Tracking Beacon and Emergency Alert

This device could be very useful for some. Thought it was worth the post to those who like this sort of solution.
Yellowbricks are tracking beacons – they work anywhere on Earth using the Iridium satellite network, and are programmed to send back a position at regular intervals. They are self-contained with their own internal batteries and antennae, are very easy to fit, and are therefore ideal for yachting, expeditions, treks and other adventures.
If you are looking to purchase a Yellowbrick, click here to find out more

WiFi onboard with an iMux

iMarine Apps  gives a good account of the Brookhouse iMux. I just might get one of these for the iPad  which is sure to come one day. Read on...

Brookhouse iMux

What the heck is an iMux? Well, glad you asked. Mux is short for multiplexer and the i wirelessly connects your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch providing data from all your ships electronics and navigation hardware.  This is truly a geeky item folks.

Brookhouse is run by a bunch of Kiwis from New Zealand. They have been around since 2002 providing solutions for integrating marine electronics on commercial and recreational yachts.  A multiplexer combines many sources of NMEA 0183 data and creates a single stream of data that can be used  by computers, chart plotters and other navigation devices.  It takes data from any NMEA 0183 source such as, depth sounder, speed sensor, wind direction indicator, wind speed indicator, radar, weather station, GPS or fluxgate compass.  I can them provide the data to any number of computers, laptops, smart phones, or tablet for use with navigation programs.

Features:

• 4 opto-isolated “NMEA Listener” (Input) ports, 3 at 4800 bps, 1 at 38400 bps for AIS.
• 1  RS232 output port  for connection to a chart plotter or computer
• 1 RS232 input port
  (baudrate conversion input).
• 1 Output RS422 port (differential NMEA talker port) 4800bps
  (baudrate conversion output)
• Baudrate conversion 38400bps-4800bps.
• Indicators: red LED for power, green LED for data-transmission.
• Supply Voltage: DC 9-35 Volts.
• Reversed polarity protection.
• Physical size: 110x65x37mm (hxwxd)
• Weight: 140 grams
• Mounting: bulkhead mounting with screws.
• NMEA management and control:
  • NMEA Sentence Filtering
  • NMEA Sentence editing “on the fly” for NMEA protocol conversion.
  • Automatic port switching.

This device is unique in that it does not require a computer to operate.  So you can leave your laptop at home and wirelessly receive all your ships data on your iPad.  The unit works great with the iNavx application and the Brookhouse website has alot of information on how to integrate an iMux into your ships systems and work with you iPad. iNavx is a great navigation and charting program which can be used on the iPad or iPhone.

Brookhouse has other multiplexers with USB and Bluetooth capabilities. Check out their website for the one that fits your needs. They do have a iMux-ST version which allows integration of SeaTalk data from your Raymarine instruments.

You can order your very own iMux for $299.00.

Proper Electrical Connections

   These are something that has no place on a boat - wire nuts.
On Board with Mark Corke shows us the correct way for wire terminals. He says....
I recently surveyed a power cruiser which had lots of alterations to the electrical system, not only were many of the connections made with wire nuts the cable was solid core rather than multi strand tinned boat cable, both of which are a big no-no on a boat. Wire nuts are not moisture resistant and cable with a solid core is susceptible to vibration and fatigue eventually leading to failure.
For the complete step by step guide to making proper electrical connections continue reading ..

Wiring on a boat leads a hard life; corrosion, vibration and chafe all conspire against your boats electrical system to bring it to a premature end. Bad connections are to blame for many problems and knowing how to make proper crimped terminals will go a long way to avoiding problems. Simply twisting wire together, using wire nuts or wrapping it round a terminal screw simply will not do. Proper crimped terminals are neat, allow the free movement of electricity and prevent short circuits. It is a good idea to have some practice runs on some spare bits of cable so that you are able to make perfect joints every time. Tug on the connector to test the integrity of the completed joint; if there is any movement or the terminal comes off you need to cut back the cable and start afresh. Terminals and cables come in a variety of sizes measured by what is called gauge; the smaller the number the larger the cross sectional area of the cable conductor and therefore it’s ability to carry higher electrical loads. Always make sure that you use the correct size cable for the maximum amount of the current that the cable will have to handle. Finally only ever use tinned marine cable on a boat. Untinned cable is cheaper but is very susceptible to corrosion.



