Too many screens?

[zefender]

I'm becoming a bit concerned that my nav area is beginning to look like Computer World on a sale day.

The problem is that each bit of kit has its own 'brain' and its own screen. Navtex - simple receiver plus screen. GPS, same thing. I use a notebook PC for (of course!) supplementary navigation using charting software, linked to GPS. Then there's repeaters from cockpit info - depth, wind etc

I'm about to fit the notebook somewhere safer and link to a (yet another) remote screen, fixed in the nav area.

I'm now thinking about installing radar (subject to usual domestic negotiations). This will come with another 'brain' box and, yet another, screen. Doubtless, fishfinder type toys and other kit will come with the same combo functions.

It occurs to me that I could store all the 'brains' away somewhere safe and connect them all to a single screen. I'm aware of the danger of putting 'all my eggs in one basket' but I don't propose that. If the screen fails, I could always revert back to the old arrangement until it is fixed.

So, I have a couple of questions:

1, Does anybody know of a supplier of radar that uses PC technology to interpret scans from the radar dome (thus doing away with buying new 'brains' and screen?

2, Does anybody know of a multi-socket arrangement that enables all the different 'brains' to be connected (using NMEA presumably) into one single PC - for displaying then on a remote screen?

Grateful for comments.

 

[romany123]

Anybody also know if I could plug my sextant in as well.
just kidding zef, hope you find your answer.
Dave

Dave

 

[chrisc]

I am looking at using the NASA NAVTEX screen (the bigger version 500 ? ) to intergrate
as much info as possible on one screen. -Navtex ,wind, GPs , Log. for starters ,
Ok this would give two screens -RADAR and Chart on the other.
problem is getting the corredt sensors.

 

[steve_cronin]

\"Too many screens\" or \"Too many toys\" nm?

..

 

[bedouin]

I didn't know the NASA model did that.

The ICS Nav 6 plus does have excellent facilities for displaying NMEA data, but it is considerably larger than the NASA models

 

[chrisc]

Sorry it was the Nav 6 ,I am a bit stressed today....

 

[claymore]

You don't want to hear this.
Perhaps its time for a fresh start?
The new Raytheon split screen jobbies that interface plotters and radar seem to be the biz if you are looking to simplify things. Oh I know they cost money and you've already got several bits of kit but if you are considering installing radar - then maybe it isn't as big a leap as at first thought?
I know what you mean though - I have Radar and GPS linked then I have GPS and Laptop linked (with nav software)
The previous owner was a bugger for bodging and in the end I ripped everything out and re did it which helped me know what each wire is for and where they run, fuses etc. The radar/gps/plotter units were just coming on the market then and I was put off by price and the fact that they were in monochrome.
Not all blazers and cap badges is it!
regards
John S

 

[bedouin]

Ahh - nice unit but just tooo large - I think I'll go for the Nasa Clipper anyway (but the NMEA facilities are very tempting)

 

[JerryHawkins]

\"Soft\" Radar

I seem to remember seeing a "soft" radar somewhere. It consisted of the usual radome, but instead of a dedicated display unit there was a PC interface enabling you to view the radar image on your laptop display. Problem is, I can't remember where I saw it; of course I may have just dreamed it!

Regards,

Jerry

 

[HaraldS]

There is at least one such Radar on the market that I know of. That is the Si-Tex/Nobeltec RadarPC. It integrates Nobeltec charting software with three choices of radar scanners. They can connect to a PC via: USB or PCI or PCMCIA.
Don't know how good it really is.
You may also find some interface cards with software that can connect regular scanners. Most of the scanner interfaces are quite similar and they deliver raw data from the antenna, so the result depends a lot on the software and its signal processing capability. Sure bigger antennas have better resolution but target enhancement and noise surpression all happens on the display side.

There is plenty NMEA freeware to display gauges and windroses and what you like from NMEA input. The problem with it is that you cannot connect multiple senders to one input. Usually laptops are short on serial ports and you will either need some USB to serial port replicator or a NMEA muliplexer to concentrate multiple NMEA inputs into one output.

With respect to NMEA I built my own multiplexer with a cheap microcontroller and also reverse engineered the Raymarine SeaTalk. Also because I had multiple NMEA sources and the Ray bridge only takes one and doesn't propagate all thye data the way I wanted.

I also looked at the Radar to PC interfacing, but in the end got a good integrated system with chart plotter, radar and fishfinder in it, and it also has display pages for windroses or speed history graphs.

I think I just don't trust the self made stuff and the PC's in a marine environment and then I found that all this is fun to do at home in the winter, but when I'm on my boat I care a lot less about electronics and enjoy the sailing more. There remains plenty to fix anyway.

 

[JerryHawkins]

Re: \"Soft\" Radar

Have a look at:

http://www.marineelectronicsworld.co.nz/Products_RadarPC.htm

Regards,

Jerry

 

[zefender]

Trouble with the fresh start business is that the kit I have is only 9 months old - it would be a bit 'rash' to chuck it out already! I know, I know, I should have thought about this beforehand but it's only when you start adding new stuff, bit by bit, that you begin to realise that it could begin to be a bit of a mess - and a squeeze!
I'm sure that, as more and more technology becomes more available and more affordable, this problem will get worse. There must be a business in here somewhere!

 

[zefender]

Re: Thanks Harold & Gerald

I've looked at the site and need to compare the spec (and get a cost!). I'm nervous about changing my nav software though. I use Tsunamis, have bought quite a few folders and find it a good piece of kit. But I wonder if the nobeltec stuff is sold as just a radar? I'll pursue that. I also need to compare the power of the radar itself. The radome seems very small yet the power consumption quite high. Anyway - I'll find out. Thanks for the pointer.

Any other offers out there?

 

[HaraldS]

Re: Thanks Harold & Gerald

If you want to get an idea of what can expected in yacht electronics, look at those two datasheets:

www.norcontrolit.com/PDFs/VOC5060.pdf

www.norcontrolit.com/PDFs/VET5070.pdf

the first is software to display a radar and VTS overlay, the second is hardware to turn regular analog radar into digitised form and send the information out over regular 10/100-base-T LAN.

It's probably too expensive to consider as it is build for the big ships.

But it is easy to see that normal and cheap LAN technology is probably the best physical integration system for our boats in the future.

I'm less sure about NMEA2000 in light of the above. The controllers are even cheaper than ethernet, as they come from the car industry, but I'm sure once they hit the marine market they will be very expensive too.

And remember, what you buy this year will be obsolete next year....

 

[ParaHandy]

New generation gizmos

Someone surely before GMDSS twaddle becomes compulsory in 2004 or is it 2005 will build a VHF radio set with Navtex and GPS integrated on the same platform. Posh version will have c-maps etc and all on a decent resolution display? At least, that's what I'm hoping. And an IBM type cpy will standardise instrument interfaces eg nmea so that you can switch between all of these devices and use the chart table for what it was intended - crosswords, playboy, making & drinking tea etc.........