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While
the M1500 could actually be used with any onboard software, the USB Navigation
Keyboard is tightly linked to RayTech RNS and will be introduced with
it. It’s a distinctive waterproof and backlit input device that can
live in its inset cradle, hopefully at arm’s reach from your helm,
or be popped out for use in your lap or wherever else its 15-foot curly
wire tether reaches. That “Page” key flips those page tabs I
mentioned, and those five unmarked keys on top correspond to the “Function
Bar” seen on the monitor screen. And so forth. I’ve tried it,
and it works darn well. Plus the new RayTech is already designed for an
anticipated touchscreen monitor, and the keyboard may eventually become
wireless.
So what we have here
is almost everything it takes for an entirely integrated bridge, and surprisingly
the integration extends well beyond Raymarine’s own extended family
of dedicated electronics. That monitor, for example, has automatic resolution
scaling to 1,280x1,024 pixels and therefore would happily display the
output of other manufacturers’ black-box radars. Those ST290 instruments
are certified NMEA 2000 compliant, which means they will talk with all
sorts of other gear once 2000 proliferates (soon, hopefully). There are
input selections for KVH, B&G, Silva, even Heart battery monitors
in RNS 5.0’s deep-reaching hardware setup screens, and I had no trouble
hooking numerous NMEA 0183 devices to it. When I commented positively
on the software’s open nature to RayTech product manager Louis Chemi,
his response— “Well, it better be!”—seemed to sum
up his company’s commitment to offering customers the choice of building
a mix-and-match integrated system.
However, Chemi was clear
that Raymarine also wants to offer a “complete, turnkey, fully warrantied
solution” and says he, too, is frustrated about the continued absence
of that long-awaited marine computer into which all the above would simply
plug and play. It’s not for lack of engineering, prototypes, and
so on; apparently, it’s just not easy to mass-produce the bulletproof
machine Raymarine has in mind. But let’s not miss the forest for
the trees. The real hurtles of a boat-worthy PC-based navigation system
are the display, the keyboard, and the radar, sonar, et al connectivity—all
of which Raymarine now has in spades. I was able to do my testing just
fine on both off-the-shelf desktop and laptop. While neither is anywhere
near as rugged as I’d like for use at sea, I could have a spare stowed
in a locker, or I could go to a specialist company like VEI
for something better.
At any rate, the big
story here is that Raymarine is unquestionably dedicated to moving marine
electronics into the PC age and itself into larger yachts. Add to this
the fact that last summer Raymarine announced the acquisition of the H6
integrated navigation and entertainment system from a British research
firm. The name derives from the famous 18th-century contest to build a
clock accurate enough to determine a boat’s longitude. A genius engineer
won it with his fifth design, dubbed H5, and thus this new system’s
name boldly suggests a multicentury leap in technology. In fact, Raymarine
CEO Malcom Miller told me that with H6 “seeing is believing.”
I look forward to that as the company begins showing prototypes at this
winter’s boat shows.
In the meantime, H6
appears to be a dual-computer, dual-monitor, do-everything concept. Consider
the nav integration offered by RayTech RNS and family (portions of RayTech
may even morph into H6’s nav area), then add possibilities like Internet
connectivity, a camera network, and a kick-butt sound system—all
supposedly working together behind a strikingly friendly interface. H6
will be marketed as a complete system and will no doubt crown Raymarine’s
ambitious continuum of systems. Of course there may be delays and/or changes
in this or that, but the overall goal of an integrated system for most
any boat or taste is a righteous one, and Raymarine can be proud of what’s
already accomplished.
Raymarine Phone:
(800) 539-5539. www.raymarine.com.
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