Panbo

The Marine Electronics Hub

Category: Safety & SAR

Summer bummer, please don’t blame charts or electronics 46

Safety & SAR / Charts

Summer bummer, please don’t blame charts or electronics

East_Goose_Rock_wreck_courtesy_Leonard_Lookner.jpgWhile my friend Leonard Lookner was first to come upon this bad scene Wednesday afternoon, he too was sailing and thus a powerboat just behind him was first to offer assistance. But it was Leonard’s iPhone photos that fueled a local PenBay Pilot news piece which then prompted an interesting SailNet discussion. Of course it was suggested that marine electronics or digital charts were somehow to blame, allegations I’d like to refute, and I also want to report on how how well this worse-than-it-even-looks situation actually turned out. Plus getting reminded to be careful out there is never a bad idea…

Vesper Marine WatchMate, still the leader in AIS collision avoidance? 28

Safety & SAR / AIS

Vesper Marine WatchMate, still the leader in AIS collision avoidance?

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New York Harbor demands your attention even when you have lots of great electronics including what’s arguably the best recreational-level AIS target tracking system. That’s my excuse for not photographing the ideal example of the Vesper Marine AIS WatchMate 850 at work in heavy traffic. A more compelling shot might be more zoomed in and would have at least one solid target icon indicating a vessel(s) that had reached the Vesper’s highly configurable alarm level. But do note how the WatchMate is tracking 114 targets at this point in time though it’s also filtering 102 of those off the screen so that yours truly can better see the ones that matter. That in itself is worthy of discussion… 

Maretron SMS100, advanced NMEA 2000 monitoring via cell texts 16

Safety & SAR / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

Maretron SMS100, advanced NMEA 2000 monitoring via cell texts

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Two recent experiences make me particularly excited about the Maretron SMS100 announced today (and already shipping). During the trip north I learned to appreciate the sophisticated “Alert” features built into Maretron’s various NMEA 2000 displays and I also enjoyed some benefits of the Siren Marine cellular monitoring system. In fact, Gizmo’s refrigerator currently contains two temperature sensors, a Maretron probe for on board monitoring and a Siren probe so I can keep an eye on the system from afar (even from Korea, by gosh). While the standalone and economical Siren system will definitely remain appropriate for some boats (and Maretron probably has an SMS learning curve to climb), I’m really looking forward to having virtually unlimited N2K monitoring on my phone…

inReach SE, will the screen do it? 10

Wireless & Apps / Safety & SAR

inReach SE, will the screen do it?

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I was so focused on finally heading north that I forgot the April 1 announcement of DeLorme’s new inReach SE, even though one standard step in getting Gizmo underway these days is firing up the original inReach for tracking, messaging, and much more (as discussed here last fall). But my forgetfulness does not indicate a lack of appreciation for the new model (which I’ve already handled briefly in prototype form). To the contrary, I think the SE (Screen Edition)  will likely make a lot of boaters as enthusiastic about the whole inReach concept as I’ve already become…

Paul’s Cape Dory 25, just doing it! 18

What's on board... / Safety & SAR

Paul’s Cape Dory 25, just doing it!

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What the heck? This morning In Myrtle Beach it was the same frosty 36 degrees as it was in Camden, Maine. I’ve got lots more install work I can do before heading north, but it’s fun to check out the odd lot of early ICW cruisers who turn into Osprey Marina’s narrow entrance channel. Particularly curious was this venerable Cape Dory 25 that came in looking like it had been knocking around at sea. In fact it had just come non-stop and single-handed from St. Augustine, Florida,  and had gotten there mostly offshore from Cape May, New Jersey, just last month. Yes, in February, and the owner’s previous sailing experience was aboard a Sunfish on a lake. I had to know more!

Did Briartek “invent” two-way distress beacons? 17

Communications / Safety & SAR / The Trade

Did Briartek “invent” two-way distress beacons?

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I really enjoyed being part of Trawler Fest last week. It was inspiring to meet relatively new cruising enthusiasts who are working to expand their skill sets, and trying to explain and demonstrate currant technologies rekindled some of my own enthusiasms. I hadn’t turned on the DeLorme inReach in months, for instance, but it located itself and paired with my iPad for easy backup navigation, tracking, and two-way messaging no problem, even though I was standing in front of an audience under a large aluminum-framed tent. Plus I got to see the entirely new User and Map Share web pages DeLorme recently developed for inReach, and they are sharp. However, I was also reminded of a disturbing behind-the-scenes patent issue that may hobble all SENDs (Satellite Emergency Notification Devices) and will likely tax consumers no matter what happens in court…

Garmin Quatix, best ‘aquatics’ watch yet? 45

Wireless & Apps / Safety & SAR

Garmin Quatix, best ‘aquatics’ watch yet?

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Holy Batman, the just-announced Garmin Quatix watch can connect wirelessly to a Garmin autopilot and not only show you what the AP is doing but let you steer the boat from your wrist. Plus if you fall overboard the lost wireless connection will set off an MOB alarm on a Garmin MFD and the AP will try to steer back to you. I hereby rescind my recent mumbling about Garmin’s conservative approach to marine electronics!  And aside from all the connectivity — the Quatix can apparently interface with Garmin PC, Mac, and iPad apps too — it seems like a heck of a boating watch even if you aren’t running other Garmin gear…

Goodbye dGPS? Hello Virtual AtoNs? 36

Navigation / Safety & SAR

Goodbye dGPS? Hello Virtual AtoNs?

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No one should get overly upset quite yet, but it does seem that the U.S. Coast Guard is thinking about reducing the differential GPS (DGPS) correction stations it manages, and is also wondering if all the aids to navigation (AtoNs) it maintains are truly necessary these days. My friend Dean Travis Clark recently joined the Navigation Safety Advisory Council (NAVSAC) and he just sent around two of its working group resolutions for comments. I know he’d like to hear the opinions of Panbo readers too, and that these resolutions have not yet been finalized or presented to the USCG…

Ocean Signal RescueME, best PLB yet? 17

Safety & SAR

Ocean Signal RescueME, best PLB yet?

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The Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB introduced this morning at METS is not just a little smaller than the competition; it’s purportedly 30% smaller in volume and that claim seems borne out by the photo. Size is important because the smaller a distress beacon is the more likely it is that the owner will have it with him or her when it’s actually needed. Of course when things go wrong a PLB has got to work well too, even if it’s years old, and the RescueMe also looks good in those terms…

FLIBS 2012 redo #1, Raymarine Lighthouse v5 15

Navigation / Safety & SAR / The Trade

FLIBS 2012 redo #1, Raymarine Lighthouse v5

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It’s telling of the Great Convergence when the biggest electronics news of a boat show is arguably a software upgrade. I don’t mean that innovation in marine electronics has slowed down, not at all. But whereas the Big Four have now all rationalized and modernized their product lines — though in some cases it took painful operating system rebuilds — big features can often be realized just by unleashing capabilities already build into MFDs or available from sensors that can already be interfaced. We just saw two neat new Fusion 700 audio interface update, but now consider all the features crammed into Raymarine’s Lighthouse v5 update, which was just announced the first day of FLIBS and — holy cow — is already available for all a-, c-, and e-Series MFDs…