TESTED: Cascade DiscoveryMATE M104

You probably know by now that most color LCD screens have one fatal flaw--you can't read them in sunlight. The same is true for any laptop computer you might use to run PC-based navigation programs. The color screens are great below decks and at night, but up on the flying bridge? You might as well go back to the compass and paper chart.Recognizing this need, Cascade Technologies has developed the DiscoveryMATE M104. This is a high-resolution, color LCD screen and console that lets you control your below-decks PC while viewing navigation programs on a super-bright, 10.4"-diagonal display. The secret to its brightness? A special flourescent lighting plate in the rear of the unit adds powerful backlighting to the display. And my inspection of the M104 showed you can, in fact, easily read the screen in daylight conditions.

The M104 is not just a screen display, however. It is a self-contained, water-resistant console with built-in "mouse" control pad. Our test boat's PC was running "The Cap'n," a Windows95 software program that displays actual NOAA charts. You control the software from the console using three keys--a circular trackpad moves the cursor onscreen, while a left button activates menu functions and a right button displays a menu of frequently used features like zoom. In short, these keys work just like a mouse. Another neat feature on the M104 is the STABILITY key. This blocks any extraneous electrical noise from entering the console, so the picture never wobbles or shakes. The end result is a bright, rock-steady display of NOAA charts right up on the flying bridge.

Our test boat had two M104s--one on the bridge, one at the lower helm--and since they were linked to the PC, information (such as routes and waypoints) entered on one automatically appeared on the other. And though I found the mouse trackpad was a little too sensitive for my liking (cursor speed can be slowed by the computer, however), the below-decks M104 had a touchpad to move the cursor, and that seemed to be a bit more accurate and easy to use.

With either the trackpad or touchpad, the super-VGA M104 lists for $3,995. It's also available in a touch-screen version for $4,575. While neither option is cheap, either one solves the problem of being able to see nautical charts on a color LCD display in broad daylight. And that's what electronic charting is all about