This may sound, and probably is, a bit far fetched, but heads up displays are coming, to the yachting scene as well. Someday. They're being used in the military right now and have found their way into the industry. While useful/usable applications for recreational sailing might take a while to appear, I guess that something like this could be valuable to those of you that are really into performance sailing. And don't forget the yachting maintenance and engineering industry.
"These screens, often referred to as "heads up" displays, are used extensively by the military, which is loading soldiers up with displays that help them do everything from seeing around corners to referencing global positioning maps."
May be not as submersive as the two MP3 players I wrote about last week, but since many of you surely will have an iPod, this is the way to make sure you can use it while on (or accidentally in) the water.
"Despite the separation anxiety it might cause, you really DON'T have to take your iPod with you everywhere. Though if the pain is really too much to face, there's a new waterproof hard shell case called the Lilipod that'll supposedly keep your iPod safe no matter where you go or what you do, and even float if you drop it into the water while you're parasailing or whatever it is people do these days."
For those of you that have an interest in the history of marine electronics, here is a funny quote in an article on innovation and offshoring that I would like to share with you. It tells the story of how the microwave oven was invented as a result of research into radar technology.
"It happened one day in 1946, the story goes, when Percy Spencer noticed that a candy bar had melted in his pocket while he was testing a new magnetron vacuum tube for Raytheon, as part of its radar research that began during World War II. Intrigued, he placed some popcorn kernels near the tube, and an egg, the next morning--and discovered that the intense heat had similar effects."
Stentec Software has launched their new GPS-Navigation program WinGPS 4. One of the nicer features is that it, supposedly, helps you get the most out of the Bluetooth enabled NMEA multiplexer from ShipModul I wrote about before.
"The Miniplex-42BT comes with an extra utility which allows the multiplexer to be fully configured. Full configuration will also be possible from the GPS-navigation program WinGPS 4 Pro, which is currently being developed by Stentec Software."
So when you're list of on board electronics and gadgets looks like a summary of this website, how do you make sure interference won't be spoiling the party? Well, start by reading John Payne's electronics column in DIY boat owner magazine's 2004#1 issue.
"Noise sources on a boat are often classified as radio frequency interference (RFI) or electromagnetic interference (EMI). They are major enemies of electronic systems, corrupting your GPS position fixes, degrading radio communications and causing general electronics performance problems. RFI is essentially interference and noise that is superimposed as a disturbance or voltage transient either on the electrical power supply or the data and signal lines. This is then processed along with the good data to corrupt or degrade the processed information."
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) launches 'Admiralty EasyTide', the new tidal information service, on May 17. It has a worldwide coverage of around 6000 primary and secondary ports.
"A new port search function including world map, area and text search means the required tidal data can be identified effortlessly. The new service has been designed for easy PDA access with minimal loading times and the display has been adjusted to suit the smaller screen size."
Engadget reports on the not particularly cheap, but very convenient MP3 player for listening to music on boats. Never mind the weather, or the water for that matter, since the device is submersive as well.
"The Oceanic DV-64 can be submerged to depth of 200 meters, but getting your MP3 while undersea will cost you, this baby retails for $399, or as much as a 20GB iPod."
Engadget's Peter Rojas found an even better submersive MP3 player, both in terms of cost and memory...
"That MP3 player for scuba divers we mentioned yesterday isn�t your only option for getting your MP3 on while underwater. There�s also the SWIMMAN, a waterproof player that has twice as much memory as the Oceanic DV-64 (i.e. 128MB vs 64MB) and costs $150 less."
There's no question that the trend towards light-emittingdiode technology is very strong. I have covered it a couple of times already and the benefits are clear. Trailer Boats Magazine has discovered them as well.
"What would you say if I told you there were products for your trailer that would save you time and money, and make it look more attractive? And the best part is you can install these products yourself in a matter of minutes with simple hand tools. These amazing products are light-emitting diode (LED) systems. LEDs are certainly not new, but they have recently been incorporated into lighting systems for trailers, and these products are readily available at reasonable prices."
Let's start with a quote from the article: "Sailors are preoccupied with weather." I guess that's a true statement, so where should we get our weather information? If you have a Practical-Sailor.com subscription, you can find out all about it right here. For those of you who don't, there is a free trial available...
"Once you step aboard the boat and drop the mooring, however, things change. Unless you have satellite television aboard, The Weather Channel is a fond memory, and (lacking an unlimited budget) high-speed Internet access is just wishful thinking."
MotorBoating has a short review on Nobeltec�s eChart Planner. Read all about it here....
"If you want to learn something new about personal computers, simply ask a teenager. But if you�re interested in learning how to operate a navigation program with your computer, ask Nobeltec. Better yet, get Nobeltec�s eChart Planner software for PCs. This software puts charts, weather and tide animation at your fingertips, and as I discovered during my test, it�s fun to use."
This may sound, and probably is, a bit far fetched, but heads up displays are coming, to the yachting scene as well. Someday. They're being used in the military right now and have found their way into the industry. While useful/usable applications for recreational sailing might take a while to appear, I guess that something like this could be valuable to those of you that are really into performance sailing. And don't forget the yachting maintenance and engineering industry.
For those of you that have an interest in the history of marine electronics, here is a funny quote in an 
Stentec Software has launched their 
So when you're list of on board electronics and gadgets looks like a summary of this website, how do you make sure interference won't be spoiling the party? Well, start by reading John Payne's electronics 
The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) 
There's no question that the trend towards light-emittingdiode technology is very strong. I have 
Let's start with a quote from the article: "Sailors are preoccupied with weather." I guess that's a true statement, so where should we get our weather information? If you have a Practical-Sailor.com subscription, you can find out all about it right 
MotorBoating has a short review on Nobeltec�s eChart Planner. Read all about it