Panbo

The Marine Electronics Hub

Yearly Archive: 2010

Gizmo holed, for a sonar summer 14

Fishing & Sonar / Cabin & deck gear

Gizmo holed, for a sonar summer

Interphase_FLS_transducer_for_Gizmo_cPanbo.JPG

That’s a beautifully built Interphase forward looking sonar (FLS) transducer — actually two phased array transducers, one 90� vertical and one 90� horizontal, cast into the same epoxy block (hence the dual outputs).  It can be used with several Interphase FLS models, but I’m looking forward to trying it with the company’s new Ultrascan PC90, discussed here last Fall.  And I went to some trouble, including the careful band sawing of that fairing block above, to give it a good view.  In fact, some may call me crazy…

Steve Jobs, listen up! 40

Handheld

Steve Jobs, listen up!

Panbo at the Apple iPad store.JPG

Honest, it was purely coincidental that I booked a hotel room in Boston that’s three blocks from an Apple mega store. But, sure, we checked out the iPad opening day phenomenon, and the scene was actually impressive.  Out on the sidewalk, happy new owners showed them off to friends and the media, while others waited in lines to pick up preordered units or to place orders.  Inside iPad classes were underway and images of new iPad apps lined all three floors. Most important, there were lots of iPads online, loaded with apps, and easy to try out as long as you wanted, and they are nifty (as you can read in umpteen places). But the abundant and generally well informed staff were not able to answer my main question, which, in fact, has become my to-buy-or-not-buy line in the sand…

NMEA 2000 bandwidth, Garmin & Furuno issues? 31

NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

NMEA 2000 bandwidth, Garmin & Furuno issues?

Panbo_NMEA_2000_bandwidth_testing_cPanbo.JPG

Maybe you thought I was off drilling multiple holes in Gizmo’s bottom — and I was! — but I’ve also been toiling away at the lab’s test NMEA 2000 network.  You see, I’d heard that Garmin’s GXM 51 XM Weather sensor might be a bandwidth hog, and also that Furuno’s NN3D MFDs generate an inordinate amount of network traffic.  There seems to be some truth to both accusations, but don’t panic!  (And you N2K naysayers, please save your snarking until you hear the whole story.)  Yes, as you can see on the table above, removing either of these devices reduced bandwidth use of a fairly large network significantly.  But even with both devices live on the network, I didn’t see any data problems, and am pretty sure these Garmin and Furuno issues will only cause real issues on very large networks.  Let me break down the testing and what I think I’ve learned…

Clarion CMV1, anyone tried one? 10

Entertainment

Clarion CMV1, anyone tried one?

Clarion_CMV1_Audio-_Video_Head_Unit.JPG

This handsome Clarion CMV1 was announced more than a year ago, but I missed it somehow even though it does all sorts of things that I think could be great on some boats.  It can play DVDs on that 3.5-inch 480×234 pixel screen and/or output the video via RCA cable to a bigger screen, like an MFD that isn’t doing much else when you’re parked.  And it can do the same thing with iPod video, though that feature mysteriously entails a special cable.  It even has an RCA input so you could use it to display an onboard video camera.  Of course, there’s more…

Navionics NavPlanner2, from Fugawi 25

PC & peripheral / Charts

Navionics NavPlanner2, from Fugawi

Fugawi_Navionics_NavPlanner2_Google_Earth.JPG

I’ve always liked the idea of route planning software, but Navionics NavPlanner was somewhat troubled from the start.  Hence it seems like great news that Navionics dumped it entirely in favor of a partnership with Fugawi, leading to this recent joint announcement of NavPlanner2.  Fugawi figured out how to present Navionics data well years ago, and then went on to produce the excellent Navionics HotMaps Explorer.  Judging from the NavPlanner2 screen shot above — which shows off Google Earth synchronization — it shares a lot of code with the HotMaps lake planner.  But NavPlanner2 has many added features…

Furuno RD-33 & GP-33, looking very good 20

NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

Furuno RD-33 & GP-33, looking very good

Furuno RD-33 brochure clip.jpg

Thanks to Panbo readers “arisatx” and “Recovering Racer”, commenting on one of the FI-50 instrument entries, we’ve learned that Furuno is introducing the RD-33 data display with a bright, high res 4.3-inch color display and powerful abilities at not only displaying NMEA 0183 and 2000 data but also bridging either type between sensors and other displays.  There’s going to be a somewhat similar GP-33 GPS, too, and all the details look very good indeed…

Green Marine, a new monitor manufacturer 23

PC & peripheral

Green Marine, a new monitor manufacturer

greenmarine AWM 15 monitor.jpg

Green Marine is a new company, but the principals already knew a lot about high bright LCD panels like the ones you see outside some fast food restaurants, and have even supplied screens to some familiar marine brands.  And I like their approach to the retail marine market — offering only LED backlit displays that are extra bright but at relatively reasonable prices.  They’ve also at least started to do something I wish every manufacturer did, which is to detail their specifications against the competition…

Mister Fish loudhailer speaker, & the Garmin GHS 10 6

Cabin & deck gear

Mister Fish loudhailer speaker, & the Garmin GHS 10

Mister_Fish_marine_hailer_fog_speaker_cPanbo_.JPG

I drove the dogs in my neighborhood slightly nuts, but I did satisfy myself that this new loudhailer horn speaker works quite well.  Mister Fish Marine Electronics is primarily an online dealer, but this 40 watt, 4 ohm speaker is their own design.  The goal was improved longevity and sound over the “inexpensive” speakers while maintaining a reasonable cost, and my first impression — given the $89 price, shipping included — is “goal achieved.”  It feels solidly built and purportedly contains “lubricated internal o-ring gaskets” and all stainless hardware.  And sounds darn good, which I was able to test in multiple ways thanks to the Garmin VHF 200…