Electronic Navigation

[Marty Peters]

Hi Everyone,

 

I have been looking at added a multifunction chartplotter to my tiki 46 but have come across iNavX for the Ipad. It seems that you can get a  DIGITAL YACHT IAIS WIRELESS AIS RECEIVER to multiplex all of the onboard nmea streams and to broadcast dual channel AIS direct to the ipad. iNavX uses Navionics charts.

I am thinking of going with raymarine instruments such as wind , depth / speed as the iNavX / Digital yacht wifi A.I.S accepts the seatalk interface and as i already have an ipad this setup seems fairly cost effective compared to a standalone chartplotter. Has anyone used this setup?

At some point i would also like to add an autopilot if the budget allows so any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

The electronic chart market seems quite mind boggling ( navionics, c-map, etc etc) so does anyone have any experience with the different brands, regarding scale,quality of the charts, usability what to avoid etc etc. Our current plan is to sail from cape town to st helena, then onto brasil then on up to Caribbean, so initially my interest is in the quality of charts for these area's.

 

Any info on real life use / reliability of the various manufacturers of marine instruments would be greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

Marty

[Olivier R.]

Salut a tous

http://opencpn.org/drupal/

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/charts.htm 

Free

[andy solywoda]

We have tried laptop coumputer with several software apps.  The chart area needs to be out of bright sunlight to be able to see the display.  Seaclear software enables a paper chart to be printed from the electronic chart.  Just got an android phone that does gps, charts, buoy information, skype, and is waterproof and shock resistant.  Commando by Casio.  Have a Brother tabloid printer that will print 11x17 chart, it is  a little bulky.  Laptop takes AIS and GPS via USB ports, haven't yet tried it with a ship going by.  Too busy sanding

[kim whitmyre]

You can get a Standard Horizon CP190i for less than $500 U.S.

Great plotter! . Even so, it would be just one of the many inputs to your navigation: eyes, ears, compass, charts, and anything else that helps!  I would avoid anything that is not purpose designed for the marine environment.

[andy solywoda]

Having paper charts and a sextant and tables available are like having emergency flares, fire extinguishers, etc.  They are a requirement.  I was down on the dock this past week and a 42 ft cat was towed in with no working electronics.  The engines were dead because the engine management system was fried.  It had taken a lightning strike and the skipper said the insurance adjuster had about 2 dozen similar lightning claims, all in the Annapolis area, all from one storm.  Having back up electronics might not help.  Some put electronics in the oven during lightning storms.  I've never had lightning damage, but I fried one of the laptops with a spilled Key West Ale.

[Marty Peters]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all your replies, but what I am really looking for is the reliability and quality of the brands of marine instruments and electronic charts. Of course I will have proper paper charts onboard for wherever we are going but I am interested to experiment with new technology and the inavx app looks very nice and is relatively inexpensive.

Cheers

Marty

[Rogerio Martin]

We just take a cruise, Rio de Janeiro - Vitoria (Brazil) We use VHF / AIS Standard Horizon GSX2100 - very good. Radio and AIS together, $ 350.00. We were with a simple garmin 76CSx - Nemea connected to put the radio on the screen of all the vessels of the Brazilian coast in a radius from 0.5 to 10 miles, with direction, time (TCPA) and position (CPA - closest point to aproach) meeting!.
Brazilian Coast buzzing from tankers and supply boats. A great help AIS.

Free digital charts Brazilian Brazilian naval officers, here:

to view the navigation program  seaclear.

 

Cheers

Roger

 

P.S. Ipad have one app what you see the stars in update in any kind of sky. GPS combined with sky charts, amazing, I don't see but who see talk a lot about benefits..

[kim whitmyre]

That's what I have, Rogerio. Xlnt! I got the Standard Horizon Smart GPS to hook up to the GS2100-- It's the puck on the corner of the cabin roof here:

Here at the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach there are lots of BOSS's: Big Oncoming Steel Ships! So it's a real plus to be aware of where they are at night or in the haze.

[Rogerio Martin]

Kim do you have a MMSI number?

 

You know http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/ ?

 

 

 

[kim whitmyre]

I do have an MMSI number. . .Yes, the MarineTraffic site is a definite motivator to get your AIS on! I just looked and from Pt. Concepcion to the Mexican border there are 53 ships showing at the moment.

[Rogerio Martin]

He in Brazil, the MMSI number call SMM (Maritime Mobile Service), and if I wanna one, I need buy one radio certified from ANATEL (brazilian telecomunications agency) but just some brands have this certified (standard horizon not), because have one big tax to pay...Brazil is emergent country, but burocratics a lot of thinks...

 

 

 

[kim whitmyre]

So far, in the u.s. you just go to a website, fill out your boat's info, and you are issued one MMSI for all your radios, handheld or fixed-mount.
You don't want to make any mistakes entering the number, as you only get one chance. The radio must go back to the factory to be reset if a mistake is made!

[Rogerio Martin]

Yeah I know, because this my radio don't have number yet...maybe I register my radio in USA...hahah...when distress US guard cost will be crazy..."where this guy in Brazil???? Leave he alone..."

Joke...I will be register my radio when TikiRio is in water.