Getting Greenland Ice Charts By Satellite Phone

by John January 1, 2005

Question: What can you tell me about receiving Greenland ice charts by satellite phone?  Is it a good solution and more reliable than weather fax?

EchoPilot Forward Scan Sonar FLSII

by John January 1, 2005

We have found that having a forward scan sonar has made exploring in the high latitudes safer and more feasible. Instead of feeling our way along at 2 knots when off the charts, we can now travel confidently at 6 knots, since the forward scan reaches out up to 200 meters ahead. Also, the sounder [...]

Furuno NX-500 Navtex

by John January 1, 2005

Navtex is an invaluable resource for weather and ice information. When our old Furuno combined weather fax and navtex receiver died, we balked at paying the high price (over a thousand dollars) of a new Furuno navtex and so bought another brand.

Furuno Radar Model 1832

by John January 1, 2005

If we had to choose only one piece of electronics to have on board Morgan’s Cloud, it would be radar.

HF Radio Installation

by John January 1, 2005

In the winter of 2002/03 we decided to replace our aging Icom SSB with a new Icom. You would think that installation on a metal boat would be easy. Not so.

GSM Phone

by John January 1, 2005

Question: I recently purchased a GSM phone for when I travel on business and pleasure to Europe and Asia. What interests me is how do I arrange in advance the software and Sim cards for say Hong Kong, so that when I am there, I can get my e-mail as well as use the phone [...]

The Joys And Tears Of TurboCAD

by John January 1, 2006
A TurboCAD rendering of a wooden bookshelf and computer case to be mounted to the mast supports on expedition aluminum sailboat Morgan's Cloud.

For the last few years we have been using TurboCAD for visualizing and designing projects on Morgan’s Cloud. TurboCAD is a great value, with much of the functionality of systems costing many times more, at just US$150, and you can often get it discounted to as little as US$80.00 by shopping around on the Internet.

ICS Navtex, Problems

by John January 1, 2006

The Problem In 1999 our trusty old Furuno combination weather fax/navtex machine died after many years of faithful service. We decided to use our PC for weather fax and buy a dedicated navtex. We selected a unit from ICS.

Northstar GPS, Problems

by John January 1, 2006

The Problem In 1999 we installed a new Northstar GPS. At the time we could have bought a perfectly functional GPS for one quarter the cost but we went with the Northstar because of its reputation for quality and reliability and its easy to use software.

Silva Marine, NEXUS Network Wind Instruments, Problems

by John January 1, 2006

The Problem In 2005, KVH abruptly stopped supporting the Quadra system, which had served us well for many years, albeit after its own set of teething problems. After considering most of the options and nearly settling on B&G, but finally being put off by a sudden and substantial increase to their already, in our opinion, [...]

Forward Scan Sonar

by John January 1, 2006

Question: We are looking at sonar options for use in areas with poor charts and low visibility. Our interest is primarily for checking anchorages and narrow passages, looking for obstructions. We have a small plotter/sounder in the dinghy, but nobody wants to go out in the dink when it is cold and rainy (and warm [...]

Which Navtex Receiver Should I Buy?

by John January 1, 2006

Question: I’m planning to purchase a navtex receiver (NASA model, made in UK), so your comments about your experiences with navtex captured my attention. I wouldn’t want to purchase something that didn’t have a good track record where it counts. We considered the Furuno, but based on [magazine] reviews, the NASA model would suit us [...]

UUPlus—E-mail Server

by John January 1, 2008

The UUPlus software and server substantially reduce the time it takes to send and receive e-mail via cell or satellite phone. At $35/month it’s not cheap but it saves a fortune in download time and makes good sense if you have a fairly high volume of e-mails.

Radar Scanner Position

by John April 1, 2008
The stern of aluminum sailboat Morgan's Cloud showing the radar mast and antennas, taken in Hinlopen Strait, Svalbard, with pack ice closing in behind.

Question: What is your preference regarding the best place to mount a radar antenna? As far as we can tell from the pictures of Morgan’s Cloud you have mounted yours on a pole aft. Our previous experience with radars tells us that the antenna should be as high and free as possible. Wouldn’t a radar [...]

Limits To Complexity

by Colin April 1, 2008
The new and the old both have their places

We are now at the final stage of selecting our navigation systems, and as new products are being launched all of the time, have decided to wait until the last minute before committing.

AIS—See And Be Seen

by Colin May 1, 2009
How can we be sure they'll see us?

One thing that most sailors dread is poor visibility. Throw in high levels of shipping traffic and you have a perfect recipe for sleepless nights.

Keeping Time

by Phyllis October 1, 2009
Timex Ironman 30 Lap watch

Question: What do you use for time keeping at sea? If you use a wristwatch then which one?

Bohlken Westerland Barograph

by John February 1, 2010
A Bohlken Westerland Barograph on aluminum expedition sailboat, Polaris.

In these days of readily available weather forecasts and satellite- or HF radio-delivered GRIB files, it could perhaps be argued that the barometer has been supplanted as a weather forecasting device. However, in our opinion, that supposition would be a serious mistake.

Navigation System—Plotter Or Computer

by John March 25, 2010
iPhone with marine charting

Our comparatively late adoption of electronic navigation (summer 2008) was, for more than any other reason, due to the difficulty we had in making the decision between a dedicated chart plotter and a computer running a navigation program. Either way, we had specific selection criteria that had to be met before we would switch to [...]

Navigation System—What We Bought

by John March 30, 2010
Dell computer

In the last post in this series we wrote about the criteria we used in choosing an electronic navigation system for Morgan’s Cloud. In this post we will write about the systems we looked at and what we finally bought. Plotters We started off looking at large screen plotters and because we have had such [...]

← Next Posts