Article by Pat Schrawder
WHAT’S NEW FROM SIMRAD
One trend that has crossed over from the computer marketplace to the marine industry is WiFi, and Simrad is among those who have taken maximum advantage of this feature. Their newer NSS line of affordable, easy to use and fully coordinated systems is making its mark in the field this season.
They currently offer three sizes of LCD display screens- 6.4”, 8” and 12.1”. The two smaller units have built-in sounders, whereas the 12-inch units require a separate sounder black box. Other than that, the NSS multi-function display units are all capable of adding the same accessory units and they all have built-in GPS antennas and built-in Insight charting. Among the accessory units are Broadband radar or HD Digital Radar, AIS (Automatic Identification System) and WM-2 Sirius satellite weather, including sea surface temperature. They also have other special items.
CZone™ digital switching enables you to display a full electrical panel on your Multi Function Display (MFD) as well as monitor tanks and power consumption. You can also set custom alarms and view vessel status. This is a somewhat complete installation and setup, but it starts with the addition of CZone modules being connected to the network.
Instead of putting a separate audio system on your boat, you can add Simrad’s own SonicHub® Audio Server. It is a fully integrated server that allows you to control your music from your NSS MFD and is also iPhone, iTouch and iPod compatible, or you can play MP3 files from the USB port. And the unit is fully waterproof.
As stated earlier, the two smaller units have built-in sounders. The 12” MFD requires a separate sounder black box but that box is CHIRP compatible with the use of a CHIRP transducer. Any of the units can add a StructureScan HD™ Sonar Imaging module. This item offers you SideScan of a 480 ft. wide path and Downscan imaging of structure and fish directly under the boat to a depth of 300 ft. and covering a full 180 degrees of seabed. Additionally, you can overlay the downscan image onto your regular echo image.
Adding autopilot to your GPS/plotter is nothing new and Simrad autopilots are considered by most boaters to be one of the best steering pilots on the market. What I like about pairing Simrad’s autopilot to their NSS system MFD’s, however, is the ability to control your autopilot from the screen of your MFD. It is very simple to do once it is set up and it basically eliminates the need to have that extra space on the dash for your pilot control head. Once you have selected a waypoint to which you want to go, a simple push of the stby/auto button on the MFD display will cause a pop-up to show asking you if you want to engage the autopilot. You select “yes” and you are done. Your MFD is controlling the autopilot and the steering of your boat.
As you can see, a lot of effort has been made by Simrad to enable you to view almost all your data on one or more display screens. And that’s where the WiFi feature becomes very important. With the addition of the WiFi module, you can view AND control your MFD display from anywhere on the boat via your tablet or smartphone. You do not need to have Internet access for this to work. You do need Internet access one time to download the free viewer and controller apps onto your tablet and/or smartphone. Once that is done, you no longer need Internet service. According to Simrad, other apps are forthcoming.
Other computer software type features are also available. Insight Genesis™ allows you to create your own map from your sounder data. You record your sonar data on an SD chip, save it to your computer, upload it to their web service, receive a link to view your free map that includes contour lines, or purchase an encrypted download of your map to place in your chart plotter. They also offer the Insight Planner that lets you create waypoints, routes and points of interest on your PC and then transfer them. If you would like any additional information on Simrad’s products, you can find them on the web at: www.simrad-yachting.com.
Pat and her husband, Larry are owners of L&L Marine Electronics on Golf Course Road in West Ocean City, MD.
