This is for the boater who wishes to take advantage of modern devices for navigation and safety afloat. The course covers electrical power systems for boats, wiring, galvanic corrosion, stray current corrosion, radio signal propogation, depth sounders, Radar, Loran C, GPS, fuel vapour detectors, fluxgate compasses, autopilots and other instrumentation.

The development of new equipment and technologies in Marine Electronics is occurring at a rapid pace. The effect of this is being felt by more and more recreational boaters as price and size reductions make it available to even the smallest boats.

The course begins with a review of basic electrical theory. An understanding of Ohm's Law and the principles of induction and capacitance will greatly facilitate the comprehension of wiring systems, trouble shooting, and other course material.

This is not an advanced course. Only sufficient technical details are taught to enable the student to understand the general operating principles of the various electronic devices found on recreational vessels. A graduate of this course will be better equipped to choose equipment, in most cases to install it, and in many cases, undertake preventative and corrective maintenance.

1. Basic Electricity
   • Current, Voltage and Resistance
   • Relationship of Electrical Units: Ohm's Law and Power calculation
   • Magnetism and Induction
   • Direct Current and Alternating Current
   • Transformers
   • Alternating Currents
2. Direct Current (DC) Systems
   • Batteries: Primary and Secondary cells
   • The Lead-Acid Storage Battery
   • Deep Cycle Batteries
   • Battery Ratings
   • Series and Parallel connection of batteries
   • Charging Systems
   • Estimating DC Power Requirements
3. Alternating Current (AC) Systems
   • Hazards
   • AC Power Requirements
   • The Dockside Utility System
     • Polarity
     • Local Safety Ground
     • Shore Power Service Cable and Adaptors
     • Service Entrance and Distribution
     • Inadequate Service
   • The On-board Generator
     • Inverter
     • Propulsion Engine-driven Generator
     • Auxiliary Engine-driven Generator
4. Electrical Wiring Systems
   • Wire Types
     • Cables
     • Wire Size
     • Wire Termination
     • Wire Colour Coding
   • Wiring Installation
     • Grounding and Bonding Systems
     • Outlets and Switches
     • Distribution Panels
     • Fuses and Circuit Breakers
     • Ground Fault Interrupters (GFI)
   • Miscellaneous Tables
     • Wire Types
     • Wire Sizes and Ampacity
     • Colour Codes
5. Galvanic and Stray-Current Corrosion
   • Understanding and Controlling Galvanic Corrosion
   • Understanding and Preventing Stray Current Flow
6. Lightning Protection
   • Characteristics of Lightning
   • Principles of Lightning Protection
   • Precautions for Personnel
7. Electrical Interference
   • Preliminary Procedures - check of existing suppression
   • Sources of Interference
   • Locating Noise Sources
   • Radio Noise
8. Electrical Interference Suppression
   • Fundamental Approaches
   • Special Devices and Procedures
   • Ignition Interference Suppression
   • Non-Ignition Iterference Suppression
   • Outboard Engines
   • Atmospherics
9. Marine Radiotelephone
   • The Transmitter
   • The Receiver
   • The Transceiver
   • Antenna and Ground Systems
10. Electronic Depth Sounder
    • Principles of Operation
    • Display Types
    • The Transducer
    • Installation
    • Navigation with the Depth Sounder
11. Radar
    • System Description and Principles of Operation
    • Display Interpretation
    • Fog, Rain and Sea Returns
    • Using the Radar Equipment
    • Passive Radar Reflector
12. Loran-C
    • System Description
    • Propogation
    • Plotting Fixes by Time Differences
    • Waypoints
    • Additional Features: Speed and Course over Ground, etc.
    • Installation - Antenna mounting and Grounding
13. Satellite Systems
    • Global Positioning System
      • System Description
      • Comparison of GPS and Loran-C
    • Empergency Position Indicating Radiobeacon (EPIRB)
14. Auxiliary Equipment
    • Vapour Detector
    • bilge Pump Switch and Alarms
    • Engine Function Alarms
    • burglar Alarms
    • Automatic fire Extinguisher
    • Fuel Flow Gauges
    • Fluxgate Compass
    • Sailboat Instrumentation
    • Automatic Pilots
    • System Integration - NMEA Interfaces