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Old 10-02-2009, 08:33 AM   #7
Phil Fill
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City: Everett Wa
Vessel Name: Eagle
Vessel Model: Roughwater 58 pilot house
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,919
Electronics Question

Well, I would prefer the ROSES as we have all the other fluff stuff.**But in order of use: *1) VHF, 2) depth, 3) radar, 4) GPS 5) electronic charts, 5) AIS, 6) autopilot.** However if you are smart, you will get the wife/SO roses! ******
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Depth and Radar would be my must have fix mounted on the boat for the Puget Sound. **The depth is the first as the depth in the Puget Sound in less that 100 ft the can change several hundred feet. The depth is the number one instrument I use/refer to.**

Radars can serve two purposes*radar, 1) see what is around you and*2) your locations by the land contours with paper charts.* Paper charts are a must weather you have electronic charts or not.* We tend to cruise early in the morning so*we run into fog quite often.*
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As mentioned before having electronic chart on a PC connected to a GPS is the cheapest and in many ways the best way to go.* We used the same Nobeltec software for 11+ years and have loaded it on several computer up grades.* However, you still need paper charts.* I usually have the electronic charts zoomed down to a detail level with a larger bigger area paper chart for an over all view.*
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Since you already have VHF, I will not mention, except having a couple hand held portables does come in handy.* As for AIS, I use http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/* which shows real time the ships/ferries/commercial/pleasure that have AIS.* We have Verizon wireless broad on our computers,*so*we can also refer to NOAA weather and tides and of course the internet.* *I still question the need to*put out the*AIS as thousands of pleasure and smaller commercial boats do not have.* To me the important thing is knowing what is around you, your present location *and straying out of their way.




-- Edited by Phil Fill on Friday 2nd of October 2009 09:35:10 AM
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