Intellian s6HD: It can receive all three DirecTV satellite clusters. ($9,995)Intellian s6HD DirecTV DishIntellian’s new antenna that can look in three directions at once.DirecTV may be America’s most popular satellite TV service, but how
PCs at SeaThese computers may be indispensable ashore, but can they really cope with the rough-and-tumble of life and work afloat?I’ve never been much in favor of using “office equipment” onboard a boat. It’s fine to use a laptop to do a bit of Web surfing, send a few e-mails, or play games, but navigation, communications,
Photography by Fusion MarineNow I just need the boat. When I first wrote about the Fusion Marine Stereo system in my column last July, I not only saw a lot to like but had already half talked myself into an Apple iPod as the centerpiece of my next onboard audio entertainment system. A Touch model is sitting on my desk today,
Photography by Fusion MarineNow I just need the boat. When I first wrote about the Fusion Marine Stereo system in my column last July, I not only saw a lot to like but had already half talked myself into an Apple iPod as the centerpiece of my next onboard audio entertainment system. A Touch model is sitting on my desk today,
Photography by KVHThe competition for world’s smallest stabilized satellite TV antenna has come down to definitions. KVH’s new M1 is a 12.5-inch dish that only weighs 7.5 pounds while Intellian’s new i1 (see below) is an 11-incher that tips the scale at 9.5 pounds. Both make onboard TV easier to have. In fact, KVH says the M1
Photography by King ControlsLast year King Controls introduced a clever portable satellite TV dish called the VuQube, and some boaters began enjoying its ability to tune in DirectTV, Dish, or ExpressVu channels while only costing $899. But they had to place the 17.5”-high “cube” on a dock for stability and use its remote
ActiveCaptain MobileLast year when I lamented on the dismal state of digital chart Point of Interest info, an exciting possible cure was the brand-new ActiveCaptain, a free Web service
Glomex PolarisSatellite TV and radio are great on a boat, since they’re able to deliver clear and familiar channels most everywhere you cruise. But what about unfamiliar content? Glomex’s amplified and directional antenna might be just
Freestyle Audio Sport MP3 playerSo I not only tested the Freestyle water- and shockproof Sport MP3 music player, but also my ability to windsurf like I once could. Unfortunately I can’t, and hence the test was thorough! The Freestyle is simple—a gig of flash memory, four buttons to control volume and tracks—and tough.
Last year KVH shook up the world of marine satellite TV with its unusually small M3 (see my column “TV on a 25-Footer?” November 2006). Even some big boats liked the idea of simple, solid performance in a subtle 14-inch dome, and the competition didn’t wait long to respond. SeaTel’s Coastal 14 ($4,395), for instance, offers the same dome size but builds in the
KVH has met the competition by rejiggering the original battle-beginning M3 into three models. Actually the M3st is the original—with a DirecTV receiver and IR/RF remote included—only a thousand dollars less costly at $3,995. Assuming the $4,995 position is the new M3dx, which lets you use your own HD receivers for DirecTV (plus $295 for a
King Controls, though a major player in the RV market, is still a new guy on the block in the yachting world. Hence the aggressive $3,695 price tag on its 14-inch Sea-King stabilized antenna system, which can feed two user-supplied receivers as is, more with an optional multiswitch. The 9815-RJ is also HD-compatible, which means that you’ll need HD receivers, as
One sign of how deeply Poly-Planar rethought marine stereo is that it takes a while to fully comprehend its flexibility, power, and thorough boat-worthiness. Start with the basic $500 package, a MRD-70 combo AM/FM receiver and no-skip CD/MP3 player paired with a RD-44 control head; everything’s waterproof, even the cable connectors, and the head, in either gray
This is one tough camera. I dunked it into the harbor, even took some snapshots of the muck, rinsed it under the tap, and it’s still snapping fine. Olympus’ $399 Stylus 720 SW has a 3x zoom lens and can take digital photos as large as seven megapixels. It offers no less than 28 shooting modes, ranging from standards like “portrait” to more esoteric situations
