Back-up Navigation System
 

I completed installation of a back-up Nav system, using the AIS SR161
receiver and the Smart Radio VHF Antenna Splitter from Milltech Marine here
in Seattle. The installation went smoothly and the owner, Doug Miller was
most helpful sorting out the mysteries of the wiring to/from the Raqvnav 300
GPS. (As was Larry from this forum).

In addition I purchased the Coastal Explorer charting software from Rose
Point Navigation Systems. Milltech offers a Coastal Explorer and SR 161
bundle; you can check it out he
http://www.milltechmarine.com/products.htm

I added a Keyspan high speed USB Serial Adapter in order to connect to my
laptop's USB port. This also works perfectly - and if I want to move the
laptop up to the cockpit I can use a 16 foot USB cable to connect to the
RS232 DB-9 connector on the instrument panel.

As a final touch - I put 3 big suction cups under the laptop to prevent it
from sliding or bouncing off the charttable - this also adds a bit of
protection against vibration...

Take a look at the installation he
http://tinyurl.com/ybdl2x

So in addition to the Raynav/Raychart setup I now have the latest electronic
Vector and Raster charts - obtained free of charge from NOAA (Very easy
download using the Coastal Explorer software).

And - by connecting the audio output from the software to the boat's speaker
system I have an audible warning of possible collisions with AIS equipped
ships as well as warnings of insufficient bridge clearances and shallow
waters etc. etc.

All in all - a very cool upgrade to the Nav system onboard.

Claus

Back-up Navigation System
 

"claus" wrote in
:

(As was Larry from this forum

Aw, P'shaw....T'wern't nutthin'...(blush)...

Larry
--
Halloween candy left over.....
Is there a downside?

Back-up Navigation System
 

Larry wrote:
"claus" wrote in
:

(As was Larry from this forum

Aw, P'shaw....T'wern't nutthin'...(blush)...

Larry

Nice setup Clause. I sense a little jealousy here?
Gordon

Back-up Navigation System
 

claus wrote:
I completed installation of a back-up Nav system, using the AIS SR161
receiver and the Smart Radio VHF Antenna Splitter from Milltech Marine here
in Seattle. The installation went smoothly and the owner, Doug Miller was
most helpful sorting out the mysteries of the wiring to/from the Raqvnav 300
GPS. (As was Larry from this forum).

In addition I purchased the Coastal Explorer charting software from Rose
Point Navigation Systems. Milltech offers a Coastal Explorer and SR 161
bundle; you can check it out he
http://www.milltechmarine.com/products.htm

I added a Keyspan high speed USB Serial Adapter in order to connect to my
laptop's USB port. This also works perfectly - and if I want to move the
laptop up to the cockpit I can use a 16 foot USB cable to connect to the
RS232 DB-9 connector on the instrument panel.

As a final touch - I put 3 big suction cups under the laptop to prevent it
from sliding or bouncing off the charttable - this also adds a bit of
protection against vibration...

Take a look at the installation he
http://tinyurl.com/ybdl2x

So in addition to the Raynav/Raychart setup I now have the latest electronic
Vector and Raster charts - obtained free of charge from NOAA (Very easy
download using the Coastal Explorer software).

And - by connecting the audio output from the software to the boat's speaker
system I have an audible warning of possible collisions with AIS equipped
ships as well as warnings of insufficient bridge clearances and shallow
waters etc. etc.

All in all - a very cool upgrade to the Nav system onboard.

Claus

Did I miss something? I thought this was supposed to be a back-up
navigation system, it sounds like it's all GPS based. What happens when
their's a problem with GPS? In that case, you have nothing, and it
does, and has, happened. A better way is to go with a completely
seperate, completely differant, technology as a back up. I have two
seperate GPS receavers, but I also have a LORAN system as well. If one
GPS unit fails, I have the other, if their's a problem with GPS, I have
LORAN to fall back on. It's nice having all kinds of fancy technology
at your hands, but it's also good to keep charts on hand as well, and
know how to use them. Most people I know that have navigation systems
with all kinds of charts have gotten careless about keeping charts,
having them as back up is also a good idea. The LORAN's not much as a
back up unit without a chart, most do not have built in charts.

