WHAT S NEW IN NAV VIDEO INPUT i SCANNER

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1 BY BEN ELLISON» NAVIGATION ELECTRONICS WHAT S NEW IN NAV ELECTRONIC NAVIGATION GEAR FOR 2006 FEATURES SMARTER NETWORKS AND CHARTS GALORE VIDEO INPUT CD/DVD USB HUB 15 BLACK BOX 8000i TV Cautious sailors understandably worry that the trend toward networked multifunction electronics could lead them to simultaneous multifunction failures. But the solution may be improved system architecture as seen in Northstar s new 8000i, diagrammed at right not in running separate machines. Notice that the Northstar system is masterless sounder, radar, cameras, and even the various sensor subnetworks go directly to an Ethernet hub. If one do-it-all display craps out, other displays carry on unaffected. Other systems are at least partially masterless, and many employ NMEA 2000 (coming to version two of the 8000i), which permits redundant sensors online; the control heads can pick the one that s working the best. Other trends this year are the way that some plotters are coming already loaded with charts and the way that some chart vendors will let you choose from various levels of extras and cost.and 2006 is not without its unusual gadgets, be they wireless, ultrasonic, or just entirely different i SCANNER STEREO RADAR SOUNDER ETHERNET HUB AUTOPILOT INTERFACE BRIDGE COMPASS TRANSDUCER INSTRUMENTS GPS CAMERA(S) ENGINE(S) Northstar 8000i The 8000i 12-inch and 15-inch multifunction displays feature an unusual infrared touch-screen technology that reportedly does not reduce brightness and is not affected by gloves or fish scales; in addition, the displays have alternate keypads if the going gets too rough for fingertip control. Each 8000i control head is actually a waterproof PC whose hard drive comes preloaded with a library of C-Map s new worldwide Max Pro charts (see at right); you purchase an unlock code to access a new region. Network radar (entirely new, purportedly high-resolution scanners), sounder, and closed-circuit cameras are all supported, as shown in the illustration above. The system can also be used to record your CDs and DVDs, either directly or via a memory stick brought from home. Then the 8000i, which starts at $6,995, becomes a giant ipod, playing audio through your boat s stereo and video on its own screen(s) or to that big plasma TV in your saloon. Northstar; ; C-Map Max Pro C-Map claims that Max Pro s new presentation style including fonts, colors, and object arrangement delivers the most paper chart-like display ever seen from a vector chart. So far Pro runs only on the 8000i, but will be supported by other PC charting programs. The package includes a 3D Virtual Earth mode as well as photo map overlay, either total or land-only (as shown). Max Pro, priced at $389 for MegaWide areas, includes a year s worth of weekly chart updates and weather overlay forecasts, both delivered in compact data files. It also includes the features found on regular Max chart cards, like coastal roads, animated currents and nav aids, and marina photos. Pro is clearly a competitive response to Navionics s well-received Platinum charts, and it also marks C-Map s adoption of a similarly tiered product strategy. C-Map; ; 86 SAILMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2006

2 Navionics Silver With the introduction of Silver, Navionics has revealed its Silver/Gold+/Platinum or good, better, best tiered chart strategy. Silver is a single CF or SD card covering the continental U.S. coast, the Great Lakes, and the Bahamas. The card, normally $129, comes free with the new Raymarine 6.5-inch A65 plotter shown, which has a C-Serieslike interface and costs $1,649 with GPS. The charts are like Gold charts, but with less port information and reduced zoom levels. Meanwhile, Gold, at $199 per large-area card, becomes Gold+ with enhanced port data plus a free accessory card full of bathymetric detail called a Fish N Chip (har, har). Silver and Gold+ will run on most existing Gold plotters, and the top-tier $499 Platinum charts now have a second platform, Northstar s new 6100i series. Finally, Navionics has introduced the $129 NavPlanner that lets you plan routes on a PC and save them to your chart card for use on your plotter. Navionics; ; Raymarine RD218 Raymarine s new 18-inch, 2KW, 24-mile radome and the 24-inch, 4KW 48-mile version claims plug-and-play compatibility with C and E series multifunction displays. Their updated engineering promises improved sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio, and bearing resolution. The radomes, $1,215 and $2,110 respectively, are also lightweight at 17 and 19 pounds. Also available for the C and E series is a software upgrade that supports AIS target tracking (shown) and Navtex weather data, if the appropriate receivers are attached. Raymarine has also introduced live Sirius Satellite weather and a Seatalk-based man-overboard system, both of which will be detailed here next month. Raymarine; ; Navman 8120 Navman s first multifunction display packs a lot of bang for the buck. The 12-inch SVGA 600 pixel) screen is claimed by Navman to be super-bright with 170-degree viewing angles. The 8120, which retails for $2,500, comes with a GPS sensor and 32mb base map and is ready to display C- Map Max charts on SD cards. It s also ready to accept input from a sonar transducer, a video camera or DVD player, and/or a Navman radar scanner (coming in October). Any or all of this input can be arranged in up to four variably sized windows, and favorite screen configurations can be saved. Like many other Navman and Northstar displays (both belong to Brunswick), the 8120 can use Smart- Craft networking to display engine gauges, even detailed diagnostics, from Mercury engines. It also supports NMEA 0183 and Navbus networking to other Navman gear. Navman; ; Garmin G2 This spring Garmin is introducing two levels of BlueChart G2 (second-generation) charts and a passel of new plotters and multifunction displays that show them. The 5-inch 492 and other units up to 10.4 inches will now come loaded with readyto-use G2 charts for the entire U.S. coast. The basic G2s feature 3D perspective (shown), tides and currents overlay, and other enhancements, and you can add detailed coastal roads, expanded port data, and color aerial photos of critical areas by purchasing full G2 chart cards. The 492 retails at $942, and the 498 ($986) adds a 500-watt dual-frequency fishfinder (also useful for watching bottom trends). Basic G2 charts are also built into Garmin s new large-display 2200 series and networked 3200 series. Garmin; ; MAY 2006 SAILMAGAZINE.COM 87