Intellian s6HD: It can receive all three DirecTV satellite clusters. ($9,995)Intellian s6HD DirecTV DishIntellian’s new antenna that can look in three directions at once.DirecTV may be America’s most popular satellite TV service, but how
PCs at SeaThese computers may be indispensable ashore, but can they really cope with the rough-and-tumble of life and work afloat?I’ve never been much in favor of using “office equipment” onboard a boat. It’s fine to use a laptop to do a bit of Web surfing, send a few e-mails, or play games, but navigation, communications,
Jargon Buster
Photography by Fusion MarineNow I just need the boat. When I first wrote about the Fusion Marine Stereo system in my column last July, I not only saw a lot to like but had already half talked myself into an Apple iPod as the centerpiece of my next onboard audio entertainment system. A Touch model is sitting on my desk today,
Photography by Fusion MarineNow I just need the boat. When I first wrote about the Fusion Marine Stereo system in my column last July, I not only saw a lot to like but had already half talked myself into an Apple iPod as the centerpiece of my next onboard audio entertainment system. A Touch model is sitting on my desk today,
Photography by KVHThe competition for world’s smallest stabilized satellite TV antenna has come down to definitions. KVH’s new M1 is a 12.5-inch dish that only weighs 7.5 pounds while Intellian’s new i1 (see below) is an 11-incher that tips the scale at 9.5 pounds. Both make onboard TV easier to have. In fact, KVH says the M1
Photography by King ControlsLast year King Controls introduced a clever portable satellite TV dish called the VuQube, and some boaters began enjoying its ability to tune in DirectTV, Dish, or ExpressVu channels while only costing $899. But they had to place the 17.5”-high “cube” on a dock for stability and use its remote
ActiveCaptain MobileLast year when I lamented on the dismal state of digital chart Point of Interest info, an exciting possible cure was the brand-new ActiveCaptain, a free Web service
Glomex PolarisSatellite TV and radio are great on a boat, since they’re able to deliver clear and familiar channels most everywhere you cruise. But what about unfamiliar content? Glomex’s amplified and directional antenna might be just
Freestyle Audio Sport MP3 playerSo I not only tested the Freestyle water- and shockproof Sport MP3 music player, but also my ability to windsurf like I once could. Unfortunately I can’t, and hence the test was thorough! The Freestyle is simple—a gig of flash memory, four buttons to control volume and tracks—and tough.
Last year KVH shook up the world of marine satellite TV with its unusually small M3 (see my column “TV on a 25-Footer?” November 2006). Even some big boats liked the idea of simple, solid performance in a subtle 14-inch dome, and the competition didn’t wait long to respond. SeaTel’s Coastal 14 ($4,395), for instance, offers the same dome size but builds in the
KVH has met the competition by rejiggering the original battle-beginning M3 into three models. Actually the M3st is the original—with a DirecTV receiver and IR/RF remote included—only a thousand dollars less costly at $3,995. Assuming the $4,995 position is the new M3dx, which lets you use your own HD receivers for DirecTV (plus $295 for a
King Controls, though a major player in the RV market, is still a new guy on the block in the yachting world. Hence the aggressive $3,695 price tag on its 14-inch Sea-King stabilized antenna system, which can feed two user-supplied receivers as is, more with an optional multiswitch. The 9815-RJ is also HD-compatible, which means that you’ll need HD receivers, as
One sign of how deeply Poly-Planar rethought marine stereo is that it takes a while to fully comprehend its flexibility, power, and thorough boat-worthiness. Start with the basic $500 package, a MRD-70 combo AM/FM receiver and no-skip CD/MP3 player paired with a RD-44 control head; everything’s waterproof, even the cable connectors, and the head, in either gray
This is one tough camera. I dunked it into the harbor, even took some snapshots of the muck, rinsed it under the tap, and it’s still snapping fine. Olympus’ $399 Stylus 720 SW has a 3x zoom lens and can take digital photos as large as seven megapixels. It offers no less than 28 shooting modes, ranging from standards like “portrait” to more esoteric situations
