Touchscreen MFD in the Rain?

[Katiusha]

I tested Furuno's TZ Touch at a boatshow by pouring water on it and working it at the same time (without gloves or anything). It works just fine. Furuno people didn't mind such abuse of their electronics either.

If you find a stand with Simrad, I'm sure you could check it in a similar fashion. After all, these screens are waterproof.

[doug1957]

Just to clarify my earlier post. So far as I know, anything with the cursor (getting bearing to a mark, plotting a course, setting a waypoint) requires the touchscreen. But, if courses and waypoints are done ahead of time, they can be accessed with the menu button and the scroll button. Press the button to select a choice.

That being said, I've used my NSS8 in the rain with no problem. I think I saw a U-Tube video showing the NSS being used in web conditions.

Sorry for the confusion.

[goboatingnow]

The main reason I would buy the NSS is that its clear thats the product that Simrad are taking forward. It's the only one that can support the insight system and full integration with iPad etc

Dave

[Dulcesuenos]

Our pantec element is waterproof(8") display works when wet, our Garmin 740 works fine when wet but a little finicky when soaked. A quick wipe off helps it work great even if left a a lil damp.

[chala]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The manufacturers claim they work in all conditions now. Is that true?

6.5 Hybridtouch overview
If your multifunction display features Hybridtouch, this enables you
to operate the unit using the touchscreen and the physical keys.
All functions can be accessed using the touchscreen. However,
there may be situations (such as rough sea conditions) when it is not
appropriate to use the touchscreen. In these situations, Raymarine
strongly recommends that you activate the touch lock and use the
physical keys to operate your multifunction display.

6.6 Touchscreen overview
The touchscreen provides an alternative to using physical buttons to
control your multifunction display.
All functions that can be achieved by using physical buttons can
also be achieved by using the touchscreen
Note: Raymarine strongly recommends that you familiarize
yourself with touch operations while your vessel is anchored
or moored. You may find it helpful to use the simulator mode
(accessible from Homescreen > Set-up > System Settings)
in these situations.
Getting started

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

The main reason I would buy the NSS is that its clear thats the product that Simrad are taking forward. It's the only one that can support the insight system and full integration with iPad etc

Dave

Well, the "GoFree" WiFi system works with the NSE (and B&G Z) as well as with the NSS (and B&G T). You just can't control the NSE/Z with the IPad. But the other functions all work -- you can mirror the display etc.

I ended up hedging my bets -- I bought a B&G Z (analogue of NSE) for the cockpit, and bought the T (analogue of NSS) for the nav table. I should really not have done that before actually trying both of the units, but there was just no chance to do it. I get a $350 rebate on the Z which brings the cost down close to that of the T.

One reason I decided to forgo touchscreen in the cockpit is that I sail in a Northerly latitude and have plans to sail in higher latitudes still. I am often in gloves and it just doesn't seem right to me that the plotter should be controlled by touch screen. Of course, I have to take my gloves off to operate my existing non-touchscreen plotter, but I think the less touchy-feely the process is, the better in cold and inclement weather. It just seems to me.

A bit of thread drift, but I just can't understand why people complain about the price of chart plotters/MFD's. These 8" B&G MFD's cost only a little more than $2000. They are proper marinized waterproof units with daylight viewable high res screens that do everything. They have all kinds of ports (N2K, NMEA0183, Ethernet, USB) and a built in hard drive. The software must have cost a fortune to develop, and the number of units sold cannot spread that out much. I think they are an outstanding bargain. You can hardly put together a regular computer with software for that kind of money, and these are made to stand in the rain for 10 years.

[PamlicoTraveler]

As far as touch-screens and MFDs, we replaced our chart plotter with an MFD version. On our crossing to Europe we found the Raymarine e7 to be sorely lacking in the rain and rough weather. Here is my May 2012 blog post titled "Raymarine, Praymarine, Straymarine." http://www.wildgoosesailing.com/2012...arine.html?m=1

The touch screen would not work in wet weather, and even the toggle switch was useless. I don't think they tested it in real world conditions.

The customer service response from Raymarine was incredible, but quite frankly the replacement unit has all the same problems.

[chala]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

A bit of thread drift, but I just can't understand why people complain about the price of chart plotters/MFD's. These 8" B&G MFD's cost only a little more than $2000. They are proper marinized waterproof units with daylight viewable high res screens that do everything. They have all kinds of ports (N2K, NMEA0183, Ethernet, USB) and a built in hard drive. The software must have cost a fortune to develop, and the number of units sold cannot spread that out much. I think they are an outstanding bargain. You can hardly put together a regular computer with software for that kind of money, and these are made to stand in the rain for 10 years.

Good that you can buy it for that price. Here it cost around $3600 a RM c/95 is $2200. These companies are commercial venture what they sell is no bargain, what they sell is priced for what the customer is willing to pay. I do not know how much OPEN CPN did cost to develop but one thing is sure if these companies get it wrong they will loose a fortune. As for 10 years in the rain or in the sun let see.

[hellosailor]

Dockhead, with the gloves-on-gloves-off dilemna, you might want to look for "shooters' mittens". These are lightweight mittens designed for shooters. The covering for the four fingers is made like a pocket, so you can pop your fingers out (by the palm) and then pull the pocket back over them to keep them warm.

As to the price of electronics...On the one hand, yes, daylight readable screens are damned expensive. Development costs are a financier's game, if you split them over one year, or three, or ten, all of a sudden profit and loss swap around. The software, if well written, might very well be amortized over a 25-50 year period. Or someone might say it has to be written off in three years and the next 47 years of product can be sold at a reduced price because the software is now paid off. Pick your game.

But when it comes to hardware costs, there's a lot of FUD in the information you get about those. Here in the US the cellular companies routinely say they need to "subsidize" the $600 "cost" of a smartphone. And yet industry trade magazines typically de-construct them, price them out, and show they can be built and are bing built for under $200 each. And clones for some of these are being retailed out of China for $100. So, who's lying? You think a chartplotter has any more or better electronics than a high end cell phone? Other than that expensive daylight readable screen?

Or perhaps this is also a tariff issue, we've all seen tariffs that neatly double the price of goods. Compare petrol in the US to the EU, we pay about half what you do simply because it isn't taxed as highly.

I don't disagree with their right to a profit and I certainly don't want them to cheap out on quality control, but sometimes we are simply being told "You don't need this, you want this. If you want it badly enough, you'll pay our price." Until someone in Shenzhen decides to sell it at 1/3 the price and eat their lunch, anyhow. If the Chinese clone-makers ever figure out what just a little quality can do, there's going to be a lot of missing lunch.