Navigation back-up pops up at Seawork
Most crew on modern vessels have become used to relying heavily on electronic navigation systems, but what happens if there is a system malfunction or power failure?
An answer may be found on Johnson Outdoors UK’s Stand S52 and floating pontoon Berth A54 at Seawork 2009, where Geonav Portable Chartplotters will be on display. they offer an invaluable backup to the main navigation system, having MNEA output that can interface with an operating VHF DSC radio in an emergency or be linked to an autopilot.
The portable chartplotters are also available with Navionics Platinum or Navionics Gold chart cartridges. With the Platimum package, for example, aerial and satellite photos can be used with charts. In addition to position finding, they can also interface with a transducer to serve as a depth sounder and give additional essential information to the navigator.
There are four models available, with the Geonav 4C XS and the Geonav 4GIPSY offering the NMEA interface. The Geonav 3S and Geonav 3, at 110 grams, are the lightest handheld chartplotters on the market and provide versatile handheld navigation units for use on land and sea.
The Geonav 4C XS and Geonav 4GIPSY have screen sizes of 3.5” and the Geonav 3 series a screen size of 2.3”. All units are fully waterproof to the IPX7 standard and have rechargeable batteries which can be charged from an AC or DC power supply, meaning they can be recharged on shore or kept topped up from the boat’s supply.
The 4C XS is designed primarily as a marine unit, has a built in battery charger and can also be powered by conventional AA batteries. It is also the only portable chartplotter with a video output so it can be connected to a large screen display such as the Geonav 15 Sunshine LCD monitor.
