The Marine Electronics Hub
B&G just announced the WS300 range “of wireless and wired wind sensors designed for cruising and club racing sailors” and the first two models seem like smart designs at reasonable prices. It’s also interesting exactly how both types deliver NMEA 2000 wind information to a boat without having to run an N2K backbone up its mast…
I’m an information junkie; if some information is good, more is better. So, when traveling in unfamiliar waters I would like to know as much as possible. This data habit finds me with multiple plotters and a couple of iPad Minis at the helm when I’m underway. Sometimes my quest for information finds me refrigerating iPads.
Several years ago I noticed that Weems & Plath had introduced a line of binoculars that seemed to offer good specifications at reasonable costs. But it took me until last fall’s Annapolis Show discount to take the plunge, and then it took some customization work to get where I hoped to. It’s an interesting story, I think, but to tell it I’ll have to reveal two more personal idiosyncracies…
KVH announced they’ve entered the cellular internet market with the TracPhone LTE-1. Their marketing materials say it can deliver “Double the coverage and 10x faster speed at sea.” KVH is providing the hardware and the cellular service and promises to deliver an all-in-one, end-to-end, no hassle, simple service. If this announcement weren’t from KVH and it didn’t have some of the pretty bold claims KVH makes it might look like just a ho-hum, me too announcement. But, KVH says they can do more faster and easier than the existing products so, I for one, am looking forward to seeing if this, generally pretty conservative, engineer driven company, can back them up.
Many readers got excited when Panbo covered the “coming soon” Standard Horizon GX6500 and GX6000 radios in October, 2016. It looked like SH was about to blaze trail once again, but then the story got confusing, even sad…But a real GX6000 along with the trailblazing RAM4W mic materialized at my door on Friday, and I’m tentatively impressed.
I’m a longtime fan of the DeLorme inReach as a two-way messenger, tracker, and safety device for boating (and other uses), especially when we wander beyond cellular coverage. Panbo inReach coverage goes back to...
Like many boaters, I’m always on the lookout for the right next boat. Since joining Panbo I’ve written somewhat frequently about my recently completed trip around America’s Great Loop. That trip provided my family and me with an amazing adventure as well as the opportunity to think about what makes the right boat for us.
As the title suggests, I’m not confident that I should have taken Gizmo on a 24-hour solo jaunt from Norfolk to Atlantic City in what looked like dicey weather conditions. Some readers may think I endangered myself and others, and they may well have a point…
Actually, as you can see above, SEAiq lets you overlay both ActiveCaptain and Waterway Guide info onto its chart display (and easily turn either or both overlays on and off). But as noted on the SEAiq website, the AC data will not be updated after May 23, though “We are considering updating SEAiq support for ActiveCaptain but do not have definite plans yet.”
In a comment on my recent Ubiquiti EdgeRouter configuration article, frequent Panbo reader Hartley noted the unfortunate 24v DC power requirement. The ER-X model of the EdgeRouter is actually capable of running on 12v, but that version can’t...
