Application: iPhone, iPad, iPod TouchFunction: Marine Anchor Alarm
Rating:****
Cost: Free!
Our friends at ActiveCaptain notified me just prior to Christmas that they had developed an anchor alarm. It is now available for free in both iOS and Android versions. Jeffrey Siegel, who many of you know, operates the popular ActiveCaptain website. The site is an interactive cruising guide which allows boaters and cruisers to add points of interest to his ever growing database of marine services.
DragQueen, a clever play on words, is as advertised as a very basic anchor alarm. Be careful when you search for it, for obvious reasons. You can find it in the iTunes store here DragQueen.The app is basic but it does allow some modifications of settings. The Instructions tab gives a good explanation of all the settings used in the app. All of the values shown in boxes can be edited by the user. So you can change the Distance Alarm which is the point at which the alarm will sound when you exceed this distance from the set anchor Latitude and Longitude.
The Alarm Delay is nice to delay the alarm for momentary swings outside the Distance Alarm setting. The GPS Alarm can also be set to notify you of the failure of your GPS signal or accuracy.
The Set button is pushed to set the anchored position. To get the best result push this when you are at the bow of the boat. Pressing it again will replace the coordinates with your new position. Anchor bearing is also good information to have to monitor how your boat is lying at anchor and may indicate a shift in wind direction.
The app has a rather annoying alarm to let you know you are drifting from you anchored position. It will definitely get you attention and wake you up.
DragQueen is simple, easy to use and it works. There are other anchor alarms apps out there for as much as $8.00. Pick this one up for free and give it a try!
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ReplyDeleteIt works QUITE WELL but has the very annoying habit of switching off the alarm set button.......easy to spot when you are awake as the screen goes black and the phone goes to sleep - BUT when you are asleep ( when you want it to work most of all - you dont know it has switched off the alarm function till the morning). What a shame that you cant trust this 100%. I cant find anything online about this problem or a fix for it.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteI have the newest version and it seems to stay awake on my iPhone and iPad. Hit the set button and turn alarm ON. As long as the alarm is ON the app will remain awake. Make sure to have your iPhone or iPad plugged in. It will run your battery down if you don't have external power.
Mark