When FLIR introduced the original First Mate in late 2009, it was a breakthrough product as it was the first true marine handheld thermal camera and the base model could be had for only $3,000. Well, holy cow, check out the First Mate MS version being introduced today: it's the same core thermal technology in a much smaller package with several significant improvements and a $1,000 price reduction! But those who purchased one of the original HM models shouldn't cry just yet, as they retain a unique mode of use that you may not have even tried yet...
Ocean Signal is a relatively new name in serious marine safety gear, and Ocean Signal America -- run by the same team that distributes Digital Yacht and recently-mentioned Digital Deep Sea in the States -- just debuted at the last Miami Boat Show. That's where I got to see and handle the gear above, and the company's claimed engineering expertise seemed borne out. The Ocean Signal equipment struck me as beautifully designed, and there are some features, like user-replaceable EPIRB batteries, that will appeal to yachties. But the company may be smart to focus on commercial marine, as I'm beginning to wonder if COSPAS-SARSAT equipment has much future with boaters who can choose other solutions...
Impatient me was beginning to wonder if the intriguing Iridium 9602 short burst data modem would ever materialize into a useful product. The Cerberus communicator and service I discussed in Januaryis supposed "to arrive" for real in 7 days, but it's gotten zero marketing so far, and I haven't heard about any other 9602-based devices that might seriously appeal to boaters until yesterday. And, in fact, even the DeLorme inReach isn't scheduled to ship until Fall. But it certainly looks neat...
After the Miami show this year I wrote about the introduction of Kannad and McMurdo personal-size AIS SARTs meant for crew overboard rescues and/or to help you get found in a liferaft. The idea is that these 1 watt AIS transmitters can be seen and homed-in to from at least a few miles away by any vessel -- including your own -- with an AIS plotting device. (Antenna height can increase that range a good deal, and that even includes satellites!) The first AIS SART I've gotten to test is the easyRescue A040 developed by the German company Weatherdock. It's a brick-shaped device about 5 x 3 x 1 inches and it includes an optional back plate/belt clip and even a reel of thin line so you can leash it to your life jacket...
Gizmo is still ashore, but she shed her shrink-wrap this week and today I had a few enjoyable hours aboard tidying up and fooling with some new accessories. One is the handy mount holding the iPad up next to the Datalux police car computer (which apparently survived the winter aboard fine), but first let's talk about the free and very clever BoatUS smartphone app showing on the pad. Some of the features alluded to in that link aren't enabled yet, but its primary function -- making an automated call for a tow -- worked very well in my test...
When many readers sent me the GPS World article on GPS jamming, I was blasé. How could the U.S. government possibly allow LightSquared to put up 4,600 transcievers pumping broadband data services in the L band with such power that they'd significantly interfere with nearby GPS frequencies? As in complete failure at over half a mile for a high quality civilian GPS receiver like the nüvi 265W, even under an open sky, and almost six miles for a critical GNS 430W aviation unit (according to lab testing done by Garmin and Trimble, results PDF here). But then again I never thought our government would be dumb enough to kill the eLoran GPS back-up system just to save a few dollars...
New in Miami were both the Kannad brand and its interesting AIS-based SafeLink R10 "survivor recovery system." And more sorting out was in order when your realized that McMurdo was showing the very similar SmartFind S10 in the very same booth. Note too how the Kannad SafeLink PLB in the background looks a heck of lot like the popular McMurdo FastFind. What's going on is that Kannad, a longtime French distress beacon company, became a sibling to McMurdo when Orolia bought both of them, and now they're working as partners in a somewhat overlapped fashion...
I think ACR has really advanced PLB technology in recent years, what with its AquaLink View and 406Link testing/messaging service. But up until now it didn't have a competitive response to McMurdo's extra small and extra inexpensive Fast Find 210. Well, hello ResQLink, which now lays claim to "world's smallest PLB" along with a few features that may demand a response from McMurdo. ResQLink has an antenna that the user can repack, for instance, which is one reason why it can do a full through-satellite test (with GPS) using the 406Link service. Doug Ritter put up an early and thorough ResQLink/Fast Find comparison here -- and note that the FCC disclaimer still applies, probably until late February -- but do come back to hear about what ACR is up to with Iridium...
Yes indeed, that is an Android app serving as the extended front end of yet another iteration of the good old SPOT satellite messenger. It's called SPOT Connect, and it's a close relative of the Delorme joint product announced at this time last year. The SPOT hardware is again an independent, waterproof communicator that can send out a distress message by itself, but now its third internal wireless component -- after GPS and Globalstar short burst messenging -- is Bluetooth. Which means that a SPOT app on most any sort of mobile device can be used to send canned "Help" or "Check-in" emails/texts, or to turn on tracking, or -- and this was the big new feature on the Delorme PN60W -- write a custom 41 character message. Another Connect difference is that the actual shipping date will apparently come much sooner after the announcement...
When I came across the New Jersey Star Ledger's finely reported series on the sinking of the scallop dragger Lady Mary, I didn't stop until I'd finished all five chapters, watched the video, and done some further research. It may not sound like a story in the holiday spirit, but aren't we about to gather during the darkest days of the year to celebrate light and love? You're not apt to forget the loving extended family at the center of this dark tragedy. And you'll certainly be reminded about how so many SAR gadgets and systems might and might not work...
, even under an open sky, and almost six miles for a critical 
