Electronics

Garmin Introduces Powerful New Sonar Going Down to 200 Feet

By Peter Janssen on March 17, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

Garmin just introduced a new Ultra High-Definition scanning sonar that uses a higher frequency range to deliver clear, detailed pictures of fish and anything else that are as far as 200 feet under your boat. The new sonar, called Ultra High-Definition ClearVü and Ultra High-Definition SideVü, operate on sonar frequencies from 0.8 to 1.2 MHz. Garmin said the range of 200 feet was more than any other system to date. The new Ultra-High Definition sonar puts more power on targets with a higher frequency range than ever before, scanning with a downward-facing element that provides clear images at greater depths. It…

Simrad Announces Software Update for NSS evo3 MFDs. More Color, Easier Controls

By Peter Janssen on March 5, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

Simrad just launched new software for its NSS evo3 multifunction displays with more intuitive controls and lots of color to help you navigate and determine where you’re going and where you’ve been. The software has new control bars so you can make faster autopilot and audio adjustments, and you can expand the autopilot control button to access heading, rudder and steering information. New color tracks are based on SOG (speed over ground), STW (boat speed through water), TWS (true wind speed), and AWS (apparent wind speed). One new feature is a heat map that’s a chart overlay showing a history…

Now You Can Stay Connected with mazu on Raymarine Axiom MFDs.

By Peter Janssen on February 20, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

Now you can get mazu, the browser interface that lets you stay connected when you’re out of cell or WiFi range, on a Raymarine Axiom multi-function display. The popular mazu and mSeries system from SkyMate now works with Raymarine’s Axiom MFDs so you can get mazu’s features, including e-mail and SMS texts, SOS transponding, weather forecasts and more. The mSeries system still can be used with the mazu iPad app. Mazu provides reliable access to global satellite connectivity using the Iridium network. It’s a data-only system where you can send and receive e-mail messages and texts, download weather forecasts and…

FLIR’s New Quantum 2 Radar is Most Advanced Yet. Uses Colors to Identify Moving Targets

By Peter Janssen on February 19, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

FLIR just announced its most advanced and user-friendly solid-state radar yet at the Miami Show. It even color codes targets so you can see whether they’re moving closer, or farther away, from your boat. The new Quantum 2 uses Doppler target identification technology, and works with Raymarine’s award-winning Axiom MFDs. It enhances situational awareness by identifying both moving and static images at long and short range. It even uses color codes to moving targets. Red means the target is getting closer, green means it’s moving farther away. Quantum 2 also has a new Safety Sector feature that highlights and color…

Volvo’s New Easy Connect Lets You See All Your Engine and Boat Data on Your Smartphone or Tablet

By Peter Janssen on February 7, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

Volvo Penta is certainly working hard to make our lives easier on board. Now, Volvo has developed Easy Connect, a platform that uses a Bluetooth interface with the boat’s engines and sensors to display all that information on your smart phone or tablet. The free Easy Connect app gives instant live access while you’re on board; you can see the engine and vessel data with a swipe of your fingers. At home, you can review the information you’ve saved. Volvo will be showcasing Easy Connect on their boats at the Miami Boat Show. Easy Connect starts with a simple and…

Digital Gateways: The On Board Translators that Connect All Your Electronics

By Peter Janssen on February 7, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

More and more, it seems, all the various pieces of electronics on our boats are interconnected; just take a look at the helm of a well-equipped contemporary cruiser and you can see the basic nav functions on the chartplotter and autopilot, but also digital info on engine, genset and even transmission functions all on the display in front of you. But how do all these separate pieces of digital information all come together? Here’s a great introduction to new digital gateways that connect all the electronics on board from the Marine Electronics Journal. It used to be that NMEA 0183…

Mazu Now Offering Navionics Charts for Fast, Seamless Navigation and Weather Routing

By Peter Janssen on January 28, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

In a move to make navigation easier and more seamless, mazu just announced at the Seattle boat show that it is now offering Navionics charts on its dashboard for more precise navigation, weather routing, trip planning and more. Users can choose between NOAA and other raster charts and Navionics’ detailed vector charts in the mazu app. Navionics charts open directly in mazu, although you need a Navionics subscription in the Navionics boating app first. Mazu gives cruising boat owners an easy and affordable way to stay connected via satellite wherever they go. Mazu is an iPad app that acts as…

New Icom Fixed-Mount VHF/DSC: Everything You Need in a Slim, Compact Package

By Peter Janssen on January 15, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

Icom just announced its new compact IC-M33OGE fixed-mount VHF/DSC radio at the London boat show. The new radio, with a display about the size of a smartphone, is one of the smallest in the world, and it’s designed to be installed in any area of your boat where space is limited. Despite its size, the new IC-M33OGE has the same interface and performance as Icom’s larger radios, with intuitive, easy-to-use soft keys for fast access to all its functions. And its new speaker delivers distortion-free audio even at full volume. The new VHF includes an integral GPS, which provides your…

Simrad Launches New Six-Panel Integrated Display for Cruising Boats

By Peter Janssen on January 9, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

Take a look at the new Simrad Yachting integrated display above. If you can’t see it there, it’s probably not worth seeing. The six-panel, split-screen touchscreen display on the new NSO evo3 is designed to be the premiere integrated display for larger cruising boats, and it’s made to be easy to see from any viewing angle (even if you’re wearing polarized sun glasses). The idea is to connect the NSO evo3 to other Simrad network modules and add GPS, autopilot, keypad controllers and other accessories to create a vessel-wide system. The high-definition (1920 x 1080) display puts you in total…

Worried about Losing Your Electronics While Offshore? Try a Davis Sextant

By Peter Janssen on January 7, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics, Gear

Even with all our electronics, sextants – dating to 1759 – are making a comeback. The Navy, for example, has reinstituted its celestial navigation and sextant training because of fears about jammed GPS satellite signals. Whether you’re on a warship or a 65-foot blue-water cruiser, if you lose your electronics, for whatever reason, in the middle of the ocean, it certainly would help to have at least a working knowledge of celestial and a sextant. As Davis Instruments points out, with a wristwatch, a copy of The Nautical Almanac and a chart, you could find your way back home using…

Browsing: Electronics