Free Raymarine Wireless Apps through April 7th.

Raymarine's  Free Wireless Apps offer ends on  April 7, 2013.  Don't miss out on your chance to experience the convenience of our RayRemote and RayControl apps  on your compatible Smartphone or Tablet.  Compatible with Raymarine's c-Series and e-Series MFD's our wireless apps let you see and control your navigation system from everywhere onboard.
Find Your Free Apps Online:
iTunes App Store
Google App Store
Amazon App Store

Garmin announces several major price changes.  Many of the Garmin GPSMAP chartplotters and multi-function display systems have been drastically reduced.  To take advantage of these great price decreases please contact Blue Frontier, LLC at info@blue-frontier.com or give us a call at (978)-255-3505

If you are serious about your fishing, then the next generation of fishfinding  technology is for you.  It is called CHIRP.  What  is  CHIRP?  It is a transducer technology developed by Airmar and stands for Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse.  Unlike your traditional fishfinder which  operates on a distinct frequency (likely 50kHz or 200 kHz) in short pulses, the  CHIRP transducers send out a "sweep" pattern of sequential frequencies in a  longer pulse.  When you combine this transducer technology with a broadband  Digital Signal Processor (DSP), ie, the "blackbox" fishfinder, the result is remarkable. According to Airmar, compared to a traditional sounder, you are  likely to see 5 to 10 times greater detail and resolution, making it possible to  easily distinguish between individual baitfish, game gamefish, and  underwater structures.  Based on your settings, it is possible to actually see  the thermocline due to how the signal passes through the differing densities of  water temperatures.  The image above shows individual baitfish within a baitball  as well as distinct targets along the bottom.
Combining the appropriate transducer set with a DSP also allows you to "dial in" a specific frequency to track.  This is good news for tuna fisherman who typically want to see the 88kHz zone, where tuna are  reported to show up best.  
Like all great new gadgets, this new technology does come at a price.  Even if you have  an existing fishfinder/sounder in your system, you will likely need to upgrade  the whole thing.  Your MFD should be fine with a simple software update.   However, because the technology truly starts in the transducer, you will need to  upgrade those to CHIRP.   Typically there are three versions of transducers that cover varying frequency ranges; Low Frequency (40kHz to 75kHz), Medium Frequency (80kHz to 135kHz), and High Frequency (130kHz to 210kHz).  Depending on the ranges you want to cover, you pick two of the three ranges.  Each transducer can be used to send out a "Sweep" of all the frequencies within its range or you can tell it to focus on a specific frequency. Transducers may come in a "classic" bronze thru-hull version with built-in combinations like Low/High  frequency or Medium/High frequency.  Or for best results, you may choose two  individual bronze, tilted element transducers, each covering its own set of  frequencies.  You will choose the transducers that best fit what you are fishing  for and where, i.e., whether you are a ground fisherman or bluewater; or deep  water or shallow.  MSRP for the transducers start about $750 and go up from  there. Larger commercial style transducers are also available. Contact Blue Frontier for help picking your transducers and actual pricing.
Once you  have decided on the frequencies you want to cover, you next need to address the  DSP.  This most likely is in the form of a "black box" sounder module.  If you  are currently running a Garmin GSD22, Raymarine DSM300, or the like, you
have a  sounder module in your network.  This is good.  Unfortunately, those units will  not accommodate the CHIRP transducer.  You will need to upgrade to a Raymarine  CP450, Garmin GSD26, or Simrad BSM-2 depending on the existing system you are  running or purchasing.  Currently, Furuno does not offer a CHIRP specific networkable sounder module.  They have stated that they are waiting to see how the market reacts before introducing (or not) their own CHIRP capable DSP.  However, the Furuno FCV  and Sitex/Koden CVS-FX1 Sounders can be used with the Airmar CHIRP transducers for enhanced performance.  Expect future releases of MFDs from several manufacturers with "built-in sounders" to have the  processing capabilities to handle the CHIRP transducers.  Currently, the above  mentioned sounder modules from Garmin, Raymarine and Simrad start at about $1999.  Please contact Blue Frontier  for actual pricing and compatibility with your system. 
With your new CHIRP transducers installed and connected to your CHIRP-capable Sounder Module, you now connect to your MFD and you will be getting fish and bottom images and target distinction unlike anything you have ever seen before.  Fish beware!
Much like the move Navico (Simrad) made with its Broadband radars, it seems like there is  a new movement afoot to take an old, tried and true technology and turn it on  its head.  If Airmar's advanced technology continues to make waves within the walls of the  fishfinder manufacturers, I think it is likely that there will be a serious move  to enable all sounders with this capability. If you are skeptical, consider  this: Garmin recently showed off an image of a CHIRP sounder tracking bottom in  over 17,000 feet of water at 20 knots of speed! 
 
Feel free to contact Blue Frontier with any questions about CHIRP and how you may benefit from it.
 