Tools and materials needed
Cable
Crimping terminals
Heat shrink the same color as the cable
Crimping pliers
Wire strippers
Heat gun

Tip
Making proper terminal connections is very straight forward and easy but it pays to have a trial run with some scrap cable to get the feel for how things should go.




1. Cut back any suspect and ragged ends using a pair of side cutters or the cutters built into the crimping tool. This is especially important if the wire is at all corroded. You can skip this step if using fresh new cable from a drum.


2. Strip off the insulation from the wire being careful to cut only through the sheathing and not into the actual wire. Remove only sufficient insulation to allow the wire to be entered fully into the terminal with no bare wire visible.

3. Grasp the wire in one hand and with the other twist the strands together between thumb and forefinger.  This binds the strands tightly together which makes pushing the cable end into the terminal easier.


4. Cut a length of heat shrink about an inch long the same color as the cable insulation and slip this onto the wire.

5. Slide on a terminal connector to the end of the cable and after ensuring that it is pushed fully home use the crimping pliers and squeeze it onto the wire. Note that the crimping jaws are color-coded. The colored dot on the plier jaws must correspond with the color of the terminal.

6. Slide the heat shrink back up the cable so that it covers the crimp completely then use a hot air gun or a match shrink it into place. Do not apply too much heat; warm it just sufficiently to shrink it to the cable.

7. The completed job. A perfect electrical connection, which should give years of trouble free service.

Propellor Clearance

It is essential to have the correct amount of tip clearance between the end of the propeller blades and the hull. The recognised minimum clearance  should be between one sixth and one fifth of the total prop diameter. Therefore with a 16 inch blade like the one in the picture we should be looking for about a 2 and half inch clearance at least What there is in fact is so little room that it was impossible to get even the end of my pen between the underside of the hull and the blade tip. The way that a prop works is fairly complex and it creates lift and thus drives the boat forward. When the tip clearance is compromised two things happen; the first is that the water flow is interrupted and the blade will not be anything like as efficient and secondly the water is 'trapped' between the rotating prop and the hull. With each revolution this slap will be felt inside the boat as added vibration. The only way around this problem in this particular case would be to either have a slightly longer shaft to move the prop away from the boat a little but even that I doubt would not be enough or secondly would be to go for a different prop of perhaps a smaller diameter but with a slightly increased pitch.
As a footnote the generally accepted practice is that the shaft should project no more than one and a half times it's diameter past the end of the cutless bearing.

Fuel Filter Indicator

 One of the issues with any fuel filtration system is that you never know exactly when the filters need replacing or are restricted in some way. One method is to install a drag gauge into the system which will show just how much 'suck' there is in the vacuum side of the pump, the greater the drag, the higher the reading and thus more the fuel fuel flow and filters are clogged. It is a great system but comes at a price and complications which many recreational boat owners can do without. A simpler solution is the fuel flow service indicator from Racor. Essentially this simple but effective bit of kit is teed into the fuel line on the vacuum side of the line between the filter and the pump. As the vacuum increases a yellow disc is sucked down in the clear bowl. While the disc is in the green sector all is well but as the pump has to suck harder as the fuel filter becomes blocked it enters the red sector indicating the need for a filter change. I should add that the disc stays at the highest setting achieved even after the engine is shut down so it is possible to monitor the performance of the filters even when the engine is off and cold. Once filters have been changed the operator merely has to press the button on the top of the unit and the disc resets. The cost is a very sensible $60 and can be had from West Marine and other such suppliers.