7" Dedicated Monitor (GPS or Chartplotte) W/ Video Input

[jlr]

After having purchased and installed my third monitor on my bridge to use to see my engine room gauges through a CCTV (RCA) feed, I have now decided to ask for help. A little late, I guess. None of these tft,lcd flat screen monitors, including the one I just installed, are worth a darn in direct sunlight (or even under my bimini as the case may be). Is there an inexpensive gps ( or any other display in the 7" range or so) that I can purchase that has a video input that I can use exclusively for displaying this CCTV signal and that is clearly viewable in direct sunlight. The actual sunlight viewable monitors run in the four figures which is more than I want to spend for an exposed item that will get likely die from exposure in a few years anyway. So far, this seems like my best option. It has a video input and is waterproof and the right size. I do not know how much the actual video cable costs.

http://www.wmjmarine.com/c28650.html

[sandyda]

I'm pretty sure most of the Chartplotters on the market today can display an NTSC image in direct sunlight using cheap RCA cables. However, I would not buy a Swiss Army Knife and only use the cork screw.

The screens used are made by only a couple manufacturers, and could possibly be bought in very small numbers, but that's where the problem arises. The total market for these screens outside the chartplotter segment is virtually nil. Cars and RVs don't need them. Airplanes do and some go there. So anyone who wants to sell them has to build his own cases and pay for certification to one of the standards. He may be able to sell a hundred. That's too small a number to get the price down. For the moment, we are SOL.

There is a glimmer on the horizon: LED TVs. The idea of a TV on the beach might find a market big enough for production economies. LEDs offer a higher contrast ratio and brighter screens.

Here's an alternative: replace those gages with NMEA 2000 transducers. Then you can easily read them on the newer N2K chartplotters.

[Buoy Scout]

I purchased a garmin 3206 for engine room camera display at the helm. Works great. As part of my garmin network, I can display other inputs as well. But I pretty much leave it on the engine room camera.

[Glen E]

a 9 inch sunlight VEI screen will do it - but it'll be expensive

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by jlr

After having purchased and installed my third monitor on my bridge to use to see my engine room gauges through a CCTV (RCA) feed, I have now decided to ask for help. A little late, I guess. None of these tft,lcd flat screen monitors, including the one I just installed, are worth a darn in direct sunlight .........

It's possible that I don't understand your setup or that you have a good reason to leave it like it is, but wouldn't it be simpler to do away with the TV and display and just install remote gauges?

[jlr]

Remote gauges are not an option. These cameras watch mechanical gauges.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by jlr

Remote gauges are not an option. These cameras watch mechanical gauges.

Understood.