For quite a number of years now, the marine electronics business has been extremely active. Innovations fueled by stiff competition within the marine segment and the R&D from the larger universe of consumer electronics keeps every company’s laboratory humming. We’ve selected a handful of nifty products from the booths at the National Marine Electronics Association show and from the aisles of the Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. Pull up a chair and enjoy.

Simrad I
f you want a glass bridge for your boat, you want the glass to be more than half full. Simrad’s GB60 system makes sure that it is by letting you tap into data from the black box and display any combination of vector charts, raster-scan charts(Passport World Charts from Jeppesen Marine), radar (controls a max of two radars), navigational information, 3D depth or live video from one to four cameras located throughout the boat. You may configure each monitor with six previously set views. Each of the monitors (in diagonal sizes of 12, 15 and 19 inches) is nearly all screen, making each one actually smaller than its size indicates. For example, a 19-inch monitor fits into the same space that a 15-inch conventional model would occupy. Optimizing the area of each display lets you make the most of the split-screens the system offers.

The GB60 displays vector charts and satellite/aerial photos side by side, over/under or mixed together with a feature called Photo Blending. The 3D Generator lets you display an image of the bottom with a vector chart. This Chart Draping device delivers a true-to-life depiction of the bottom’s contours and features. Simrad Inc., (425) 778-8821, www.simradusa.com

Raymarine
One look at the minimalist styling of Raymarine’s new G170 (17 inches) and G190 (19 inches) Multi-Purpose Displays tells you how much influence flat-screen PC monitors and TVs have on the rest of the electronics industry. The thin bezel allows the designers to put the largest-possible screen into the smallest-possible cabinet so that customers can have a little breathing space at their crowded helms. Each monitor has anti-reflective filters and an impact-resistant glass fascia, which is bonded to the LCD to improve contrast and prevent condensation.

Each monitor gives you direct-access keys for displaying the nine video inputs sources and an on-screen display menu to manage the variety of inputs. The G170 and G190 interface with your PC, which means you can run the RayTechRNS 6.0 navigational software and display it on these new monitors. Raymarine expects the new displays to be available to the public during the first quarter of 2007.

Raymarine’s LifeTag is a small but indispensable item if you have pets or children aboard. It’s a wireless man overboard system, which features two personal sending units, each on a hook-and-loop strap; a base station, and alarm. When anyone who wears a LifeTag gets out of range (typically about 30 feet), the alarm sounds. Its compatibility with SeaTalk, lets the LifeTag activate the MOB mode on Raymarine’s ST60 and ST290 instrument systems. Each tag has a manual activation button and an LED status and battery indicator. A CR2 lithium battery powers each tag.

The Raymarine 60 STV provides satellite TV reception at sea or at the dock. It automatically identifies, acquires and tracks compatible signals from all digital broadcast satellites. Its ability to incorporate position data from an external GPS improves the speed of acquisition. Raymarine expects the 60 STV to be available in January of 2007. Raymarine, (603) 881-5200; www.raymarine.com

Furuno received three awards at the 2006 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Convention in Naples, FL this past October. These awards bring the total number to 163 since 1971.

The company was the first to win the new category of Manufacturer of the Year - Support. “We are extremely pleased to be honored with this award,” stated Jim Atteridge, president of Furuno USA, Inc. “There is no way a company can win without the team effort of its employees.”

Taking top honors in the radar category was Furuno’s 1800/1900 NavNet vx2 series of radars. Each radar is completely component-based, so if you need to add a sounder, GPS/WAAS, weather fax or a remote depth display, each component can be added to the network through a single cable and then accessed from any NavNet display. Each unit also has standard NMEA0183 ports. Receiving the award for Best Fish Finder was the Furuno FCV585, bringing the total for Best Fish Finder awards to 35 in a row. The FCV585 is a dual-frequency color LCD fishfinder that features Furuno’s DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology. DSP helps adjust gain, STC clutter and output power, as well as suppress main bang (the echoes just below the transducer). It also makes the picture clearer and easier to decipher. Furuno U.S.A., (360) 834-9300; www.furuno.com.