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Navigation Software Just Got Better (Again) Introducing Upgrades are Available Now
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COASTAL EXPLORER 2011
The new Coastal Explorer debuts a more streamlined planning interface and enhanced features. The new interface adds functionality without adding complexity. It also includes access to the Atlantic Cruising Club and Active Captain content. There is a new "one button sync” feature. One button checks for software, data, and chart updates as well as synchronizes your blog and guide book with the Coastal Explorer Network.
NMEA 2000 GATEWAY
The Gateway provides simplified and reliable access to NMEA 2000 data in Coastal Explorer. By purchasing the hardware and software from a single source, the user is ensured that all of the components work well together to get the most from the NMEA 2000 network.
NMEA 2000 ENGINE INTERFACE ADD-ON
For the first time, there is a full-featured, reliable, and easy-to-install engine monitoring system for owners of vessels that have older analog gauges and senders. The key benefit of this new system is that it includes the hardware to connect to existing sensors in the wheelhouse or the engine room, and includes a NMEA 2000 network connection and USB gateway. It displays the information on a page of user-defined gauges and also records historic data which is shown in a timeline. The system also includes support for user-defined alarms.
ROSE POINT FISH FINDER
A complete electronics installation includes several key elements: electronic charting, radar, instruments, and Fish Finder. Now, users can get all of these features from a single company. The new Fish Finder Add-On is a sophisticated full-featured system that compares very favorably to other Fish Finders costing five times as much. The product consists of an interface box, and the Fish Finder Add-On. Transducers are sold separately.
ROSE POINT NETWORK
All of the Rose Point products are designed to work together to create a unique customer experience. Each add-on product includes support for an additional screen. If desired, the user can have a separate dedicated screen for plotting, radar, sounder, and instrumentation all running on the same PC.
Rose Point’s dedicated customers have benefited from new and innovative features added to the software since 2005. Rose Point’s newest release is scheduled for December 2010.
One of the biggest challenges of adding new features to a software program is to create more functionality without adding complexity. This is why so many older programs are so hard to use. Rose Point has invested a lot of resources in developing the new version of software and a more simplified user experience; the 2011 version has a completely re-designed planning mode. The most commonly used features require the fewest number of steps which makes the software easier to learn and use.
Many of the new features are consistent with Rose Point’s goal of making various types of useful information more easily accessible to boaters, including: support for cruising guides (such as the Atlantic Cruising Clubs Marina Guides and Active Captain) and new weather options (such as support for XM, WX, weather, and free NEXRAD data). Other features include: better planning tools and enhanced tracking, as well as, direct support for NMEA 2000 data.
Coastal Explorer 2011 is a paid upgrade. The cost is $99 and includes continued enrollment in the Coastal Explorer Network. Rose Point will provide complimentary Coastal Explorer Network access to existing customers through December 31st of 2010. New customers who purchase the software prior to the release of 2011 update will get one year of access to the Coastal Explorer Network (from the date of activation) and a complimentary upgrade to the 2011 edition of the software. The upgrade can be downloaded from the Internet, or users can request a DVD for a nominal charge.
There are hundreds of other minor changes that improve the overall user experience. Examples include new route manipulation "handles" that make it easier to edit existing routes and the route timeline that helps users understand where they will be along their route at any given time. This unique feature also makes it easy to choose when to depart for optimal travel times based on tides and tidal currents.
Rose Point Navigation Systems is a leading developer of PC-based navigation systems and produces Coastal Explorer and Rose Point ECS. The company was founded in 2003, by Brad Christian, an ex-Microsoft developer. Rose Point is located in Redmond, Washington.
For screen shots, please contact Jeff Hummel: Jeff@Rosepointnav.com.
Most pleasure boaters use their vessels for cruising, but the next most common usage is recreational fishing. Rose Point’s Coastal Explorer helps boaters safely cruise from place to place, and now with Rose Point’s Fish Finder, boaters will be able to use their computer to help them catch fish as well.
The new sounder add-on consists of two components: hardware and software. The hardware portion, a “black box” sounder, is a small interface box that connects to power, the transducer, and to the computer via Ethernet. The software portion of the product consists of additional screen views and controls which can be used to turn your computer into a full-featured Fish Finder.
Jeff Hummel of Rose Point Navigation Systems noted that many boaters want to have an entirely PC-based system. Rose Point has only had some of the components of a full system in the past, including radar and chart plotting. Now, with the Fish Finder, Rose Point can offer all of the key elements desired by their customers: chart plotting, radar, and Fish Finder. The company has been working on the Fish Finder for a while; some of the test customers have been using the system for more than a year. The goal has been to offer high-end features and performance without requiring the user to manipulate a lot of complicated controls. Rose Point has now achieved this and is very pleased with the results. A test customer indicated that the Fish Finder compared very favorably to products costing five times as much!
