The Marine Technology Hub
NMEA OneNet is the National Marine Electronics Association’s most recent standard, one of only three major electronics standards the organization has released in the past 40-plus years. First came NMEA 0183 in 1983, then NMEA 2000 in 2001, and now OneNet. The previous standards stood the test of time. In fact, despite being 41 years old, NMEA 0183 continues to be built into many electronics and remains the preferred standard for many light commercial vessels.
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a Starlink update. Frankly, that’s because things have (mostly) been humming along pretty well with a relative minimum of changes. While there have been developments, including new hardware, none of them called to me for an update. Until last week. That’s when subscribers to Starlink’s Mobility – Global package received an email notifying them their monthly charges would double. So, now seems like a good time to dive back in and take a look at the state of affairs at SpaceX and Starlink.
At the recent Miami International Boat Show, I saw an overarching theme. In years past, just about the only discussion of environmental sustainability came from electrification. This year, the focus shifted — to something that is, at best, unclear.
In January of this year, I published my review of the Epoch 460 amp-hour, 12 volt battery. My review was quite positive and reflected how the battery performed in my testing. But, once the battery was in the wild, reports began trickling in of troubles with some installations of the 460s. That lead to weeks of investigating the issues. At this point, I believe I have a solid command of what’s happening with these batteries and some of their limitations. While this better understanding of the batteries does serve to take a little shine off them, I still believe these are very solid batteries and capable of delivering excellent service. But, for best service, some tuning is required.
Will this be the year of autonomy? Will it be the year of electrification? Maybe the year of hydrogen? Or since it’s so popular everywhere else, the year of AI?
I first learned about Max Marine Electronics when Max himself served with me on an awards judging panel at the National Marine Electronics Association’s annual meeting a few years ago. Since hearing about his operations, I’ve been planning to visit the facility and see how they refurbish and sell used marine electronics. It took a while, but I recently made my way to Pompano Beach and spent the day with Max at his eponymous company.
Garmin’s GPSMap 9000 series is a tour de force in many ways. At 27 inches, the largest member of the line is the largest main stream MFD out there. With 4K resolution it’s the highest resolution MFD on the market. It has ample processing power, myriad interfaces for integration, and ample screen real estate.
This entry is mainly about the new Em-Trak Nexus VHF/AIS/MOB system intriguingly diagramed above. Nexus was previewed at METS and will hopefully come to market later this year, but I’d like to preface the...
In the last year, Panbo(at) has had both Seakeeper Ride and now a Seakeeper 1 gyro installed. I know it may seem like it, but Panbo(at) didn’t have a stability problem before both products were installed. In fact, the boat’s ride impressed me even without any aids. But, now that it has these two systems keeping the boat’s movements in check, I can’t help but marvel at how much better the boat rides. Seakeeper’s systems have taken a boat with good manners and made it dramatically better. That’s quite the accomplishment.
Dynamic positioning systems (DPS) have been around for over a decade. But, until now, DPS has been a feature of joystick control systems tightly coupled with propulsion packages. So, a boater interested in adding DPS to their boat couldn’t unless their existing engine and control package offered it. Typically, that means pods or recent outboards. That propulsion integration means if you own a boat with traditional inboards, shafts, and props, there very likely isn’t a viable DPS option. Until now! Dockmate now offers DPS as an add-on to any twin-engine boat fitted with their remote control.
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