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Sunware solar panels claim to have the highest power output to surface ratio of semi-flexible panels currently on the market – 27, 30 and 40 watts per panel. They are specifically designed for marine applications
Have you seen better ?          2 comments to Sunware Medium Power Semi Flexible Solar PanelsLeave a Reply
When it comes to marine electronics there are not many things that European cruising folk can say we have a better experience of than our North American cousins – but in the area of mobile telephony we certainly lead the world. In terms of reliable coverage, range of devices and functionality of devices. Its only natural that we should carry our mobiles when cruising in coastal waters and occasionally resort to calling the marina using GSM instead of VHF when the marina staff choose to ignore the radio…
The picture above shows the current Globalstar satellite phone coverage, but in my view it won’t be long before the personal mobile phone will actually work all over the globe even mid-ocean – so watch out Iridium and Globalstar and all those distributors that depend on the current limitations of GSM! But in the meantime this company, Boatersphone based in West Yorkshire, have a lot of useful info on how you can boost signals and improve reception while on the water. Including how to use a fixed telephones and fax machines connected via the mobile phone network.
If you are my age then you will probably agree that remembering even your school boy electronics theory can be quite a challenge. I would recommend that you click on the link in the right hand nav bar called TB Training. This is a link for the training courses that Tony Brooks provides – Tony is obviously “old school” and knows his stuff. If the symbols below have you scratching your head….then click here for a handy reference guide. For example, here is Tony’s description for symbols of diodes – we all know that electricity only flows in the direction of the arrowhead – or does it?….
Ordinary diode – in the alternator & in split charging diodes.
LED – Light Emitting Diode – used as warning indicators on electronic equipment.
Zener Diode – ignore this, they are inside alternators measuring voltage and protecting the electronics from damage when the battery is disconnect whilst the engine is running. At a pre-determined voltage allows electricity to flow “backwards” through the arrowhead. Tony also specialises in wonderfully simple diagrams that have really helped me to understand the overly complex ones you get with most boat electronics these days,,,as always the rule is KISS (keep it simple stupid)
I must admit my attention starts to wane when I read marine electronics books or even long articles on battery systems – and yet short articles and instant advice on bulletin boards and forums leaves you suspicious that some vital piece of info has been left out… But getting the charging system, and choice of battery and alternator is vital for a modern cruising yacht with so much reliance being placed on sophisticated electronics. Apart from the numerous postings here on this blog I think you would find the following site at Smart Gauge very informative and well worth clicking on their reference section. There are very handy FAQ length explanations of such things as…
…and many other very practical hints and explanations …
This new handheld MR HH425LI VHF from Cobra looks very interesting especially if you live in North America or Canada and need to use GMRS as well as a marine VHF. GMRS and FRS are for personal and family use in the USA and Canada. FRS is normally a 0.5W transmission by the way, and requires no FCC license – but this unit will require a license because it is capable of transmitting up to 5W.
The unit can also record your own transmission out if you want it to and this appears to be held in a separate memory to the inbound recording – well done Cobra for a simple and effective enhancement.
The only problem is that it does not do DSC – this is an oversight for the European market. If you are in Europe and you want the Rewind feature and you want DSC then Cobra only offer the fixed mounted radios such as the MR F80B. Ok, who will produce the first handheld with VHF/GMRS/DSC and Rewind ? |
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27 Watt Panel
October 24th, 2007|
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But for all of us poor saps that live in the UK, I like the “”Rewind” feature which I haven’t seen on any other handheld. This means that the last 20 secs of any inbound transmission is automatically recorded – what a great idea for all those times when the CD/MP3 player is wacking our those golden rock oldies from the 70′s, or when the engine noise is drowning out the fixed VHF down below and you forgot where you left the handheld anyway…
[...] couture. There are good panels available from Brunton (who also have good guides to power usage); Sunware (27 watts); Sunsei (2,6 and 18Watts); and of course for small devices like mobile phones and true [...]
[...] ECO-ENERGYTitle:GANZ Eco-Energy Semi-Flexible Solar Panel – 12WUPC:781904658268Marine Grade Solar Panels – 12WGSP-12GANZ Eco-Energy's fully weatherproof solar modules are designed…h semi-flexible aluminum backing make these panels ideal for mounting on flat or gently curved [...]