Carl, who told me to about wireless anchoring solution, also pointed at eDigitalWireless, a company selling several outdoor wireless solutions. Amongst which the new SureShot, a 200mW NEMA 4X rated, ruggedized, weatherproof 2.4gHz radio solution. The reason Carl mentioned this company however, was because of their 12dBi high performance omnidirectional antenna. It performs great, or in Carl's words:
"This is simply awesome for picking up wireless networks - with the omnidirectional antenna you get a range of up to 1000M - it was working for me when I tested it in the middle of San Francisco bay."
A couple of weeks a go I mentioned Ascend Marine's Deep Blue Marine's Anchor Alert, a wireless anchor monitoring system. To make the anchoring experience completely wireless (except for the anchor chain...), I got a tip from Carl Midson on Coastline Technology's Windlass Radio Remote. Carl claims it's brilliant if your shorthanded on board, so check out this review in Power & Motoryacht.
"Sometimes it�s easy to inadvertently activate foredeck-mounted windlass footswitches, and cabled remotes can restrict movement around the area and often need to be passed up through a hatch, which is inconvenient at best and can be dangerous under harsh conditions. The Windlass Radio Remote allows you to control your windlass from anywhere on your boat, no matter what you�re doing and regardless of the conditions."
Instead of, or in addition to, using LCD displays all over the boat to display relatively simple, but important, instrument data, why not use a fiber-optics jacket that is wirelessly connected to the boat network....? And since today is the day of revolutionary technologies, please make sure this jacket is powered by nanobatteries.
"The optical fiber screen displays animated visual information such as texts or pictograms. This new type of display is created by weaving 0.25mm diameter optical fibers. At one end of the optical fibers is a light. The optical fiber screen is a matrix comprising 8x8 pixels, ie, 64 squares measuring 35x35sq.mm, with 12 optical fibers per pixel."
When I was going through the log-files of this website I noticed that many people come here searching for rugged cellphones. Fortunately, Siemens unveiled the ruggedised M65 this week. Not sure if it's really rugged up to the level you would require in a marine environment, but it is a start.
"The splash, dirt and shock resistant M65 sports a 2.1in 132 x 176, 16-bit colour display, backed by a 640 x 480 digicam for video and still photography. Stills can be edited using on-board software, with special effects filters built in too. The handset supports 40-voice polyphonic ringtones, a customisable user interface, Java games - four titles are bundled with the phone - and instant messaging. The tri-band GSM/GPRS handset comes with a 750mAh lithium ion battery - enough, said Siemens, for five-and-a-half hours' talk time and 300 hours' standby time."
I know a lot of the high-end electronics that are being presented here require power. Lot's of it. So every time I come across an article or how-to-guide helping you to make sure this power is available, I will post it here. BoatFix.com explains battery system wiring hookups. Next to that, there is also a Google Groups discussion on 'wiring questions.'
"Below you will find information on marine battery system wiring hookups. We do not claim to be experts in all fields. Nor can we promise to be correct on all issues. Nor can we address the content of these pages. But, I hope you will find this page useful. We want to thank the technical service department of Guest Corp., for their technical assistance with this page. We recommend that if you are not fluent with electrical systems, you get assistance from a trained individual."
A detailed look (pdf) at current VSAT offerings by bdp1 Consulting, triggered by Boeing's Connexion announcement. It is very much focused on the off-shore and cruising industry, but at the end comes a very important statement for the owner of yachts that can not be characterised as megayachts...
"Part of the (Boeing) vision includes overcoming a frequently heard objection to VSAT -the size of the onboard footprint- and will be offering users an antenna that is approximately 0.6 Meters in diameter, in contrast with the more typical 2.4 M sizes."
"Boeing will be offering what it calls a �seamless global VSAT network� to the maritime industry, according to Mr. Sean Schwinn, Vice President of strategy and Business Development, one which will use the same satellites serving the international airlines. With continuous worldwide coverage, Boeing expects to be offering what it describes as �Bandwidth upon demand,� as contrasted with a fixed size of presently available VSAT links. The bottom line will be a service available to the main mass of the maritime market at price points that maritime industry users of Inmarsat are already accustomed to."
