Success Installing Navigation Electronics!
Radar Mast with Updated Components
After about a week of full-time work, I finally got all of the new navigation electronics installed and working. I learned a hell of a lot about marine electronics and how to install wiring on a boat. Besides figuring out all the different components and how they work, the other very difficult part was squeezing into the tiny spaces to get the wiring in place. BUT… I was able to do a great job worthy of a professional. Not that I would attempt to do it as a real job…
I had the professionals here mount the radar dome and VHF antenna, shown above, on the radar mast. I would have done it but I don’t have a ladder and they do. I’m glad I did because they found that the mast had to be removed to run the cables, an unusual situation. Saved quite a bit of time and frustration for me.
New Chart Plotter and Navpod on the Pulpit in Front of the Wheel
The main component installed is the chart plotter shown above. It is the “google maps” of sailing. It is a computer display that contains all the navigation charts of your area and plots your boat and direction directly on the screen. The previous chart plotter worked fine but was dated by about 15 years, an eternity in the high tech world. The chart plotter is located just in front of the helm so that you have precise information as to where you are going and what is around you in real time. Really, it’s an excellent tool for sailing. The display required a new mount that needed to be installed as well.
AIS Transceiver Unit
This entire project was driven by our requirement to have an Automatic Identification System (AIS) unit on the boat. This is the system that tells other ships where you are and lets you see what other ships are doing, a safety system to prevent collision. As you see above, the AIS box required four different cables to be installed and connected correctly: A VHF antenna, a GPS antenna, power and a network cable. I’m happy to say it all works. It provides information to the chart plotter display to show you where ships are around you, pretty cool actually.
Radar is Operational!
The final component I got working was the radar, display shown above. The radar electronics on the mast connect to the display through a wireless connection. Pretty cool. I think everything on a boat should work this way, would save a lot of headaches running cables below deck.
However, I can’t complain. Last week we toured a WWII submarine and it was impressive how tight cables, pipes and instruments fit in a small space. It had to be extremely difficult to maintain. The Good Karma has spacious cable running room in comparison.
Ok, almost all the maintenance and upgrade work is done. Soon we will be departing Rock Hall for good!
Posted in Sailing by Mark with comments disabled.