[Amel Yacht Owners] Electronics questions for 2003 sm#380
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Alexandre Uster von Baar <uster@...>
Good afternoon Steve,
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First, congratulations for becoming the owner of #380, you definitely acquire a beautiful sailing vessel and welcome to the Amel Family. I can’t reply your question, but want to pick your mind on it… Just like you, when I purchased my SM2K not so long ago in 2012, I was very excited, had lots of ideas… changing, upgrading, etc… many people (Bill, Kent, etc.) gave the same advice: don’t change anything for at least one year. If I may ask, what is wrong with your current Furuno radar? Just Old? Not the latest? The technician that installed my ICOM AIS Transmitter in 2013, give me his opinion on the rest of my electronics, since he was highly recommended and I would have done (right or wrong) anything he said. He actually said my Furuno Radar (regardless of its age) is a great one, still used by many fishermen, so don’t replace it. And I follow his advice. Regarding the Navigation equipments, my plan was to do like Francisco and Oddette on Peregrinus SM2K #250 having a B&G Zeus 12 with slave monitor, etc.). Therefore, to be honest, the 20% spending budget on the purchasing price for the 1st year, was already spent, so I decided to keep using multiple (for back up reason) iPad with Navionics charts on and Bad Elf to send GPS location through Blue Tooth. I am sure it is very deferent to what most people use, but has been working very well for me for the last 4 years in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. I can walk anywhere I want with my iPad (with water proof protection), etc. If not use as a primary, I would definitely recommend use it as back up, countless stories of sailing I met (non-Amel owners) who had their primary Chart plotter failing and end up using the iPad + GPS sending. As one of my instructors said, don’t spend too much money upgrading what is already working (and has been working sufficiently for over a decade), think more about spending money on “expected/scheduled” maintenance (like Bow Thruster, C-Drive, engine, genset, etc.). Just sharing, and congratulations again on purchasing SM#280! Sincerely, Alexandre SM2K #289 NIKIMAT Harbor View Marina, Tortola, BVI -------------------------------------------- On Sat, 1/14/17, steve_morrison@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
Subject: [Amel Yacht Owners] Electronics questions for 2003 sm#380 To: amelyachtowners@... Date: Saturday, January 14, 2017, 3:36 PM Hi all, I am headed down to Fort Lauderdale next week to continue getting to know my newly acquired SM and am planning on meeting with Jeff Grossman of Associated Electronics to evaluate the current Furuno vx2 set up and discuss possible upgrades. I have recently seen a few comments on the forum warning against letting regular 'electronics types' poke around and work in the electrically bonded world of Amel electronics. Are there specific things I need to be aware of before going ahead with an upgrade? Are there 24v/bonded protocols or specialists in the south Florida area? I must say, the sense I get from reading the various threads on the forum make me feel as if I need to educate myself to a level higher than most of those I ask to service my vessel so that I can personally oversee all work done to her, and this seems daunting to a new owner. Those that have altered or replaced the original Nav electronics (Chartplotters, radar, AIS, etc), what have you gone with, and where and who did the work, or would you recommend to do the work? Thanks for your time, consideration, and knowledge,Steve MorrisonSM#380 TouraiFt Lauderdale |
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On Island Pearl II we like the old B&G instruments but we have linked these to two new Raymarine E70 chart plotters (Nav station & rear cabin) plus a new ES97 at the helm. We went with a Raymarine 650 AIS, a Raymarine Network system to network all displays off any one of the plotters chart cards and added a 2nd full new Raymarine Autopilot at the helm with quick change over switch between autopilot 1 and 2. These are all great but you could do the same with any brand, we just happen to prefer Raymarine now as it is robust (like B&G used to be before being bought out). By far the best new equipment we added was the latest Raymarine Quantum radar. This little unit is absolutely incredible in picking up even isolated unlit thin mooring poles when night sailing and best of all uses almost nil power!! We now have it on all the time whilst sailing, and for the first time ever we now have peace of mind sailing on pitch black nights with no moonlight! It was not all that expensive either, and we kept the old Amel supplied radar as well as backup and for seeing further but haven't even switched the old one on once since getting the Quantum. Just moved it's screen back in the nav station area so we can fit a monitor in front of it on a swing arm to access the old radar when/if required. Also on the 2nd radar mount (1 meter below the original) we have a fwd and rear facing camera linked to the TV's so can see what's coming and going whilst sailing solo and down making a cup of tea etc.. Lastly, if it is not yet done, have the old B&G instruments linked to your auto-pilots and network. This way everything talks to each other via NMEA. We also have 4 extra Raymarine i 70 displays on the boat so we can see wind, radar, AIS, Speed, Depth on these too, plus to get the benefit of using the new autopilot on "wind pilot" mode which we sometimes find handy. Possibly all the I70's was overkill though and not necessary as we generally only have 2 of these on most of the time. But of everything I would say absolutely the Quantum Radar was the very best buy. Colin & Lauren Streeter, Island Pearl II, Amel 53 # 332 Brisbane On Sun, Jan 15, 2017 at 8:20 AM, Alexandre Uster von Baar uster@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
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Colin Streeter 0411 016 445 |
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Steve Morrison <steve_morrison@...>
Thank you Alexandre. To be honest, I don’t yet fully know what works and what does not. Upon survey, there were several deficiencies noted having to do with the backup auto pilot (the raymarine), and the AIS transponder as well as two different sounders, and the VX2 chart plotter at the nav station. There were also a pair of remote B&G displays (fore and aft cabin) that were seemingly not responsive. It is possible that some of these issues could have been resolved had the owner been involved, but that was not my experience, and as it was, my surveyor noted them. It may be that when I meet with Jeff this coming week, he is able to demonstrate most of these things to be operational, but at the same time, if not, I would like to have a sense of what other Amel owners have done with their electronics.
