Handheld VHF Questions...

[Sumner]

I'll bring a present for Ruth....something that needs a sunbrella cover.....

She got a laugh out of that . Bring the boat out and do Lake Powell,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

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[Catigale]

I bet she can make a nice hasp cover....

[Sumner]

I bet she can make a nice hasp cover....

There is no way you are going to get me to go there....

On another subject I think I saw where "you" actually might be looking for a sewing machine. I'd highly recommend the LSZ-1. We love it. You can find the same model, at least from appearances on the Internet for $500-600, but it doesn't have the heavier flywheel and what has been really important for us the support. Sailrite has all of the parts in stock and twice now they have helped us get our machine back into adjustment. The last time I screwed it up if it wasn't for their video and direct support with us I probably would of never gotten it right again. These are heavy duty machines, but sooner or later they will need parts or adjustments. I wouldn't want to buy one from someone where you couldn't get the parts or advice or repair. Save you pennies and get a LSZ-1 and you will be sewing your own hasp covers in no time at all ,


Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

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[Catigale]

Merci...despite your name, you do make a difference....

[bahama bound]

thats the great thing of buying a used boat ,i cant remember the last boat i bought that did not have several life vest ,at least one vhf radio and gps along with anchor ,lines ,fire ext. if i boought all the stuff that came with the mac i bought it would have been another $1500 to $2000,

[Russ]

We bought an LG Optimus Slider Android with 2.3 at half price Monday for $99 through Virgin Mobile that we will use to access the internet when we can't get it with the long distance WiFi and cell service is available. I've read a little about connecting the computer to it so that I can use the computers larger screen and keyboard when I need to. So I'm just beginning my education or 'rooting' and 'tethering' and such, so whatever you can add will help. Once I can setup a 'hot spot' with the phone Ruth's Nook should also see it.

Unlike the iPhone, Android doesn't charge to tether your phone to a PC. Your carrier may figure out what you are doing and snip your bandwidth. Verizon offers bandwidth plans with caps. We're grandfathered in with true unlimited.

I almost bought one of these prepaid mobile hotspots but decided that we'd just pay the $10 extortion fee for the iPhone and create a local hotspot.

The Android tablet connected via RD is a fantastic idea. Since the iPad is dominating, many companies are dumping their pads for cheap (ie: HP). Sum, all you need to do is connect to your ship's WiFi (not the Bullet but the Linksys) via Remote Desktop. Then you'd have mouse and full control as if you were sitting at the computer. Many work well in daylight also. That's such a simple idea, plus it's wireless. Could load up some movies and other junk on it. Watch Netflix while at anchor via the WiFi bullet.

Of course you could keep that TV for, well TV.

I'm considering your 12v PC build. My laptop draws so much power when plugged into 12v.

--Russ

[Sumner]

....unlike the iPhone, Android doesn't charge to tether your phone to a PC. Your carrier may figure out what you are doing and snip your bandwidth. Verizon offers bandwidth plans with caps.....

If I understand the Virgin Mobile plan you get up to 2.5 gig of data a month on the so called 'unlimited plan' , then they cut your speed way down, but don't cut you off or start charging you excess fee charges like some of the others do with their 'unlimited plans'. Then in the next billing cycle or I think if you want to pay right then for it you get another 2.5 gig and the speed goes back up. I guess we will find out.

I'll have to watch our usage and only plan on tethering when I really need to see something on a big screen. Weather (wind direction/strength and wave heights and frequency) is our main concern. That is the biggest determining factor as to when we move and where we anchor.

The $45 a month plan has 1200 minutes and the 2.5 gig of data. We also have a Net10 phone that is not an android phone but does get the Web, but very poorly and that plan gives us unlimited web, for what it is worth, and 750 minutes a month for $25. So between the two plans we will have almost 2000 minutes a month and the internet and 2 phones for when we can't find each other in Walmart for $70 a month. All we need on the road or water. At home we don't use the cell phones. 3 stores are with in a couple hundred yards of the house and the hospital at the end of the block and the post office, bank and hardware store 1/2 mile away. Pretty simple existence where we don't even use the car sometimes a week at a time....love it .

..... connect to your ship's WiFi (not the Bullet but the Linksys) via Remote Desktop. Then you'd have mouse and full control as if you were sitting at the computer. Many work well in daylight also. ..

Thanks, I'll have to mess with that when I find time, but Ruth's tablet isn't going out in the cockpit and I don't think we will be buying one for me. I think the TV is going to work good for what we need and is a lot cheaper to replace than anything else. The only time I need to have the mouse and control is when I'm below with the main computer to plot a course for the next part of the trip. Once we are underway I hardly ever touch SeaClear as it keeps the boat always centered on the screen/chart.

I got pictures of the TV up on the web site in different light conditions and the other parts to make it work, but no text yet. Maybe tonight.

.....I'm considering your 12v PC build. My laptop draws so much power when plugged into 12v...--Russ

I'm real happy with the 12v computer. Typing this on it right now at home. I did upgrade to a 10 watt 16 inch screen and will take that monitor back to the Endeavour where there is more room below. I'll still use the 10 inch screen on the Mac. I have everything on 12 volt plugs now so moving it between the boats and home is about the same as a laptop. Nice thing at home is when the electricity goes out the computer/monitor keeps working on the battery.

