Browsing: Electronics

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Garmin’s New, Faster, inReach Mini 2

Garmin has launched its new inReach Mini 2 pocket satellite messenger, with a longer battery life, faster processor and more functions than the previous version. In short, the Mini 2 makes it even easier to stay in touch with everyone back home on your next cruise, whether it’s on the Great Loop, the ICW, the San Juans or along the coast. The new Mini 2 is the same size (roughly 2 inches by 3.9 inches by 1 inch) as the Mini 1, and it also weighs just 3.5 ounces. But the all-important battery life is now 14 days (in a…

Cruising Life
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Simrad Launches New NSX Line of MFDs

Simrad just announced its latest generation of multifunction displays, the Simrad NSX, during a global livestreaming event from Egersund, Norway, introducing new chartplotters and fishfinders for powerboats. The new mid-range NSX line will be available in 7-, 9- and 12-inch displays and is based on an all-new operating system. Simrad will launch the new line at the Miami boat show, starting next Wednesday. NSX has a new interface with a user-friendly touchscreen with clear views. Charts include C-MAP nav capability and are compatible with sonar, radar and autopilot systems. Simrad says its Setup Wizards system will help users through every…

Cruising Life
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What To Do If You Lose Your GPS Signal

What should you do if you’re cruising and you lose your GPS signal? Never happen? Well, yes it will. Not often, but it happens on new boats, old boats, coastal boats and offshore boats. But not to panic. Here’s some great advice from Simrad about what to do next: What happens to my boat if I stop receiving satellite positioning data? In the very rare event that the satellites of the GPS global positioning system fail, are taken offline or are blocked, you’ll still be absolutely fine. Here are five useful tips covering what to do if you lose live…

Cruising Life
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Icom Launches New SSB at METS Show

Icom just unveiled its new state-of-the-art SSB at the big METS marine trade show in Amsterdam. Designed for offshore cruising, the new Icom IC-M804 provides long-range MF and HF radio communications designed to keep you safe anywhere in the world. The new Icom has a DSC radio that scans six distress signals, a distress call button and an integrated GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) providing global coverage through a constellation of satellites. The Icom conforms to the latest European and international standards. SSB radios have been used in offshore vessels for generations. (When Eric Schweikardt, the photographer, and I drove…

Cruising Life
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Why You Need AIS. A Primer

Here’s a good primer about why you should have AIS on your boat, from America’s Boating Compass and the US Power Squadrons: AIS, or Automatic Identification System, can make your boating safer. Consider the following scenario: You have an AIS system on your boat. You are on watch, 20 miles off the coast, sailing in hazy conditions. An AIS alarm sounds on your chart plotter. Upon scanning the horizon, you see nothing. When you return to your display, you see a target 5 miles ahead traveling at 23 knots and heading toward you. The AIS information data box shows that…

Cruising Life
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Raymarine Unveils New Line of Cyclone Radars

Raymarine just introduced its new Cyclone series of solid-state, open-array radars at the Fort Lauderdale show. The all-new CHIRP pulse compression radars come in 3-, 4- and 6-foot arrays, with two power options for each size: The Cyclone, with 55 watt, 6kW performance, and the Cyclone Pro, with 110 watt, 12kW performance. All the models have Raymarine’s new detection technology, including the Cyclone Bird Mode that will help anglers find the birds that lead to schools of baitfish. The Cyclone radars have a new look, developed from an aircraft-wing design, and they also have a low profile, measuring just 13.2…

Cruising Life
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Garmin Launches New Handheld GPS, Radar

Garmin is making a lot of news at the big Fort Lauderdale show, with the introduction of a new series of marine handheld GPS models, as well as two new solid-state dome radars. The handheld GPSMAP 79 has an all-new appearance with a modern display to help you navigate safely and enjoy your time on the water. It has a rugged, floating design with a suite of easy-to-use nav tools that fit in the palm of your hand. The new Garmin has a larger, optically-bonded display and a scratch-resistant glass lens that prevents fogging, improves contrast and enhances clarity, even…

Electronics
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Best New Sat Comms for TV, Internet, Phone

Whether you’re walking the docks at a boat show or any self-respecting marina, you’ll see satellite domes on top of a lot of boats. In the old days (four or five years ago). they were only on large boats; now they’re on boats as small as 25 feet. Some carry live TV programming from shore, while others provide links to the internet, data and phone service. But which ones are best? Each year, Marine Electronics Journal asks top manufacturers to identify the one model in various categories that they define as their Best & Brightest, the one the manufacturers rate highest…

Electronics
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Garmin, Furuno, KVH Big Winners at NMEA

Garmin, Furuno and KVH were among the big winners at the annual National Marine Electronics Association awards competition recently at the organization’s meeting in Orlando, Florida. Judges named the Shadow-Caster Light Commander the Best New Product, while Furuno’s NavNet TZT16F won the NMEA’s Technology Award. Furuno won six other awards (Furuno has won 242 of the awards since they started in 1971). For its part, KVH won three, extending its winning streak to 24 straight years. NMEA members, the top marine electronic professionals in the U.S., cast votes on line in 18 categories for the Product of Excellence Awards. These…

Cruising Life
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Raymarine Launches YachtSense in U.S.

Raymarine just introduced its new YachtSense control system to the U.S. at the IBEX boat builders’ show in Tampa. YachtSense is a digital switching system that connects all the boat’s systems so the captain can be aware of what’s happening in real time. “YachtSense is the new standard in premium digital control solutions for today’s most sophisticated vessels,” said Jamie Dery, Raymarine’s VP of the Americas. Raymarine says the system is unique because of its scalability, its options for various configurations, and its safety features. It uses a modular architecture, starting with a Master Module and a Power Supply Module…

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