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The author recently discovered a line of waterproof, onboard smart chargers with three owner-selectable charging profiles for flooded, AGM or gel batteries. ProMariner’s new ProSport Generation 2 chargers (603-433-4440: promariner.com) come in one-, two- and three-bank models that range in price from about $90-$190. One size definitely does not fit all
May 2008
Have you ever wondered why your trolling motor doesn’t run as long as you think it should between battery charges, or why your batteries don’t last as long as you expected?

It could be that your batteries and charger just don’t get along.

You can almost always make a good screen picture better with a little manual tuning. Tune screen yourself for best view
April 2008
Today’s fish-finders have automatic modes that can tune in a better sonar picture than probably 90 percent of fishermen could by adjusting the screen manually.

The SPOT Satellite Messenger, a new member in the family of portable emergency rescue electronics, can match a variety of needs with the appropriate response. New PLBs can be real lifesavers
March 2008
Emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) have long been required equipment on commercial vessels and a smart addition for all larger boats. The introduction of the personal locator beacon (PLB), a smaller and manually operated version of the EPIRB, has spread the use of maritime distress beacons to smaller boats and to inland users on both land and water.

Some units include features making it easy to travel a plot trail in reverse, save a trail or save a route automatically constructed from a trail. Track plotters don’t get respect
January 2008
Early GPS units were pretty clunky by today’s standards — and approximately 30 times more expensive. Today’s units are faster, more accurate, and most importantly, have a lot more memory. Now, we can look at a detailed on-screen map of the area around us and see ourselves on it. We can also see the locations of places we visited and saved as waypoints, and getting between them is as simple as selecting one with a cursor and hitting a Go-To button.

LED trailer lights are illuminated by clusters of tiny light sources that deliver colors sharp and brilliant enough to make conventional incandescent lights look pale in comparison. Time to consider changing to LEDs
December 2007
The lights on your trailer are your boat’s first line of defense against collisions. Running lights show other drivers that you have a boat behind you when towing in the dark. Brake lights and turn signals can help keep tail-gating drivers from turning your stainless steel prop into a hood ornament, night or day. That is, of course, if your trailer lights work.

If you are going to look at fish symbols, it doesn’t hurt to make them entertaining. This is a Navman 4500 screen shot. Is that on-screen fish really a fish?
November 2007
Fish I.D. features that display cartoon-like fish symbols have been around since fish finders became computerized and incorporated LCD screens, and the controversy about whether the feature helps or hurts your fishing has been around just as long.

The cost of manufacturing and shipping marine batteries is climbing, and that means the cost of replacing the batteries in your boat is also going up. Consider tricks that will keep replacement time from coming around as often. Get value from your deep-cycle battery
October 2007
I confess. I hate messing with batteries. Cleaning and watering them is messy work that can put holes in your clothes, but swapping them out is worse — it can actually hurt you!

Virtually every fish finder, GPS receiver and sonar/GPS combo unit has a button in its menu that can correct a long list of bad adjustments. Magic ‘reset’ button a time-saver
August 2007
A friend called the other day and asked if I would help him change the sonar transducer clamped to the bottom of his trolling motor. He thought he could handle the job but wasn’t sure, and since I live a short distance away, he asked for help.

Two identical cell phones were used in this test. The phone on the right was connected to the marine antenna and amplifier while the phone on the left was not. Cell phone booster really works
July 2007
Leaving stress and aggravation at home is standard practice for many of us when we head outdoors, and the last thing we want to hear is a ringing telephone.

Automotive GPS units show you which road you are on, and once you are moving, they give you the time and distance to your next turn. GPS makes traveling so much easier
June 2007
Why would the driver of a car spend hundreds of dollars for a GPS navigation device just to do something that nearly anybody can do with a $10 road atlas? After using a Lowrance iWAY 500c for a couple of years, I think I know.




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