Just a quick note that I’m giving the new installation a sea trial for the next few days aboard Two Lucky Fish, and I’ll be posting general trip details on my Twitter account.

Yeah, the cabling is still kind of a mess, but it’s working!

“Everybody thinks they can avoid getting a multiplexer, and in the end they always get multiplexers.”
               —Brad Christian, Rose Point Navigation

Yeah, sure, whatever, Brad.

Longtime Navagear readers are aware that I have been avoiding multiplexers for more than three years (here’s the proof). I’ve had a good deal of success.

And also a good deal of…um…unsuccess.

Today I enjoyed a big success, though, completing and testing the installation of a new NoLand AM43 NMEA 0183 multiplexer. So it turns out Brad is right. Again. I’m getting kinda tired of that, Brad!

The guys at NoLand have been very helpful, answering over email some questions I had. The diagram above shows a typical installation, but mine was slightly different. I’ll share my schematic diagram here. The top is some general brainstorming. The bottom shows what’s actually connected to each terminal.

A careful look might reveal something odd: Why does the TLK/com pair connect right back to the unit through the IN1+/IN1-? If the data is already in the multiplexer, why feed it back?

Turns out the TLK port is the only “talker” carrying data received from the PC. I want that datastream aggregated into the primary OUTh port; that’s the one that goes to my Raymarine C-80 chartplotter.

And it works! If I select a waypoint in Rose Point Coastal Explorer and make it “active”, my C-80 asks if I want to engage the autopilot to navigate to that waypoint.

And for the first time, I’ve got AIS targets displaying on both the PC and the C-80. Oh, and I verified that DSC targets sent from the VHF appear on the C-80. I haven’t verified that they appear on the PC, but I expect they will.

It’s only day one, but so far I’m impressed that the NoLand AM43 does what it says it will.

If I had any suggestions for future products, it would be to include one more high-speed input. So there would be 2 high-speed inputs and 1 high-speed output. Why? In addition to the AIS, I want to plug the NMEA output from the C-80 into the multiplexer, to get all the data from the C-80 (autopilot, GPS, depth, speed, etc.) into the PC. That data doesn’t actually require a high-speed pipe, but on my C-80, I have to set a common data speed for both the input and output ports. I can’t set the input to 38,400 baud and the output to 4800 baud.

So right now, I’m still obliged to use a clunky workaround, pulling what data is available from the 4800-baud NMEA-out in my autopilot. That set of data is somewhat incomplete, and it’s a shame, especially since the NMEA out on the C-80 (configured at 38,400 baud so that the input can accept the AIS datastream) isn’t connected to anything right now! I guess I could run it into the PC through an unused USB port, but it seems a shame to run an extra wire for it.

Next time I actually take the boat out of her slip, I’ll put the whole kit and caboodle to the test. Stay tuned!

Ben has this item at Panbo today:

I’ve just been cruising with four premium MFDs for two weeks, often using them seriously for four or five hours a day.  But that doesn’t mean I’ve learned every nuance of these complex beasts, or that I’ve developed strong preferences.  Actually I have (mostly minor) complaints about every one of them!…even if they’re all way better than the electronics I used around this coast 40, 30, 20, 10, even 5 years ago.  I’m going to start with something fairly simple…

Read more

This is a very cool bit of news. Because why? Because it means that some of the best navigation suites on the market, which tend to be PC-based, might now make use of some of the best radar hardware on the market. On with the press release!

Marine Electronics Leader Introduces PC-Based FMCW Radar Technology for the Commercial, Marine, Military and Surveillance Markets

Nashua, N.H. – Simrad Yachting, a leader in the design and manufacture of world-class marine navigation, autopilots, communications and fishfinding systems, has announced today its BR24PC Software Development Kit (SDK) for the commercial, military, marine and surveillance markets. Giving developers access to the Simrad BR24 Broadband Radar™ opens a wide spectrum of applications for land and sea. Approved third parties can obtain a license to the BR24PC SDK and create PC-based software that utilizes Simrad Yachting’s award-winning Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radome technology. Potential applications include on- and offshore security, unmanned vessels, military (stationary and moving), river navigation, boundary surveillance, fish-farm monitoring and oilrig ship-docking management. Providing the opportunity for a user-friendly, real-time, fully-automated and integrated PC-based radar system, the BR24PC SDK is compatible with any off-the-shelf Simrad BR24 Broadband Radar.