The hardware supports dual 50/200KHZ transducers up to 1 Kilowatt. Transducers from Airmar and Radarsonics are available. The interface box can be located near the transducers to eliminate loss of signal in the cabling. This opens the market to locations where the Fish Finder may be a long distance from the computer(s). The Fish Finder hardware has many built-in features that are only found on the most sophisticated devices, providing appeal to Fish Finder aficionados, whom know how to adjust the settings for maximum performance in various conditions.
The software includes all of the features that you would expect to find in a high-end stand-alone Fish Finder but also includes some new enhancements. One of the new features is auto-scaling of data in the Fish Finder window. When the range is changed the data already in the window resizes to match the new range, thus showing a smooth transition from range-to-range.
The Fish Finder add-on can be displayed within Coastal Explorer or on a separate screen dedicated to the Fish Finder.
For screen shots, please contact Jeff Hummel: Jeff@Rosepointnav.com.
Rose Point believes there is a big future in NMEA 2000 and has developed a new type of Gateway for sharing network information with Coastal Explorer. The new device is different from other “gateways” because it has a more direct connection to the software, eliminating an entire layer of software overhead. Most of the other “gateways” use a com port, which can cause confusion when configuring your computer because the port is for NMEA 2000, not serial data. The Rose Point Gateway appears in the operating system as an NMEA 2000 Gateway.
The Rose Point NMEA 2000 Gateway consists of a small marine grade encapsulated electronics module with two cables, one for NMEA 2000 and the other with USB. Installation is very simple: Connect the device to the NMEA 2000 network and then plug it into the computer. Then, insert the driver disk and it is done! The device also includes two status lights, one for NMEA 2000 network traffic and the other for indicating USB status.
Jeff Hummel, director of Sales and Marketing at Rose Point, said:
“Rose Point is primarily known as a software company, but we had long since decided to produce hardware to the extent that others do not. Meaning that if we see a clear need for a product, but it’s not available, we will produce it. The essence of Rose Point products is that they just work. In order to ensure trouble-free access to NMEA 2000, we decided that we needed to create our own device. We wanted unfettered access to the network so that we can get the most from it. Other devices create a layer between our software and the network; we have no control over what we could do with these other devices. Users will benefit from using our Gateway because any support issues can be directed to one company, both the producer of the software and the hardware.”
The Rose Point NMEA 2000 Gateway has a suggested retail price of $349 and will be available 3rd quarter, 2010.
For product images, please contact Jeff Hummel: Jeff@Rosepointnav.com.
Rose Point announces a new Engine Interface Add-On for customers who want to display and monitor engine performance data onboard. The system is specifically designed to interface existing diesel and gasoline engines. The product includes both hardware and software for connecting to the engine and displaying information on the screen.
There have been many past attempts by others to create cost-effective engine monitoring systems for older engines. None have been widely accepted. This product has the right combination of features; it includes both the hardware and software, uses existing sending units, is based on NMEA 2000 standards, and can be installed in the wheelhouse or on the engine. This unique combination of features will make this device succeed where others have failed.
The hardware is very unique, extremely flexible, and is ideal for a number of different installation modes. The system is based on NMEA 2000 and includes a USB gateway to transfer the information to the PC and to calibrate the hardware. The device can also be calibrated using proprietary PGN’s on the network. Unlike other devices that send only one pre-defined message, the device can be programmed to output the type of data the user wants by selecting from a list of typical engine data types. One person might care about fuel pressure while another is looking for transmission oil pressure. There are four analog inputs, including but not limited to: oil pressure, engine temperature, fuel pressure, and engine tilt/trim. The software can be used to configure alarms for many of the supported data types, and has an interface for RPM and for monitoring system voltages for two battery banks and the alternator. These unique features make the product suitable for different types of installations.
The hardware is designed to be installed under the dashboard by connecting to existing gauges installed on the vessel. Once the data is in the system it can be transported to other devices via the NMEA 2000 network, and to the computer via the included USB gateway. An alternate installation mode is to connect the interface box directly to the senders and locate the box in the engine room. In this type of installation, the devices are connected to an NMEA 2000 backbone for distribution to the rest of the vessel. A separate USB to NMEA 2000 gateway can be used to transport the data to the PC for display.