I'll see if I can also get a parts list up tonight on the computer and not sure if you saw it or not, but I did add some info on it on the web page...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... Index.html

We got a little snow here, any in Montana?

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[mastreb]

Sprint is now offering the iPhone with unlimited data.

I'm grandfathered on AT&T, but that's only going to last for so long I'm sure. Gone will be the days of the kids watching Netflix over 3G on the boat...

[Sumner]

Sprint is now offering the iPhone with unlimited data.

I'm grandfathered on AT&T, but that's only going to last for so long I'm sure. Gone will be the days of the kids watching Netflix over 3G on the boat...

Yep there will be no Netflix using the android phone. Maybe if we have a fast connection on the long distance WiFi. I've been connected to a couple of those, but usually at a distance the data connection rate falls off quickly. Virgin Mobile and Net10 uses sprint towers for the android phones and we don't have sprint towers where we live. Another reason we will keep the Net10 service as it does work here. We have highspeed internet at the house, so not being able to use the Virgin Mobile at home is no big deal. We shop in Cortez, CO (80 miles) and Farmington, NM (135 miles) every 2-4 months and Sprint is active there, so we will be able to use both cells there if we get separated in a store .

It is amazing how many of the so-called unlimited plans aren't unlimited if you read the fine print. I gave up and just decided to try what we are getting and since there is no contract we can always do something else if it doesn't work,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[snotnosetommy]

Very interesting; Sum, how much does your 12v pc draw? My laptop is no miser for sure, but I wonder how much they would differ?

[Sumner]

Very interesting; Sum, how much does your 12v pc draw? My laptop is no miser for sure, but I wonder how much they would differ?

Less than 2 amps for the computer on idle and the monitor. The figures are at the beginning of this page...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... Index.html

Max of about 33 watts when the long distance WiFi is running and the hard disk is being accessed. Quite a bit less than our laptops even when they are running on DC-DC converts which are better than running on DC-110 AC inverters,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[CampCook]

I've been following this thread for sometime and noticed it has drifted off from radios and toward PC based navigation and monitoring so it got my attention. I have very recently finished wiring up a system to adapt my iPad to my boat system. (In the aviation community we called these integrated avionics systems. Not sure what they should be called in the marine world). My system uses the Brookhouse iMux to multiplex all of the various electronic signals and communicate with the iPad via a wifi link. My system contains a GPS/Chart Plotter/fish finder, an autopilot, DSC service to the VHS, and provisions for the future addition of AIS. My iPad is also configured for 3G communication and has the self contained GPS function. I am running iNavX on the iPad. The system can also include engine instrumentation , radar, and so on. All those options are beyond my scope for the present.

So far, I have just powered the completed system up and observed multiplexed traffic on the iPad and played a little with the system. The next step is to prepare a sort of formal test plan to explore and validate the system as built. I'm an old retread systems engineer so this is an important step to get right in my opinion. This system has a lot of branches that need to be explored. For example: a route plan for the autopilot can originate in either the chart plotter or from the iPad. I want to find out how the two modes handle mode dropout, simultaneous engagement and so on as well as documenting any differences or peculiarities in the behavior of the two modes. Extending this example to other possibilities makes the test seem like a formidable, albeit interesting, undertaking. Obviously, much of my testing will be on the water -- can hardly wait.

I plan to (in fact, promise to) report on how this all works out on this forum. My goal is to have everything fairly complete before I leave for the HPCC in mid February. (Right now holiday activities seem to have priority.) In the meantime, if anyone else has experience or interest in this sort of system, I would very much like to hear from you. The topic might even be worth a new thread.
Dave on Gypsea Dream

[Catigale]

I'll try to split these from the computer this morning...

[snotnosetommy]

According to the nameplate, my laptop draws 3.42 amps @ 19v =65 w. Assuming that is rockin an a rollin, not idle. So it might very well be worthwhile to build.
My motor charges at 7 amps i think, so it looks like running the laptop alone at full draw for say, 12hrs would require 6 hrs motor time to recharge. hmmm.

[Sumner]

According to the nameplate, my laptop draws 3.42 amps @ 19v =65 w. Assuming that is rockin an a rollin, not idle. So it might very well be worthwhile to build.
My motor charges at 7 amps i think, so it looks like running the laptop alone at full draw for say, 12hrs would require 6 hrs motor time to recharge. hmmm.

And then you are running that through maybe a 12volt to 110 volt inverter and loosing quite a bit more there. If it is a 12 volt to 19 volt converter like our Lind then you don't have quite the additional loss, but still some.

I can't remember the total cost of the 12 volt build, I'll try and get a list up, but it isn't real cheap. I think it was between $500 and $700. Still there is only so much solar you can add to the boat, so it was worth it for us. A cheaper way if you don't want a dedicated computer is with a notebook with the same chip set. The chip set is why the computer itself, minus monitor, is only 10 watts. This chip set is slower than my regular desktop, but for all I do not that noticeable. If you go to say a dual core then the watts go up. More speed is usually more watts.

I also wanted a card slot, a larger internal drive, serial ports for SeaClear and a DVD player and a full keyboard and large monitor, so the notebook was out. If you don't stay out that long and can live with a notebook then you can do it for less and run it only on 12 volts. Lots of options,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links