Panbo

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Category: Navigation

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…

ChartTable21; coming together, thank you! 22

Navigation / Entertainment / What's on board...

ChartTable21; coming together, thank you!

Gizmo_MacMini_and_Vizio_LED_TVmonitor_cPanbo.jpg

Yesterday we saw the helm side of Gizmo’s pilot house, but you may recall that recently I asked for advice about the components that might turn the lovely port-side cherry chart table into a 21st century navigation & work station (and entertainment center) when its lid is up. Panbots responded with enthusiasm, I took the majority guidance, and, boy, am I pleased. That 26″ Vizio M261VP LED HD TV & monitor, purchased for $350 at Amazon, has been on the test bench for about 10 days, and it was joined last Friday by that minimal Mac Mini, also bought at Amazon
along with a Crucial 8GB RAM upgrade
. The setup and testing I’ve done so far all suggest that this is going to be a terrific solution to the project I’ve dubbed ChartTable21…

A Gizmo preview, 4th of July 2011 6

Navigation / What's on board...

A Gizmo preview, 4th of July 2011

Gizmo lower helm July 2011 cPanbo.jpg

Here’s hoping that everyone in the States had a fine holiday weekend. We had better weather here than you might think if you read that fog delayed two nights of fireworks, but I was busy with oodles of visiting family. Gizmo, however, is really ready to cruise, and numerous product reviews will ensue. Take a gander, for instance, at this seasons’s lower helm configuration…

Furuno DRS2D radome, “punching above its weight”? 1

Navigation

Furuno DRS2D radome, “punching above its weight”?

Furuno_DRS2D_n_MSTZ_Explorer_cPanbo.jpg

Despite soggy weather I had a fine time wowing a WoodenBoat School navigation class with electronics while we cruised from Camden to Brooklin last Friday. (It was also nice to be reminded about what a neat place I helped to create, what an interesting array of students it attracts, and how nicely my replacement Rich Hilsinger has improved the school while maintaining the good vibes…consider a course, or at least a visit by boat or car.)  And on Saturday I also enjoyed bringing Gizmo home by myself, even though my wife began to worry when a burst of wind and lightning knocked the electricity out in our neighborhood. But when she called, I told her truthfully that I felt quite snug and safe at the pilothouse helm and could easily see where the squalls were thanks the little Furuno DRS2D radar showing both on the NavNet MFD12 and in MaxSea TimeZero, as seen above…

The Geonav writers event, part 2 at last! 5

Navigation

The Geonav writers event, part 2 at last!

Geonav_G12_n_AP_head_cPanbo.jpg

In January I wrote about the impressive business story behind Geonav, but I neglected to follow up on the products I saw demoed in Florida. It’s true I was disappointed that the GIS Series and MID 110 weren’t ready to show yet, but it was interesting to see the G11 MFD and the GSC 110 autopilot above in action. Note, for instance, the Jeppesen C-Map 4D cartography on that screen above, NOAA raster layer included. I’ve waited a long time to see 4D on the water and my first impression was quite positive. Following are more images and impressions…

Boat Monitor, anchor watch in the cloud 16

Wireless & Apps / Navigation

Boat Monitor, anchor watch in the cloud

BoatMonitor_on_Droid_Incredible2_cPanbo.jpg

It’s obviously not practical to anchor in Camden’s Inner Harbor — especially as there are often two Gizmo-size boats on each of those floats — but it was a good first taste of Boat Monitor, a very interesting new remote anchor watch system. What’s happening here is that I used Gizmo’s low-power Datalux police car computer (seen in yesterday’s entry, and also here) to log onto Boat Monitor’s web site and establish a sophisticated anchor watch keyed to a Garmin 17x GPS connected via NMEA 2000. Boat Monitor’s server then started minding Gizmo’s position, ready to serve it elsewhere and/or send alarms as needed. One possibility is this $5 app on my Android phone, but there are others. The details and flexibility are impressive…