Communications

GMDSS: Mass Confusion?

Recently we received the following e-mail from reader Gerard Lacroix, asking questions about radio communications that must be on the minds of others. Your...

Standard HX350S Is Top-Rated Waterproof Handheld VHF Radio

In our bench tests of seven waterproof models, the Garmin VHF 720 and Icom M-1+ failed their dunkings.

GPS 406 MHz EPIRBs: ACR vs. NAT

ACR and National Airborne Technology have taken two distinct approaches to transmitting position data along with distress signals. We favor NATs integral GPS over ACRs peripheral connection, but its twice as expensive.

Inexpensive E-mail: Magellan GSC 100 vs. SASCO OceanMail 2000

We prefer the SASCO OceanMail 2000

In-Your-Pocket Email

PocketMail is a current favorite of coastal cruisers. It’s inexpensive and reliable. Of two PDAs tested, we prefer the Sharp TM-20 over the BackFlip.

Close As A Pencil Point

On May 1, President Clinton announced that the selective availability (SA) system used to degrade GPS (global positioning system) signals was terminated, effective at...

Offshore Log: Essential Forecasting Tools

Our years of sailing in New England and the Caribbean, with their stable, predictable weather patterns, left us ill-prepared to deal with the vagaries...

Morgan 382 – The $30K Boat Nobody Talks About

The Morgan 382 might be one of the most overlooked cruising sailboats ever built. Designed by legendary naval architect Ted Brewer and produced between...

Latest Sailboat Review

Jeanneau 55 Boat Review

This recent sailboat from Jeanneau may as well be a spaceship. They’ve taken all the time-honored designs of a monohull aft cockpit and turned...