Wow: Raymarine e9, e12, c9, c12, ClearPulse & VoyagePlanner, all new
... written for Panbo by Ben Ellison and posted on Jan 21, 2012
I'm surprised because I thought Raymarine was holding off a slew of new products for the Miami show in mid-February, but today we learned that Ray's UK site has put up details on the e9 and e12 big brothers of the e7 launched last summer, as well as new c9 and c12 MFDs that are similar to the e Series but without the touch control. Which is a lot, but not all...
You can also download Raymarine's 2012 Product Brochure and there you'll find details of its new CP450C CHIRP fishfinder module. CP stands for ClearPulse and among other things Ray is claiming a "TruZoom" feature for "a precise magnified view of fish targets, bottom structure and baitfish without any loss of resolution seen with traditional sonar." And while I hear about a lot of new electronics ahead of public announcements -- because the manufacturers hope to see them appear in magazines at the same time they're introduced -- VoyagePlanner is all new to me. And interesting! Apparently it won't be out until spring, but it looks like a powerful planning program with "instant on-the-fly SeaTalkHS or WiFi sync of waypoints and routes" with your Raymarine MFDs. Sounds like another reason all the new e and c Series MFDs have built-in WiFi (and Bluetooth). I may have missed other new Ray gear in the brochure or on the UK site, but trust that Panbots will find it. And I hope you'll share your thoughts on all the new gear already mentioned here. Ray's on a roll. So what details should I be looking for when I attend the US launch in Miami?
PS: Nice picture of the e12 being shown in Düsseldorf, thanks to Lars Kristian Larsen of batmagasinet.no. Note the autopilot button, and the champagne in the background:
I don't see the feature mentioned in the literature but I do notice that all these new MFDs have an Auto/Standby button, which implies built-in autopilot control perhaps as complete as what Simrad offers now.
Posted by: Ben E at January 21, 2012 4:33 PM |Reply
I have to believe that Raymarine closest resembles a Phoenix. This is a company that truly WAS on the brink of bankruptcy. A leader in many ways, especially when it comes to it's longevity. But to read the new brochure, makes me glad to know that it is owned by an American Company that knows what people want! What a rebirth.
Congrat's Raymarine.
Posted by: Tom at January 21, 2012 10:47 PM |Reply
It appears that only the e7 MFD features the optic friendly display that minimizes blackout of screen when wearing polarized sun glasses. At least that is the way it is presented in the brochure. [See page 7 in brochure at bottom]
Posted by: Jeff at January 22, 2012 8:55 AM |Reply
Any info on the seatalk to seatalk bridge that's mentioned to be available in spring 2012.
I have old raymarine analog traducers on a ST60 system and would like to upgrade to i70 displays without upgrading the speed, depth and wind transducers.
Posted by: David at January 22, 2012 11:35 AM |Reply
That's an interesting find, David, but you may be in good shape already. Let me break it down:
1. The i70 can already take data directly from your ST60 system using an ST-to-STng patch cable (that comes with the i70, I think). I tried this recently with a complete set of ST40 transducers and displays, and the i70 showed the data fine, though it does not bridge the data onto the STNG/N2K backbone for use by other displays.
2. An ST-to-STng converter already exists, and using one gets all that ST40 data both to the i70 and everything else on the NMEA 2000 backbone. I wrote about it on introduction: http://goo.gl/PSM1H
And after testing: http://goo.gl/An1SB
3. But both those solutions require you to keep ST displays in the system in order to translate analog or NMEA 0183 ("smart") transducer data to SeaTalk. Raymarine has had ST 70 pods that do this job for a while (tested here: http://goo.gl/mbXsX ), but what you spotted in the brochure is something new. To quote: "i70 is compatible with smart transducers or legacy analogue transducers using the optional ST70 pods or ITC-5, Raymarine's new SeaTalk to SeaTalkng network switch (available Spring 2012)."
Bottom line: there are a lot of working SeaTalk display and transducer systems out there, and Raymarine has come up with many ways to use some or all a system with the new STng instruments and MFDs.