“The Simrad BR24PC Software Development Kit allows integration of our revolutionary radar technology to a nearly unlimited range of new possibilities in custom marine and on-shore applications,” said Louis Chemi, chief operating officer, Navico Americas. “Not only is the technology the future of navigation, security and surveillance, our BR24PC SDK makes commercial-grade radar available at a competitive price.”

(more…)

[Good news for those who have opted NOT to jump on the iPhone bandwagon. It’s a press release, so you should forgive the exclamation points and hyperbole. —Tim]

Discover the value of Navionics renowned marine charts and lake maps!

Ideal for water sport enthusiasts of all kinds. Create a virtual travelogue to share with friends via email or facebook.

The most comprehensive features available in 3.2:
• Record/Save tracks, routes
• Capture geo-tagged pictures of your adventures
• Access the largest database of specialty marine POIs available
• Search marinas and specialty marine POI, with just one click to call
• Check tides & currents, moon phase, sun/moon rise/set
• Share the fun with friends
• And so much more!

Offering the best marine and lake maps covering regions around the world.

Navionics certified compatible Android models:
Motorola Droid • Nexus One
HTC Tattoo • Acer Liquid

Operating system required: 1.6 or >

App prices are in Euro starting at 9.99€.

I got to play with the established Navionics iPhone application running on an iPad last month, and I was impressed. Now Navionics has released a version of that software optimized for the iPad platform, and it ought to be even better. Here’s the press release:

Navionics Apps Now Available in HD for iPad

The top-selling marine and lake apps in the world just got BIGGER!

Enjoy the clearest and most detailed marine and lake charts on your iPad! Apps now optimized in HD – with sensational hi-resolution graphics for the ultimate user experience!

Ideal for boaters, fishermen and water sport enthusiasts of all kinds. You can plan your on-the-water adventures, anytime anywhere.

Imagine planning your day on the water or showing your friends the tracks of your last cruise on the iPad’s dynamic multi-touch glossy display, comfortably sitting in your living room… anytime anywhere.

The most comprehensive features available, version 4.1 offers:
• Award-winning marine charts worldwide and lake maps (US and Canada) in HD
• Satellite imagery overlay
• Tides & currents, moon phase, sun/moon rise/set
• Tracks, routes and markers can be shared on facebook or via email and view them on Google Earth
• Route planning
• Waypoints & markers
• The largest database of marine POIs available
• In-app Facebook

iPad apps prices start at 19.99 $/€.
iPad – Wi-Fi model locates your GPS position if Wi-Fi connected.
iPad – Wi-Fi+3G model operates similar to iPhone with regard to GPS capability but no phone or camera.

[This is one of those MadMariner features, but I’m extremely late republishing it here, for some reason. I think I just forgot about it! So forgive me for republishing this about eight months late. —Tim]

Back in early 2008, there were only four passable online cruising wikis – boater-maintained, real-time electronic bulletin boards to exchange information about anything from fouled mooring buoys to new marinas. Of those, only two really achieved the goal of allowing skippers to help other skippers: ActiveCaptain and MyCruisingLog (read my reviews here).

Nearly two years later, have things improved? After conducting some new tests, I’d say "maybe."

This time around I used a new navigational hazard to rate the competition: The "hazard" was the removal of the old Union Oil pier that stuck out into Puget Sound from Edwards Point, just south of Edmonds, Wash. The Washington State Ferries removed the pier in February to open the views.

[ROSE POINT COASTAL EXPLORER 2009: The Union Oil pier still exists on the charts, even though it's been removed -- a hazard for me.]

And that’s fine with me – except that the pier is still on all the charts, and I relied upon it as a navigational landmark. When approaching Edmonds from the south, after clearing Point Wells, I routinely aimed just slightly to port of the end of the pier, knowing this will take me just outside the shoal area between the two points.

I could give it a wider berth, of course, but why bother? Sticking close to shore keeps me out of the ferry lanes, and puts me right along the breakwater for the Port of Edmonds marina.

