The mission of Raymarine’s recent Alpha displays is to offer in one place all the essential information for efficient, safe and consistently accurate navigation. The main strength of these displays is that the type of information displayed and the format in which this is done depend solely on the preferences of the individual boater.
Personalize with widgets, like on your smartphone
Raymarine’s Alpha displays are repeaters of the data processed by the onboard chartplotter and can be managed by the chartplotter or customized directly to the relevant screen.
Based on the “widget” model, the same as our smartphones, the displays are a veritable blank canvas on which to place boxes of favorite data, filling the pages of quick menus and scrolling main screens. It is then the yachtsman, based on his or her needs, who decides what to place on the various pages of the display, knowing that all he or she has to do is swipe left or right on the touch screen to access the different pages.
Each “widget” can be placed freely on the created page and can be enlarged or shrunk: it can take up the entire screen, half the page, or be just one of 4 or more different pieces of information set up on the same page. You can also change the color of a widget to make reading the data even easier.
Display data in preferred formats and colors
In addition to the choice of data to be displayed in “widget” mode, Alpha offers an incredible range of data formats and display modes.
A choice is available between displaying information in digital or analog format, depending on the boater’s preference. You change the color of the data to improve its visibility according to different weather conditions or its recognizability at a glance.
As for brightness, the yachtsman can choose whether to adjust the brightness manually or rely on automatic adjustment, not to mention the ability to set the vision with color palette in day or night mode.
The visual representation of data that facilitates reading
One of the most interesting new features that bring Alpha displays to the market is the new mode of visual representation of certain navigation data.
One example is the three-dimensional, dynamic compass, a valuable tool, considering that on many boats the compass is often barely visible.
Full autopilot control
Recently Alpha displays have also become an autopilot control tool, compatible with Raymarine’s Evolution model, which is fully integrated with the system. Thanks to Alpha’s large and bright display so even the autopilot is operated on touchscreen and really becomes more intuitive.
Autopilot controls on Alpha include all major features, and during navigation, a three-dimensional display shows the boat relative to the set course with visual error indications on deviations and turning points.