Posted by: Ben E in reply to David at January 22, 2012 12:08 PM |Reply
Great new units and all but I for one cannot believe that the new "chirp" fishfinder unit (CP450C) is NOT compatible with the E and C wides. The wides are less than 3 years old!
Maybe they'll make another "chirp" for the wides?
Posted by: nicktg at January 23, 2012 11:05 AM |Reply
What are the chances that these units will have a conventional N2K connection on the back so we don't have to play with NG > N2K changeouts?
Website info doesn't look promising along those lines.
Posted by: Jonathan Udell at January 23, 2012 12:34 PM |Reply
The e7 has a Raymarine STng output on the back, not a DeviceNet screw connector. However, the manual does have a list of NMEA 2000 PGNs supported.
Also note that Raymarine is using a new Ethernet connector on the e7 and probably all the new MFDs. It looks strong and fairly easy to fish, but adapter cables will be needed to network with older Raymarine gear that can integrate.
How are they able to "shrink" the width of the unit to fit the form factor of the C80/E80????
Posted by: Adam at January 23, 2012 5:29 PM |Reply
Adam, I suspect the confusion is because there's a difference between the specified outside dimensions with normal bezel and the cut out dimensions. Sure looks to me like the R70010 kit will let you put an e9 in the same hole your C80 now occupies, though the new bezel is quite wide at top and bottom and skinny at the ends.
Posted by: Ben E in reply to Adam at January 23, 2012 5:53 PM |Reply
In the link listed above ( http://raymarine.co.uk/view/?id=2863 ) it is clear, at least in my mind, that the newer "look" of the RayMarine MFDs has been cheapened versus the more rugged Furuno-like appearance of the older e models. It's similar to when autos years ago switched from real chrome to that hedious lookalike chrome plastic. I suppose others will be able to point out advantages of the new plastic design, but they look like they're less likely to hold up in the marine environment.
Posted by: Jeff at January 23, 2012 6:46 PM |Reply
Jeff, pretty much the only difference between the E-Series bezel and the e-Series bezel is that Raymarine went from gray plastic to "chrome" and black plastic. The Furuno NavNet 3D also has a plastic bezel, dark gray. It really doesn't matter as the bezels have nothing to do with the structure or waterproofness of the electronics; they are just trim.
Posted by: Ben E in reply to Jeff at January 23, 2012 7:35 PM |Reply
Great to see Raymarine has done it again, loved the E7 & i70 products when they where launched, so refreshing in looks. A really turning point for Raymarine and the whole marine electronic market.
I was waiting for the bigger units and they look the business. I was thinking of getting the e7 but was waiting to see the 9" but I would love the 12". It would be a bit over kill for my needs.
Well done Raymarine, please keep them coming!!
Posted by: Graham at January 24, 2012 6:18 AM |Reply
These chartplotters look great. I was about to pull the trigger on an e7 setup, but now I'll wait. The C series looks good, since I don't feel like I need to pay the extra $ for touchscreen, especially when it's not multitouch.
Does anyone know about pricing and availability?
Posted by: Brendan at January 24, 2012 11:29 AM |Reply
They sure manage to create a lot of buzz. But I'm disappointed by the still low display resolutions, especially in the 9" model (same 800x480 as the 7"). And unless they put a significantly faster CPU in the newer models, the touch interface is too sluggish.
A very promising direction is the screen sharing option to an iPad. Of course it would have to be remote-controllable that way to be really cool.
Posted by: Dennis at January 25, 2012 5:27 AM |Reply
Prices are up on the Raymarine website:
Available from February 2012;
e95 (no chart) RRP - €2845
e97 (no chart) RRP - €3095
e125 (no chart) RRP - €3345
e127 (no chart) RRP - €3595
c95 (no chart) RRP - €1895
c97 (no chart) RRP - €2145
c125 (no chart) RRP - €2245
c127 (no chart) RRP - €2495
Posted by: Chris in reply to Brendan at January 25, 2012 4:38 PM |Reply
Has anyone compared power consumption of the old and new devices?
