Navigating on the open water away from land has always been challenging and very exciting. Boating can be a very rewarding experience if your boat is equipped with the proper tools to ensure your safety. Good quality marine navigation electronic equipment on board aids easier, faster and safer navigation.

It is recommended to make sure that, the boat is equipped with certain marine electronics. The minimum requirement for safety is to have at least a VHF Marine Radio and a compass before leaving the land. Other desirable electronics include a GPS plotter, fish finder or depth sounder,radar, and auto pilot. Other more sophisticated but nice to have items include an Automatic Identification System and a networked navigation system

Marine navigation electronics equipment operation and uses are discussed below:

Auto Pilot: It is a highly recommended tool for mariners set to go on a long voyage. Auto Pilot helps to steer the boat automatically and thus, relieves the person at the helm from fatigue. Auto Pilot is of great help for those that troll while fishing as it controls the boat direction automatically, relieving the captain to join the fishing. This tool is of great use, as it allows to save fuel by maintaining the vessel on a steady heading.

Fish finder: Those who fish for pleasure or hire enjoy the help provided by a good fish finder. The fish finder operates using SONAR. In principle, the sonar works by sending a signal down trough the water column until it strikes and object with ample mass to return a signal to the devise, thus rendering an image on the screen. Thereby, showing the fish depth in relation to bottom structure. If a fish finder is not desired then a depth sounder with a digital readout is a good option, being cheaper.

Automatic Identification System: It is considered an important electronic tool for marine navigation. It provides other boats with your vital information as well as their information to you such as the exact position of the boat, longitude and latitude, Time stamp, Rate of turn, Course over ground etc. While the boat under way AIS shows the above information every 2 to 10 seconds, whereas when the boat is anchored, it shows the information after every 3 minutes. In addition to providing the above information, it also presents useful information about other boats concerning their dimensions, position, and type of the veselboat. It is the ultimate electronic tool for collision avoidance at sea.

EPIRB: The Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) also known as distress radio beacon is a transmitter, which helps rescue services to locate boats in distress. The transmissions are repeatedly transmitted from satellites around the world to the various rescue services. Watercraft operators wishing to have an EPIRB must now use a digital 406MHz unit. The International Copas-Sarsat Satellite System stopped monitoring for all but 406MHz signals for distress alert and location data for rescue operation all over the world..

GPS Plotter: The GPS system now takes over the duty of the old Loran navigation system. GPS signals are sent from those satellites worldwide, that are maintained by the USA government. The GPS can be presented in digital or map format. The best way is on a plotter that is loaded with computerized maps of the area you are boating in. Most new VHF radios now have the capability to broadcast your location with a distress signal if connected to a GPS

Once you have the boat you’ve always wanted, the next exciting thing to do is to outfit it with electronics that will keep you boating safely, finding the fish, and navigating to where you want to go. Furuno Marine Electronics is my personal favorite marine electronics outfitter. Of course, the first electronics you should outfit your boat with should be a safety system. Beyond the mandatory safety equipment, there are many other devices that can help you greatly if you find yourself lost or in distress of some kind.

A VHF marine radio is a top choice for boating safety. It is equipped with Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and will allow you to communicate with the Coast Guard or another boater. You can choose a fixed VHF radio or a hand-held transmitter. You can get VHF marine radios that are simple and compact to those that are commercial grade and compliant with Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) compliant. Furuno Marine Electronics makes these in several price ranges, and they also make GMDSS integrated satellite and terrestrial radio communication systems for boats.

A Global Positioning System (GPS) is a great thing to have. The DSC capability on your VHF radio won’t send your position to the Coast Guard unless you have GPS coordinates. Plus, GPS devices are amazingly useful, as you know if you have one on your car or cell phone. Furuno has GPS receivers with Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability, that makes your coordinates as accurate as possible. Furuno Marine Electronics also makes GPS chart plotters with up to the minute technology.

If you’re a bass fisherman or a professional, a Furuno fish finder is one of the best you can get. { They come in many designs , including fish finders that are integrated with GPS chart plotters and others that connect up to your NavNet display or Ethernet hub}. Furuno Marine Electronics fish finders have digital filters and gain optimization to give you defined pictures of the conditions underwater, and some models can show fish near the seabed.

An electronic satellite weather system from Furuno will give you extra peace of mind with up to date information and forecasting. Their systems provide the possibility to overlay reports, sea surface temperatures, and radar , enabling comprehensive marine weather syste.

Started in 1938 in Nagasaki, Japan, Furuno Marine Electronics now has subsidiaries in Europe and the Americas as well as in the Far East. Their reputation is one of supplying the best quality marine electronics available. In the past five years, they’ve developed the first dual frequency search light sonar, opened facilities in China and Germany, and set up a training center in Denmark to train commercial crews in the use of Integrated Navigation Systems. They have also developed automatic identification systems (AIS) receivers for fishing boats and recreational vessels. They’re great , reliable friends to have when you are out on the water taking pleasure of your boat.

Raymarine marine electronics is headquartered in Merrimack, New Hampshire and has 80-plus years of product development experience. Raymarine sells a large range of products, like GPS chartplotters, fish finders, VHF radios, and even satellite television to bring recreational boaters the latest and greatest technology.

If you have a boat you want to outfit with the latest in marine electronics, Raymarine makes all the products you need. Lifetag is a range of Raymarine man overboard (MOB) equipment that adds safety for everyone on board. The basic starter kit consists of two lifetag pendants, a base, several straps, power cable, batteries and alarm module and is accompanied by a handbook. You can also purchase extra pendants, and a RF expansion base module to extend the range of the system farther.

If you are interested in a single unit to provide you with several types of information, then you might investigate the Raymarine ST70 Multifunction Color display. Speed, wind data, status of the engine, depth, naviagtion and other features are available. The ST70 has a 35 inch TFT LCD display that is sunlight viewable with 320 x 240 resolution. Wide viewing angle allows visibility from any place in the cockpit. It can be set to day or night mode color palette, and can be surface mounted or low profile mounted.

The A series of chartplotters and fish finders, like the A57D can be ordered with no pre-loaded charts, with U S chart and coastal charts A57D is an excellent example. U S coastal charts, charts of inland lakes and rivers, or charts from the rest of the world. Best of the Year in Motorboarding was awarded to this series. The chartplotters of the C series as well as fish finders, feature several models, that have the option of chart preload. They have 1280 x 800 pixel wide screen displays with optical bonding for improved contrast and a wide viewing angle. The C series chartplotters can be made to control autopilot functions from the chartplotter interface, and this function can be easily engaged or disengaged by the captain.

Raymarine makes marine weather stations used on Sirius satellite radio so that you can get current graphical weather information at sea. Sea surface temperature, weather radar, surface pressure forecasts, wind forecasts, and forecasts in text format all come with this remarkable piece of marine electronics. 130 satellite radio channels are included, for your listening pleasure. Raymarine marine radar systems are easy to use with a Raymarine multifunction display and a choice of radome or open array antenna.

Marine electronics by Raymarine are top of the line and extremely user freindly. If you outfit your boat with Raymarine equipment, you’ll soon come to appreciate all the extras that Raymarine has thought out in advance so that you can have the best possible system of marine electronics. The latest in electronic advances, including the first ever digital radomes, are available form Raymarine, so that no matter what you need in terms of marine electronics, you’ll know that Raymarine will not only have it, but will have its latest technological incarnation.