John

Back-up Navigation System
 

Yes, Captain John, you did :-)

I "should have" added that I have a second Garmin handheld GPS receiver and
in case the Boat's GPS fails or the entire electrical system fails I will
simply use the laptop with the Garmin to carry on...

And of course, I carry a complete set of paper charts.

So my approach is basically "belts and suspenders"...

Now if Homeland Security switches off the entire GPS system I am f*****, but
I guess so is everyone else (especially commercial aviation) ...


Claus


"Capt John" wrote in message
oups.com...

Did I miss something? I thought this was supposed to be a back-up
navigation system, it sounds like it's all GPS based. What happens when
their's a problem with GPS? In that case, you have nothing, and it
does, and has, happened. A better way is to go with a completely
seperate, completely differant, technology as a back up. I have two
seperate GPS receavers, but I also have a LORAN system as well. If one
GPS unit fails, I have the other, if their's a problem with GPS, I have
LORAN to fall back on. It's nice having all kinds of fancy technology
at your hands, but it's also good to keep charts on hand as well, and
know how to use them. Most people I know that have navigation systems
with all kinds of charts have gotten careless about keeping charts,
having them as back up is also a good idea. The LORAN's not much as a
back up unit without a chart, most do not have built in charts.

John

Back-up Navigation System
 

claus wrote:
Yes, Captain John, you did :-)

I "should have" added that I have a second Garmin handheld GPS
receiver and in case the Boat's GPS fails or the entire electrical
system fails I will simply use the laptop with the Garmin to carry
on...

And of course, I carry a complete set of paper charts.

So my approach is basically "belts and suspenders"...

Now if Homeland Security switches off the entire GPS system I am
f*****, but I guess so is everyone else (especially commercial
aviation) ...

I have a feeling that your boat would still be afloat. We had sailboats
before GPS didn't we?

Back-up Navigation System
 

On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:46:01 GMT, in message

"Dennis Pogson" wrote:

claus wrote:
Yes, Captain John, you did :-)

I "should have" added that I have a second Garmin handheld GPS
receiver and in case the Boat's GPS fails or the entire electrical
system fails I will simply use the laptop with the Garmin to carry
on...

And of course, I carry a complete set of paper charts.

So my approach is basically "belts and suspenders"...

Now if Homeland Security switches off the entire GPS system I am
f*****, but I guess so is everyone else (especially commercial
aviation) ...

I have a feeling that your boat would still be afloat. We had sailboats
before GPS didn't we?

And even if only modestly equipped, I would still expect to find
compass, log, and VHF on board which would be plenty to set a DR
course for a decent sized land mass, then communicate with the locals
to find a safe way in.

Ryk

Back-up Navigation System
 

Even in this high tech age, I still carry paper charts, parallel rules and
of course a compass, actually two of them as we have a hand bearing one.
Another thing that was aboard from the PO was a hand held LF direction
finder which tunes up to the broadcast band for AM radio stations.

Leanne
s/v Fundy


"Ryk" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:46:01 GMT, in message

"Dennis Pogson" wrote:

claus wrote:
Yes, Captain John, you did :-)

I "should have" added that I have a second Garmin handheld GPS
receiver and in case the Boat's GPS fails or the entire electrical
system fails I will simply use the laptop with the Garmin to carry
on...

And of course, I carry a complete set of paper charts.

So my approach is basically "belts and suspenders"...

Now if Homeland Security switches off the entire GPS system I am
f*****, but I guess so is everyone else (especially commercial
aviation) ...

I have a feeling that your boat would still be afloat. We had sailboats
before GPS didn't we?

And even if only modestly equipped, I would still expect to find
compass, log, and VHF on board which would be plenty to set a DR
course for a decent sized land mass, then communicate with the locals
to find a safe way in.

Ryk

Back-up Navigation System
 

In article ,
"Dennis Pogson" wrote:

claus wrote:
Yes, Captain John, you did :-)

I "should have" added that I have a second Garmin handheld GPS
receiver and in case the Boat's GPS fails or the entire electrical
system fails I will simply use the laptop with the Garmin to carry
on...

And of course, I carry a complete set of paper charts.

So my approach is basically "belts and suspenders"...

Now if Homeland Security switches off the entire GPS system I am
f*****, but I guess so is everyone else (especially commercial
aviation) ...

