Archive

Good gear: Gemini Marine, the strapless bimini & more
Posted on July 22nd 2010 - Ben Ellison
Did "strapless bimini" get your attention?  Well, it does involve some sexy hardware, and the finished strapless product, as seen on this local sloop, has ...

Si-Tex SP36 autopilot, like ComNav’s but different
Posted on July 21st 2010 - Ben Ellison
My first reaction to a press release about the new Si-Tex SP36 autopilot -- sure to be posted at the Si-Tex site soon -- was ...

Lowrance DSI , & Navionics goes MicroSD (Raymarine included)
Posted on July 19th 2010 - Ben Ellison
Last week Lowrance announced the Elite-5 DSI and some related fishfinder/plotters, and while they're unabashedly aimed at freshwater fishermen, there's at least two things of ...

SimNet network testing, & more NSE goodies
Posted on July 16th 2010 - Ben Ellison
Years ago I gave Simrad grief for developing its own NMEA 2000 cable and connector system, called SimNet, instead of going with the DeviceNet standard ...

SRT mini AIS modules, & trouble from the East?
Posted on July 14th 2010 - Ben Ellison
I mentioned SRT's amazingly miniaturized Class B and SART AIS modules back in May, but seeing is believing. In that aluminum EMI enclosure at ...

Camden NOAA chart changes, the questions
Posted on July 12th 2010 - Ben Ellison
So I've done more research into the various small issues I've noticed regarding recent NOAA chart changes to Camden Harbor (discussed most recently here).  Let ...

RMC Island 40, off the grid house boating
Posted on July 11th 2010 - Ben Ellison
That somewhat odd looking "waterborne structure" is Robinhood Marine Center's first Island 40, designed to give renters who may only have small boat skills a wicked nice Maine ...

Garmin 7000 and AIS 600, some install details
Posted on July 8th 2010 - Ben Ellison
Today I checked out some just-received Garmin gear prior to installation on Gizmo, and I noticed some nice little changes.  For instance, this AIS 600 ...

Paneltronics AC load shedding, smarter power
Posted on July 7th 2010 - Ben Ellison
Paneltronics new load shedding system is somewhat related to my battery/monitor/charger travails.  Boaters of all sorts are struggling to manage their electrical appetites, and the ...

Gizmo 12v power issues, dumb questions?
Posted on July 6th 2010 - Ben Ellison
There's no such thing as a stupid question, right?  Please?  Above is the only label on each of Gizmo's main bank 8D batteries, and though ...