Posted by: Auspicious at January 26, 2012 2:47 AM |Reply
It's not clear to me what the difference is between the e125 model and the e127. Any suggestions?
Posted by: Jeff in reply to Chris at January 26, 2012 9:29 AM |Reply
c/e 95 and 125 is a MFD without an echosounder
c/e 97 and 127 is a MFD with integrated echosounder
Posted by: Chris in reply to Jeff at January 26, 2012 10:56 AM |Reply
Thanks for the prices, Chris. These seem high to me, though, relative to the e7.
Isn't the e97 just a 2" larger version of the e7? Are there any other new or different features?
I appreciate having more screen real estate, but that seems like a fairly large premium to pay for it.
Am I missing something?
Posted by: Brendan at January 26, 2012 12:03 PM |Reply
Thought i would share this with you.
I wanting to find some more images of the e9 & e7, I wanted to get an understanding of the rear connection area and bracket mount between the two models.
Have been trawling the net and came across the design company who seemed to do all the design for Raymarine. Theres some nice views of the rear etc.
I understand there most likely development photo's but it gives you a good idea.
On another note I never realize the effort companies go to to make new products.
Well done and keep the good work up.
Posted by: Graham at January 31, 2012 6:30 AM |Reply
I'm surprised and disappointed to not find any news regarding Tacktick's product line in Raymarine's 2012 Product Brochure.
6 months ago they did announce:
‘We think this acquisition makes tremendous sense for us. Tacktick’s unique Micronet technology allied with the development rigor and manufacturing efficiencies of Raymarine will make for a powerful combination.’
Posted by: Olaf at January 31, 2012 9:07 AM |Reply
Olaf, there are four pages of TackTick gear starting on page 28 of the brochure. I don't see any changes in the line but it certainly didn't go away.
And nice find, Graham! I notice CWD also has photo galleries for other Ray projects like the RCU-3 remote, the i70, and even the new sun covers, sometimes including the elaborate prototyping process. I've seen similarly intense design work behind the scenes at Garmin and Simrad, and am sure it happens elsewhere. It does help explain the expense of developing dedicated marine electronics.
Posted by: Ben E at January 31, 2012 9:26 AM |Reply
Love the refit hardware option that allows an easy transition from a classic e80.
Posted by: BenTest at March 21, 2012 9:59 PM |Reply
Not sure if this was known to be coming soon? The latest version of the E9 (e7, etc) software talks about support for Rayviewer AND Raycontrol! The French web page also says it is "coming soon". I imagine real soon with the software update.
Thanks, Curt! And Google reveals a link at Continuous Wave ( http://goo.gl/4zMMK ) to a full blow PDF about both RayControl and RayRemote, a $30 smartphone app that replicates all the button and knob controls and also has a viewer. I also learned that RayControl will permit pad touchscreen control of even the non touchscreen c-Series. Both are supposed to be out this month:
Posted by: Ben E in reply to Curt at May 7, 2012 9:27 PM |Reply
In fact, RayControl is already available for Android pads at Google Play: http://goo.gl/fwyH7
Moreover Raymarine has already issued the firmware update (3.15) needed to support the apps and it also fixes other issues like lack of fuel management: http://goo.gl/fUATf
Installed RayControl today on my Samsung Galaxy Tab, updated e7 software to 3.15 and it works ok.
Updating e7 SW was easy enough, no problems at all. Only need to change new Mobile settings after the update to make RayRemote/RayControl work on tab. Remember to back up settings before updating, saves some time afterwards...
I'm having problems getting any of the Raymarine Android apps to run, but RayRemote and RayControl made it to the Apple apps store yesterday and the latter is working very nicely on my iPad 1 right now. More on Monday.
I got it running on my iPad as well. Extremely easy upgrade and app works as expected. My only wish is I could have the e9 on my boats wifi network instead of having to switch my iPad when I want to use it.
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I don't see the feature mentioned in the literature but I do notice that all these new MFDs have an Auto/Standby button, which implies built-in autopilot control perhaps as complete as what Simrad offers now.