Panbo

The Marine Technology Hub

Category: Navigation

4

Navigation / What's on board... / Charts / Monitoring & Tracking

The Q Experience from Next Four, A fresh take on chart plotters

Rarely do I have the opportunity to review a truly new chart plotter. For as long as I have been reviewing equipment, chart plotters come from Furuno, Garmin, Navico, or Raymarine. So, it is pretty exciting for me to get my hands on a truly new line of chart plotters. Although NextFour’s Q Experience is new to me and Panbo readers, Q is not as new as you might think. The company just marked ten years of building chart plotters designed to feel as natural as a smartphone. Panboat has spent the past several weeks running around with a dual-display unit suction-cupped to the helm, and I’m ready to share my early impressions. Is Q really as natural to use as your phone? Let’s find out.

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Mobile Apps / Press Releases / Navigation / Weather

TZ iBoat 4 comes to Android with a redesigned navigation experience

Nobletec today announced the release of TZ iBoat 4, a major update to its mobile navigation app, now available on Android for the first time. This update introduces a new design and a reimagined navigation experience, along with key features and enhancements designed to better support users at sea. The new design delivers a more intuitive and streamlined experience, allowing users to move seamlessly between dedicated screens, each tailored to a specific use. Enhancements to the Weather feature bring…

3

Cameras and night vision / Wireless & Apps / Navigation / Safety & SAR

SIONYX Nightwave Digital, strong low light performance with better integration

For the last 8 years, SIONYX has provided an alternative to thermal night vision cameras. They advertise the sensitivity of their Black Silicon CMOS sensor down to 0.001 LUX or total darkness. In my testing, their cameras have provided truly impressive performance while also displaying full color images in near total darkness. Impressive as their cameras have been, each review has been limited by the connectivity their cameras offered. Now, SIONYX’s Nightwave Digital offers a full suite of connectivity options. So, does the new camera provide everything I want? Read on and find out.

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Network & control / Navigation / Charts

PBIBS 2026: Raymarine introduces Axiom 2

Raymarine announced the Axiom 2 at the 2026 Palm Beach International Boat Show. The introduction of the Axiom 2 puts all three variants of the Axiom on the same underlying hardware architecture. Axiom 2 joins the Axiom 2 Pro and Axiom 2 XL as the long term future of Raymarine’s chart plotter product line. But, the announcement of the Axiom 2 also marks the end of major software updates for owners of Axiom products (Axiom, Pro, and XL) that don’t end in 2. Let’s take a look at the new hardware and what this all means for owners of very recently sold Axiom+ units.

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Network & control / Navigation / Charts

DBMIBS 2026: Simrad NSO 4

Continuing my new product tour from the 2026 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show, the next stop is at the Navico booth for the Simrad NSO 4 and B&G Zeus SRX. These two families of chartplotters sit atop Simrad and B&G’s lineups. They also complete each company’s transition to products based on Navico’s NEON operating system.

0

Navigation / Charts

DBMIBS 2026: Furuno TZtouchE and TZMap MFDs

The electronics area of the 2026 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show is noticeably smaller this year. In years past, the show featured a separate electronics room. This year, that room is a food court and the electronics area is on the main floor of the convention center. Although the area itself might be smaller, there were still quite a few exciting announcements and new equipment on display. First up are two different lines of Furuno MFDs designed for smaller boats.

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Press Releases / Fishing & Sonar / Navigation

Furuno TZtouchE: Bringing big-boat technology to every vessel

Furuno is expanding its industry-leading lineup of NavNet TZtouch MFDs (Multi Function Displays) with the new TZtouchE series, delivering a streamlined navigation experience with robust functionality and performance. Designed for boaters demanding powerful tools in a simplified interface, the TZtouchE series delivers an affordable path to many advanced features, including amazingly detailed TZ MAPS charts…

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Press Releases / Fishing & Sonar / Navigation

Simrad debuts new NSO 4 – designed to be the world’s most intuitive chartplotter

As Simrad Marine Electronics marks its 80th anniversary, the brand celebrates eight decades of innovation with the launch of NSO 4 – the next chapter in marine navigation. Built on the revolutionary NEON operating system (OS) and designed to be the world’s most intuitive chartplotter, NSO 4 is the latest premium chartplotter and fishfinder in the Simrad portfolio, delivering an unmatched combination of effortless control, lightning-fast performance, and sleek design, setting a new standard for offshore navigation…