The Engine Interface Add-On includes user-configurable software gauges for displaying data on the screen. Users can choose from a variety of gauges and display options when designing their screen displays. Additional NMEA 2000 data types are also supported so that data from other NMEA 2000 sensors can be shown along with the data from the Engine Interface Add-On. One of the most important aspects of gathering data from the engine is the ability to record it for later analysis. The Engine Interface Add-On includes the ability to record data from the engine and to create strip charts for individual sensor data.
The new Engine Interface Add-On will be available for sale in the first quarter of 2012. The prices have not been announced at this time. Visit www.rosepointnav.com for more information.
Rose Point Navigation Systems is a leading developer of PC-based navigation systems and produces Coastal Explorer and Rose Point ECS. The company was founded in 2003, by Brad Christian, an ex-Microsoft developer. Rose Point is located in Redmond, Washington.
For screen shots, please contact Jeff Hummel: Jeff@Rosepointnav.com.
Redmond, WA - April 12, 2010, Rose Point Navigation Systems, today announced a partnership with Active Corporation to offer ActiveCaptain within Rose Point’s Coastal Explorer navigation software. ActiveCaptain support along with Rose Points other data offerings creates a rich user experience which enables boaters to make better decisions and have more fun on the water.
ActiveCaptain is an internet based application that boaters use to share local knowledge. When a boater sees something noteworthy they can enter it on the ActiveCaptain website where it’s shared with other boaters. There are four categories of information, Marinas and Commercial Locations, Anchorages and Free Docks, Local Knowledge, and Hazards. In the past the only way to access the information was through the a web browser, but not all boaters have Internet access while underway. Coastal Explorer makes the information available while offline where boaters really want it, at the helm in their navigation software. Rose Point is the first software company to make ActiveCaptain available to the public in this way.
“ActiveCaptain is an important addition to the Coastal Explorer Network” said Brad Christian, founder and chief software architect at Rose Point. “My original vision for Coastal Explorer was a program that could be used to help with important boating questions like: Where should I go? When should I go? What’s the weather going to be like? What are the tides and tidal currents? What does it look like when I get there? What hazards might be along my route? ActiveCaptain is a great source of user created information and helps complete this vision.” In the future users should expect to find many other guides available as part of the Coastal Explorer Network.
Jeffrey Siegel, founder and creator of ActiveCaptain has been using Coastal Explorer while cruising the eastern seaboard with his wife. Many years of experience made him realize that a lot of information is needed to safely travel from Florida to Maine. He created ActiveCaptain as a tool for boaters to share that information. “I’ve been using Coastal Explorer since 2005 - it’s a great product and it makes navigation very easy. Now that it’s combined with ActiveCaptain I have the best possible planning tool along with the information I need right at my fingertips. Rose Point does an incredible job of integrating data from a variety of sources and presenting it to the user. It’s easy to use and I rely on it every day for my cruising”.
ActiveCaptain support will be included in Rose Points 2010 software, which is expected later this year. ActiveCaptain is immediately available for existing Coastal Explorer 2009 users choosing to download and install the latest pre-release beta version of the software.
Rose Point Navigation Systems is a leading developer of PC based navigation software and produces Coastal Explorer and Rose Point ECS. The company was founded in 2003, by Brad Christian, an ex-Microsoft developer and is located in Redmond, Washington.
This is the forth article in a series on the new Coastal Explorer 2010. If you are just joining us, be sure to read the first article first!
Part of the new Coastal Explorer 2010 design philosophy involves consolidation of related information and one place that is really noticeable is the new Help menu replacement.
This is the third article in a series on the new Coastal Explorer 2010. If you are just joining us, be sure to read the first article first!
In this article we’ll take a look at the new browsers that you get to from the tabs across the new Coastal Explorer 2010 window. If you missed it, please be sure to read the first article of this series before reading this one!
This is the first of a series of articles that will introduce changes we are making for the Coastal Explorer 2010 release. Coastal Explorer 2010 includes a major overhaul of the Planning Mode user interface which hasn’t really changed that much since Coastal Explorer 1.1 was released nearly five years ago (and even it wasn’t much different from Coastal Explorer 1.0).
Redmond, WA, - October 20, 2009, Rose Point Navigation Systems, today announced a partnership with Atlantic Cruising Club, Inc. to offer Atlantic Cruising Club’s Guides to Marinas within Rose Point’s Coastal Explorer navigation software. This is the fist time an independent marina guide publisher and electronic navigation software producer have collaborated to make vital planning information easily available in an electronic format that is directly viewable in the navigation software.