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It would seem to me, given the advances in electronics that happen in most every field over the course of a decade, that I would likely be better served pouring time and money into installing and learning a unified and cohesive system that should hold me in good stead through the next 10 years, rather than coaxing a mix of components to play together with some of the limitations of older technology. Admittedly I still have much to learn about both what I have, and what I need. Thank you for your reply and advice. I hope to meet you out on the water in the next year or so if you are still in the caribbean, Steve
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Steve Morrison <steve_morrison@...>
Thank you Colin and Lauren,
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Thank you for your detailed response. I admit that it will take me a little research to envision the various components you mentioned, though I am interested to go online and begin to mentally build your system in my head. It is my understanding that todays systems integrate more completely and with far fewer wires and cables than systems even a few years ago. Did you experience any issues with installation? Would you possibly be willing and able to send me a photo of your nav station as well as helm station? All the best, Steve
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Alexandre Uster von Baar <uster@...>
Good morning Steve,
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A back up Auto-pilot is definitely very important, 2 years ago, I was sailing (solo) from Fort Lauderdale to Grand Bahama, so an overnight trip, when I received a message on the Auto pilot: “drive fail” or something like that. It was 10.00 pm, and I was not happy as I thought I would have to hand steer for another 10 hours… I switch from the Rotary to the Lineary drive and it work ! So relieved… For long trip, I would definitely recommend adding a 2nd computer like Francisco & Odette and i think Bill have done. Auto Pilot is definitely your best friend… Glad you have an AIS Transponder, I love mine! I was just reading Colin’s reply, I usually don’t enter at night places I don’t know, but had in a few occasions and remember almost hitting a pole entering in Providenciales. So looks like Colin’s radar would be a great addition, not to mention if it uses much less electricity than the current Furuno. And yes, technology definitely greatly improve every decade… Take your time for the boat, personally (but I have 2 small businesses I manage onboard), I spent 9 months learning the system before I started my trip. Looking forward to meet you! Sincerely, Alexandre -------------------------------------------- On Sat, 1/14/17, Steve Morrison steve_morrison@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
Subject: Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Electronics questions for 2003 sm#380 To: amelyachtowners@... Date: Saturday, January 14, 2017, 11:29 PM Thank you Alexandre. To be honest, I don’t yet fully know what works and what does not. Upon survey, there were several deficiencies noted having to do with the backup auto pilot (the raymarine), and the AIS transponder as well as two different sounders, and the VX2 chart plotter at the nav station. There were also a pair of remote B&G displays (fore and aft cabin) that were seemingly not responsive. It is possible that some of these issues could have been resolved had the owner been involved, but that was not my experience, and as it was, my surveyor noted them. It may be that when I meet with Jeff this coming week, he is able to demonstrate most of these things to be operational, but at the same time, if not, I would like to have a sense of what other Amel owners have done with their electronics. It would seem to me, given the advances in electronics that happen in most every field over the course of a decade, that I would likely be better served pouring time and money into installing and learning a unified and cohesive system that should hold me in good stead through the next 10 years, rather than coaxing a mix of components to play together with some of the limitations of older technology. Admittedly I still have much to learn about both what I have, and what I need. Thank you for your reply and advice. I hope to meet you out on the water in the next year or so if you are still in the caribbean, Steve On 14 January 2017, at 5:20 PM, Alexandre Uster von Baar uster@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote: Good afternoon Steve, First, congratulations for becoming the owner of #380, you definitely acquire a beautiful sailing vessel and welcome to the Amel Family. I can’t reply your question, but want to pick your mind on it… Just like you, when I purchased my SM2K not so long ago in 2012, I was very excited, had lots of ideas… changing, upgrading, etc… many people (Bill, Kent, etc.) gave the same advice: don’t change anything for at least one year. If I may ask, what is wrong with your current Furuno radar? Just Old? Not the latest? The technician that installed my ICOM AIS Transmitter in 2013, give me his opinion on the rest of my electronics, since he was