With this issue of Canadian Yachting, we are starting to "frame up" the glass helm from the perspective of an older boat that deserves better navigation and ancillary equipment.
A prime example would have been the older classic, twin-engine cruiser that our group restored recently. Well over 100 lbs. of fatigued old wire with corroded connections and chaffed insulation was carefully disconnected, removed and replaced.
Technology today is like hanging out in the Lost “n” Found – we get lost in the dizzying pace of development of electronic devices and software, but then we get found again by advances in user simplicity that these technological developments make possible. The new Fugawi X-Traverse software from Canadian-based Northport Systems Inc. is just such a development.
My gawd! Don’t we all just love our music and video these days! A cruiser, power or sail boat from twenty years ago was not likely to have a TV onboard. Even a built-in sound system was not always a standard feature. But today, the new boats all come with a system; small boats get audio and bigger boats get audio and video systems. From the mid-30 foot range up, two flat screens are common and three or even four are not unheard of!
I often get asked how to best call for help if I have a problem when out on the water. Do I use my cell phone or should I have a VHF Marine Radio? The simple answer is that both may do the job depending on the circumstances but there are limitations. The cell phone has to be in range of a tower to forward the signal. A cell phone will contact only one person at a time and how often do you make a call only to get an answering machine or voice mail at the other end?
With this issue of Canadian Yachting, we are starting to "frame up" the glass helm from the perspective of an older boat that deserves better navigation and ancillary equipment.
Technology today is like hanging out in the Lost “n” Found – we get lost in the dizzying pace of development of electronic devices and software, but then we get found again by advances in user simplicity that these technological developments make possible. The new Fugawi X-Traverse software from Canadian-based Northport Systems Inc. is just such a development.
My gawd! Don’t we all just love our music and video these days! A cruiser, power or sail boat from twenty years ago was not likely to have a TV onboard. Even a built-in sound system was not always a standard feature. But today, the new boats all come with a system; small boats get audio and bigger boats get audio and video systems. From the mid-30 foot range up, two flat screens are common and three or even four are not unheard of!
I often get asked how to best call for help if I have a problem when out on the water. Do I use my cell phone or should I have a VHF Marine Radio? The simple answer is that both may do the job depending on the circumstances but there are limitations. The cell phone has to be in range of a tower to forward the signal. A cell phone will contact only one person at a time and how often do you make a call only to get an answering machine or voice mail at the other end?