Plug and play beats plug and pray
August 2010
Bad connections can cause your electronics to do things that are science-fiction strange. They can cause simple problems like a unit failing to power-up, but they prefer to hide behind sneaky, intermittent troubles that could be caused by dozens of things. The complete list of possible problems (if you could make a complete list) wouldn’t fit on this page.
Amp of prevention worth pound of cure
July 2010
A bass fisherman recently posted a plea for help on a marine electronics forum I frequent. The GPS part of his fish-finder/GPS combo unit suddenly stopped tracking his position and displayed the warning, “GPS Not Responding.”
Put a 12-volt meteorologist in your boat
June 2010
Weather can kill people in boats and be downright sneaky while doing it. When fishing Lake Tawakoni in East Texas, for instance, I remember how blue northers would slide by just clear of the west side of the lake, like they were going to miss us, and then circle around to come north right over the dam and hit the lake.
Sophistication of GPS continues to grow
May 2010
A 1983 tragedy generally gets the credit for GPS going public. Shortly after Korean Airlines flight 007 experienced navigational errors, strayed into restricted Russian airspace and was shot down by Russian fighters, President Reagan declassified GPS, allowing it to be used by civilians for more accurate navigation.
Is your inattention killing your battery?
April 2010
My truck pulls a travel trailer or a boat much of the year, but there are weeks when it just sits in the garage. Thinking it had been two weeks or so since I’d driven it, I figured I’d give it some exercise while running a few errands.
Automotive GPS units have leapt miles forward
March 2010
Have you ever missed a turn, decided to go around the block and found yourself in a part of town you didn’t know existed? Try that with a boat behind you, and everyone in the vehicle may find out how good you are at backing a trailer long distances.
At a time not long ago, today’s technology was unimaginable
February 2010
Back in the 1970s, there was so much standing timber in legendary southern fishing lakes like Toledo Bend on the Texas/Louisiana border that about the only way to get around on them was following boat lanes cut through the trees.
iPilot module makes trolling fool-proof
January 2010
Digital components have been creeping into electric trolling motors for years. Computer processors are now common in marine electronics and GPS receivers, and antennas are small enough to fit practically anywhere. It was only a matter of time until a company put them all together.
The single purpose vs. combo unit question
December 2009
Units capable of doing practically everything are available, yet some boaters still prefer single-purpose electronics. Is there a “best” solution?
The learning curve has been slashed
November 2009
Thirty years ago, a state-of-the-art fish finder had a round turntable with a light bulb mounted on its edge spinning behind a clear circular window. There were hash marks and depth scale numbers printed around the window. The bulb flashed steadily at two points on the scale: one marked the water’s surface and the other its bottom. Random flashes between these two points indicated fish and structure.
Redundancy makes a case for redundancy
August 2009
I seldom pass up an invitation to go fishing, especially from a friend with a new boat. Sometimes the invitation includes an opportunity to solve an electronics problem, but I don’t mind. It usually gives me grist for a column.
DSC invaluable in VHF marine radios
June 2009
Digital selective calling (DSC) features on VHF marine radios have been around for almost a decade. This feature lets you call other radios with the press of a button, using the called radio’s Maritime Mobile Service Identification number (MMSI) like a telephone number.
New radar takes worry out of being close
May 2009
Jokes about small-boat radars have historically run rampant: “Did you know you can either run radar on your bass/bay boat OR have children later in life?” and “I like having radar on my 18-foot boat. On cold days it keeps my head warm!” are two of my favorites, but they go on and on.
Water surface temp gauge leads to fish
April 2009
Fishing improves as spring shoves winter out of the way, and many of us spend more time on the water enjoying it. Newspaper and Internet fishing reports let us know when the fishing gets hot, but they are sometimes a bit light on telling us where.
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