highly recommended and I would have done (right or wrong) anything he said. He actually said my Furuno Radar (regardless of its age) is a great one, still used by many fishermen, so don’t replace it. And I follow his advice. Regarding the Navigation equipments, my plan was to do like Francisco and Oddette on Peregrinus SM2K #250 having a B&G Zeus 12 with slave monitor, etc.). Therefore, to be honest, the 20% spending budget on the purchasing price for the 1st year, was already spent, so I decided to keep using multiple (for back up reason) iPad with Navionics charts on and Bad Elf to send GPS location through Blue Tooth. I am sure it is very deferent to what most people use, but has been working very well for me for the last 4 years in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. I can walk anywhere I want with my iPad (with water proof protection), etc. If not use as a primary, I would definitely recommend use it as back up, countless stories of sailing I met (non-Amel owners) who had their primary Chart plotter failing and end up using the iPad + GPS sending. As one of my instructors said, don’t spend too much money upgrading what is already working (and has been working sufficiently for over a decade), think more about spending money on “expected/scheduled” maintenance (like Bow Thruster, C-Drive, engine, genset, etc.). Just sharing, and congratulations again on purchasing SM#280! Sincerely, Alexandre SM2K #289 NIKIMAT Harbor View Marina, Tortola, BVI -------------------------------------------- On Sat, 1/14/17, steve_morrison@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote: Subject: [Amel Yacht Owners] Electronics questions for 2003 sm#380 To: amelyachtowners@... Date: Saturday, January 14, 2017, 3:36 PM Hi all, I am headed down to Fort Lauderdale next week to continue getting to know my newly acquired SM and am planning on meeting with Jeff Grossman of Associated Electronics to evaluate the current Furuno vx2 set up and discuss possible upgrades. I have recently seen a few comments on the forum warning against letting regular 'electronics types' poke around and work in the electrically bonded world of Amel electronics. Are there specific things I need to be aware of before going ahead with an upgrade? Are there 24v/bonded protocols or specialists in the south Florida area? I must say, the sense I get from reading the various threads on the forum make me feel as if I need to educate myself to a level higher than most of those I ask to service my vessel so that I can personally oversee all work done to her, and this seems daunting to a new owner. Those that have altered or replaced the original Nav electronics (Chartplotters, radar, AIS, etc), what have you gone with, and where and who did the work, or would you recommend to do the work? Thanks for your time, consideration, and knowledge,Steve MorrisonSM#380 TouraiFt Lauderdale |
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hanspeter baettig
Dear Colin I'm interessted how you installed the second Raymarine Autopilot to the helm. As I understood, you installed not a linear drive AP direct to the rudder Quadrant.Correct ? Can you send me some pics per email ? Also if you can send me infos/pics about the installation of your fwd/rear facing camera. my email: Hanspeter.baettig at bluemail dot ch Thank you very much. Hanspeter SM Tamango 2 ----Ursprüngliche Nachricht---- |
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Hi Hanspeter I see I missed your other question about how we installed the 2nd autopilot. It is the same as many others on this forum, ie 2nd new course computer is inside hatch above galley sink as is the quick change over switch between autopilot A & B. 2nd autopilot head just fitted next to original ST7001 in cockpit. Will send pic when we get back if you still need one. Colin Streeter, Island Pearl II Amel 53 #332, Brisbane On Mon, Jan 16, 2017 at 1:50 AM, 'hanspeter.baettig@...' hanspeter.baettig@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
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Colin Streeter 0411 016 445 |
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hanspeter baettig
Thank you very much for your fast reply, Colin For my understanding; you use only the rotary el. motor inside the hatch above the gally for both AP's course computer and control units in the cockpit ; means you have not installed a linear drive engin close beside the rudder Quadrant under the aft cabin berth ? Regards Hanspeter ----Ursprüngliche Nachricht---- |
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Hi Hanspeter No, we have the rotary drive on one autopilot and the hydraulic quadrant ram arm on the 2nd autopilot. Colin Island Pearl II On 16 Jan 2017 8:02 PM, "'hanspeter.baettig@...' hanspeter.baettig@... [amelyachtowners]" <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:
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hanspeter baettig
Hi Colin I'm still interested for the pic's; FWD camera & 2. AP thanks a lot Hanspeter Von meinem iPhone gesendet Am 16.01.2017 um 01:31 schrieb SV Island Pearl II colin.d.streeter@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...>:
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