Category: Monitoring & Tracking

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Garmin Buys Vesper, will the innovation continue?

t that Ben Ellison and I are big fans of Vesper Marine. As a small company out of New Zealand, Vesper has punched above its weight class by delivering numerous innovations. Well before getting involved in the marine electronics industry, I’ve been impressed by Vesper’s ability to deliver easy-to-use products that make boating safer and more relaxed. Vesper’s anchor alarm functionality (first covered on Panbo over a decade ago!) remains more capable than any MFD anchor alarm I’ve seen. So, it was a big surprise this morning to see that Garmin has bought Vesper. What will this mean for the scrappy little company and its track record of innovating?

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NavAlert NMEA 2000 Monitoring System from Digital Yacht makes debut at METS 2021

Digital Yacht will introduce NavAlert at METS 2021. It’s a new, universal monitoring and alert solution for boat systems capable of monitoring any parameter on the boat’s NMEA 2000 network. This could include engine or generator data such as temperature and pressure, navigation data such as depth, position, AIS, speed or wind or even the status of simple connected devices like pumps and switches. Custom alarm levels can be set and NavAlert will provide audible and visual alerts as well as logging the data and alerts…

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Siren 3 Pro, boat monitoring evolved

Since the introduction of their first boat monitor nearly a decade ago, Siren Marine has been a leader and innovator in boat monitoring. The Siren 3 family of monitoring products encompasses their decade of experience and promises a comprehensive boat monitoring system. With wired, wireless, and NMEA 2000 sensors the system has the ability to monitor nearly every aspect of your boat, and it can even control your boat remotely. But, how does it all work together? I’ve been testing the Siren 3 Pro aboard Have Another Day and can share some results.

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Victron’s Venus OS on a Raspberry Pi, install and configuration

The Victron Remote Management (VRM) portal and their Venus OS monitoring software deliver best-in-class access to information about your boat (, RV, or fixed solar) electrical sytem. But, running one of these systems has typically required Victron hardware which starts around $300. Victron has a long history of embracing the open-source community and they’ve continued that effort by supporting Venus OS on a Raspberry Pi. But, many people hear Raspberry Pi and either think dessert or that it’s over their heads and too complex. This guide walks you through the steps required to get Venus OS up and running on a Pi and sending data about your electrical system to VRM.

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Bivy Stick, ACR’s new satellite tracker with strong outdoor roots

For years ACR has touted the merits of EPIRBs and PLBs as the preferred way to summon help when lives are on the line. So, when ACR announced they’d purchased Bivy, the maker of the Bivy Stick two-way satellite messenger, I was immediately anxious to get my hands on one. Let’s see what got ACR into the two-way satellite messaging business.

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Victron RV upgrade, MultiPlus inverter especially

My family and I are getting ready to escape the Florida summer heat and visit friends and family we haven’t seen in much too long. Our trip’s mix of stops means sporadic availability of shore power, and that makes for great testing opportunities. I’ve been planning to install my DIY LiFePO4 battery to get some real-world testing in. But, to test any LiFePO4 battery, I needed to ensure the inverter and charger systems would coexist nicely with lithium chemistries.

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Lost Bens? Nope, we’re in the lithium mines, finding gold!

The caption is serious, because right in front of your eyes is the most basic — and possibly dangerous — mistake anyone could make while setting up and bench testing a fully integrated lithium-powered marine electric power system. And it’s a mistake I made even though it was truly right in front of my eyes during the many hours I spent trying to figure out why Victron’s brand new and quite amazing Lynx Smart BMS would not power up. So if…

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Veratron real-time battery monitor now an easy-to-install kit

Whether on the water, in an RV, riding the trail, or operating a piece of industrial equipment, a dead battery will ruin anyone’s day. Veratron’s new VL Flex Intelligent Battery Monitor Kit contains everything needed to deliver real-time battery health and status to the smallest dashboard. It combines two pioneering products, Veratron’s award-winning Intelligent Battery Sensor and its revolutionary VL Flex Instrument. All additional components needed for a fast and easy installation are included.