Electronics

Simrad Launches Two New Radars for Smaller Cruising Boats

By Peter Janssen on November 13, 2019 Electronics

Simrad Yachting just announced the launch of HALO20+ and HALO20 radars, a pair of compact, pulse-compression units designed for smaller cruising boats. Both radars provide excellent detection with short-range performance, while HALO20+ has the fastest rotation on the market and can detect targets farther away than the HALO20. With a 20-inch dome, the HALO20+ is Simrad’s smallest pulse compression radar yet, delivering a full 360-degree sweep every second. Simrad says it has an industry-first 60 RPM rotation at ranges up to 1.5 nm. These fast updates give boat owners an almost real-time view of close range activity, helping to avoid…

Best Satcom Systems for Smaller Cruising Boats

By Peter Janssen on October 28, 2019 Electronics

Large yachts have been able to fit and house satcom systems for many years, letting their owners enjoy satellite-driven communications and entertainment at sea or at the dock. The only problem was that many of these systems were too large (and too expensive) for most cruising powerboats. Now that has changed. Many of the leading satcom companies now have internet, phone and data systems that are appropriate for smaller boats. Here, Marine Electronics Journal takes a look at the best on the market now: INTERNET, PHONE & DATA Intellian FB 250 The Intellian FB 150, FB 250 and FB 500…

Garmin Launches New Hi-Res, Detailed Coastal and Lake Charts

By Peter Janssen on October 26, 2019 Electronics

Garmin just made navigation easier along the U.S. coastline and many interior lakes, expanding its coverage and improving the details and shading on its coastal and lake cartography. The new coverage, on Garmin’s BlueChart g3 Vision and LakeVü g3 Ultra premium cartography, will be shown at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The new high-resolution shading and improved detail showing the ocean floor and lake bottom cover the entire coastline of the continental United States plus 150 inland lakes. New hi-res satellite imagery overlaid on navigation charts provides a more realistic view of your surroundings and helps with situational awareness.…

Get Faster Wi-Fi with Shakespeare’s Stream Internet Booster

By Peter Janssen on October 21, 2019 Electronics

Here’s something almost all cruising boat owners say they want: Faster Wi-Fi, both underway and at the dock. Shakespeare Marine has an answer for that. It’s the Stream Wireless Internet Booster, and it uses Shakespeare’s marine cellular technology to amplify weak cell signals, so you can access the Internet faster and more reliably along inshore, coastal and popular cruising routes. The new Stream Wireless Internet Booster is designed for boats of all sizes. It has an outside antenna that communicates with cell towers on land; a stream wireless booster that processes and amplifies the cell signal; and a helm antenna…

Now, AIS on Your Phone with iNavX; No Transponder Needed

By Peter Janssen on October 19, 2019 Electronics

Now, with iNavX LIVE, you can get AIS data in the palm of your hand on your smartphone or tablet, without needing a transponder on your boat. The new addition to iNavX software lets you connect any mobile device to the AIS LIVE global network, so that you can see the movements of AIS vessels in real time on the iNavX display on your phone. INavX, an app you can download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, has all the advantages of a mobile chartplotter that you can take on any boat, anywhere, at any time. It…

Raymarine, Vesper, Win Big at Best New Electronics Awards

By Peter Janssen on September 25, 2019 Electronics

The National Marine Electronics Association just gave 18 awards for best new products at their annual meeting in Portsmouth, Virginia. The awards were chosen by a five-person panel of judges. The Top award, the NMEA Technology Award, based on innovation, benefit to boaters, practicality and value, went to the Raymarine/FLIR ClearCruise AR (pictured above). Here’s what the judges said: “ClearCruise AR is an industry-first technology that combines augmented reality and advanced image stabilization to help boaters make smarter and faster navigation decisions by placing visual overlays of nav aids, AIS traffic and destination waypoints on Raymarine Axiom multi-function displays. The…

FLIR Introduces New M300 Series of Thermal, High-Def Cameras

By Peter Janssen on September 23, 2019 Electronics

FLIR is introducing a new generation of marine thermal cameras, combining thermal and high-definition imaging for increased situational awareness and safer navigation. The new line, called the M300 Series, is a successor to FLIR’s M-Series of marine cameras. The next-generation M300 Series consists of five models with rugged new pan and tilt housings built for the harsh marine environment. Four of them have FLIR Boson 640- or 320-resolution thermal camera cores and various fixed field-of-view lenses, plus a visible-only model, the M300C, with a high-definition color, low-light camera with 30x zoom. The new cameras make navigation easier through improved image stabilization…

New Cortex Handheld VHF Also Has AIS, Monitoring

By Peter Janssen on September 18, 2019 Electronics

Vesper Marine, a New Zealand manufacturer of innovative marine electronics, just introduced what it calls the world’s first VHF radio with touchscreen handsets, an AIS transponder and remote vessel monitoring. The new VHF is called Cortex, and it offers an unprecedented level of boating safety and communication that fits in your hand. “Innovation in AIS technology, touchscreen devices and vessel monitoring has skyrocketed in recent years, but marine VHF hasn’t kept pace and remains an anachronism,” says Jeff Robbins, CEO, Vesper Marine. “Cortex fundamentally changes how you interact with safety communication systems.” In addition to the normal marine VHF radio…

Looking for a New AIS Device? Here Are Seven Best

By Peter Janssen on September 2, 2019 Electronics

More and more boat owners are installing AIS devices on their boats, as a major addition to boating safety, situational awareness and the ability to see and be seen, particularly in crowded harbors or inland waterways with a lot of commercial traffic. Here’s a thorough report from the National Marine Electronics Association Journal, listing seven of the best: Since its implementation nearly two decades ago, AIS’s applications and its use around the world have expanded. AIS stands for Automatic Identification System and basically is technology that can keep captains informed about nearby and potentially dangerous vessel traffic. Back in 1988…

Coast Guard: 5 Best Communications Devices for Your Boat

By Peter Janssen on August 25, 2019 Electronics

Going out on the water can be dangerous, especially if you don’t have the right equipment. If you do find yourself in trouble, being able to communicate that you need help can be a lifesaver—literally! Here are the top five items the Coast Guard recommends you take with you on your boat so you can call for help if you need it. 1. VHF-FM marine radio: It’s the most versatile piece of comms equipment you can have! If you find yourself in distress, calling for help on the radio not only alerts the Coast Guard, but it also alerts all…

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