Removing the pier constitutes a hazard for me. Or at least it did in May, the first time I cruised to Edmonds since the pier had been removed. I mistook the marina breakwater for the end of the pier and aimed slightly to its left. After a few minutes, it dawned on me that something didn’t seem quite right; checking all my navigational instruments told me that I was running (at full throttle) in about five feet of water, much closer to shore than I intended. Huh? Where the heck was the pier?

So now I want to report this change to fellow mariners. Here’s what I want to communicate: "The old Union Oil pier extending west from Edwards Point was dismantled and removed in February 2009. Virtually no trace of it remains visible from the water."

[Active Captain continues to be the strongest competitor in the wiki field. My grade: A-.]

I tried to update all of the cruising wikis I could find, and although I succeeded in every case, the overall usability and utility of the sites varies quite a bit. Here’s the play-by-play:

THE SOLUTIONS

ActiveCaptain: It came as no surprise that I was successful in adding a note to the "Interactive Cruising Guidebook" at ActiveCaptain, because it was the strongest wiki 18 months ago, and they have continued to make improvements ever since.

However, I was a little disappointed that not all of the feature categories were available. To accomplish my goal, I had to "misuse" the inlet category, while the appropriate category would have been "hazard or warning," or perhaps "other." Both of those categories, however, are unavailable, producing a note saying "The category you selected for a new local knowledge marker is not yet available." But the integrated text and map search functionality is intuitive and relatively easy to use. My grade: A-.

MyCruisingLog: I couldn’t find an existing entry for Edwards Point, Edmonds or Port of Edmonds. The site uses the familiar MediaWiki software"”the same interface Wikipedia uses"”so it was easy to create a new entry. I created one for Edwards Point. Although I was successful, I am disappointed that MyCruisingLog hasn’t gained more momentum. My edit is the only one made to the entire site for the past 30 days. My grade: D

CaptainWiki: I found an entry for Edwards Point, complete with a Google map inset. I added my comment and saved successfully. It was a bit annoying that the Edwards Point article included an almost empty article template; before I added my comment, the article consisted largely of irrelevant headings containing no content. But, because it uses the familiar MediaWiki software, I fixed it.

Still, a lot of content at CaptainWiki consists of empty templates and boilerplate. There is a good deal of genuine content, some of it recent, so CaptainWiki is still in the game. And, the Google map insets are helpful. But the lack of full map integration is disappointing. My grade: C.

CruiserLog: This site is also based on the MediaWiki engine. I found an entry for Seattle, but that’s as close as I got. CruiserLog content seems to be very thin for my cruising region. Once I had registered for an account, I was able to create a new page for Edwards Point. There is content and recent activity here, so somebody must be using it, although the lack of a map-based interface is limiting. My grade: C.

YachtPals: This site features a Google Maps view allowing you to find entries using the map as well as by searching for text. The search and navigational interface isn’t quite as smooth as I would like; I got lost a few times before I figured out how to find what I wanted. The editing environment is unfamiliar, but it seems to work well once you figure it out. My grade: B.

There are lots of options out there, but in my opinion only a couple exploit the full potential of today’s technology. I think map integration is crucial; geographic content should be presented geographically. It’s interesting that the two sites that feature geographical content-navigation interfaces are also the only two that do not rely on Wikipedia’s MediaWiki engine.

This product is still young, however, and even the leaders have room for improvement. I encourage you to take all of them for a test drive. Look up places you’re familiar with, and when you spot something that should be revised, update it.

“Hey, you got your ActiveCaptain in my Rose Point Coastal Explorer!”

“Well you got your Coastal Explorer in my Active Captain!”

“It tastes great!”

ActiveCaptain’s Jeffrey Siegel just sent out the announcement below, and it should come as no surprise that I’m fairly “gung ho” about this. In my previous Cruising Wiki surveys (Cruising wiki shoot-out #1 and Cruising wiki shoot-out #2), ActiveCaptain has come out ahead of the competition. When you combine that with my ongoing love affair with Rose Point Coastal Explorer, the potential seems obvious.

