Friday, March 29

Browsing: Electronics

Simrad just introduced its most powerful radar yet, the HALO 2000 and HALO 3000, with longer ranges and more power and features than previous models. The HALO 2000 has 50 watts of power and 72 nm of visibility; it starts at $6,399. The HALO 3000 has 130 watts of power and 96 nm of visibility. It starts at $8,499. The new high-performance, open-array radars offer Simrad’s best clarity ever. And they access power instantly from standby mode, and in just seconds from a cold start. The features include a Bird+ Mode, a ZoneTrack and Dangerous Target Alerts, all designed to…

The Electronics Tent is always one of the most popular spots at the Fort Lauderdale show. And cruising boat owners usually crowd around the ACR exhibit. This year ACR is showing its new Return Link Service for its most popular ResQLink Personal Locator Beacon that gives cruising boat owners an additional level of safety. The Return Link Service (RLS) provides a clear message confirming that U.S. boaters are connected to the international Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. The confirmation means that the boater’s distress message and GPS location have reached the international network. The ResQLink View RLS ($449.95), pictured at top, confirms…

The National Marine Manufacturers Association just named the winners of its annual excellence awards at its conference in Anaheim, California. The NMEA presented Products of Excellence Awards in 18 categories. In addition, it gave its Best New Product Award to the Maretron WSO200 Ultrasonic Weather Station, and its Technology Award to Airmar’s SmartBoat System. It also named Actisense as Manufacturer of the Year in the small company category, and Garmin as Manufacturer of the Year in the large company category. The Awards of Excellence were chosen by the NMEA membership, who voted on line before the conference. A panel of…

Every year, the people at nmeaboater.com (the National Marine Electronics Association) ask manufacturers to name one model in a boating electronics category that they think is their best. It’s not necessarily the most technically advanced or the one with the most bells and whistles, but it is the one that, for a variety of reasons, they put at the top of their line. Here’s the list for multifunction displays: Simrad NSX A new mid-range product in the Simrad line of MFDs, the NSX chartplotter/fishfinder redefines the easy-to-use touchscreen experience, while providing powerful new C-MAP charting and navigation with DISCOVER X and…

Beneteau has become the first boat builder to incorporate Garmin’s Surround View assisted docking technology on a production boat, its upscale Gran Turismo 45 cruiser. Surround View will be available on all of those models now, and will probably roll out to other Beneteau models as well. The Garmin system has six cameras on the Gran Turismo so the captain can have a view of all angles of the boat, as well as an overhead bird’s-eye view, all appearing on the boat’s MFD at the helm. Both Beneteau and Garmin say the system gives the captain more confidence while docking…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

1 2 3 4 5 14