Simrad MOnitors, the other NSO evo2 shoe drops
So, it turns out that when I saw the new NSO evo2 blackbox system at IBEX Simrad was low key about it because they were planning a big splash here at the Fort Lauderdale show....
Category: PC & peripheral
Samsung Chromebook, your $129 ‘burner’ boat laptop?
Before discussing my short but positive experience with a Samsung Chromebook, I have some important advice. Do not brag about how little financial (or data) risk is involved in boating (or traveling) with this 11.6-inch, 2.4-pound laptop even though it looks and acts something like a precious Macbook Air. There’s a fair bit of truth to the brag, but the deities of humility may then make you prove the point by, say, leaving your nice new Chromebook on a airport security belt in the Grand Canary Islands…
Furuno MaxSea PC Radar, only in Europe?
What is it with radar on a PC screen that seems so enticing to yachties? Is it the fact that you don’t need a MFD? Or do we want the ability to use the digital charts of our choice with the radar of our choice? Last week I wrote about how OpenCPN now supports Garmin and Simrad radar, or at least partially, and it was in that entry’s comments where we learned about the existence of Furuno MaxSea PC Radar. Yes it is possible to use Furuno’s excellent radar with the excellent charting program MaxSea Time Zero without purchasing a NavNet 3D or TZ Touch MFD! But right now it may only be possible in France or Germany…
Radar on your PC, laptop or tablet
Sometimes news stays under the (ahem) radar for quite a while. Today’s story starts with the Austrian university project Roboat (for RObotic BOAT) needed a self-tuning radar scanner that could be used to avoid moving targets. In 2011 they started reverse engineering the Ethernet traffic from a BR24 radar scanner. They used the above test rig so that they could drag their development hardware out to a side arm of the Donau in Vienna.
KEP dual touch marine monitor, in the real world
Here’s one way to test a newly installed KEP Marine Glass Bridge Monitor, the first with dual touch technology, which happens to work well with Windows 7. The owner of this J160 racer/cruiser was purportedly very happy with it last season, but there was, in fact, a problem getting the touchscreen signals to consistently make the 25 foot trip from the helm to the nav station PC below. Adam White (left) — former electronics guy and now service manager at Yankee Marina & Boatyard — worked with KEP to solve the issue…
Wow: Raymarine e9, e12, c9, c12, ClearPulse & VoyagePlanner, all new
I’m surprised because I thought Raymarine was holding off a slew of new products for the Miami show in mid-February, but today we learned that Ray’s UK site has put details on the e9 and e12 big brothers of the e7 launched last summer, as well as new c9 and c12 MFDs that are very like similar to the e Series but without the touch control. Which is a lot, but not all…
Hello Nobeltec TimeZero Odyssey, goodbye VNS?
The great news is that Nobeltec rolled out TimeZero Odyssey last week, and the introductory price for existing Nobeltec VNS and Admiral software owners is a compelling $199, as seen at retailers like P2...
Gizmo’s big work & play display, advice please
I’m a little spoiled. The home office where I do most of my online research, writing, and photo editing work is equipped with a pair of fairly spacious Dell monitors — 24- and 20-inches...
On the road, w/ three bears and a cloud
At the risk of causing uncontrollable laughter, this is the pile of personal technology I dragged along to the Miami Boat Show last month. Not just one computer, not even two, but a Three...
MIBS #3: Fugawi, Rose Point, MapTech, & Nobeltec Trident
I sense that PC-based navigation is about to enjoy a renaissance after a long period during which rapidly-advancing MFDs stole its thunder. I can think of several reasons (and you may have more): Decent performance PCs have gotten less expensive and tougher; NMEA 2000 can feed them more data, more easily (thanks in large part to Actisense); the various mobile platforms so many of us want to fool with on board usually relate well to the less mobile platforms that can also work well on many boats; and, finally, MaxSea and Furuno are showing everyone how powerfully a PC can fit into high-end marine electronics systems. One company that will participate in this renaissance, I’m pretty sure, is Fugawi…
