As I hope you know, the 2011 MTA marine electronics survey is underway right now, but what follows is another in a series of entries derived from the 2010 survey. As usual, I’m a bit amazed at how the MTA guys can slice and dice out of our opinions. Frankly, market intelligence is more mysterious to me than all the wires on Gizmo, but I do get how this could help the industry serve us better. At any rate, please take the 2011 survey, and here’s MTA….

The MTA Spring 2011 Survey is ready for your input.  One of several sections I’ll be quite interested in is the one where respondents write in the marine electronics brands that have exceeded or fallen below their expectations. As discussed last April, the results indicate both brand recognition and perception, and I wonder if we’ll see any significant changes. The poll is very similar to last year’s, taking about twenty minutes and earning either Doctors Without Borders or Internews (your choice) one dollar. The major reward, though, is the chance to let the industry know what you want. The MTA 2011 Survey awaits.

Marine Technology Advisors is really taking shape. You’ll find a new web site at that link, and better yet, the firm tells me that it’s getting some attention from marine electronics manufacturers and distributors. The following entry, like the ones in April, is based on last year’s survey, specifically where “integration” fit in when marine electronics buyers were asked to rank its importance versus other criteria like pricing, reliability, performance, and feature sets. Nearly 1,000 of you took the survey last year — which established some good base numbers — and starting tomorrow the 2011 survey will begin. Please come around whether you filled in the original or want to add your two cents.