Neil Eccles owns a Moody 42 sailing boat. He frequently leaves his boat in continental marinas for prolonged periods. Theft from and of boats is now regrettably commonplace - so Neil normally has previously relied on a very noisy alarm system. However like most activated alarms they are all too frequently ignored.
Since most of his sailing is coastal Neil uses his handheld mobile for telephone calls. However he has been lucky so far not to lose his phone overboard which is a frequent experience for many owners. He also uses his phone as a GSM modem to his laptop computer to email and browse the Internet at a painfully slow maximum data rate of 9.6Kbps on GSM networks. However the internal antenna of his mobile phone like all other GSM PCMCIA cards are particularly bad at picking up a decent signal and he is frequently unable to achieve a connection.
Neil came across a review of the new Desktop Mobile ‘fixed cellular terminal’ from Burnside Telecom in the December 2003 issue of Motor Boat and Yachting magazine and asked Burnside to let him evaluate their new product.
The Burnside Desktop Mobile provides telephony, SMS text, access to email, Internet and pc fax and remote monitoring and control using the GSM/GPRS network.
Running of 8-32 VDC and drawing a meagre 40mA the Burnside unit will work directly from any boat electrics. The remote supplied antenna can be placed anywhere for maximum signal strength using the terminals in built signal strength meter. Burnside can also supply high gain YAGI antennae for fixed installations. An ordinary DTMF touch tone phone and a SIM completes the installation. Using the keypad on this pad in conjunction with an intuitive menu displayed on the terminal’s LCD, Neil is able to install, send and receive text messages and use of any the features of the terminal without having to consult a manual. The ordinary phone can also be used by anyone on board to make calls seek urgent assistance in the event that they don’t know how to use the VHF set or the set is not working.
Neil decided to install his Burnside unit on a convenient shelf by the chart table. Burnside supplies a marine radio/CD enclosure which allows suspension of the terminal underneath a convenient overhang. See www.burnsidetelecom.com. He has connected his laptop by serial cable to the 9 way D connector on the back of the terminal and uses a connection to GPRS networks at speeds of up to 86 Kbps depending on which GPRS network he is using. Burnside provides USB or Bluetooth adaptors for those who prefer to connect using these connections.
The ‘killer app’ for Neil is provided by the terminal’s ability to use SMS text messages to provide remote monitoring, control and tracking. A 3.5 mm stereo jack socket on the back of the unit allows connection to two electrical circuits. One circuit can be used as input to monitor or output to control a connected device. He has connected a reed switch on his hatch cover to this circuit and has programmed a text message and his own handheld mobile phone number into his terminal that sends him a “Hatch cover opened” message when activated. The other circuit can be attached to an analogue transducer so that for example he could measure the fuel in his tank remotely. However he decided to connect this to a switch in his bilge so that he gets a warning whenever the bilge starts to fill with water. He could have used either circuit to say switch on his heating before getting to the boat.
Neil can also send a text message to his terminal to check status not only on connected circuits but also to get a report on a number of other operating parameters including battery voltage and operating temperature. If Neil connects a NEMA 0183 GPS receiver to his data connector he can also get a text back telling him where his boat is and whether it has moved from its previous position.
Needless to say Neil has decided that he wants to keep his Burnside Desktop Mobile.
