Hardware Software when into upgrading GPS, AIS, VHF??

[Zed Nivel]

I want to achieve:
1. Sea Charts to be read on screen- I only now have a Garmin127 which gives position, bearings etc but not a chart worth the name
2 . A radar-little-a-like function = AIS
3. Weather info also out on deep blue - Satellite Phone not radio

Hardware doing the work is (1-3) :

1 Sea charts on different hard ware solutions:
1a. Traditionally GPS –unit and NO computers
1b. Computer connected to number 1 or vice versa
1c. Computer/Smartphone with unique GPS-unit

2 . AIS – unit connected to the VHF arial and connected to 1a-1c ? How - Is this usb or com - I gather the VHF unit never will be connected but rather 1a-1c?

3. Satellite Phone
Needed to be connected to a 1b or 1c I guess and in that computer there is a software being able to read eg. a grib file. How does this look irl?

Hey friends - I know there are answers on different sites but I never read anything holistic about it, Any one who has solved all that and more + have the energy to enlighten me and other possible ignorants ?

( Oh I have also asked around on diff marine retailers but come out with a big confusion as the answers seems to be concentrated selling 1 product - not the whole function i want.)

 

[npf1]

My thoughts would be:

Seapro installed on a laptop, with one of their AIS boxes. It can read gribs amongst many other things. Only thing you'll need to connect is the GPS,which the instructions cover well. It can also take AIS input and show the position etc on the chart. www.euronav.co.uk for info. This is the setup I am using and I find it very good.

Sat phone - much of this depends on where you are going.

Globalstar is the cheapest setup with 'good' data rates but a) check coverage (see website) and b) there has been some news recently of degredation of the service due to satellites getting old. I used this on a W-E transat and it worked all the way across. I would not use it again without getting detailed info on the degredation issue/news.

Thuraya looks interesting if there's coverage where you are going. Good data speeds.

Iridium - best coverage, probably most expensive and slow data rates. Not that the latter is a huge issue for compressed gribs.

Take a look at ocens.com for sat phone software to get weather & emails etc. Thier stuff and service is excellent but not the cheapest. A few people on this forum highly recommend sailamail (?) which is cheaper and has similar stuff, but more limited weather (but does include gribs).

 

[markdj]

6-32v PC from Lin-ITX
http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11828
£295

Mouse/KB and screen
£300 ???

Windows XP
Ultimate by Johnny

Software on Board
http://www.digiboat.com.au/
£29

SOB has been recommended as the best software for displaying AIS data in a readable and usable fashion - according to one of the saily mags.

Cmap MAX chart for northern Europe
£255

AIS multiplexer
http://brookhouseonline.com/nmeamux.htm
£120 for USB option

AIS transponder
£499 ?

As for data coverage, I can get Three mobile broadband for £5 a month for 1Gb per month, more than enough for surfing etc. If anyone wants it at that price I can also refer you as normally it's a tenner a month.

Not sure about satellite but there was a review on it in PBO a while back and Iridium was the cheapest for the satellite providers.

 

[Zed Nivel]

Hi thanks !
Looks fine - i know abt the sattelites - i want one of the low orb systems - not iridium.
Seapro was yet a new software for me. I gather it operates well on a common MS operating system like XP since there nothing more mentioned ( some of these charts requires extra software in the computer as i have understood)
I had a look but couldnt really see that Seapro had charts for my area which is the Medeterrian and also along Africa west coast down to Canary Islands -- am i wrong?
I also have some thinking abt the 9 - polar male com ports - to use for the AIS unit - i dont have them on my laptops - (eh yes that is the oldest 2 ones have 9 - polar male com ports - the new ones no such only 15 polar female and a lot of USB)

 

[npf1]

There is chart coverage - see here: http://www.euronav.co.uk/PriceList/Lesuire/PriceListLeisure.htm

It's no prob if your PC only has USB as you can use a Serial-USB converter

 

[Zed Nivel]

hi
that was really a list - how good of you:
1-2 Well i have for a long time wanted a built in cpu but am going to use my 3 oldest laptops - all installed with XP or at least Windows 2000.

3. The SOB software - can it read more charts than C-Map? Eg the ones sold under SeaPro or Fugawi?

4. AIS:::::isnt it always problems connecting more than one unit to the computer eg an AIS - dont you have to use a NMEA splitter or switch? And also a splitter for the arial? ?? This seems so strange isnt there any AIS or VHFs that sorts that out ( i hate to build in more and more)

5. I was into the low orb sattelite phones but have started to tremble - so many says iridium is so fine and also cheap when traffic is bought up front (i will go out from Med to Canary Islands and carry on to Carribean or Venezuela or Brasil in the next 18 months)

 

[Zed Nivel]

Ok a bit silly of me -- i was there but didnt see them on the bottom of the long page (stress)
but now sitting on a train between Göteborg and Stockholm i found time.
Yes i know abt cables converting between various standards but have bad experience - works some times only. But is it not the standard today that all hardware (except some Garmins brandnew) all abonded the 9 polar joint to the benefit of USB 2,0?

I am grateful for your help --I just put in an answer to the other guy here markdj - where I declared my position right now.

All the best wishes