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(no email)
Date: Fri Dec 24 2004 - 12:30:18 EST
It's always hard to fault Mike's expertise and life experience.
I'd add that a very effective compromise can be had between integrated and stand-alone electronics, assume your helm has space.
First, I'd start with stand-alone GPS receiver, radar, autopilot, depth finder, and compass. Each of these would have to have their own independent displays (try finding such a GPS anymore). This set-up provides some inherent redundancy, the compass is redundant to the gyro compass of the auto pilot, and, when moving, the GPS. Without any integration, you have a fully capable helm.
Second,I believe integration is a natural evolution that aids significantly in making quick decisions and intelligent association of all data available from the individual systems. The integration makes sense at the chartplotter. In fact, a chart plotter without integration has limited value.
Can I trust my integrated display, which Mike points to as one of the key reasons against integration. With individual displays nearby the integrated display, it's only takes a couple of seconds periodically to see that the integrated data is the same as the source data provided for from the individual systems.
BTW, I'm not opposed to the integrated systems of Raymarine or Furuno for dual helm boats, as long aseach has it's own GPS receiver. This saves on costs and does allow the operator to exchange the integrated display systems, if required to due to a failure. In fact, prior to my latest boat, that was the systems of choice that I installed.
On my latest boat I'm using all independent systems that are integrated on PC based Chartplotter. On day one of my trip from Houston to Northern Florida the PC suffered a hardware failure. All independent systems were still available and we pulled out the paper charts. We will be leaving tomorrow with a new PC, and a repaired PC as back-up. We'll also be doing a comparison between Nobeltec VNS and Coastal Explorer. Which is certainly the biggest advantage to a PC based system; if I don't like the navigation application I can just install a different one. Can you imagine the cost associated with changing from an integrated system to another; I can as I gave it serious consideration on my last boat. I didn't do it as the cost would have been close to $10K.
IMHO, stand-alone electronics with their own displays (to include the GPS) integrated with a PC based chartplotter application of your choice is the most effective and survivable solution.
Happy Holidays!
Gil
"Dog's Life"
Nordhavn 35
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