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NMEA 2011 Expo, neat new stuff #2 17

Navigation / AIS / Weather

NMEA 2011 Expo, neat new stuff #2

Furuno NavPilot 700 safehelm n power steering module cPanbo.jpg

Yes that’s an Accu-Steer reversing hydraulic pump meant to push a rudder around, but that block on top is a patent-pending sensor co-developed with FurunoUSA, and the whole package leads to the very interesting “Safe Helm” and “Power Steer” features coming to the latter’s NavPilot 700 (which explains why the pilot came out elsewhere earlier).  Safe Helm sounds a lot like the “Shadow Drive” feature so far only seen on the Garmin GHP 10 pilot for hydraulic steering systems; instead of poking a StandBy button, you simply turn the wheel to disengage the pilot and steer around an issue, then let the boat settle on a course again to re-engage. It’s elegantly simple (I’ve tried the Garmin version), and it’s potentially great that it’s is no longer exclusive to one manufacturer. And apparently Furuno’s unique method also means that the pump can be used to power assist a steering system, with numerous controls for how that’s done — like variable assist at different speeds — built into the NavPilot 700…

NMEA 2011 Expo, neat new stuff #1 5

Wireless & Apps / Navigation

NMEA 2011 Expo, neat new stuff #1

NMEA2011_Green_Marine_STAR.jpg

I spent a fair amount of NMEA Conference & Expo time reviewing products that are already shipping — more on that Technology Award tomorrow — but I still got a fair chance to see the new, new stuff (like the Fusion Marine Stereo wow). Check out that Green Marine Bridge Command Display System demo above, for instance, and don’t miss the video. I don’t think there’s ever been a monitor like that STAR at upper right, and I wondered how an owner or installer would set up the unusual STretched Aspect Ratio on the PC driving it. No problem: The monitor itself splits off the top third of a standard screen resolution, so that Maretron N2KView gauge display was simply set up on a regular monitor with that in mind. Slick. And of course there was much more…

The LightSquared vs GPS problem, what now? 89

Navigation

The LightSquared vs GPS problem, what now?

LightSquared_Geoff_Stearn_at_NMEA_2011_cPanbo.jpg

I learned a lot at the 2011 NMEA Conference & Expo, and got a first peek at some wonderful new marine electronics, but I’ll start my coverage with the scene above. Here on Panbo we started discussing GPS interference caused by LightSquared’s proposed new U.S. broadband cellular network back in March, and the entry now has 111 comments, many vigorously opposed to the LS plan.  Plus the Coalition to Save Our GPS has become a powerfully united and outspoken voice, and the whole darn mess has recently become a political football.  So it seemed fairly brave of Geoffrey Stearn — who is LS’s VP of Spectrum Development — to step into a room full of marine safety authorities (U.S. GMDSS Task Force) and NMEA members all of whose work depends on reliable GPS positioning…

NIBS #1, electronics tidbits 10

Navigation / Zany

NIBS #1, electronics tidbits

Newport_Raymarine_i70_p70_cPanbo.jpg

It’s rare that I go so long without writing an entry, and I’d like to say that I spent the time digging deep into electronics at the Newport International Boat Show. But the truth is that most of my time there went to working as one of the several Newport for New Products award judges, plus I met with my Cruising World and Yachting editors (first office visit ever 😉 and did a lot of driving. So unfortunately I didn’t get much more than a glance at the new Raymarine i70 instrument display (and p70 pilot head) seen above. The i70 display is wicked bright, the buttons are big, and moving through menus is snappy, but a fuller appraisal will have to wait. Incidentally, the WiFi and Bluetooth signs in the background of course refer to Ray’s new e7 MFD and are germane because those two capabilities are probably the main reasons that the e7 won the Best New Boating Product award… 

Furuno RD33, hand’s on #1 27

Navigation / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

Furuno RD33, hand’s on #1

Furuno_RD33_ground_wind_cPanbo.jpg

Please trust me that the Furuno RD33 — first discussed here in March, 2010 — looks better than I’ve managed to photograph yet. And, somewhat oddly, it seems that you’ll find more screen shots and a better brochure on Furuno.com’s RD-33 page as opposed to FurunoUSA’s RD33 page.  In fact, you’ll have to look elsewhere for images of the many handsome data pages that an RD33 can flip through because today I’m going to focus on a few behind-the-scenes screens…

B&G Triton, all-in-one N2K instrument & pilot keypad 36

Navigation / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

B&G Triton, all-in-one N2K instrument & pilot keypad

B_G_Triton_NMEA_2000_instrument.jpg

When I hinted last week that the new Raymarine i70 all-in-one NMEA 2000 instrument would soon have a new competitor, I honestly didn’t realize that the B&G Triton would be announced today (with at least the Australian release online already). The Triton T41 sports a 4.1-inch color display under a 4.6-inch square bezel while the i70 has a 4-inch screen in a 4.53-inch high by 4.3-inch wide case. And I’ll bet the Triton is also LED backlit as it too claims wide viewing angles along with a power range of just 50-150 milliamps, which seems similar to Ray’s claimed 135ma “typical” usage. You’d almost think that Navico and Raymarine were looking over each other’s shoulders!…

Raymarine i70, new king of all-in-ones? 6

Navigation / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

Raymarine i70, new king of all-in-ones?

Raymarine_i70.jpg

With all the fuss about Raymarine’s new e7 MFD, the similarly styled i70 all-in-one instrument may not have gotten the attention it deserves. That 4-inch LED-backlit screen is a nice half inch bigger than the ST70, not to mention the very successful Garmin GMI 10, and it looks like the software designers made maximum use of the display space. If you’re going to mimic an analog dial on a rectangular screen, that flattened style above makes sense. (And note the dots showing minimum, maximum, and average wind angles, a graphic nicity that I liked on the original ST70 but still haven’t seen elsewhere.) You can find out more about the i70, and the new p70 autopilot heads, at this Raymarine page, but I came across a dealer presentation that has some extra details…

Raymarine e7, hand’s on #1 32

Navigation

Raymarine e7, hand’s on #1

The new e7 multifunction display seen above is a pre-production unit running incomplete software, but last week I got some freckly hands-on time with it thanks to a visit from Raymarine marketing director Jim Hands. In...

Raymarine e7, a major refresh! 24

Wireless & Apps / Navigation

Raymarine e7, a major refresh!

Raymarine_e7.jpg

The Raymarine e7 being announced today may be the most important launch of the year, because it’s not only a hot new 7-inch MFD design but it also marks a complete refresh of Ray’s multifunction display software. While it uses the “hybridtouch” mix of touchscreen and keypad controls introduced in the E Wide Series — though with notably fewer and bigger buttons — I understand that the underlying code began at zero serveral years ago. And I see a lot of fresh interface ideas in the many product photos you’ll find after the break. But while the e7 will network with up to five other e7s and all sorts of existing Raymarine sensors and black boxes, it apparently will not network with existing Ray MFDs, which may be the downside of a complete software rewrite. But then again, it surely can make some interesting new connections…