InTheBite

Coast Guard Look To Improve 911 System For Boaters

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SPRINGFIELD, Va., Dec. 31, 2018 – A sign of the times, the U.S. Coast Guard reports that it’s common for recreational boaters today to use cellphones to call during a boating emergency. While Boat Owners Association of The United States urges every vessel to have a working VHF radio with DSC (digital selective calling), the nation’s recreational boating advocacy, services and safety group also recognizes that cellphones are firmly embedded in boaters’ lives. But what happens when a boater tries to call 911 for emergency or routine on water assistance? Will the call go to the closest, most relevant rescue agency for a swift response?

Unfortunately that’s not always the case. But a provision in the recently passed Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization of Act of 2018 aims to improve reliability of the 911 system when recreational boaters need emergency help. In an effort to ensure timely dispatch of the closest potential rescue asset or on-water assistance provider, the Act requires the U.S. Coast Guard to review its policies and procedures to “formulate a national maritime Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) policy.” There are more than 6,000 PSAPs in the U.S. – local 24/7 call centers with trained dispatchers that receive 911 emergency telephone calls and route them to the proper emergency service.

“This effort will help minimize the possibility of maritime calls being improperly routed and to assure the U.S. Coast Guard is able to effectively carry out its maritime search-and-rescue mission,” said Tina Cardone, executive director of the Conference of Professional Operators for Response Towing (C-PORT). C-PORT members, made up of on-water towing industry companies from across the country, contributed to the legislative effort. This included TowBoatUS Mystic owner Capt. Jeff Dziedzic.

“This was a grass-roots effort by many and took years of working with U.S. Coast Guard and elected officials,” said Capt. Dziedzic. “We care about this because of our occasional role in responding to life-threating events as good Samaritans, as well as answering calls for more routine requests for assistance.”

In a video recently captured from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Capt. Dziedzic’s local congressman, thanked the captain for bringing the issue to his attention.

BoatUS also thanks the leadership of Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Reps. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) and Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.).

Additional TowBoatUS C-PORT members joining the effort included Capt. Chad Noetzel, TowBoatUS Port Huron, Michigan; Capt. Terry Hill, TowBoatUS Potomac, Virginia, Capt. Richard Paul, TowBoatUS Cape Coral, Florida; and Capt. Chris Shaffner, TowBoatUS Palm Beach, Florida.

FLIR Introduces Next Generation Raymarine VHF Radios

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The latest in trouble-free radio solutions for any vessel

WILSONVILLE, ORE. (November 27, 2018) – FLIR is excited to announce the launch of its next-generation. The compact Ray53, full-sized Ray63 and the multifunction Ray73 with AIS are all full-function VHF marine radios with Class D Digital Selective Calling (DSC).

Each new VHF model is equipped with a built-in GPS receiver and connection point for an optional GPS/GNSS antenna, which improves the GPS reception when the radio is mounted below deck or in an enclosed pilothouse. Designed to complement the modern style of Raymarine Axiom multifunction displays, these new VHF radios look great trunnion or surface mounted on any helm.

Additionally, Ray63 and Ray73 can connect to Raymarine’s new wireless VHF hub and can support up to two wireless handset stations for wireless communication anywhere onboard.

Ray53 Compact VHF Radio with GPS

Raymarine’s Ray53 radio is small in size but big on features and performance. Ray53 is a full-function VHF marine radio with Class D Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and a built-in GPS receiver. Simply program your boat’s MMSI number into the Ray53 and immediately benefit from the enhanced calling and safety features of DSC. The Ray53 supports both NMEA2000 and legacy NMEA0183 networking, which enables it to connect with other onboard electronics. Ray53 also supports the connection of an optional remote speaker to provide audio at a second location.

MSRP: $499.99 (US)

Ray63 Multi-Station VHF Radio with GPS

Raymarine’s Ray63 is a full-function VHF marine radio with Class D Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and a built-in GPS receiver. Built on a full-sized radio chassis, the Ray63 features oversized controls and a larger LCD for easy operation offshore. The Ray63 also supports multi-station expansion and intercom capability via a single wired RayMiccontroller or two wireless RayMic controllers.

The wired RayMic 2nd station kit allows full operation of the Ray63 from another location onboard. Ray63 also works with Raymarine’s new wireless RayMic wireless hub and handset system, which adds control at up to two additional locations onboard the boat with wireless convenience.

