Pilot Systems News

B&G, a leader in the manufacture of instruments and marine electronics for sailing, announced today the release of the compact Wireless Pilot Controller. Providing complete control to sailors, no matter where they are on the boat, the new Wireless Pilot Controller is comprised of a small and lightweight waterproof Bluetooth base station with micro-C connections, has pairings for up to four remotes, and is compatible with B&G Triton and H5000 Pilot systems. The Pilot Controller Wireless Remote is perfectly sized to fit into the user’s palm. The unit has a series of clearly marked keys and an LED status light to allow for fast and accurate autopilot access. A mode button allows sailors to toggle through the available pilot modes such as Auto or Wind.

MacGregor can now offer anchor-handling towing winches (AHTW) with pulling powers of between 300 tonnes and 600 tonnes and will be able to supply them in both hydraulically and electrically-driven versions. MacGregor is part of Cargotec Corporation, the world's leading provider of cargo handling solutions used in local transportation, terminals, ports, distribution centres and ships. Although traditionally supplied as hydraulically-operated, the new range of AHTWs will also be available as electrically-driven units.

Marine Simulation LLC recently teamed with Cabaco Marine Pte Ltd to sell two ROVsim Pro training systems to Seahorse Services Co. Ltd. to be used in their new ROV pilot training facility in Vung Tao, Vietnam. ROVsim Pro is a physics accurate, visually realistic and highly configurable Remotely Operated (submerged) Vehicle (ROV) simulator intended for undersea and marine professionals. By implementing the very latest technologies for real-time 3D visualization, it is able to simulate a wide range of mission variables: from changing currents and visibility, to electronics and gear failures.

A $2 million marketing campaign, a $2 million investment in manufacturing and technological capabilities and a new suite of innovative products are at the heart of Raymarine's push into the 2002 season. The company, which completed its $108 million buyout from Raytheon at the beginning of this year, believes it will maintain its lead in the marine electronics market. new branding. to coincide with the major international boat shows over the next six months. The company is also soon to launch the first of its new campaigns for 2002. attention on the scale and quality of the information boaters will access. business. capacity and technology developments. market conditions. information needs of the boater. VHF radiotelephone solutions.

Navionics SpA announced the release of a new product line, XL Charts, consisting of larger charts covering Europe. The new XL Charts are two to three times larger than previous products, which include new areas, and features a complete update of all existing coverage areas. New XL Charts for the U.S. were released last month, while other areas such as Canada, Central and South America, Australia and New Zealand will be available by the end of January 2002. Navionics charts are used in many popular chart plotters, PC and Palm Pilot systems from prominent instrument manufacturers such as Furuno, Geonav, Lowrance, Northstar, Raymarine S&W U.K., Silva, SW&N and others.