Owner`s manual
MAY 2011 27PRACTICAL SAILOR
electronics
tons for the remote to work.
is cuts down on acciden-
tal button pushes.
There are six function
groups, each with three to
six sub-functions. In the
Big Digits function area,
you can display speed, ve-
locity made good, or head-
ing. ese can be combined
into split-screen views that
come under the Double Vi-
sion function group. e largest func-
tion group, Graphs, has 12 sub-func-
tions, effectively split-screen displays
that show one function at the top screen
and a graphic representation of the same
or another function on the lower screen.
e Special mode lets you establish the
wind direction (by sailing close hauled
on both tacks) to gather key data like
maximum velocity made good. Back-
lighting (not available in the ProStart) is
also set in this mode. Until you get used
to using the RockBox, a laminated copy
of the unit’s function map is essential.
ere is a choice of two types of graphs
for display. e rst is a basic line graph
representing data history. e second is
a “knock-li graph,” which uses a hori-
zontal bar graph to graphically represent
subtle shis from a desired base heading.
You can either select the base heading
you want, or let the RockBox do it. In the
latter case, any course that is held stable
becomes the new base heading.
Like the ProStart and the Velocitek
SC-1, the RockBox has a distance-to-
line feature that helps racers time their
start. While the ProStart gives only the
perpendicular distance, the RockBox
has an option to show the “true” dis-
tance on a particular heading, as well.
e RockBox lets you keep one or both
start pins, useful if the wind changes be-
tween races and only the pin is moved.
The ability to input waypoints sets
the RockBox apart from the Velocitek.
is feature shows velocity made good
to a xed waypoint and other waypoint-
based data. Cruising sailors will benet
from this function as well, but the 24-
hour battery life and cumbersome way-
point entry system makes it less user
friendly than a handheld GPS or onboard
chartplotter for this type of navigation.
As the trend toward touchscreen ma-
rine electronics has shown, getting rid of
buttons doesn’t necessarily make things
simpler. Using the remote control to
ip through the various screens of the
RockBox requires patience, but when you
are racing or training, you are probably
interested in just one or two screens any-
way. e RockBox gives racers a smor-
gasbord of information to choose from,
and lets them decide what is important.
Rock City’s soware is adequate for
downloading data, but our users had to
install it twice before it worked prop-
erly. For serious race analysis, Rock City
recommends iSea3D (www.isea3d.com).
Bottom line: Technophiles will like
the open circuitry of the RockBox. e
waypoint function and wireless remote
will attract racers who like to monitor
specic data that the Velocitek doesn’t
oer. Shorter battery life, more vulner-
able construction, and a tricky interface
are its biggest drawbacks.
the Velocitek Prostart
Accustomed to seeing “new” electron-
ics that look and behave a lot like the
models they re-
place, testers were
impressed with
the new Velocitek
ProStart, which
signicantly im-
proved upon the
Velocitek SC-1.
First, Veloci-
tek’s engineers
stripped back
the performance
data to the es-
sentials: time to
start, distance to
line, speed over
ground, course
over ground, and a graphic wind shi
indicator. Small icons always indicate
battery level and mode. ey also de-
veloped an extremely intuitive interface
relying on dedicated buttons for each
important function. (PS testers had
problems with the SC-1’s touch-sensor
buttons.) Velocitek oers all this in a
very slick-looking waterproof display.
Borrowing a page from Steve Job’s
playbook, the ProStart comes with no
owner’s manual, only a Quick Start guide,
with Internet links to a full owner’s man-
ual, support, and soware downloads. PS
prefers a printed owner’s manual, but it
was superuous for the ProStart.
e unit has seven intuitively labeled
control buttons. At the top of the unit
are buttons to select mode (either “start”
or “race”), max (displays the maximum
speed recorded), power on/o (recessed
so it can’t be accidentally pushed), reset
(for race restarts) and +1 (to add minutes
to the countdown timer).
On either side of the unit’s face are
two buttons that the user presses during
The RockBox remote control (above left) lets you ip through functions from anywhere on the
boat. The ProStart (above right) has buttons on the top and face to handle functions.
Speedpuck
SC-1
ProStart
RockBox
The Velocitek SpeedPuck and ProStart have sealed innards, but
the Velocitek SC-1 and RockBox bare their circuit-board souls.
Continued on Page 31