MSRP: $599.99 (US)

Ray73 Multifunction VHF Radio with GPS, AIS and Loudhailer Output

Raymarine’s new Ray73 multifunction VHF is communications central for your boat. In addition to the features of the Ray63, Ray73 adds a built-in Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver and a powerful loudhailer output. Ray73’s AIS provides collision avoidance and identification details for nearby AIS-equipped vessels to a networked multifunction display, chartplotter, radar and instruments. When combined with an optional hailing horn, the Ray73’s loudhailer output allows communication with crewmembers on deck, those on other vessels, or people on the dock. In addition to Ray73’s powerful public-address capability, it can also generate manual or automatic fog signals when moored or underway.

MSRP: $899.99 (US)

The new Raymarine VHF line is available now through FLIR’s network of Raymarine dealers. and retailers.

ICAST 2018 “Best of Show” Awarded to Garmin with Panoptix LiveScope

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Garmin® Panoptix LiveScope wins Best of Show at ICAST 2018

New sonar technology wins top honors at industry’s most prestigious trade show

OLATHE, Kan./July 16, 2018/Business Wire – Garmin International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN), today announced it earned the coveted “Best of Show” award for its new Panoptix LiveScope™ at the world’s largest sportfishing trade show, the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST), presented by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and held last week in Orlando, Fla. Prior to being selected as the Best of Show, Panoptix LiveScope was first voted by media and buyers in attendance as the “Best Electronics” in the ICAST New Product Showcase where 974 products were entered by 331 companies, all vying for the ICAST 2018 Best of Show award.

“To not only win the ICAST Best Electronics award, but the Best of Show award, too – it’s an honor we’re incredibly proud of,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “Panoptix LiveScope delivers the best of both scanning and live sonar technologies and there’s nothing out there even close to it. These awards solidify our commitment to giving anglers and mariners the most innovative technology on the water, and they further strengthen our desire to be the top marine electronics brand in the world.”

Panoptix LiveScope is a live scanning sonar that gives anglers higher resolution and easier-to-interpret images of structure, bait and fish swimming below and around the boat than ever before. Garmin’s revolutionary Panoptix™ all-seeing sonar technology was the first to deliver live sonar images in real-time – forwards, backwards, sideways and below the boat – even while stationary. Now, thanks to the active scanning capabilities of Panoptix LiveScope, anglers can see images and movement so clear and precise that it’s even possible to distinguish between species of fish. See Panoptix LiveScope in action here.

“Panoptix changed the electronics game a couple of years ago,” said Jason Christie, Bassmaster Elite Series and Garmin pro. “Now, LiveScope is even taking it to the next level. The cool thing about it is the simplicity of it. What you see is what is there. The only picture that could be better is if you dive into the water with goggles, and I’m not sure that’s really even better.”

Another Bassmaster Elite Series and Garmin pro, Fred Roumbanis, agrees. “Never before have you been able to tell what species of fish you are looking at like this,” he said. “You can see the movement, you can see the profile. I was snapping a jig on the bottom and I saw a walleye and I could see the fins of the walleye! There’s no way I could have seen that before.”

Like other Garmin Panoptix transducers, LiveScope features two modes in one transducer –LiveScope Down and LiveScope Forward – and can be installed on a trolling motor or the transom (recommended only for LiveScope Forward). Depending on the angler’s fishing preferences and techniques, LiveScope can easily be adjusted to change views. Simply point the LiveScope transducer down to see directly below the boat, or forward to see around the boat. Either view provides incredibly sharp, real-time scanning sonar images up to 200 feet down or away from the boat, even when the boat is stationary.

The Panoptix LiveScope scanning sonar system includes a compact GLS 10 sonar black box with an LVS32 transducer and a simple plug-and-play Garmin Marine Network connector for easy installation and integration with a compatible Garmin chartplotter. A trolling motor barrel and shaft mounting kit and a transom mounting kit are also included. Panoptix LiveScope is compatible with Garmin’s ECHOMAP™ Plus 7Xcv/7Xsv/9Xsv chartplotter/sonar combo series, as well as the GPSMAP® 8400/8600 multifunction displays, GPSMAP 7400/7600, GPSMAP 10X2/12X2, GPSMAP 12X2xsv Touch and GPSMAP 7X2/9X2 series chartplotters.

Available now, the Panoptix LiveScope system has a suggested retail price of $1,499.99.

For more information, videos and images, visit www.garmin.com/panoptix.