Overview

Specifications

Pricing

Design figures for a product in development. Nothing here has been field-tested.¹

Body, rim and cradle: Outdoor-grade ASA/polycarbonate blend, chosen for sun, salt, heat and cold
Clear top: Clear polycarbonate over the solar ring and the antenna, with a UV-blocking hard coat and a water-shedding top coat
Raised rim: The rim stands just above the clear top, so flat and straight objects land on the rim and not on the clear top
Colours: Orange tag, light-grey cradle (recommended, not yet signed off)
Construction: Welded shut at the factory. No seams to open, no parts to service inside.

Water and dust: Designed for IP68: 2 m under water for 24 hours. Not yet tested.⁷
Reporting temperature: Target: reports from −20 °C⁷
Charging temperature: Target: charges from 0 °C to +60 °C. It does not charge below freezing.⁷
Storage temperature: Target: −40 °C to +85 °C⁷
Winter storage: Designed to stay on the boat through a −40 °C winter. It does not report or charge in that cold.⁷
Sun (UV): UV hard coat on the clear top. An accelerated sun test is planned, not done.
Standing and kneeling: Target: a 1,000 N load on the top, for stepping and kneeling. Not yet shown at +70 °C.⁷
Knocks: Target: stays sealed, with no sharp pieces, after a 20 J blow on the top or in its cradle. Not yet tested.⁷

System: GNSS (GPS and other satellite positioning systems)
How often: A new position every minute on a trip, or every 2 minutes at lower charge
Sky view: Needs open sky. Bodies, seat backs, sails and anything stacked on the tag can block it.

Network: Iridium NTN Direct, in every tag
Tilt and water: Routine reports are sent when the tag is the right way up. Upside down or under water, nothing is sent.⁹
Service status: The service is new and is being rolled out gradually. We have not yet tested a tag on it, and coverage where our customers are is not yet confirmed.²

Network: LTE-M, in every tag⁴
SIM: Built in and set up before delivery. Nothing to insert.
Signal strength: A small sealed tag has a weaker mobile antenna than a phone, most of all on the lowest bands. Where it has no mobile signal it reports by satellite.

Send, with mobile signal: Every minute, as each position is taken
Send by satellite: Estimate: every 2 to 5 minutes while it has charge. On a 10-hour trip from full with no sun, a tag on its own sends every 2 minutes for about 5.5 hours, then every 5. In a group of 4 or more, tags share one message and keep every 2 minutes for the whole trip (in development).³
Alerts: Go by the fastest link available and never wait for the next send.
On the rack: Occasional check-ins, plus a report when the boat starts moving
Capsize: Under water the tag cannot send. A capsize shows as lost contact afterwards. How soon depends on the reporting interval at the time.⁹

Power source: Solar. A ring of solar cells under the clear top charges a sealed battery.
Solar area: 13 cm² of solar cell under the clear top.
Solar cell type: Back-contact silicon (no metal lines on the front)
Battery type: Rechargeable lithium-ion. Sealed in, not replaceable.
Battery capacity: About 1.7 Wh (6 kJ) usable (estimate)⁵
A cloudy week with no mobile signal: Estimate: keeps reporting by satellite, sending less often as the charge drops, and does not stop. Figures for the week are still being worked out.⁵
Lost boat, upright, no sun: Estimate: keeps reporting for at least about 27 days, even if it goes missing at the end of a long day out of mobile range. A lost boat reports less often, down to once a day, to save battery.⁶

Tilt and motion: Motion sensor that reads tilt and the start of movement
Water contacts: Two contacts on the side of the tag tell when the tag is wet or under water
Limit: The water contacts read spray on the side of the tag. They cannot tell whether the top is wet or salt-crusted.

Cradle size: 77 mm across
Fixing: Bonded to the deck with high-strength acrylic foam tape and primer. No electronics in the cradle.
Cure time: 3 days before a tag goes on. Cradles on day 1, tags on day 4.¹⁰
Screws: On polyethylene hulls, two stainless (A4/316) screws into sealed rubber well-nuts, as well as the tape
Twist-lock: The tag twists into three lugs and a latch clicks shut
Key: Taking a tag off needs the site key
Any tag, any cradle: Every tag fits every cradle. The boat’s identity is a QR code on the cradle.
Base shapes: Flat decks, curved decks, and a glued patch version for inflatable paddleboards (no tape, no screws)
Where it goes: On an open, level part of the deck, away from seats, hatches, rigging and trampolines

How: Over the air, by mobile signal (LTE-M) only
When: While the boat is racked, the tag is charging and the battery has charge to spare
Without mobile signal: No over-the-air updates. A service visit is needed.

Talk to us

Know where every boat is.

If you run a resort, a camp or a rental dock, tell us about your site and your fleet, and we will tell you plainly whether Hodalo fits.

Talk to us

A short call, no slides. Or write to hello@hodalo.com.

This is a plan, not a promise.