In this screen capture, you can see symbols for both the Rose Point and the ActiveCaptain notations I added about the old oil pier:

Here’s a link to the announcement from Rose Point, and here’s the announcement from Mr. Siegel:
==========================================

We are excited to announce that another major navigation program has adopted ActiveCaptain for its point-of-interest data. Coastal Explorer 2010 will include ActiveCaptain markers. The latest released beta version has it fully implemented for this phase of the integration.

With Coastal Explorer 2010, all of the ActiveCaptain markers can be accessed offline so you don’t need an Internet connection. Then when you are connected, Coastal Explorer will synchronize the data ensuring that you have the most up-to-date information possible. The marker details and reviews that you love on the website can be accessed right along with all of the wonderful chartplotter features Coastal Explorer offers.

Coastal Explorer brings even more users to ActiveCaptain. It’s robust features including integrated weather, Coast Pilot, voyage planning, and now ActiveCaptain make it a popular solution for PC’s.

The beta version is available now once you have purchased Coastal Explorer. We will be offering the software at a guaranteed unbeatable price to our captains. Purchasing from us helps support the ActiveCaptain web site too. If you’re interested in purchasing the software right now, email us – we’ll provide pricing and purchase information even before you can buy the software from our web site.

We’re planning some articles to help new users get acquainted with Coastal Explorer and will provide technical support for questions about using the software. We want you to think of ActiveCaptain when you want to use your laptop for navigation – we’ll provide the software and help you get started like no other dealer ever could.

Again we want to be perfectly clear. The web site and all of the ActiveCaptain data remains 100% free. That won’t change.

We’ll have more announcements coming up as more developers are working on integrating our data into their products. Stay tuned.

[It’s time for yet another version upgrade of Navionics’ award-winning iPhone applet. Having resisted temptation, thus far, when it comes to hopping on the iPhone bandwagon, I’m in no position to review this new software authoritatively. But I do know that it earlier versions enjoy a very good reputation with people I respect. Let’s see what we can learn from the press release.
—Tim]

The #1 marine navigation app just got better!  Navionics continues to add even more features and functionalities to its award-winning marine & lakes navigation app for iPhone.  Along with the most comprehensive features available, version 4.0 offers:

• Navionics award winning cartography overlaid with satellite imagery for an even richer user experience
• Battery life optimization that allows you to extend the use of your iPhone for more time on the water without recharging.

As always charts are resident on your phone to access at any time (no Wi-Fi needed).  Plan your adventures anytime and anywhere… check tides and currents, set routes and markers, and search for marinas.  Track your navigation, capture geotagged pictures, and create a virtual travelogue of your entire trip that you can share with your friends and family by email or on Facebook.  Navionics is the only marine app you will ever need – anytime – anywhere!

You can’t beat this list of features!
•Google overlay
•Optimized battery life
•Display and save up to 100 Tracks
•Create and save up to 100 Routes
•Place up to 200 digital Markers of your Favorite spots with selectable icons
•Capture geotagged Pictures of your adventures
•Share your Pictures, Tracks, Routes and Markers on Facebook or via Email and view them on Google Earth or Google Maps
•Access the largest database of specialty marine POIs available
•Search Marinas and specialty marine POI, with just one click to call
•Check Tides & Currents, Moon phase, Sun/Moon rise/set
•Input lat/long coordinates

Jesper Weissglas has put together a clever web page that allows you to view sample raster and vector chart renderings produced by many of the major chartplotter and navigation software products, including Active Captain, Rose Point Coastal Explorer, Expedition, Fugawi, Garmin, MacENC, Nobeltec VNC, OpenCPN, PolarNavy, Tiki Navigator, and TimeZero.

I’ll let Mr. Weissglas explain what he’s done, and why:

Features of charting programs are discussed a lot. But chart graphics quality is often overlooked. This page attempts to fix this.

Only unscaled screenshots and lossless file formats have been used. I have attempted to get the same area covered, but all programs differ in how they treat zoom and scaling, and the screenshots have been made by different people. So the shots are not identical.

I am not affiliated with any of these companies. I am a Swedish boat designer who is very picky about the visual appearance of my charts.

If you’re in the market, or just and interested observer, time spent on this site is very much worthwhile!