Atlantic Cruising Club’s (ACC) Guides to Marinas cover all of the marinas on the US East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest that accept overnight transient boats of 25’ LOA and greater. ACC’s boater-biased Guides are the definitive source of marina and "what’s nearby" information. The Guides are known for their completeness, accuracy and impartial marina ratings and reviews. The ACC has been gathering and maintaining marina information for the last 12 years. Each marina report contains over 300 fields of information describing the marina and its facilities as well as nearby boatyard facilities, dining and lodging options, provisioning alternatives, recreation and entertainment resources, medical facilities and professionals, and transportation options. Currently there are five Atlantic Cruising Club regional volumes describing over 1,600 marinas in New England, Long Island Sound, Florida's East Coast, The Chesapeake Bay, and the Pacific Northwest. The Mid-Atlantic/ICW will be available later this year and ACC Guides to California and the Northern Gulf Coast are in development.
Coastal Explorer users have two options for displaying the ACC Marina information. A basic level of marina data is offered as a FREE download to Coastal Explorer owners and includes; marina contact information, nearest town, facility information, number and size of slips, basic amenities, and a thumbnail image showing the facility. Coastal Explorer owners can also enable ACC’s complete Marina Report by purchasing an ACC book. These reports include everything else that you might need including such items as; VHF contact channels, what’s available and where to find it, transportation and medical services listed by distance, and much, much more.
The free data is available to existing Coastal Explorer customers through the Coastal Explorer Network. Users will be able to download periodic updates of the free and paid data. Coastal Explorer users will also be able to post comments about marinas they’ve visited through the newly released Coastal Explorer Network. The comments are posted to the Community Cruising Guide and add an interesting facet to the ACC data, namely user generated comments and reviews.
"I've been working in the PC based navigation software market for nearly 20 years" Said Jeff Hummel, director of Sales and Marketing at Rose Point Navigation systems. "Many companies have tried to implement third party content like this, but for one reason or another, the business model never worked out. Now, for the first time, users will be able to gain easy access to the best marina guides available. Best of all, all of the ACC-covered marinas are represented by icons on the Coastal Explorer charts and a simple click of the icon brings up the ACC marina info in the Coastal Explorer Browser Panel."
Stop and see the results of the new Atlantic Cruising Club/ Coastal Explorer partnership at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, booth 433 in the Accessory Tent.
Rose Point Navigations Systems is a leading developer of PC based navigation systems and produces Coastal Explorer and Rose Point ECS. The company was founded in 2003, by Brad Christian, an ex- Microsoft developer and is located in Redmond, Washington.
Redmond, WA, - May 26, 2009, Rose Point Navigation Systems today announced that they have released a new line of digital radar products that can be used with the company’s Coastal Explorer and Rose Point ECS navigation systems. The new radar units range in size from a small footprint 4 KW dome to a 25 KW open array.
PC based radar has many benefits over traditional radar. Many users install the software at a primary navigation station and then clone the screen on a separate, sometimes exterior, screen at a second helm station. “There’s nothing quite as nice as having a large sunlight readable screen at the helm” said Jeff Hummel, Director of Sales and Marketing at Rose Point. “The low cost of large waterproof screens has made this possible at a fraction of the expense of dedicated systems. Boaters like to have all of their information on a single screen to save space. Since they have chosen PC based navigation over a plotter, it is only natural that they would desire radar overlay as a key part of their system.”
Redmond, WA – February 2, 2009: Rose Point Navigation Systems today announced the launch and immediate availability of the latest version of its award-winning navigation software Coastal Explorer and its companion Internet service, the Coastal Explorer Network, which provides users with US chart updates, weather forecasts, and more.
The new Coastal Explorer 2009 provides an even more refined and streamlined user experience both when planning a voyage and during navigation. Mark Nelson of Navsoftware.com (a leading online retailer of PC based navigation software), reviewed the software stating, “Coastal Explorer already had the easiest to use interface. With version 2.0 Rose Point has distanced themselves from others by orders of magnitude creating a whole new level (for others to aspire to)”.
Coastal Explorer’s unique Guide Book, which has always included information from the US Coast Pilot and NGA Sailing Directions, now includes photos from Google’s Panoramio web service as well as information from the Coastal Explorer Network’s community guide book. The Guide Book also makes it easy for anyone to contribute information to the community guide book about the places they know best.
Redmond, WA - November 10, 2008 Rose Point Navigation Systems today announced the release of Rose Point ECS, a new software product designed specifically for the coastal and inland commercial market. The software was designed around the consensus requirements of three of Rose Point’s launch customers: American Commercial Lines, Seacor Marine and McAllister Towing. Each of these companies has deployed the software fleet wide and have been using it in their day to day operations for between six and eighteen months.