What else can be improved in the marine electronics space?

[Auspicious]

Here is global data https://sarcontacts.info/ - there at least used to be a way to generate a table to print.

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I’ve always had from day 1 MRCC Falmouth in the sat Phone ( that’s the only number you need worldwide )

You give up a lot that way. If you use a GMDSS device like an EPIRB or HF/SSB DSC all your data gets routed instantly through the system to the RCC in whose AOR you are in distress. It gets routed straight to the assigned SAR resources included fixed and rotary aircraft, vessels, and/or AMVER.

If you call into an RCC a person has to right down your position, look it up to find the right RCC, call or message that RCC where position is again transcribed by hand, and finally punch it into the system for response. This is time consuming (many minutes) and prone to error.

The people in RCCs are dedicated and hardworking. They aren't perfect. Rescue has been delayed or failed due to human error. This is one of several reasons why consumer grade satellite, despite massive effort by Iridium, Globalstar, and Thuraya, is not part of GMDSS.

I do strongly agree with you that auto-routing and indeed route following is a stunningly bad idea.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

Here is global data https://sarcontacts.info/ - there at least used to be a way to generate a table to print.



You give up a lot that way. If you use a GMDSS device like an EPIRB or HF/SSB DSC all your data gets routed instantly through the system to the RCC in whose AOR you are in distress. It gets routed straight to the assigned SAR resources included fixed and rotary aircraft, vessels, and/or AMVER.

If you call into an RCC a person has to right down your position, look it up to find the right RCC, call or message that RCC where position is again transcribed by hand, and finally punch it into the system for response. This is time consuming (many minutes) and prone to error.

The people in RCCs are dedicated and hardworking. They aren't perfect. Rescue has been delayed or failed due to human error. This is one of several reasons why consumer grade satellite, despite massive effort by Iridium, Globalstar, and Thuraya, is not part of GMDSS.

I do strongly agree with you that auto-routing and indeed route following is a stunningly bad idea.

As a holder of an LRC Cert , I’m not arguing against HF GMDSS , as opposed to the poor usefulness of marine HF

But given that many cruisers will not install HF GMDSS gear , and a sat phone with an appropriate MRCC , ( Falmouth is the Western Hemisphere one ) is an extremely cost effective and usable solution

[tanglewood]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

Here is my take on what could make marine electronics more effective:

a) Simpler to use. I want to come to the boat, tell the boat to take me to Catalina in plain English and the boat to respond: “Here is the suggested course, captain. Max wind/waves will be this. You can have a shorter journey if you depart 2 hours later. Please, note the diesel tank is only 1/3 full. Shall I start the engine for you?”

b) Always connected, via cell phone, in reach and starlink. Once we have a reliable broadband connection, all sorts of new apps and services will pop up, even AIS may become unnecessary as it will be all done online. SSB will clearly be long forgotten. Not sure about radar, I would still like to have a radar on board but it may be cheaper to do it all online. You should be able to access the weather or radar sensors of neighboring boats easily.

c) cheap and powerful displays of various sizes. At present this means iPads. The latest are high brightness, resistant to water and super easy to use. You may have an odd, all fashioned marine display to use when it rains or if it is so sunny that the iPad overheats but for most cases, the convenience and speed of the iPad makes it no contest to any marine display.

d) marine electronics is very costly to install. Anything that saves on installation cost will be welcome. Think wireless, think network effects and so on.

Just kill me now on all counts except D. I think A, B, and C are the problem, not the solution.

[barrymac]

Originally Posted by Franziska

I have to admit, I did not read through the complete thread, but few of the earlier posts.

As to interesting marine hardware and open source.

I think there might be interest in a real daylight usable fully waterproof chart plotter hardware running Opencpn as software.

Not as a DIY project but as a ready made unit, at a reasonable price and with full access to the OpenCPN installation when it comes to upgrades and plugins as well as all charts which OpenCPN can read.

I would definitely buy this! There's been some groups getting organised to reach a minimum batch size for a chinese manufacturer to produce a unit.

It irks me that my B and G Zeus which I know has an internal web browser, but can't be accessed. This could be used to view some of the signal K and other web based services that are on the Pi.

The only thing they use the http support for internally is selling proprietary plugins and services.

[Franziska]

Interesting, can you please let me know if one of these groups go ahead? I am really interested.
Thanks.

Originally Posted by barrymac

I would definitely buy this! There's been some groups getting organised to reach a minimum batch size for a chinese manufacturer to produce a unit.

It irks me that my B and G Zeus which I know has an internal web browser, but can't be accessed. This could be used to view some of the signal K and other web based services that are on the Pi.

The only thing they use the http support for internally is selling proprietary plugins and services.