Panbo

The Marine Electronics Hub

Yearly Archive: 2021

13

Electrical & Engines

Mercury’s new 600hp Verado V12: truly different & surprisingly smooth

Mercury Marine’s highly secure and unusual Lake X facility has decades of history as a research, development, and testing skunkworks for the company’s many outboard innovations. So it was a fitting location, even on a gloomy Monday afternoon, for the unveiling of Mercury’s latest creation. And what an outboard they revealed: a 600 horsepower, twelve-hundred plus pound V12 with a two-speed automatic transmission, counter-rotating props, and a lower unit that rotates while the engine itself only tilts.

15

Editors' Blog / Communications / AIS

Digital Antenna 992, wideband VHF/AIS antenna with easy cabling

Both Ben Ellison and I have recently installed Vesper’s Cortex VHF Radio, AIS, and boat monitoring system. Cortex uses a single VHF antenna for VHF voice and AIS, which calls out for a wideband antenna that covers both frequency ranges well. Ben E. selected a Shakespeare 6500-WB antenna, and I’ve been testing a Digital Antenna 992 wideband antenna. We don’t have the ability to perform in-depth performance comparisons, but here’s a look at what you should expect from the antennas, and also the installation differences.

New Boat Network feature seen on iPad and Android phone versions of Cortex Onboard apps

Communications / AIS / The future / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K / Monitoring & Tracking

Vesper Cortex update: Boat Networks, squashing bugs & more

Vesper Marine’s Cortex AIS, VHF, and monitoring system is the most innovative marine electronics product I’ve tested in a long time. But Cortex is also a serious challenge to review properly because it has so many useful capabilities — some of which look and feel strikingly different from their antecedents — and it’s also a system designed to evolve. That’s the justification for this update, even though…

13

Editors' Blog / Wireless & Apps / Weather / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

Coastal Explorer app for iPads & iPhones

Many of us have been happily beta testing the iOS version of Coastal Explorer for quite a while, but Rose Point Navigation has a long history of not releasing new products until they feel really good about them (and sometimes not at all). So it’s wonderful news that the Coastal Explorer app is now official, with many excellent features free to anyone, and the entire navigation package available to owners of CE for Windows until the $50 annual subscription is instituted…

7

Electrical & Engines

Zipwake interceptors, dynamic trim control installed and tested

Last fall I installed Zipwake interceptors on Panbo(at), my 22-foot center console, to help control motor torque trim, level the boat while running, and reduce some rolling. At first, I was highly impressed by the design and quality of the hardware, but I had some concerns about its automatic control mode. However, after some tuning by an Imtra field technician — Imtra is the exclusive U.S. ZipWake distributor — I’m sold.

5

Press Releases / Electrical & Engines / Green Boating

ePropulsion Announces Model Year 2021 Introductions with Seven New Evo Series Motors and Industry-First Hydrogeneration Capabilities

ePropulsion, the global leader in marine electric propulsion systems and services, announced today its model year 2021 product line-up with the introduction of the Evo Series electric motors. New for model year 2021, ePropulsion has standardized its full product line with hydrogeneration capabilities, a 48-volt architecture, safety wristbands, a new ergonomic tiller and direct-drive brushless motors for better performance and greater noise reduction…

5

Editors' Blog / Panbo & misc.

Panbo classifieds forum launched

Several years ago we launched a new Panbo site based on all new software, but we did leave behind the old classifieds section. It’s been on my todo list since then to launch something new — and Ben Ellison has been persistently urging me to as well — so I’m here to tell you I’ve finally done it. The Panbo Classifieds forum is our fifth major forum category and available at the bottom of the forum list.

33

Editors' Blog / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

Finally! Raymarine SeaTalk NG to NMEA 2000 backbone adapters

Raymarine’s SeaTalkNG is Raymarine’s proprietary version of NMEA 2000 cabling. It’s compatible with NMEA 2000’s standard DeviceNet cabling through the use of adapters. But, until very recently, Raymarine has not offered an adapter to convert the blue-striped SeaTalkNG (STng) backbone cables, only the white-striped spur cables. Good news! Raymarine now offers cables that adapt STng backbone to male (Raymarine Part number A80674) and female (A80675) N2K connectors.