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Hello, Spot
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2008 | Add a CommentSpot measures about 4 1⁄4" x 2 3⁄4".As an innovative satellite messenger, Spot is hot, but in terms of marketing, Spot should be shot. And, thankfully, those are all the easy Spot word plays you'll hear from me. But be prepared for an onslaught elsewhere. Spot is getting a
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Simrad NX40/45
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2008 | Add a CommentSimrad NX40/45Simrad is refreshing almost its entire product lineup in 2008. The major themes are the extended use of SimNet (a.k.a. NMEA 2000) and the "Simradization" of multifunction display technologies proven by other members of Navico's "family of brands." The $2,450 NX40 and $2,950 45 single-station MFDs closely resemble
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Simrad GB40
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2008 | Add a CommentSimrad GB40Given the NX series and other new gear noted above, plus the big-yacht Glass Bridge GB60 system introduced last year, the networked, blackbox GB40 neatly fills the remaining hole in Simrad's lineup. Again, the
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GME Emergency Beacons
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2008 | Add a CommentGME Emergency BeaconsThough GME has been manufacturing emergency beacons in Australia for more than 30 years, its EPIRBs and PLBs are new to America. The regular AccuSat 401 and GPS-assisted 401G models shown are said to be the smallest and lightest available, and each features an LED strobe light and a seven-year battery, not to
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MatsyOnBoard SMART9522
By Ben Ellison | Posted March 2008 | Add a CommentMatsyOnBoard SMART9522 MatysOnBoard is a little like Spot, as it uses a satphone system's SMS facilities—in this case, Iridium's—to send one-button-push distress messages as well as other short messages and automated tracking
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3D & G
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2008 | Add a CommentThe competition is fierce, and I'm not just talking about the grandiose debuts held simultaneously and almost chin-to-chin across a Fort Lauderdale boulevard the evening before the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show began. The two combatants (Furuno's new NavNet 3D and Raymarine's new G Series) both crave, and deserve, attention from the same sort of users—bigger-boat, bigger-budget
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Simrad AP 24 and AP 28
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2008 | Add a CommentSimrad AP 28Simrad's two new autopilot control heads, the AP 28 (above) and the smaller, knobless AP 24, may look like minor upgrades to the revered Simrad (Robertson) line, but there's a big change behind the scenes. Each head uses SimNet, a flavor of NMEA 2000, to communicate with one of two new SimNet-talking autopilot
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Navionics Platinum+
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2008 | Add a CommentNavionics Platinum+As the ever-so-slight name change implies, "plus" is only an incremental change from the original multifaceted Platinum format, mainly offering improved resolution of the photo maps and panoramic port photos. But the improvement is major. One measure of how much more data is included in Platinum+ is that the
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Standard Horizon CPV555
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2008 | Add a CommentStandard Horizon CPV555Combine a top-the-line VHF radio with a competent chartplotter/fishfinder, and you get Standard Horizon's unusual and under-appreciated CPV series, which began with a seven-inch display and now also comes in this jumbo 12-inch unit. Given its considerable size you may not save any helm space, but man, you
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PulseTech Xtreme Charger
By Ben Ellison | Posted January 2008 | Add a CommentPulseTech Xtreme ChargerWhat with the lab and a fleet of small craft, I use and abuse a lot of 12-volt batteries. Wasn't I tickled with how well the $100 Xtreme "five-stage maintenance" Marine Charger tested and then, when possible, charged and desulphated my scraggly collection, all the while telling me what it was up to with
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