It's not because the are the best or the first, but the news that HP has introduced a rugged notebook (nr3600) and a rugged Tablet PC (tr3000) shows that these types of computers are becoming mainstream. And that's good news, from a pricing perspective, for the non-industrial users that would like to use them on a boat for instance...
"The computer giant on Thursday unveiled a rugged notebook PC and tablet PC designed to absorb punishment from vibration or shock, repel water during inclement weather--and keep on working. "After listening to customers in industries such as the public sector, government and law enforcement, we're responding to their needs by bringing rugged, mobile solutions into the mainstream.""
Every now an then I will give you a glimpse into the electronic and communications heart of some of the most remarkable yachts in the world. Today we'll have a look at Cheyenne (former PlayStation), which is currently competing in The Jules Verne Trophy Round The World Record Attempt. Steve Fossett's design brief for this boat was pretty straightforward: "the best boat for racing fully crewed, non-stop, around the world, as fast as possible."
Tony Gutierrez pointed me at APRS, an Automatic Packet/Position Reporting System. ARPS is a real-time tactical digital communicatons protocol for exchanging information between a large number of stations covering a large (local) area. As a multi-user data network, it is quite different from conventional packet radio. There are many APRS applications, and I will get back to that later. First, here's what Tony uses it for:
"I dont believe I can afford satellite internet, but I was psyched to find that I could use my amateur radio licence to broadcast my position to a web page map, and to recieve and send email while at sea. The position broadcasts are tracked by a site called findu.com which allows you to use your own web page to access numerous scripts that create a map of your boat's position for your web page visitors."
The concept of marinas offering Wi-Fi internet access will by now be clear to most. Fortunately, more and more service providers are popping up, all over the world. YachtMama's YachtSpot is the latest, so check out whether you're lucky enough to be able to get your email on board very soon.
"Providing a dependable Internet connection at a marina and surrounding areas is similar to the wireless internet in your home or office. This system allows slip renters and visitors access to your private connection. Our systems are capable of extending the signal at up to 1+ miles out to sea. Users can easily check email, news, weather, stock performance, or nautical maps while mooring on their boat."
Also today, D-Link has introduced the AirPremier DWL-2700AP, the first weatherproof 802.11b/g (2.4GHz) wireless access point for use in marinas or on large yachts.
"With a die-cast watertight housing and a built-in heater, the 11-by-6-inch inch device can withstand rain, snow, sleet, humidity and even a lightning strike, the company says. It draws power through an Ethernet network cable and is compatible with the latest network management and wireless security protocols. It has a range of nearly 2,000 feet, and available antennas can extend that even further."
Carl, who told me to about wireless anchoring solution, also pointed at eDigitalWireless, a company selling several outdoor wireless solutions. Amongst which the new SureShot, a 200mW NEMA 4X rated, ruggedized, weatherproof 2.4gHz radio solution. The reason Carl mentioned this company however, was because of their 12dBi high performance omnidirectional antenna. It performs great, or in Carl's words:
"This is simply awesome for picking up wireless networks - with the omnidirectional antenna you get a range of up to 1000M - it was working for me when I tested it in the middle of San Francisco bay."
Carl claims it's brilliant if your shorthanded on board, so check out this 
When I was going through the log-files of this website I noticed that many people come here searching for rugged cellphones. Fortunately, Siemens 
I know a lot of the high-end electronics that are being presented here require power. Lot's of it. So every time I come across an article or how-to-guide helping you to make sure this power is available, I will post it here. BoatFix.com 
"Part of the (Boeing) vision includes overcoming a frequently heard objection to VSAT -the size of the onboard footprint- and will be offering users an antenna that is approximately 0.6 Meters in diameter, in contrast with the more typical 2.4 M sizes."
It's not because the are the best or the first, but the 
"The computer giant on Thursday unveiled a rugged notebook PC and tablet PC designed to absorb punishment from vibration or shock, repel water during inclement weather--and keep on working. "After listening to customers in industries such as the public sector, government and law enforcement, we're responding to their needs by bringing rugged, mobile solutions into the mainstream.""
Tony Gutierrez pointed me at 
The concept of marinas offering Wi-Fi internet access will by now be clear to most. Fortunately, more and more service providers are popping up, all over the 
Also today, D-Link has introduced the AirPremier DWL-2700AP, the first weatherproof 802.11b/g (2.4GHz) wireless access point for use in marinas or on large yachts.