Electronics

The multiple layers of Garmin wireless communications going on above may seem crazy, but they all work well and have endless practical and/or fun applications around a boat.

If you have a Raymarine a, c, e, eS or gS Series MFD, you recently got an astonishing array of free new features thanks to the just announced and available LightHouse Release 17 software update.

I was already inclined to try Firefly Oasis AGMs, and the switch from two conventional 8D AGMs to a four Firefly bank naturally led me to rethink Gizmo's battery storage, cabling, charging, and monitoring systems.

The Rokk Mini system is exceptionally well made and can solidly mount phones, tablets, smallish marine displays and more.

While Ben suggested some topics to cover, the story I must tell largely involves kites and sailfish, though the electronics could not be ignored.

In today's world of always-connected systems, I am surprised that there are not more vendors in the space of vessel monitoring. My adventures with remote monitoring systems started in the late 80's.

Panbo's contributing editor, Adam Hyde, brings you a slew of updates from the ever-expanding world of marine electronics.

The time has come. I'd already sensed that Gizmo's AGM batteries were on borrowed time; But the real issue is what to do next.

Here's some big news in the small world of marine electronics: Boeing company Jeppesen just sold its marine cartography division to a formerly unknown entity named Digital Marine Solutions.

Shipping the first week of April for US$400 is a new heads-up display called the Garmin Nautix. A 1.1 oz "hands-free in-view display," Nautix attaches to your sunglasses and shows NMEA 2000 data.

Being able to use your helm's bright waterproof color screen to run your stereo system has to be one of the most appreciated benefits of multifunction display evolution.

While we've barely begun 2016, the state of recreational marine radar is entirely different than it was in 2015. Thanks to a wide variety of fixed and moving targets, the Miami area is a pretty good place to test radars.

Furuno and Garmin are both announcing new solid state radars here at the Miami Boat Show and boy are they great products.... I mean, can I get a HOLY MACKEREL!?!

I still think that many boaters don't realize the added safety, tracking, and navigation capabilities possible when GPS is integrated with portable VHF, though the Standard Horizon HX870 has been earning great reviews for a while.

I'd been following this boat project for years, knew that it motivated Kees's valuable CANboat work, and given that CANboat helped birth Signal K, I figure that Merrimac may earn a special spot in marine electronics history.

It's a new year, and everybody in the electronic world seems to have taken to the "new you" idea by showing off tons of new electronics products and services.

Let's end 2015 with some new technology that will really make a difference, I think. Dock-to-dock is not perfect, but it still strikes me as a quantum leap improvement that many boaters are going to appreciate.

We had a lively Panbo discussion about this back in 2009 and I stand by my personal feeling on the subject, which might paraphrase as "light 'em if you like 'em." And I've pretty much enjoyed the underwater light testing I've done since.

I've only had a little on-the-water experience with this and other collision avoidance features that came in the LightHouse Release 15 update last October, but I sense that a lot of boaters will appreciate the intercept zone concept...