Raymarine E120 Chartplotter

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55555

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I have a Raymarine E120 chartplotter below decks at the chart table. i always do all my plotting at the chart table so this is the ideal position for me. I would like some sort of monitor at the helm, obviously this would need to waterproof and readable in bright sunlight. I dont need to be able to plot courses or anything else on this one i just need a screen showing the same information as the one below. An 8 inch monitor would be ideal any ideas?
 
Let me be a devil's advocate here: I am not sure you need a repeater of the E120 screen. What the helmsman need is the navigational data, like heading, bearing to waypoint, XTE and COG. That will get to to where you want to go. You can get that data from the Raymarine ST60 instruments; you don't need a chartplotter repeater, that can only confuse the helmsperson trying to read a small screen.

I am a strong believer (as you also seem to be) that navigation is done at the chart table and helming is done at the helm. Trying to navigate at the helm from a small chart plotter is dangerous, your mark 5 eyeball is what you need there, backed up by good navigational information from your nav station (BTW: isn't that why it is called the 'nav station'?). It will also ruin your night vision, among other things. Thirdly, don't trust the accuracy of the digital charts for close coastal navigation; I have often anchored 100 metres inland according to my C80 plotter.

In summary; you are on the right track, don't make it more complicated than it has to be. Get the ST60's at your helm and you will sail very safely.
 
Or another point of view....

You dont need a nav station/table below. It's the 21Century, have the plotter at the helm with heading up displayed.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Or another point of view....
You dont need a nav station/table below.

[/ QUOTE ]I think that is a fair point if the only thing you do is potter around close coastal in known environments. The modern technology has made that so much more easy to do. Some would say; too easy and given some inexperienced sailors a false sense of control. I am not saying you fall fall into this category; but I have been passed at night by mobo's at high speed in a difficult channel and all you can see is the glow of the LCD screen at their helm. Scary....

If you plan to sail longer distances, or even a circumnavigation, IMHO I do not think you can do away with normal paper charts and a good old chart table. All the Raymarine 'goodies' are great and I love mine, but I would never ever think they can replace my paper charts on a long journey; they are just very good aids.
 
Try turning it around the other way. Put the E120 at the helm and run a VGA (no need to use the Raymarine one if the chartplotter is sealed in)and a Seatalk2 cable from the E120 to the chart table. Then install a E series keyboard on the Seatalk2 and a TV/VGA TFT monitor on the VGA - two stations with full controll at both ends.
 
I think that paper charts are an essential back up, but they are just a back up. There's no need to actually "navigate" these days. I treat my--very traditional--boat the same way as the Jumbo Jets I used to fly. Never had to "navigate" those /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I treat my--very traditional--boat the same way as the Jumbo Jets I used to fly. Never had to "navigate" those

[/ QUOTE ]Well, that is not a very fair comparison, is there Dylan: we don't have a lot of 'traffic control' and airline back office staff to write 'flight plans' for us. We just have to be a lot more self reliant in our navigation as cruisers. In that, I rather trust my old proven aids that will not fail when the electrics goes haywire. Call me old fashioned, I don't mind.

And surely Dylan: you would know how to 'navigate' a jumbo jet if you had to? I have a very good friend who is a 747-400 pilot and he had a total electronics breakdown on approach to the US eastern seaboard about half year ago. That took him some good old navigation skills and 'flying by the seat of his pants' to get him down at Gander. Just like we old sailors do. It is not really that different.
 
Well what navigation do you do? With a chartplotter you can see your position constantly and if you put in a couple of waypoints your autopilot will follow the course. Not exactly difficult.
 
dylan, we sure do sail differently. I do a lot more than just 'put a waypoint in and let the autopilot follow it'.

I am totally shaken to the bone if you state that this is how jumbo jet pilots navigate. I do not believe that. A knowledgable sailor would never do that.
 
Well we dont plot our position and wonder where we are. Pilots use GPS and it's a real Godsend, just as it is on boats!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Pilots use GPS and it's a real Godsend, just as it is on boats!

[/ QUOTE ]dylan; are you really an airline pilot? If you are, you whould know that GPS is not allowed in commercial aviation as a navigational tool. The reason is that air navigational systems require redundancy, and there is no in the GPS system; if it goes down it is out. That is one of the main selling points of the European satellite navigation system: it would provide redundancy and the commercial industry can switch to satellite navigation. In the meantime; the airlines are stuck with onboard gyro navigational systems. Clearly, they have served the industry well and got us to the moon. But satellite navigation can introduce closer spacing in air corridors and is therefore highly sought.

To make a long story short: are you really an airline pilot that have been flying jumbo jets dylan? You seem to be surprisingly short of knowledge in key areas of air navigation.
 
Believe me we use GPS. Yes also there are inertial systems with laser gyros. Sometimes the two systems enhance each other.
I dont even have a steering compass on my boat. I use data from the fluxgate, just as in the aircraft. And also like the aircraft I have a small mag compass to use if it all goes wrong. It never has, neither in the air nor at sea.
 
dylan, I am still in serious doubt here about your 'pilot' claims. Yes, GPS can be recieved in an aircraft. But if you know FAA regulations, you would know that it cannot be a 'navigational aid' and it is meaningless in a cockpit. And secondly, to get back to where we started this long discussion: it would not work anyway if your electronics goes fizz. Make very sure you have another means of navigation, whether you navigate a Boeing 747-400 or a 24ft Colbert, other than your E120 Raymarine gadget.
 
Well if you cant read the 777 nav display thats your problem. It shows GPS in use as the primary nav source. You may be getting confused with precision approaches. GPS will eventually be used for this too, it may already be approved its 4 years since I last flew.
 
Well dylan, I am not an airline pilot and I don't think you are either. I have checked with my certified 747-400 pilot friend and he confirms that the 'GPS' indicator on the 777 nav display just means that there is a GPS signal present. It would never be used as a primary navigational source, unless all the three onboard gyro systems would malfunction. GPS is a backup in civil air navigation, but it is not a very reliable one. If all gyro systems go fizz; you probably have a major electrical problem onboard and that would probably knock out the GPS as well. Proven 'seat of the pants' flying and navigational skills are still highly respected by jumbo jet pilots. Again, just as with old sailors.

To get back to this thread: my conclusion is not to overload your cockpit with navigational aids. Keep that at the nav station.
 
Well I must have imagined the 29 years I flew for BA.
I suggest that you take plenty of valium before you next get on an airliner, because it will be using GPS to navigate.
I flew Tridents TriStars 747-400 and the 777.
 
PS
The Tridents used VORs and NDBs to navigate,along with a moving doppler map which was just an aid to navigation.

The TriStar used INS

The 400 used IRS

The 777 used GPS
 
I have to apologize '55555'; this thread just went off the rails and it is my fault. I just have no time for nonsense posts.

I hope you still got some info out of this and that we could now get back to your question: what to put in the cockpit. You have my response: Raymarine has a great proposal in the ST60 instruments and I think that is the superior solution.
 
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