Rats! I took some interesting photos of an Albatross demo case similar to this in the lab yesterday, and but somehow they failed to make the trip to NYC with me last night. The company shots will do for now. Albatross Control Systems is a Spanish firm dedicated to all things NMEA 2000. It’s developed a PC server/client monitoring system that’s at least somewhat similar to Maretron’s N2KView, and it distributes all sorts of N2K hardware, much of it relabeled, but also some of its own design. In the latter category—and of much interest to installers and boaters trying to get traditional sensor info onto a 2000 network—are those blue Engine, Battery, and Tank Interface boxes seen above. Albatross makes many such interfaces, as seen in their catalog, and no other company is so ambitious about turning every sort of analog boat signal into an N2K message. But that’s challenging…
I don’t know why Furuno has been quiet about it, but on Nov. 6 the FCC certified its FA-50 Class B AIS transponder (select “AIS” for Equipment Class here). While the product is described at the home site, and is for sale in Europe, it is not yet listed at FurunoUSA. But, as seen above, and bigger here, I’ve been trying one in the lab. And, yes, that is a first-ever-for-transponders Ethernet LAN connection, but there’s a “gotcha” to its use. While you can access the FA-50’s extensive set-up and diagnostic menus with any browser on any computer, you can not get GPS and AIS target info to anything but Furuno NavNet hardware or MaxSea software via Ethernet (also true of the FA-30 receiver, I think). That seems a shame as charting programs like Coastal Explorer and The Capn happily accept Ethernet AIS data (apparently using a format that’s become fairly standardized amongst the Web AIS viewing systems). But the FA-50 does offer conventional NMEA 0183 output, and possibly superior Class B performance…
My December PMY column on Garmin’s GHP 10/GHC 10 autopilot system is now online, and I want to add a couple of illustrations and links. One is the GHC’s go-to-waypoint screen, above and bigger here. When I suggested it might be “slightly too fancy”, I meant in comparison to other fancy yet easy-to-understand graphics seen on the little GHC/GMI screen, like the column’s opening photo, bigger here. In fact this was beta software, and I didn’t get to try the waypoint function on the water; the screen may seem less busy in use, or it may have been changed. I do see an unfamiliar autopilot screen on Garmin’s fancy new marine networking site.
This is more than usually peripheral to “marine electronics” but these days everything electrical on boats is coming together, and, besides, I like it! Arid Bilge Systems makes what appear to be vacuum pumps that suck nearly every last drop out of areas that are never completely dried by conventional bilge pumps as well as odd places like compressor pans that can’t be serviced by conventional bilge pumps. I say “apparently” because I can’t find much on that company site about the specific technology (or pricing). But Arid Bilge does do a good job of explaining the many benefits of a truly dry boat, to which I will add my 2 cents…
Tip of the beanie to Bob Taylor, who wrote from his Nordhavn 57 Istaboa to enthuse about the Cradlepoint MBR1000 router above, which can handle—even prioritize or load balance—multiple cellular, WiFi, DSL, etc. WAN (Internet) connections coming in via card, USB or Ethernet, and then deliver them to the LAN (PCs, iPod Touchs, etc. around the boat) via WiFi or Ethernet. In the photo Bob’s got an AT&T HSUPA USB Aircard, a Verizon EVDO USB Modem , and a Port Networks MWB-200 WiFi rig (which he heard about here) all connected to it and getting along fine, as he describes in his blog.
I was asked about the availability of GPS antenna splitters “to avoid clutter,” and the kindly questioner even threw in a Panbo support donation (thanks, David!). But so far I haven’t found anything that seems practical. While there are many models of GPS Networking brand splitters available, they cost a lot more than the small marine mushroom/disc antennas they would typically replace. As suggested by the label above, though, determining splitter specifications is a lesson in how much you need to know about a specific GPS antenna in order to replace it or split its feed…
Bellissimo, no? Behold the WallyNano, which sports not only pink topsides, but all teak decks and smoked glass cabin sides, not to mention push-button hydraulic sheet handling. Tacktick is proud of this beauty as Wally put its Micronet Maxi displays (below) on the mast, controlled with a remote. She also uses Tacktick’s 4’5” high vertical wind wand in order to get more accurate readings, and—just maybe—to go with that pink plumb bow.
not only pink topsides, but all teak decks and smoked glass cabin sides, not to mention push-button hydraulic sheet handling. Tacktick is proud of this beauty as Wally put its