Monthly Archive: July 2020
I’ve found Victron’s BMV battery monitors to be simple, reliable, and easy to understand. Now, the new SmartShunt combines the BMV’s shunt and electronics into a single unit barely larger than the regular shunt with Bluetooth and Victron’s VE.Direct networking built-in. In my testing, the SmartShunt works just like a BMV. And I don’t miss the little gauge display because there are so many other ways to see and use SmartShunt battery data, suitable to boats large and small (and RVs).
Siren Marine today unveiled the Siren 3 Pro — the next generation
Connected Boat® product that will fundamentally enhance the boat ownership experience while
providing the boating industry with critical data needed to provide better products and an entirely new approach to service opportunities and customer support.
Some of you will remember that I reviewed NavNet TZtouch2 for Panbo back in 2015 shortly after Furuno began delivering the system. Proving that I am an incorrigible “early adopter”, I am back to share initial impressions of the TZtouch3 MFDs and other new hardware that Furuno introduced last winter…
The new family of Veratron LinkUp single function gateway modules provides an easy method to convert vessel and engine information to NMEA 2000. Available in five variations, they deliver all the speed and benefits of the latest plug-and-play communications standard, without the expense and time expenditure of replacing old networked devices.
Regardless of how you get internet connectivity onboard your boat, I’m a big advocate for using a dedicated boat router. There’s nothing inherently special about a boat router; it could be a cheap router designed for use at home or a sophisticated system designed just for use on megayachts. The options cover a broad price range and I’ve recently come across an inexpensive, relatively easy-to-use, feature-rich router that seems like a good option.
For me, the boat monitoring features of FloatHub started well and have continually improved since I first reviewed the relatively inexpensive hardware/service system when it was a 2017 Kickstarter campaign. So when I stripped the chaos of redundant test electronics off Gizmo last fall with a plan to put together a more normal “pick of the litter” system, FloatHub was going to part of it. But actually I just installed a new LTE cellular model and that, along with some nifty new sharing features, prompted this update…
There’s been a lot written recently about the strength of the boat and RV markets. I’ve struggled at times to understand why, especially with the uncertainty looming around all of us. But, I also understand the escape that a recreational vessel or vehicle can bring. In fact, I understand it so well that my wife Laura and I decided to add an RV to our fleet of mobile residences — the fleet now sits at two with the RV.
Humminbird announces the release of the all-new CoastMaster chart, providing highly accurate chart coverage for all U.S. coastal waters. With complete coverage for all East, West and Gulf coast waters on a single card, CoastMaster delivers all saltwater captains the information and features they need to fish and navigate with confidence…
Clarion Marine is positioned to make 2020 a breakout year by returning to the retail marine audio channel, under the management of JL Audio, Inc. The company has expanded Clarion Marine’s distributor base and is building a network of specialty retailers…
