Panbo

The Marine Electronics Hub

Category: Safety & SAR

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Navigation / Safety & SAR / The future

Raymarine and Avikus debut NeuBoat Dock, their joint surround view camera system

Raymarine and Avikus unveiled NeuBoat Dock, the first product to come out of Avikus and Raymarine’s partnership. NeuBoat Dock is a surround view system that enables the helmsperson to see 360 degrees around a boat up to 100 feet. The system will be demonstrated next week at the Cannes Yachting Festival and in early October at the International BoatBuilders’ Exposition in Tampa, FL. Raymarine and Avikus promise that this surround view product is just the first of quite a few announcements to come that will rapidly enable both awareness and autonomy capabilities.

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Navigation / Safety & SAR

Solid state radomes compared, part 3 – Furuno checks in

This article is supposed to be a thorough comparison of how Furuno’s DRS2DNXT compared to the other radars I’ve tested. Unfortunately, testing multiple radars on a 22-foot boat is challenging. The most recent challenge included snapping a freshly made mount before I was able to get offshore with the setup. The bad news is, I wasn’t able to complete all my testing scenarios. The good news is, I still have the radar unit and I’m working on more permanent and robust mounting options. But for now, here’s what I’ve learned.

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Wireless & Apps / Navigation / Safety & SAR

SIONYX Nightwave, strong low light performance

SIONYX’s Nightwave camera is the company’s first fixed mount, marine, night vision camera. It builds on the strong low-light performance of the company’s Aurora handheld spotting scopes in a more traditional marine form factor. I’ve had the camera out on some inky dark nights and been pleased with the performance.

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Editors' Blog / Navigation / Safety & SAR

Panbo(at) gets a Furuno DRS2DNXT, cue the comparisons

Since I started paying attention to marine electronics , I’ve heard that Furuno radars are the class of the industry. My own experiences on boats have shown that rumor to be accurate. So, I was awfully disappointed when I couldn’t get my hands on an eval unit when I did my radar comparisons (part II here). I have some good news! Furuno was able to provide a unit for comparison and I’ve had (just a little) bit of time on the water with it.

ACR ResQLink AIS PLB and Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB3 12

Wireless & Apps / Safety & SAR / AIS / The future

ACR and Ocean Signal add AIS to Personal Locator Beacons, with cherries on top

Hallelujah! ACR recently began shipping its ResQLink AIS PLB to customers in the U.S. and the Americas. Meanwhile, the company’s sibling UK brand Ocean Signal has been offering the same remarkable technology to the rest of the world since November as the RescueMe PLB3. The beacons are exactly the same except for color — as shown in my METS demo photo above — and regardless of the possibly confusing dual branding, I call them a huge advance in marine safety…

3

Press Releases / Communications / Safety & SAR

New Motorola Defy Satellite Link Bluetooth-connected device with satellite messaging unveiled

Bullitt Group, the innovative British mobile phone manufacturer, in partnership with Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo company, has unveiled a new device in the Motorola Defy rugged range that incorporates its unique satellite-to-mobile messaging service. The Motorola Defy Satellite Link is a Bluetooth device that provides satellite connectivity to any iOS or Android smartphone*, designed for anyone that has ever been frustrated by a lack of cell coverage…

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Press Releases / Safety & SAR / AIS / The future

FCC Approved ACR Electronics ResQLink AIS Personal Locator Beacon is Launched to U.S. Market

Safety and survival specialist ACR Electronics has announced that its new ResQLink AIS Personal Locator Beacon is fully approved and available to the U.S. market. The ground-breaking smartphone-connected device will be on show to U.S. boaters for the first time at this year’s Miami International Boat Show. The ResQLink AIS PLB is the most comprehensive communication set on the market for a rapid response and rescue, offering significant benefits to a range of sailors and cruisers, racing, fishing, watersport and outdoor enthusiasts…

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Editors' Blog / Safety & SAR / AIS / Monitoring & Tracking

Garmin shrinks Vesper product line. Will only Cortex remain?

Although it acquired Vesper Marine in January of 2022, even today Garmin’s VHF/AIS product pages only list the Cortex and its accessories. The entire WatchMate product line is conspicuously absent from the product list, and the Vesper name is absent from the Cortex items. In retrospect, these are telling ommissions, as today Garmin confirmed that the WatchMate XB-6000, XB-8000 and Vision2 have all been discontinued, soon to be followed with the Vesper brand name.

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Navigation / Safety & SAR

Garmin, Raymarine, and Simrad enclosed radars compared, part 2

Part 1 of my radar comparison generated a good discussion about the results and highlighted some opportunities to get back out on the water and complete some additional testing. I’m back with part 2 and the results of that additional testing. I’ve been able to test some additional scenarios, different settings, and more features of all three radars.

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Navigation / Safety & SAR

Enclosed radars compared, including Garmin, Raymarine, and Simrad

I often shy away from recommending one manufacturer’s products over another. I feel the comparison is usually highly subjective and what works for me may not work for others. But, an on-the-water comparison of Garmin, Raymarine, and Simrad’s current radar units allows all of us to see the results and decide for ourselves what we like best.