How Marine Electronics Juneau Has Modernized Maritime Navigation

By Minnie Whitley


The marine environment, where salty water is in abundance, is not the first place a person would want to bring delicate electrical equipment, where a single drop could wreak havoc on its internal workings. Yet, modern sea vessels, from pleasure craft to oil tankers to the navy, are stuffed full of marine electronics Juneau is no exception. This can mean anything from the cook's mobile phone to the captain's video games and the sophisticated black boxes that tell everybody on board where they are and when to respond to a distress call.

The transition over to satellite navigation from conventional paper charts is occurring as we speak. Navigation may be defined as any task that involves finding out an object's direction and position. This applies as much to campers at Yellowstone as it does to astronauts in space. Unfortunately, a conventional SatNav system as used terrestrially cannot be used at sea, where there are no traffic lights.

A clever gadget has just been introduced that allows seafarers to turn their own cell phones into satellite navigation systems. The SatSleeve enables seamless communication from terrestrial services to the open sea. It allows voice communication, messaging and even Internet access.

Seafarers will also appreciate the newly-launched flexible TV sets. They have two advantages at sea. For one, they can be bent around to fit close spaces and two, they can be rolled up and put away when not in use, like when this week's episode of NCIS has been viewed.

Modern technology is also being harnessed to keep the hulls of boats squeaky clean from foul bacteria who make the surfaces slimy and disgusting. Ultrasonic waves create vibrations that the bacteria find inhospitable. Several devices placed inside a hull can be connected to a control panel and power supply. That's one less chore for the dry dock team.

Juneau, situated across from Douglas Island on the Gastineau Channel, is the state capital of Alaska since the very early 20th century, when the administrative center was transferred from Sitka. While the change was ratified by the state's voters, it was the American Congress who catalyzed the change. The city is named after a former gold prospector, Joe Juneau. For a while, it was also known as Rockwell and then Harrisburg.

Winters in Juneau are cold and wet, but not as cold as might be expected for Alaska. This is because of the Pacific Ocean, which is not the warmest ocean in the world but it is large enough and has a high heat capacity that helps adjacent terrestrial areas remain somewhat stable. The average low temperature occurs in January and gets down to -5 degrees Centigrade. The warmest it gets is a sizzling 18.5 degrees Centigrade in July.

The population of Juneau at the last census was slightly over 32,000 people, making it the biggest city and borough in the United States. It is served by no fewer than 13 elementary, middle and high schools. The local university is the southeast campus of the University of Alaska. The city is in the same time zone as Washington, Oregon and California, Pacific time.




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