Here in the Northeast we have a tendency  to wrap up our boats and look forward to a snowy winter on the slopes or by the  fireside; out of sight, out of mind. However, winter is a great time to get work done on your boat.  
One project we have seen growing demand for is upgrading existing on board  lights from incandescent, halogen and fluorescent lights to LEDs.  LEDs are now available for just about any location on your boat; from navigation lights to  floodlights, interior to underwater.  And with the number of products and applications growing, the cost to the consumer continues to drop.  And switching to this new technology is not just about having that cool blue or red deck light when you are sitting at the dock.  This is a power saving technology that has a trickle down effect on your entire boating budget (not to mention the environment!).
LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are part of a small circuit board, they are not a filament bulb.  As such, there is very little energy lost to heat and this  greatly extends the life of the LED.  Most are guaranteed to burn for anywhere  from 20,000 to 100,000 hours.  Compare this to only a couple of hundred hours for a typical  incandescent bulb. 
How long is a 20,000 hour light?  Over 800 twenty-four hour  days.  If your boat is in the water for 180 days a year (typical in New England)  and you left this light on for the entire time, it would still last you almost five years!  Extend that over a more realistic timeline (hopefully you don't  leave your lights on all summer) and it is not unreasonable to think that the  LEDs will probably still be shining bright even when you move on to your next, bigger boat. No more cleaning the contacts on the festoon bulbs to try and squeak out another month before replacing them. 
Another big advantage is the power draw, or lack there of.  On a twelve volt system, an 25 watt incandescent bulb will cost you over 2 amps of power and waste a lot of it creating heat.  That is only one light, never mind all the other lights, the navigation electronics, and the refrigerator! The amperage's can add up quickly and be a real imposition if you are at anchor and trying to avoid running the engine to charge the batteries in the middle of the night or waking up to dead batteries.
Amperage's on LEDs are often measured in DECIMALS of amps or MILLI-AMPS.  They draw a fraction of the power for the same amount of light.  The trickle down is that you are reducing battery draw.  This, in turn, helps reduce the number of charging cycles on your battery system, which helps preserve the overall life of your batteries.  Plus, LEDs come in several cool colors!
For interior lights, you should be aware of the differences between colors like "cool white" and "warm white".  Cool white is a brighter, "cleaner" white, while warm white tends to be a softer, more "yellowish" color. Also keep in mind that colors may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, despite having the same label, i.e., blue, white, etc. This means it is worth budgeting to do an entire area at once to avoid having potentially mismatched colors later.
If you really love your light fixture and don't want to replace it with a fully integrated LED fixture, you can purchase LED bulb replacements that will insert into the original incandescent sockets.  While this does give you the power savings of the LED light, you are still going to be susceptible to corrosion in the socket.  This is particularly true of bulbs for navigation and exterior courtesy lights which are more susceptible to salt spray.  For the cost, we recommend a full replacement to a device that has the LED board integrated and sealed into the fixture.
Switching to LEDs is a great project for over the winter while the boat is wrapped.  It is a nice upgrade that will give you illumination for years of worry free boating.

Contact Blue Frontier if you have questions about LEDs or are looking for product ideas to replace some of the lights on your boat.
 

It is no secret that the mobile device has invaded the boating world.  In recent years, we have seen a proliferation of devices on board that are becoming more and more capable with rapidly improving applications.  What is relatively new in  this field is that marine electronics manufacturers are now pushing to get their  existing machines to "talk" to the mobile devices. 
In recent history, the tablet and mobile phone (ok, I will say it; the iPad and iPhone) were coming on board under a bit of a misconception; that they were perfectly acceptable and capable replacements for the fixed mount marine electronics already onboard.  With charting applications from recognized names and navigational Apps that showed the icon of my boat where it seemed like it should be, it was an easy leap to think that the new regime had arrived.  Unfortunately, one didn't have to scratch the surface of use too hard to find that there were several limitations to these applications and that the $9 app was perhaps a bit misleading as a replacement.  It was a bit of "the cart leading the horse" scenario.  Here is this great consumer electronics product that was being forced into the marine environment, perhaps before its time.  Limitations on data (is that a cell tower fix or GPS fix?) and  incorrectly displayed data (GPS Course over Ground IS NOT the same as compass heading.  And is that in True or Magnetic?) were just some of the issues we found during on the water trials.  This past year, however, we have seen the tides turn and marine electronics manufacturers have begun integrating the tablet and smart phone (including Android) into their product line-ups.  Rather than using the mobile device as a replacement, it is being used as both a repeater and a remote control to enhance their built-in displays.  Manufacturers like Furuno and Raymarine are leading the charge with full integration, via built-in WiFi, between your mobile device and a plotter/display.  Garmin and Simrad are also releasing products that will allow data exchange from their networks with an external WiFi antenna.  Two other companies who are leading the charge are Digital Yacht and Fusion.  Digital Yacht has a full line of devices that allow you to use your existing ships GPS, instrument, AIS or other data on mobile apps like Navionics or iNavX via WiFi and Bluetooth.  Fusion's 700 series stereo now has an app that allows you to use your mobile device as a remote control.  And coming this spring, you will see Fusion remote control options available on many Multi-Function Displays (MFDs) from several manufacturers.  While the i Navigation movement is clearly upon us, Blue Frontier recommends you understand some of the limitations of the products and applications before relying on them solely for the safety of you, your vessel, and your passengers.  Capt. Bill Hooper will be presenting a seminar at the 2013 New England 
Boat Show on "i" Navigation.  He will be discussing some of the many ways the mobile devices can be used aboard as well as some of the limitations.  We invite you to attend.  We also welcome feedback from you about your experiences with any mobile device and/or application.  You can email us here.

To celebrate their DAME Award nomination for the new RayControl App you can now   
download both RayControl  and RayRemote  for FREE from the App Store, Google Play or Amazon. 
 
But hurry! This offer is strictly for a limited period only.

Apps work with new cSeries and eSeries Multifunction Displays
Transform your tablet into a full function Raymarine MFD with the RayControl
App. Remotely control and view electronic charting, sonar, radar, and even    thermal night vision, right from your
tablet.
 
RayRemote transforms your smartphone into a virtual remote keypad for Raymarine
multifunction displays. Remotely control electronic charting, sonar, radar,
and even thermal night vision, right from your phone

View more information about the app offer here.