Wireless wind instrument…..

[NYSail]

Hello all,
So this season my 21 year old raymarine ST 70 bit the bullet so now in the market. Figure I’ll get a new speed and depth as well. What are the thoughts on wireless? I see a few but they all seem to have a stated range of 50ft which won’t work, but are there options a for larger boats? Do they actually perform? Would love to hear opinions from users.

thanks!
Greg
s/v Souleil

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

Haven’t used wireless wind, but have used wireless cameras on the masthead which have failed. As someone who has managed and monitored business data networks in my past professional life I’m qualified to state unequivocally that wired local networks are ALWAYS more reliable than wireless.
By going wireless you are adding three more failure points to an already difficult remote device.
1 - signal interference and additional electronics (at masthead and base) for wireless
2- another battery, which has limited temperature range and charge cycle life
3- solar cells, also prone to physical damage and reduced performance from bird poop etc.

 

[jssailem]

To what @Captain Larry-DH said (except the professional part). Only helpful thought is that the wind instrument is not a critical component. Its failure does not endanger the boat.

 

[Tally Ho]

I think I mentioned that I use a Raymarine wireless transducer on my O’Day. The rig is only 40 feet or so, so shorter than your mast. But the instrument works fine for me.

Greg

 

[dLj]

I have no experience with wireless devices on sailboats but will also never go there - I agree with @Captain Larry-DH - too many additional points of failure and all of those points are exacerbated in the marine environment.

dj

 

[Davidasailor26]

I don’t have any wireless components either, but I’ll respectfully disagree that the option is all bad. I think there are some ways in which marine environments aggravate the failure modes of wired connections, and mitigate the failure modes of wireless. Data centers, office buildings, and land based homes don’t have the salt air and moisture that boats have, eating at wired connections. They also aren’t in constant motion, fatiguing DIY crimps and splices. We’ve seen numerous threads here where an anemometer or radar failed because of a failed wire or mast-step connection. On the wireless side, most of the problems with land based communications are due to signal collisions and interference. That’s not nearly as big of an issue in an anchorage or on the ocean as it is in an apartment complex or office building.

Yes, there are definitely new problems introduced by wireless, and it might still be a net loss. But there are some considerations to balance.

 

[PaulK]

We had Tacktick wireless instruments on our last boat (a J/36) for about 20 years. There were some issues with keeping them going for that long but they generally held up well and performed nicely. Hitting the screen with a winch handle is not a good idea. One thing we really liked was being able to place the displays anywhere we wanted with velcro and not having to drill holes for wires.

 

[rgranger]

...wired local networks are ALWAYS more reliable than wireless.

That is not what I was hoping you would say. I've had my eye on FURUNO wireless radar dome that integrates with any iSO device... and was really hoping you were going to say it works great.

https://www.furuno.com/en/products/radar/drs4w/index.html

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

That is not what I was hoping you would say. I've had my eye on FURUNO wireless radar dome that integrates with any iSO device... and was really hoping you were going to say it works great.

https://www.furuno.com/en/products/radar/drs4w/index.html

Sorry to discourage you. I didn’t say they don’t work. Everything works (wired or wireless) until it doesn’t. Wired or wireless.

 

[sailme88]

I'd posted a similar request for info the first of the season. My Raymarine i60 has gremlins. I get spurious readings. Checked with the local marine electronics dealer/installer. He convinced me to stay with a wired system. Interference is the main issue to overcome. Initial systems suffered from weak batteries. that was dealt with by installing small solar units at the mast head.
LOS ( loss of signal) can be caused by other nearby boats with the same system, lots of metal around the helm ( Bimini and or arch). My plan going forward is to acquire a new mast head unit that will integrate with my cockpit display and install it this fall after the mast gets unstepped.

 

[jssailem]

There are valid reasons to choose wireless vs. wired equipment. The competent boat owner faces the issue with the recognition of the compromises being made.

Wireless Wind Sensor pluses include ease of installation, often lower total cost, and perhaps convenience in use, as there are multiple options available for display of the generated data. Wireless becomes compromised if there is RF interference, as in a crowded marina, if you have carbon sails, or if you can not maintain power to the sensor.

Wireless wind makes sense if the mast is a pain to wire or comes down every winter, so you can service the power needs without having to climb the mast

I am concerned about wireless when the systems are critical to safety. Radar, Depth, speed, heading, GPS, AIS, VHF -DSC distress path, and autopilot are safety-critical systems in my thinking.

Wired systems fail at connectors and installation, not at the protocol. Salt + vibration + a cheap crimp are the common killers. These can be managed even in bad weather.

 

[rgranger]

I got caught out in a thick fog once. Lasted almost 6 hours. It was so nerve frazzeling... I had GPS so I knew where I was but I was so afraid of getting plowed over by another boat...so I started looking at radar units. I was looking at the FURUNO because I didn't want to poke another hole in my cabin top and I didn't want to deal with running and concealing the leads... and the display is also portable and can be taken below if wanted. But if it doesn't work when I need it....