Digital Wonder: Raymarine ST70
The nicest thing about Raymarine’s new ST70 digital gauges? They’re simply nice to look at. Crisp colors are displayed on a transflective TFT QVGA 320 x 240 pixel screen, while separate day and night modes ensure easy viewing no matter what the ambient light conditions are. These gauges can be retrofitted or installed new on any boat running on Raymarine’s SeaTalk Next Gen data bus, Raymarine’s original SeaTalk system, SeaTalk2 systems, or NMEA 2000 compliant data feeds. It’s relatively easy to install, too, because the ST70 comes with a backbone and adapter cables, so you can “build” a networked gauge system that interfaces with your other electronics. Plus, the ST70 can be surface or flush mounted, so they’ll fit on just about any boat.
You can display data in numeric, graphic, virtual analog, and histogram formats on these 3.5” screens, which are waterproof to CFR46 standards. There are 16 data page layouts to choose from, and 11 languages. Techno-geeks who want to see massive amounts of data on-screen will appreciate the fact that in the category of engine information, there are 14 distinct data points that can be displayed—and that’s just one category. If you’re sick and tired of analog gauges that get stuck, suffer from moisture intrusion, and offer limited data, the ST70 is a great option.
Price: MSRP $800
The Highs: Color gauges that interface with networked electronics—sweet!
The Lows: These aren’t the least expensive gauges in the world.
Who Wants It: Boaters with Raymarine systems, who need to repair or replace their gauges.
Contact:www.raymarine.com
