Marine Electronics

As single-handers and anyone sailing fogbound coastal waters traversed by high-speed ferries can attest, a reliable radio at the helm often becomes an essential safety item. A good remote mic fits this need, and as bonus, a cockpit mic usually allows two-way communication between the helm and the cabin. The latest remote mics allow complete radio control from the cockpit, however, in some cases, you must match these mics with the newest model VHF radios. The six units testers picked apart were Icoms CommandMic II and CommandMic III, Raymarines RayMic, Standard Horizons RAM and VH-310, and the wireless Uniden WHAMx4.

One of the many challenging aspects of on-board life is exchanging information between the helmsperson and the crew at the other end of the boat. While anchoring or docking, for instance, wind and engine noise can present formidable hurdles. Thats why many resort to hand signals to be more effective in these tasks. But an even more effective approach exists. Voice communication aided by wireless headsets is not new technology, but its a fitting solution to the problem. In the last Americas Cup in Valencia, Spain, wireless headsets were du rigueur for bowmen, headsail trimmers, and tacticians. But PS considers those high-tech gadgets cost-prohibitive (from $600 to $1,000 each), which is why we were pleased to discover Cruising Solutions Mariner 500 headset (www.cruisingsolutions.com) ($60).

Handheld marine electronics can provide an essential backup to permanently mounted gear. That aspect is certainly part of the appeal for a product called Velocitek S10 http://www.velocitek.com/, a portable, waterproof-but not entirely economical ($250)-speed gauge that can measure a vessels speed over the ground or its velocity made good toward a waypoint using an internal Trimble GPS receiver and processors. And [IMGCAP(1)]the S10s more expensive sibling, the SC-1 ($399), purports to deliver a vessels speed, heading, and velocity made good with the information updated every half-second. We say "purports" as we havent tested the SC-1.

The CPV350 has a long list of features that go beyond the ability to transmit and receive. It has an integral 30-watt hailer with automatic and manual foghorn capability, sophisticated DSC capabilities with a second receiver for receiving channel 70 digital signals, an easy-to-access menu, and a large rotary knob for channel selection that doubles as a range and zoom tool for the chartplotter. It is WAAS and AIS capable (when coupled with an AIS receiver). Its 7-inch, high-resolution (800-x-480), color display is comparable to that of the Navman Trackfish 6600, Practical Sailor s Best Choice among tall screen plotter/sounders reviewed in the June 2006 issue. The main drawback we see in the CPV350 is that by having one device that handles multiple duties, system redundancy is lost.

Solar panels have proven themselves a valuable ally in the never-ending battle to keep batteries charged and todays power-hungry systems fed. A common sight aboard world cruising sailboats and weekend warriors alike, solar panels have many pros backing them up: Theyre noiseless, have no moving parts, and provide free electricity for years with minimal maintenance, all without producing harmful emissions or using up valuable natural resources. Despite all the benefits, solar panels have issues other than their high purchase price. Their mounting location must not eat up limited cockpit or deck space (an issue in all but the smallest installations); they require adequate air flow to avoid heat buildup (which can seriously reduce power output); and they reach optimal output only when facing the sun, a limiting proposition for fixed-mount installations.

Software for downloading e-mail, weather information, and tide information from the Internet over a high-seas radio or a satellite phone gets used most frequently aboard cruising boats. Because of the slow e-mail transmission rates on the high seas, data-compression software is a must to keep communication cost-effective, whether youre using a ham radio, cell phone, or satellite phone. Some of the more popular software packages for offshore e-mailing are Airmail, Winlink, XGate, UUPlus, and SailMail. Once high-seas e-mail has been set up, users can download weather information from a variety of sources, including NOAAs GRIB file system, Saildocs, and ViewFax. Weather fax is still important despite the increasing popularity of GRIBs (Gridded Binary files), but youll need a software program that can read the charts. Some our testers have tried include Xaxero and Mscan Meteo.

The last few years, weve used a neat, 12-volt battery-powered "snuba" rig-a snorkeling-scuba hybrid-to inspect our test boats hull. We first reported on this rig, the SurfaceDive Deck Snorkel, in the Aug. 15, 2004 issue. A Canadian company, Scu-Buoy Products Inc., recently sent us a very similar product called the Sea Breathe Electric Snorkel. Both use similar components: a 12-volt compressor mounted inside a plastic container. The compressor pumps air through a hose to a floating air reservoir. A second hose connects the reservoir to a scuba regulator attached via a belt (Sea Breathe) or chest harness (SurfaceDive).

For this test of hand-held weather stations, Practical Sailor had three principal objectives. First, we wanted to determine which weather instruments gave cruising sailors the information they need in the most accessible format. The second quality we were interested in was ease of use. Third, we wanted to test for consistency of readings among the various instruments. The models we tested include the Skywatch Eole, Skywatch Meteos, Skywatch Atmos, Skywatch Xplorer2, Skywatch Xplorer4, Skywatch Geos11, Kestrel 1000, Kestrel 3500, Kestrel 4000, Speedtech Skymate, Speedtech Skymaster, Speedtech Eco Edge. One thing is clear: fiddling with them in the store doesn't nearly give you the full picture.

Starting in 2002, the SOLAS regulations (chapter V, regulation 19) required that all ships over 300 gross tons carry and operate at all times an Automated Identification System. The shipboard AIS sends brief broadcasts on a VHF radio frequency with the ships information, including the vessels name, latitude and longitude, course over ground, speed over ground, heading, status, and Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number. The broadcasts happen every few seconds. Last summer, we got a chance to try an AIS receiver on a 2,500-mile trip from Baltimore, Md., to Bermuda, Nova Scotia, Maine, and back to Baltimore. For the trip, we installed the Nasa Marine AIS Radar. In this case, Nasa Marine is not NASA (the U.S. space agency), but is instead a British company known for low-cost marine instruments.

For this test of 8-foot and 16-foot fiberglass pole antennas, Practical Sailor contacted the three most popular manufacturers of marine recreational VHF antennas-Comrod, Digital Antenna, and Shakespeare-and requested their participation in our at-sea evaluation. While the distance test produced some interesting numbers (like 23 miles of range for a deck-mounted VHF antenna), a hacksaw revealed some of the most telling details. Digital and Comrod score high for durability, while Shakespeares antennas offer good performance at a good price.