Consumer marine electronics continue to evolve and improve. And, it seems, every few months new, improved models, software updates and additional features are announced, the user experience increasingly converging with what’s familiar in automotive and consumer electronics.
Today’s marine electronics offer so many features and benefits, describing them in detail is beyond the scope of one article, but what follows is an overview of Simrad’s new NSX after seeing it in action on the water.
High-end features, mid-range price
Now part of the giant Brunswick Group (Mercury Marine, C-MAP), Navico is one of the world’s largest marine electronics companies. Simrad is one of four leading brands Navico manufactures and markets to commercial (shipping, fishing, charter, Search & Rescue, Police, military, etc.) and recreational boating customers.
Product development is ongoing, with much of it happening in New Zealand, where Navico employs 140 staff, with additional input from engineers, software designers and users all over the globe. The company’s chief designer is a Kiwi.
Simrad’s NSX Smart Plotter & Fishfinder products incorporate many of the features and benefits found in Simrad’s high end NSO and NSS ranges. The NSX range represents quite a step-up in functionality, ease of use and integration, including the extremely useful Simrad Companion app.
Boating NZ joined Simrad’s New Zealand-based Product Director Mat Hooper and Marketing Director Michael Blackwell for an on-water demo of the new NSX aboard a new Haines Hunter SF545 LE with Haines Hunter HQ’s Dennis McCorkingdale at the helm. The fully-featured NSX3009 fitted to the Haines is the mid-sized 9-inch option, with 6 and 12-inch displays also available.
Richer user-experience
The NSX provides many parallels with the graphical displays that customers are familiar with in their cars. Now based on an Android operating system rather than Linux, the latest NSX offers a richer, more graphical user experience that’s better aligned to smartphones and tablets, with all functions presented as apps within the operating system.
The new OS has undergone an unprecedented level of testing, says Hooper, to a depth of detail that wasn’t possible before. It’s the first time Simrad has offered its full chartplotter system in the NSX.
“Navico’s focus is to make boating more accessible,” explains Hooper. “Our designers are also boaties who use Navico products in real world situations. We are continually reimagining products and features to provide our customers with a better day on the water.” This is particularly relevant in today’s market, says Blackwell, with a global surge of new boaters, something McCorkingdale confirms we are also seeing in New Zealand.
Fully expandable
NSX is fully-expandable, offering a full sonar, radar and autopilot suite, in addition to GPS navigation using detailed C-MAP DISCOVER X and REVEAL X charting.
Fully-integrated with the Simrad Companion app, C-MAP X charts include full-featured Vector Charts with custom depth shading, high-resolution bathymetry and subscription-free autorouting.
Tides and Currents projections help users with planning and route plotting while Autorouting is Simrad’s fastest ever. Plus, there’s a new Map Inspection feature with one-touch access to information on locations, POIs, tides, channels and more.
NSX can be specified with the latest HALO pulse-compression radar, or add it later, as your budget allows – the same deal with Autopilot – and a range of integrated sonar options you can upgrade at any time.
Choose Active Imaging 3 -in-1, as fitted to the Haines, and you get all your sonar – CHIRP, DownScan Imaging and SideScan – from a single transducer. Get high-resolution images 300 feet below and 300 feet to the sides of your vessel and enjoy superior clarity and the highest resolution images at a longer range than any other structure imaging technology.
FishReveal Smart Target View provides even easier target identification with clearly-defined fish arches. You can even search greater depths with a wide range of compatible 1kW transducers.
Brilliant interface, bright display
Perhaps the NSX’s salient feature is its simple to use interface, which makes it easy to access all its features. Hooper demonstrated how easy it is to set up the system and then configure it in the way you like.
The NSX has a touchscreen display with superb resolution that’s sunlight viewable from any angle and also while wearing polarised sunglasses. There’s also enhanced day and night modes for any weather and lighting conditions.
Set-up is a breeze, using Set-up Wizard. Featuring easy-to-understand prompts and settings adjustments for each step of the process, the Set-up Wizard provides step-by-step instructions to get you up and running quickly – engine and tank setup, Autopilot optimisation, radar dockside and on the water calibration, and much more – while the Simrad app offers a whole host of added extras.
These include hassle-free software updates, on and off the water trip planning, a streamlined chart display that looks the same across all platforms, plus easy transfer of all data, including routes and waypoints.
Intuitive operation
Navico’s engineers have really worked hard to make operating the NSX simple and intuitive: one-touch shortcut to access full-screen, a handy, always accessible Activity Bar to switch between applications – no need to return to the home screen – all chart settings accessible from the chart screen; chart orientation button to switch between north up, heading up and course up; easy management of waypoints and routes and access to more details as and when required.
Drag and drop customisation allows users to configure their display any way they like with whatever windows they want.
Real world demo
The new NSX is certainly impressive in operation. While McCorkingdale is familiar with Simrad electronics from his own boat and from hand-over demonstrations to new Haines Hunter customers, the latest NSX iteration has features that are new to him, so he was just as interested in the demonstration as we were.
After running through the set-up and demonstrating how easy it is to customise and tailor the display depending on personal preference or immediate need, Hooper suggested we explore the NSX’s sonar capability. With CHIRP sonar, DownScan Imaging and SideScan available offering high resolution images below and to the sides of your vessel, fish (and underwater hazards) have nowhere to hide!
We spent a fascinating hour or so exploring the sea floor close to Rangitoto Island, identifying fish, aquatic vegetation, individual rocks, and extensive areas of reef. It’s even possible to split the screen to show all three types of sonar simultaneously, as well as charting, or you can opt to use FishReveal, which blends the best data from Chirp and DownScan imagery, eliminating the need for split-screen viewing and interpretation.
For fishers, FishReveal could be a game changer – seeing it in operation has certainly reinforced my desire to update my own boat’s elderly electronics.
Mid-range grunt
Simrad’s new NSX provides an innovative, modern interface featuring powerful navigation capability with C-MAP support, integrated sonar, full radar and Autopilot systems compatibility. It is a powerful system that’s presented in a sleek, compact, well-priced package that’s suitable for small and large vessels alike.
