Category: Safety & SAR

Rendez-vous, clever use of AIS standards 7

Rendez-vous, clever use of AIS standards

Rendez-vous_Admiral

Tender tracking systems, like the Nobeltec/Seetrac combo discussed here last year, are a bit exotic (even a bit mockable). But I’ve seen the captain of a big charter yacht worry over a ditzy guest out on a PWC, plus I see how over-the-top some mega yacht tenders are getting (like the Vikal Limo). In fact, when I was in the British Virgin Islands last spring, it seemed like every big, really fine center console I saw turned out to be the “little” boat of something much bigger. In other words, tender tracking can be serious business, and I think the new SeaCas Rendez-vous system looks to be a powerful solution.

Handheld DSC VHF/GPS, I wish! 4

Handheld DSC VHF/GPS, I wish!

DSC_Alert_HX470S_cPanbo_lr

Rusty commented that the FCC may make GPS mandatory in a DSC-equipped handheld VHF, adding that he’d “rather spend $300 on a 5 watt marine portable with GPS location rather than buy one of these FRS ‘locators’ {TracMe}.” I agree completely, and even see considerable safety value in a DSC handheld without GPS. If, say,…

Spot, another tracker/beacon 8

Spot, another tracker/beacon

Globalstar Spot

Interesting! The just announced Spot is a waterproof Globalstar messenger and GPS combo that will purportedly let you alert the authorities (at least the U.S. ones) with your position, or ask for help from your friends or just notify them of where you are, or build an online track of your travels…

TracMe, not a real PLB 7

TracMe, not a real PLB

TracMe_Package_600w

To be charitable, the new-to-the-U.S. TracMe looks to be a low cost, short range homing beacon that may have some safety value in certain circumstances. But it’s hard to be charitable about the company’s decision to market it as a Personal Locator Beacon, when it…

Boatsense, hip hip for the home team 5

Boatsense, hip hip for the home team

Wasn’t I tickled to discover that what looks like a fairly simple and affordable new remote boat monitoring device is being made right here in Maine. And further tickled when Boatsense Solutions cofounder David Jacques zipped right...

Class B AIS, ruminations 7

Class B AIS, ruminations

Word of ACR’s Nauticast B started an interesting, if sometimes fretful, conversation yesterday, and, whereas I’ve got the bully pit here (guest bloggers welcome), I’m going to exercise it. While the concerns about over-crowded AIS...

Yet more LifeTag, battery issue resolved? 4

Yet more LifeTag, battery issue resolved?

Well, it seems that new Raymarine research pretty much obliterates concerns about the battery life of their LifeTag MOB pendants. A note from Product Manager Paul Tiller says that “…following exhaustive life testing by the engineering...

More thoughts on LifeTag, a battery issue for some 2

More thoughts on LifeTag, a battery issue for some

Panbo reader and offshore sailor Jon pointed out a possible downside to the Raymarine LifeTag MOB system that I hadn’t really picked up on (edited for brevity):  “Curiously, this battery information [seen in the brochure crop above] is lacking...