Subscribe
Author Articles
Ray218 VHF
By Ben Ellison | Posted April 2007 | Add a CommentRaymarine has started an impressive new VHF line with the $569 Ray218. It’s a Class D DSC set that purportedly offers the best audio specifications—like receiving sensitivity and intermodulation rejection, plus spurious transmitting emissions—in the business. It’s also the first VHF ever with soft keys, which appear quite useful for negotiating complicated menus or getting at favorite
Read Article
Furono FA30 AIS Receiver
By Ben Ellison | Posted April 2007 | Add a CommentThe Furuno FA30’s Ethernet port means it can plug right into a NavNet vx2 network, but it also offers standard NMEA AIS output and comes with a PC AIS plotting program able to use the Ethernet feed, so it can be set up in many ways. The FA30—expected to cost less than $1,000—is a true dual-channel receiver (see more on
Read Article
Carlisle & Finch NightFinder 200
By Ben Ellison | Posted April 2007 | Add a CommentCombining a 15 million candlepower Xenon spotlight with a 320x240 pixel thermal camera yields more than just the efficiency of shared casing, cabling, and pan/tilt controllers. You can leave the thermal going all night and if you spot something indistinct, hit it with the already-aimed spot. And if that “thing” is hostile, note that the powerful beam, aided by
Read Article
Charles IMcharger
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2007 | Add a CommentCharles’ new battery charger is a good example of how old-time electrical manufacturers are getting into microprocessors, info screens, and boat networking—and hence into your helm and my electronics columns. The IMcharger, as in Intelligent Marine, really is pretty smart. It can feed four battery types—gel, lead acid, AGM, or NiCad—in up to four 12- or 24-volt
Read Article
Murphy HelmView
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2007 | Add a CommentF.W. Murphy has added chartplotting ability to its 6.4-inch VGA HelmView display—just add a NMEA 2000 GPS sensor to its network, and slip a Navionics SD chart card into the slot—but its prime function is monitoring engine and other system data. Besides N2K, it has two other CANbus ports able to interface with the J1979 protocol that are even more
Read Article
Parker Fuel-Tank Selector Valve
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2007 | Add a CommentYet another big-time industrial manufacturer reaches up into the electronic helm. Parker’s Fluid Control Division developed this solenoid drive selector valve so that a skipper can change tanks without leaving the helm. In fact, the first customer, Hinckley, set it up to switch tanks automatically based on fuel levels. That six-port model you see is able to
Read Article
Offshore Systems Fuel Gauge
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2007 | Add a CommentOffshore Systems’ nifty fuel gauge is built into a stainless steel deck fitting, right where you want it. One version, costing $349, can be used with existing analog tank-level senders and gauges; another $271 model just plugs into a boat’s NMEA 2000 network. If you go the latter route, you could also use Offshore’s $263 N2K senders, which claim two-percent
Read Article
BilgeWatch 8
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2007 | Add a CommentThe trouble with automatic bilge pumps is that they can hide a slowly building leak. The BilgeWatch 8 takes care of that issue, monitoring one to eight pumps simultaneously, showing you when they come on, recording their history, and delivering alerts and alarms based on your settings. The latter can trigger indicator lights, buzzers, relays, and/or auto
Read Article
Last Call VHF Repeater
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2007 | Add a CommentLast Call is the good idea of a professional skipper in Puget Sound, Washington. Superficially it is simply an improved speaker for your VHF, but inside is a chip that constantly memorizes the last 60 seconds of whatever transmission breaks the radio’s squelch. Push the button on the top, and it will repeat it back to you, amplified even. This $100 accessory
Read Article
Bird on a Wire
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2007 | Add a CommentWhile isolation transformers tend to be terribly dull, they are valuable.Last summer I managed to cruise a snazzy, borrowed twin-screw flying-bridge boat from Maine to Connecticut. She was loaded with first-class, well-installed systems, most of which my relatively inexperienced crew and I learned to use pretty easily,
Read Article
Brokerage Listings Powered by BoatQuest.com