3 Maretron Weather Station You may recall my enthusing about an Airmar ultrasonic weather station in this space last year. Unfortunately that product is still in development. Meanwhile, the folks at Maretron have emerged from a wind tunnel claiming that their unique design for a similar product is ready to go and, better yet, overcomes the heel inaccuracy issues that have plagued earlier ultrasonics. Their $699 WSO100 claims +/-2 percent wind speed accuracy and +/-3 percent wind-direction accuracy right up to 30 degrees of heel. It is an NMEA 2000 sensor, meaning that it TACKTICK REMOTE DISPLAY Tacktick has added this handheld data display to its system of sensors and fixed displays, all similarly wireless and solar powered. It can be programmed to show data on one to four lines, or even as rolling text. The waterproof, battery-free remote works right out of the box with existing Tacktick equipment, but can also display data from other instruments or even PC programs by way of NMEA0183 and Tacktick s Universal Wireless Interface. Similarly the company s new Maxi Displays can augment most any instrument system, displaying any data point in 2-inch letters and installing to a mast with no wires whatsoever. The cherry on top: The remotes which come in white and cost $600 apiece can also control the Maxis, which start at $1,000. Tack- Tick; ; plugs and plays, including power, with a single rugged cable. That also means that any number of displays, PCs, and instruments on the 2000 network can read its data, and if boat heading and speed are also present, any can calculate true wind. The weather station outputs standard temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure messages, but it may take a Maretron display head to show them or to calculate esoterics like dew point and wind chill. Maretron; ; MAY 2006 SAILMAGAZINE.COM 89

4 » NAVIGATION ELECTRONICS Simrad Remote Commander It s hard to comprehend how many ways Simrad s new remote could help you work with your electronics. That s because it gives you Bluetooth wireless access ( up to 300 feet) into a boat s SimNet (aka NMEA 2000) network, and Simrad has equipped it with custom messages able to duplicate every button push on all its Sim- Net-equipped devices. Power-steer with your autopilot, zoom your chart plotter, change channels on your VHF this is all possible with the $945 RemoteCommander. Plus, if you do have the Simrad RS80 Series VHF that s SimNet enabled, this remote can also be a wireless handset. Moreover, it can display one to four lines of data from many sources on the network, including non-simrad sensors. And finally, it is supposedly ready to work with Simrad equipment that has not been developed yet. Magic! Simrad USA; ; Si-Tex eloran There s finally a neat electronic solution to the worrisome issue of GPS vulnerability i.e., bad guys blocking or spoofing the satellite system, which fortunately has not yet happened. Si-Tex s eloran not only backs up GPS with a modernized and fiddle-free version of Loran, but it also delivers better than 1-degree heading accuracy, even on a stopped boat. At first, this $1,000 8-inch-wide sensor will work only with certain Si-Tex plotters and PC software, but other manufacturers are supposedly free to develop compatibility. The technology sounds like it will offer navigators real belt-and-suspenders position plotting, plus relatively inexpensive nonmagnetic heading for autopilots, radar overlay, and so on, though note that even the new, improved Loran system is not worldwide. Si-Tex; ; 90 SAILMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2005

5 Lowrance Expedition C In true Lowrance tradition, the $309 waterproof Expedition C is one heck of a deal. It has a bright 2.8-inch transflective color screen, a builtin electronic compass, and a barometer that will signal you about deteriorating conditions. The performance of its 16-channel WAAS GPS is amazing; for instance, it regularly acquires a solid fix with just a plane-window sky view. Using a tiny SD memory card, the Expedition C can display many Lowrance and Navionics cartography offerings or play MP3 music files. Of particular interest to saltwater sailors are the $99 preprogrammed NauticPath card, which includes every U.S. chart plus the Bahamas, and the Navionics Silver card (see page 87), which at the moment offers better data. All in all, the Expedition C can be a far-ranging and powerful pocket plotter. Lowrance; ; Standard Horizon CPV350 It s a chart plotter! It s a VHF radio! It s the super-duper CPV350, the world s first combo unit. Standard seemingly spared nothing on this $1,833 device. The plotter features a 7-inch-wide screen with high resolution 480 pixels) and high bright display, thorough support for C-Map Max charts, and a nicely improved interface. The Class-D DSC VHF is equivalent to Standard s finest and includes a 30-watt hailer/fog horn. You can accessorize the basic unit with a black-box fishfinder or up to two RAM+ remote mics or telephone-style handsets. A notable advantage of combining GPS plotter and VHF is that no further interfacing is needed to make maximum use of either s DSC capabilities for example, sending position with a distress call and plotting buddy calls. Tune in to SAIL s communications coverage next month for news of a new marine-operator service Sea Tow s Sea Smart that promises to make a proper DSC setup more worthwhile. Standard Horizon; ; F MAY 2006 SAILMAGAZINE.COM 91