I have a feeling that your boat would still be afloat. We had sailboats
before GPS didn't we?



We had Sailboats before we had ELECTRICITY.......

Back-up Navigation System
 

On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:04:40 GMT, You wrote:

We had Sailboats before we had ELECTRICITY.......

But if there is no web page to back up your claim, how do you know?

:-)

Back-up Navigation System
 

In article ,
Wayne.B wrote:

On Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:04:40 GMT, You wrote:

We had Sailboats before we had ELECTRICITY.......

But if there is no web page to back up your claim, how do you know?

:-)


Vikings....

Back-up Navigation System
 

back up nav? try a garmin 496 hand held w/weather,
music and other goodies.....a bit pricy, but great for
a backup....imho.....

Back-up Navigation System
 

You wrote:
We had Sailboats before we had ELECTRICITY.......


Speak for yourself. The house I lived in not only had
electricity, but also running water, long before we had a
sailboat.


Wayne.B wrote:
But if there is no web page to back up your claim, how do you know?

:-)


What he said.

Everybody knows if it's on the Internet, it must be true.
Therefor, if it's not on the internet, it's NOT true!
Q.E.D.

DSK

Back-up Navigation System
 

claus wrote:
Yes, Captain John, you did :-)

I "should have" added that I have a second Garmin handheld GPS receiver and
in case the Boat's GPS fails or the entire electrical system fails I will
simply use the laptop with the Garmin to carry on...

And of course, I carry a complete set of paper charts.

So my approach is basically "belts and suspenders"...

Now if Homeland Security switches off the entire GPS system I am f*****, but
I guess so is everyone else (especially commercial aviation) ...


Claus


"Capt John" wrote in message
oups.com...

Did I miss something? I thought this was supposed to be a back-up
navigation system, it sounds like it's all GPS based. What happens when
their's a problem with GPS? In that case, you have nothing, and it
does, and has, happened. A better way is to go with a completely
seperate, completely differant, technology as a back up. I have two
seperate GPS receavers, but I also have a LORAN system as well. If one
GPS unit fails, I have the other, if their's a problem with GPS, I have
LORAN to fall back on. It's nice having all kinds of fancy technology
at your hands, but it's also good to keep charts on hand as well, and
know how to use them. Most people I know that have navigation systems
with all kinds of charts have gotten careless about keeping charts,
having them as back up is also a good idea. The LORAN's not much as a
back up unit without a chart, most do not have built in charts.

John


First off, commercial jets do have back up, they have transponders,
RDF's, and most still have LORAN, if the GPS system fails, they still
have a way to tell where they are. And their have been problems with
GPS before, local problems, but it does happen. In such a case, someone
like you, who's systems are all based on the same system, GPS, has no
back up system.

A Radar system (so you can tell where land is, not to mention other
boats), a depth sounder (to tell how much water is under you) can act
as good "back up" since you should always know approximately where you
are (when you have an equipment failure). With them and a compass, plus
charts, you shouldn't have a problem, add a LORAN (check eBay, not too
expensive) and you have no problem knowing exactly where you are, where
everyone else is and if your in any danger of running aground.

Back-up Navigation System
 

Capt John,

In an attempt to get the last word - and to set the record straight - I do
have Radar, Depth Sounder, Compass and Charts, both paper and electronic.

So you are jumping to conclusions when you make the sweeping statement " In
such a case, someone like you, who's systems are all based on the same
system, GPS, has no back up system.".

Claus




"Capt John" wrote in message
oups.com...
First off, commercial jets do have back up, they have transponders,
RDF's, and most still have LORAN, if the GPS system fails, they still
have a way to tell where they are. And their have been problems with
GPS before, local problems, but it does happen. In such a case, someone
like you, who's systems are all based on the same system, GPS, has no
back up system.

A Radar system (so you can tell where land is, not to mention other
boats), a depth sounder (to tell how much water is under you) can act
as good "back up" since you should always know approximately where you
are (when you have an equipment failure). With them and a compass, plus
charts, you shouldn't have a problem, add a LORAN (check eBay, not too
expensive) and you have no problem knowing exactly where you are, where
everyone else is and if your in any danger of running aground.