Electronics

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…

The New iNavX App: Navigate with the Charts You Want from the Palm of Your Hand

By Peter Janssen on July 14, 2019 Electronics

If you haven’t tried the new iNavX handheld nav system yet, you’re missing something. It’s an easy-to-use navigation app that lets you select whatever chart system you like (Navionics, NOAA, Waterway Guide, whatever) on your smart phone or tablet. Then it gives you all the advantages of a fully functioning, advanced mobile chartplotter that you can take on any boat, anywhere, at any time. At its heart, iNavX is a software system, an app. You can download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Then you chose the chart system you want (NOAA is free) and you…

FLIR Launches New Raymarine Element, A Combo GPS and Sonar with Lifelike Images

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

FLIR has just introduced the Raymarine Element, a new, highly advanced generation of combined sonar and GPS displays. Element uses new sonar technology to provide lifelike images for fishing or navigating the bottom, with versatile mapping capabilities of its own on a user-friendly display. The new Element builds on Raymarine’s prize-winning Axiom navigation displays. It uses new patent-pending RealVision 3D sonar technology and new 3D bottom imagery to show a more precise location of fish and structural targets on the bottom. It also incorporates new patent-pending HyperVision 1.2 megahertz sonar technology with ultra-high Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse (CHIP) sonar…

Yacht Controller and Garmin Join Forces. Yacht Controller Remote Now Appears on Garmin MFD Screens

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

Here’s another step to make your boating and cruising life easier. Garmin and Yacht Controller have joined forces to integrate the wireless Yacht Controller remote with compatible Garmin MFD displays. This means you can use the display to access the remote’s control panel while you’re docking or maneuvering your boat, without having to set up a dedicated Yacht Controller screen. Garmin and Yacht Controller announced the new partnership at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show at a media briefing with Jerry Berton, president of Yacht Controller, and Michael Range, Garmin’s Florida sales manager. Berton said that Yacht Controller is already…

Six of the Best Personal Survival Devices for Your Boat. Make Sure You Have One

By Peter Janssen on October 29, 2018 Cruising Life, Electronics

There are few choices you make about your boat that are potentially more important than finding the right survival device, the personal locator beacon or MOB equipment that could save your life, or the life of anyone else on board. And there’s no reason to postpone getting one or more of these; they generally are the least costly piece of electronics on board, by a long shot. But what to buy? Here’s some advice from Marine Electronics Journal, which asked manufacturers to submit what they consider the best and brightest in their product line. The Journal published a review of…

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