T&T: Daylight Monitors

[Wayne Beardsley]

I've been using a flat panel LCD monitor on the flybridge for over 5
years.  It is much more visible than the screens on any of the various
laptops that I've used with it.  Power is supplied by a small inverter
which also runs the laptop, no problems there.

That said, the LCD brightness and contrast does not even come close to
that provided by the screen on our 10 inch Furuno radar/chartplotter.
The Furuno can also be dimmed down to a very comfortable level at
night which is a problem with both the laptop and the LCD monitor.

If you don't run at night, and your helm area is enclosed by either a
bimini or pilot house, you should be able to get satisfactory results
from any of the $200 monitors currently available.   I'd look for one
with a high brightness rating and good contrast.

Regards,

Wayne B
GB49 Classic, Long Legged Lady





Message: 16
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:37:28 -0400
From: John Blackburn <jgblackburn@comcast.net>
Subject: T&T: Daylight Monitors
Cc: trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com
Message-ID: <45196558.9000601@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Has anyone tried to use a small non-hdtv LCD monitor pluged into a
laptop running a charting programs (Costal Explorer) on a Fly Bridge?
With the loss of Solorism in the US and only getting options in the $4k
to $7k for monitors when you talk to marine electronics shops, I'm
thinking a cheap TV monitor hanging off the laptop might be a way to
skin this cat.  I expect some sort of hood would have to be constructed
to shield the screen.  One problem I see would be the AC power requirements.

John Blackburn
44 DeFever "Yak Rack"
Deale, MD