Marine Electronics Juneau And Modern Navigation Techniques

The maritime environment, where salt water is in abundant quantity, is not intuitively the ideal place for sensitive electrical equipment that can be zapped into oblivion for the sake of a single drop. It is paradoxical that vessels from cruise ships to navy destroyers are being fitted with more and more marine electronics Juneau as fast as new gear can be invented. Seafarers who once navigated by the position of the stars are now finding their way using man-made satellites in space.

The switch-over from paper charts to electronic navigation is still evolving. Navigation refers to any activity that involves determining position and direction. In this sense, a pair of hikers in Yosemite with a compass are practicing the art and science of navigation. This is one application that is not yet SatNav-ready, in the sense that getting a signal on a cell phone is, well, something that is not happening yet.

While it would seem a difficult task to get a cell signal out at sea, a new gadget has been invented that enables precisely that. This is called a SatSleeve and it is designed to allow fluid communications from land to sea. It is capable of receiving vocal communications as well as text messages and can even allow the user to connect to the Internet.

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.

Other new ultrasonic technologies will help to speed up dry dock time by preventing fouling of the hull from bacteria. For some reason, ultrasonic waves discourage the bugs from attaching to the exterior surface of the hull. By distributing a number of vibrations inside the ship's hull, they may be networked and connected to a power source and control panel.

Situated in the Alaskan panhandle on the Gastineau Channel, Juneau has been the capital of the State of Alaska since 1906, when the local government of what was then the District of Alaska voted to move it from Sitka, under the orders of the United States Congress. Juneau is named after Joe Juneau, a gold prospector, although it had also been known as Harrisburg (after Joe's business partner) and Rockwell.

The climate in Juneau is surprisingly mild, considering its location in frigid Alaska. Because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, which has a high heat capacity, the lowest average temperature in the dead of winter, January, is around -5 degrees Centigrade. In the summer time, the blazing heat remains a comfortable 18.5 degrees Centigrade, even in the torrid month of July.

Juneau is the largest city and borough in the country. As of the last census, the population was just over 32,000 people. It is located in the same time zone, Pacific Time, as California, Oregon and Washington. The city is served by 13 elementary, middle and high schools. There is also a home schooling program in addition to several private schools. Juneau is also home to the University of Alaska Southeast.