Apps and Computer Programs

A number of the electronic devices that we tested this year are wireless products that interface with smart phones and tablet computers. Many of these products will also connect with the ships existing marine networks (NMEA) and hardware, and we encourage using these more robust connections for long-term cruising.

Fast, reliable broadband connectivity is often taken for granted ashore. But once youre out on the water, the digital domain can go downhill fast and access to high-speed, cost-effective digital communications begins to waver. Cellular towers and Wi-Fi hotspots are the inshore sailors next best friend, but since Wi-Fi signals are line-of-sight, the range is limited. How these two important links to Web-based communications-cellular and Wi-Fi- work and what you can expect from the technology in the marine sphere is part of our ongoing electronics update.

For nearly 50 years, our boats electronics systems have operated according to standards developed through the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA). Today, our onboard electronics communicate using either the older NMEA 0183 or the current NMEA 2000 data-the digital language that our marine devices speak. Sadly, this is not the same language that our personal electronics or the wireless Internet speaks-leaving the door effectively closed to app developers who might want to create new apps based on that data.

As we dug into the topic of electronic storage media-the memory cards we use for routine software updates on our marine electronics-we found that even the makers of our marine electronics were a little confused about which memory cards worked with their own systems. We soon realized that a data table indicating which cards worked with which electronics would be very handy. It was one of those easier-said-than-done enterprises that dragged on for weeks. Hopefully, our tables, compiled by PSs resident electronics expert, Bill Bishop, will be helpful as you dust off your chartplotter for the coming season.