Panbo News and Reviews

Almost 2007, still time to catch the Cluetrain 4

Almost 2007, still time to catch the Cluetrain

I just had the disheartening experience of having the Web version of something I once wrote censured because one the electronics companies involved—or someone who thought they had that company’s best interest in mind—didn’t like it....

Here comes 2007, ENCs + GE = EarthNC 3

Here comes 2007, ENCs + GE = EarthNC

It seems obvious that Google Earth and similar online mapping systems that allow users, individual and otherwise, to create their own overlays will somehow figure in the future of marine navigation, at least for sharing POIs and...

Northstar/Navman AIS plotting, lookin good 1

Northstar/Navman AIS plotting, lookin good

My attempt at a fancy illustration may be sketchy, and the language unfamiliar, but the color coded AIS targets and the full-on data screen behind them suggests that Northstar’s new plotting implementation is exceptionally thorough. The photos above, bigger...

Another AIS Class B glitch, & a parser in a pear tree 3

Another AIS Class B glitch, & a parser in a pear tree

When Class B AIS finally gets going, there’ll be yet another issue to deal with: not all existing AIS plotting systems are going to fully understand the Class B messages. Apparently separate messages were anticipated...

Esense, the ooo-la-la Wally 143 0

Esense, the ooo-la-la Wally 143

A scupture of B&G, Leica, Furuno, and Team-Italia electronics on a sail-powered teak lawn? Hell, I’d be willing to shave my head too. (More fantastic pictures at Wally and Gilles Martin-Raget.)

RTFM, another side of the acronym 2

RTFM, another side of the acronym

So today I was on the phone with tech support at a certain marine electronics company (it probably could have been many). After a while, the gravelly voice at the other end and I...

Weekend weirdness, tis the season 1

Weekend weirdness, tis the season

Tis the season of wondrously weird marine electronics related holiday cards, and the indisputable winner thus far is EchoPilot’s elaborate goof on megayacht trends. The “New Super Maxtremetti 300 Baby Bling” (bigger here) is beautifully...

Mind your March tide table, new DST and T&C 0

Mind your March tide table, new DST and T&C

There’s something special about this Nobeltec Tides & Currents 3.5 screen shot, bigger here. Besides some sleek improvements to the interface, the program—targeted for release in early January—is corrected for the new Daylight Saving Time...