Monthly Archive: June 2023
Orca makes some pretty heady claims about their CoPilot navigation app and hardware. Their home page is dominated by the tagline, “The ultimate navigation experience” and promises “Better boating with Orca.” Those are bold statements, but Orca’s goals are indeed ambitious. Orca aims to deliver a smarter, more automated navigation experience by leveraging both their own and off-the-shelf hardware. So, how far along the path to delivering the ultimate navigation experience has Orca progressed so far? Let’s take a look.
Garmin, the world’s most innovative and recognized marine electronics manufacturer, today announced the GMR xHD3 series open-array radars that combine high-definition imaging with the latest platform technology to deliver new levels of confidence, clarity and performance to cruisers and anglers alike. A first for Garmin magnetron radar, the xHD3 series incorporates scan averaging that helps filter out sea clutter and interference on the display to provide mariners with enhanced consistent targets…
Introducing Icom’s newest black box VHF marine radios, the M510BB and M410BB. Say goodbye to cluttered helm space and hello to flexible and seamless operation wherever you need it on board. The M510BB and M410BB are ideal space-saving solutions for vessels requiring multiple communication points. The M510BB allows up to three CommandMic stations, and the M410BB, up to two…
Most of us get to see the NMEA 2000 data sharing standard doing good on our boats, like how the N2K output of a GPS receiver — or heading sensor, or AIS transponder, etc. — can be seen and used by almost any network display regardless of brand. But I’m sorry to report that most of us have also been missing out on a valuable NMEA 2000 feature that’s been available for over a decade. I’m talking about the set of Alert PGNs — i.e. bundles of subject-specific data and command fields known by their Parameter Group Numbers — that theoretically permit any N2K device to send standard or custom alerts to any display, which…
AIRMAR Technology Corporation, a world leader in ultrasonic transducers and Chirp technology, is excited to announce the launch of its latest innovation, the digital SmartFlex Diesel Flow Meters (DFMs). These state-of-the-art sensors are specifically designed to work seamlessly with Airmar SmartBoat Modules (ASMs), providing accurate fuel information through precise analysis of flow, temperature and other parameters…
After the loss of Have Another Day, my primary DC test platform is Harvey, my family’s RV. Over the winter we upgraded from our previous 35-foot coach to a 43-foot Newmar Dutch Star. With that upgrade, I’ve added 1,350 watts of solar to the new RV. With all that solar, I wanted to ensure I was taking full advantage of the potential production. That sent me diving through the settings in my Victron system to figure out the best way to manage my system. Currently, I’m using a Virtual Switch in the inverter to manage DC power sources and it’s working quite well.
The Ekrano GX represents the next generation in the GX product family. With its complete range of connections and interfaces as well as its integrated 7-inch touchscreen display, it is the most powerful GX device to date and allows you to always have perfect control over your system from wherever you are and to maximize its performance. Simply access your system via…
Apple’s Steve Jobs introduced the iPad in April 2010. At the time, I was working in financial services technology. The day it was introduced, I ordered a half dozen of them so we could try them out and see what this new-fangled computer without a keyboard might do well. That original iPad, with 256 megabytes of RAM, 16 gigabytes of storage, and a tiny app store was pretty limited. But, we’ve come a long way in the last 13 years and tablets can do an awful lot. But, are they a replacement for dedicated navigation electronics? Let’s take a look at the capabilities they offer and some of the remaining limitations.
