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Subject: Re: [worldcruising] Electronic Charts systems
From: Arthur Plottier (arthurplottier@XXX.XXX)
Date: Thu Jan 25 2001 - 04:52:14 EST
Thanks for your email.
I have a Acer 514T which is used extensively by the skipers of the fishing
boats in the east coast of OZ. The Acer comes with 98 and I was considering
using the Kiwi software now sold by Raytheon using Win 98 and C-MAP or the
Tsunamis 99 which appears that is running on NT
As a chart plotter I was considering the Simrad which is very expensive but
used by the commercial ships.
That Yeoman system looks atractive because you have the paper charts but I
have to make more research to see if it can be conected with the autopilot.
If everything is lost then we will navigate like the Vikings!!!
Cheers
Arthur
>From: "A0884958, Dave" <wdr@XXX.XXX>
>Reply-To: worldcruising@XXX.XXX
>To: "'worldcruising@XXX.XXX>
>Subject: [worldcruising] Electronic Charts systems
>Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 10:31:43 +0100
>
>We are running our CD based charting system from Nobeltec
>(Visual Planner Suite) on Windows 2000. Compared to '95
>or '98 it is very solid. Many of the problems on older
>systems running on '95 are incompatibilities with the BIOS
>that people just love to blame on Bill Gates. I said many,
>not all. This is especially true if your PC is using
>Phoenix BIOS. In one year on W2000 I haven't been able to
>crash it unintentionally.
>
>But, I also have 2 chart plotters and the obvious tattered
>collection of charts. You might look at the YEOMAN if you
>have space and power. It makes using paper charts a new
>experience.
>
>About the only way of doing a thorough job of shielding
>a GPS or other sensitive electronics from the effects
>of lightning (EMP, EMI)is to store it in a grounded mu metal
>case or box (thank you Mr. Faraday). Just the same as trying
>to protect it in the event of an nuclear blast. This
>technique is common in military applications. The phenomona
>is that every wire, IC interconnect etc. acts like a great
>antenna and picks up the electromagnetic pulse and directs
>it to the IC's in your electronics. As the IC's are commonly
>built with transistor and interconnect features of .25 microns
>(lets see thats about one 4000th the diameter of a human hair)
>the electrical energy simply fuses everything in the system.
>As all these wires are actually antennas the system doesn't
>need to be connected to anything for this to occur. Your
>sextant is not affected by lightning but if you depend on a
>calculator or dedicated electronic device to run the tables
>for you it probably will be just as dead as the GPS if you
>take a good hit and fry your systems.
>
>Given all things being equal a dedicated chart plotter using
>plug in cartridges such as C-Map will be MUCH more reliable
>than a PC (either desktop or notebook) using CD Rom. I say
>all things being equal - that is that the manufacturer has
>done a good job in putting together a robust design and
>reliable system. Essentially all this boils down to 2 things;
>1. the dedicated plotter can be sealed and water resistant
>2. the dedicated plotter has no mechanical rotating components
>Your PC is a wondrous collection of servos, spindle drives,
>moving disk heads, optical readers and dozens upon dozens of
>connectors. All of these are virtually open to the elements
>and even in the so called "marinized" or "ruggedized" PC's
>they are subject to shock and vibration plus moisture ingress.
>
>Don't get me wrong, I have 2 PC's aboard. But I designed and
>built these things for more years than I care to admit and
>wouldn't trust them as my only navigation tool. It is just
>simply inherent that they don't have the reliability
>one wants when depending on them for navigation. I was going
>to say "navigation on the high seas" but on reflection the only
>times I have ever got in trouble were when I was out of blue
>water off soundings and back in among the reefs and rocks.
>
>Regards
>Dave Richardson
>wdr@XXX.XXX
>
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