Cell Phones

(Image: Dockmate)

Dockmate Upgrades Its Wireless Remote Control System

Dockmate, manufacturer of advanced wireless remote controls for yachts, announced today its next generation remote control transmitters and an all-new mounting option with a custom-designed fixed-mount, wireless charging Cradle.Key innovations in the upgraded hardware are an easier-to-use interface for the TWIN+ touch pad remote control and added wireless charging capability. The next generation of Dockmate remotes also gain the advanced functionality of a new vibration response…

The combination of the Dockmate TWIST joystick remote and the new Dockmate Cradle enables a new feature: Fixed Joystick Mode. Once the TWIST joystick remote is placed in the Cradle, it can be used just like any other third-party joystick docking system. Photo: Dockmate

Yacht Tech: New Features for Dockmate Wireless Remote Control System

Dockmate announced its next-gen remote control transmitters and an all-new mounting option with a custom-designed fixed-mount, wireless charging Cradle.According to the manufacturere, key advances in the upgraded hardware are an easier-to-use interface for the TWIN+ touch pad remote control and added wireless charging capability. The next generation of Dockmate remotes also gain the advanced functionality of a new vibration response, which means that they now have three types of feedback: visual (LEDs)…

(Image: USCG)

i911: Tapping Cellphone Location Data to Save Lives

In recent years the U.S. Coast Guard has identified an increasing trend in the use of cellular phones by the maritime public when communicating distress. In 2018, leadership in the Office of Search and Rescue (SAR) at Coast Guard Headquarters asked the Research and Development Center (RDC) to investigate available technologies that could assist Coast Guard responders in adapting to this trend by leveraging the cellphone’s internal GPS. The RDC, located in New London, Conn., has been serving the Coast Guard for nearly 50 years through research…

Geoffrey van Aller launched his own marine design firm, van Aller Yacht & Naval Design, in Ocean Springs, MS. Photo courtesy Geoff van Aller.

Whirlwind of change: Where’s Trinity Yachts' crew today?

Four key players of the disbanded Trinity Yachts, once the world’s sixth largest custom yacht builder, are working in new roles in yachting since the company’s break-up about four years ago.Billy Smith, Geoffrey van Aller, Jim Berulis and Phil Nuss rolled with the punches, just as they did when this author interviewed them at Trinity’s Cinco de Mayo crayfish boil celebrating their new Gulfport facility in Mississippi in May, 2006. In a region suffering after Hurricane Katrina toppled the Gulf Coast and sank New Orleans on August 29…

Photo: KVH

KVH Unveils New LTE System for Offshore Internet Access

Satellite communications provider KVH Industries, Inc. announced it is introducing an all-in-one solution for boaters looking for higher data speeds and greater Internet range offshore than what the average cellphone can provide.The new TracPhone LTE-1 marine communications system is designed to provide Internet access in U.S. waters more than 20 miles offshore, with data download speeds up to 100 Mbps. The LTE-A (LTE Advanced) system is compact and affordable enough for a vast…

(Image: GPDock)

Marina Reservation App Launched

GPDock, the new community-based online reservation system designed to make the process of reserving a marina slip easier than ever before, announced the launch of its first and free mobile app, available for iOS and Android. For Boaters, the app offers an opportunity to book marinas the same way they book hotel rooms. With the app, they can access a large database of marinas in the U.S. and the Caribbean, compare amenities, read customer reviews, and book directly 24/7. Additionally, they can pay for fuel or any other services at selected marinas.

 Edie Rodriguez, the Americas Brand Chairman for PONANT Yacht Cruises and Expeditions. (Photo: Ponant)

Luxury Cruise Ships & The French Connection

Edie Rodriguez, the Americas Brand Chairman for PONANT Yacht Cruises and Expeditions, has spent a life and built a career centered on travel, cruise and branding in a most luxurious manner. She was a natural to discuss the booming luxury expedition sector, the next big frontier in the global cruise industry. It is natural, in the U.S., to pronounce PONANT as “po nant,” but the French have a different style and the company name is pronounced “po non,” dropping the ‘t.’ But Edie Rodriquez, charged with spreading the PONANT name in North America, does not get hung up on diction in this case.

Errol Olivier, CEO, MTN Satellite Communications

Ready for Launch: MTN Nexus Targets high-volume Cruise Market

MTN Satellite Communications launched MTN Nexus, a next-generation comms network billed as a hybrid that integrates it with new terrestrial wireless technologies as well as sophisticated computing, powerful processing and specialized optimization. Targeting the high volume cruise sector, MR thought an apt time to sit down with CEO Errol Olivier to discuss Nexus and its relevance to communications at sea. We understand you are a maritime satcom industry veteran. Can you give our readers a briefing on your background serving this market?