New B&G Plotters?

[Dockhead]

My trusty 4G radar is out of order -- I believe the rubber drive belt probably needs to be replaced.

But I think it's a good excuse and a good time to refresh the electronics. I have the first B&G Touch 8" sold in Europe which is now 11 years old, and an ur-Zeus non-touch at the nav table. I always said 10 years was an adequate useful life for this gear, and the used equipment can still be sold on E-bay to defray some of the cost of the new stuff.

I have wanted the HALO radar for some time as used on our Discovery 67 -- a step up in performance from the 4G and with doppler which is useful.

And I don't like my nav pod at the helm so don't mind doing that over again to suit the different size Zeus 3S 9". For the nav table, I'll downsize to a 7" which will free up space in my panel (also take the SSB speaker out of there).

They never made a 3S in 7", but you can still buy the Zeus3 in that size. But they also offer now something called the "S", without any buttons. What is this? Is this the new model generation path for Navico? Or is this an econo version like the Vulcan which can't be networked?

Grateful for any advice.

[Jimbo2010]

do you realize the lack of customer support at B&G

[rslifkin]

Does your current MFD support the Halo24 dome, or is it too old? If it's too old, then yup, time to upgrade everything. But if it supports it, I'd get the radar first, then take a little time to decide on the rest of the electronics.

I'm betting the "S" is the B&G version of the Simrad NSX, which is a lower end networked unit compared to the NSS (which is the base for the B&G Zeus).

[SailingHarmonie]

I have a deep dislike for the MFD that have touchscreen only interfaces. I find them totally worthless on a sailboat in weather. This is doubly true on the smaller screens. On a boat in a seaway, it can be impossible to make precise selections on the screen.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Jimbo2010

do you realize the lack of customer support at B&G

As a decades long owner of B&G gear my answer is -- yes, painfully.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Does your current MFD support the Halo24 dome, or is it too old? If it's too old, then yup, time to upgrade everything. But if it supports it, I'd get the radar first, then take a little time to decide on the rest of the electronics.

I'm betting the "S" is the B&G version of the Simrad NSX, which is a lower end networked unit compared to the NSS (which is the base for the B&G Zeus).

I agree completely. And the answer is the new radar is not compatible with my old plotters.


The Zeus 3S is a hardware upgrade to the Zeus 3. I don't know what Simrad model that corresponds to, but it's not the NSS which is a few generations back. My ancient Zeus Touch is the B&G equivalent to the NSS.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by SailingHarmonie

I have a deep dislike for the MFD that have touchscreen only interfaces. I find them totally worthless on a sailboat in weather. This is doubly true on the smaller screens. On a boat in a seaway, it can be impossible to make precise selections on the screen.

I agree in principle, and I like the enhanced hardware buttons of the Zeus 3 and 3S.


But for the nav table I could live with it, especially with such a big cost advantage.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I agree completely. And the answer is the new radar is not compatible with my old plotters.


The Zeus 3S is a hardware upgrade to the Zeus 3. I don't know what Simrad model that corresponds to, but it's not the NSS which is a few generations back. My ancient Zeus Touch is the B&G equivalent to the NSS.

The NSS line is still current. I think the Zeus 3S matches up to the NSS Evo3S models. And the Zeus 3 would be the slightly older NSS Evo3. Those are both derived from the same lineage as your current Zeus Touch (and the corresponding 1st gen NSS), but several generations newer.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

The NSS line is still current. I think the Zeus 3S matches up to the NSS Evo3S models. And the Zeus 3 would be the slightly older NSS Evo3. Those are both derived from the same lineage as your current Zeus Touch (and the corresponding 1st gen NSS), but several generations newer.

OK, that sounds right.