps coolest of all — all displays on the N2K backbone are getting Apparent Wind info from the wireless Tacktick wind vane I simply clamped to Gizmo’s mast…

NMEA 2000 opens up, in a Dutch attic! 11

Network & control / What's on board...

NMEA 2000 opens up, in a Dutch attic!

KEES_N2K_sniffing_station_courtesy_yachtelectronics_blogspot.JPG

I love this photo.  It may look messy, but not only is one man’s fine N2K+++ yacht system being tested here, but the standard itself is getting explored, possibly to the benefit of many boaters.  This is Kees Verruijt’s attic somewhere in the Netherlands and, as explained on his new Yacht Electronics blog, that Commodore PET is the “PC” he first learned programming on back in 1979.  The rest of the gear is going on Merrimac II, a Stadship 56 now under construction that Kees and his family have obviously put a lot of thought into.  Kees wants to extend the usefullness of his NMEA 2000 data system, even to his iPhone, and he’s had to go to some serious trouble to do so…