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Fusion Marine Stereo
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2009 | Add a CommentPhotography by Fusion MarineNow I just need the boat. When I first wrote about the Fusion Marine Stereo system in my column last July, I not only saw a lot to like but had already half talked myself into an Apple iPod as the centerpiece of my next onboard audio entertainment system. A Touch model is sitting on my desk today,
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KVH TracVision M1
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2009 | Add a CommentPhotography by KVHThe competition for world's smallest stabilized satellite TV antenna has come down to definitions. KVH's new M1 is a 12.5-inch dish that only weighs 7.5 pounds while Intellian's new i1 (see below) is an 11-incher that tips the scale at 9.5 pounds. Both make onboard TV easier to have. In fact, KVH says the M1
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Intellian Technologies k6
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2009 | Add a CommentPhotography by IntellianWhen DirectTV decided to migrate its HD programming—now 130 channels strong—from Ku to trickier-to-lock-onto Ka-band satellites, it was a bummer for boaters with the big, hi-res screens on which HD truly shines. But newcomer Intellian Technologies has come to the rescue with the first marine system to
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MySiMON
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2009 | Add a CommentPhotography by Palladium TechnologiesWhile Fusion's super safe iPod dock is reassuring (see main story), there are increasing reasons to risk carrying one around on deck. On top of the iNavX and Navionics navigation apps for the iPod Touch and iPhone described last month, Palladium Technologies has developed an interface to its
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King Controls VuQube
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2009 | Add a CommentPhotography by King ControlsLast year King Controls introduced a clever portable satellite TV dish called the VuQube, and some boaters began enjoying its ability to tune in DirectTV, Dish, or ExpressVu channels while only costing $899. But they had to place the 17.5''-high "cube" on a dock for stability and use its remote
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Here Comes Class B, Part 2!
By Ben Ellison | Posted December 2008 | Add a CommentPhoto by Ben EllisonNow Class B-equipped Gizmo shows up on ship AIS displays and Web viewers like this. I've never been more pleased to write this column. If you read the original "Here Comes Class B" in the March 2007 issue, you'll recall my cautious optimism about the then untried yacht version
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Simrad AI50
By Ben Ellison | Posted December 2008 | Add a CommentPhotos courtesy of SimradSimrad's AI50 is the most feature-packed Class B transponder available. Most obvious is the four-inch display with its world base map. It can serve as a standalone AIS target plotter, or as a useful adjunct to your regular nav system, which the AI50 can feed with target and GPS data either via NMEA 0183
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Furuno FA-50
By Ben Ellison | Posted December 2008 | Add a CommentPhoto courtesy of FurunoFuruno's FA-50 is also an unusual Class B AIS transponder. While every other model mentioned in this column, including the two Simrads, is based on a transceiver manufactured by the U.K. firm SRT, Furuno started from scratch, or rather from its experience as a major manufacturer of the Class A AIS
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Digital Yacht SPL250
By Ben Ellison | Posted December 2008 | Add a CommentPhoto by Ben EllisonDigital Yacht is a substantial U.K.-based marine electronics manufacturer/distributor that is expanding to the United States in a timely manner, given its emphasis on Class B AIS. I'm testing its $899 AIT250 Class B, which—while being the same basic transponder that's marketed by Shine Micro, True Heading,
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Icom MXA-5000
By Ben Ellison | Posted December 2008 | Add a CommentPhoto courtesy of Icom AmericaIs Icom a Johnny come lately for introducing the MXA-5000 AIS receiver just as Class B transceivers finally hit the market? I don't think so. Not every skipper is as keen to be seen via AIS as I am, and if said skipper does want to monitor Class A and B AIS targets, ICOM's offering looks easy to
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