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Panbo News and Reviews

ACR ResQLink AIS PLB and Ocean Signal RescueMe PLB3 12

Wireless & Apps / Safety & SAR / AIS / The future

ACR and Ocean Signal add AIS to Personal Locator Beacons, with cherries on top

Hallelujah! ACR recently began shipping its ResQLink AIS PLB to customers in the U.S. and the Americas. Meanwhile, the company’s sibling UK brand Ocean Signal has been offering the same remarkable technology to the rest of the world since November as the RescueMe PLB3. The beacons are exactly the same except for color — as shown in my METS demo photo above — and regardless of the possibly confusing dual branding, I call them a huge advance in marine safety…

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LiFePO4 / Electrical & Engines

Li Time LiFePO4, no frills, serious value

My recent reviews of LiFePO4 batteries have focused on fully featured batteries with heating, Bluetooth, and CANBus communications, and even supercapacitors for engine starting. This time, I’m focusing on a battery that delivers raw value and no frills. Li Time batteries are all about delivering maximum energy storage for the smallest price. Although their batteries may lack the features of fancier batteries, they deliver the most amp hours for the fewest dollars. But how do they perform? Let’s find out.

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Communications / The future

Starlink 2023, the ever-changing state of affairs

Starlink, like all Elon Musk-backed companies, seems to operate by a different set of rules than what we might expect. The rules change often, generally without notice, and sometimes in highly impactful ways. A recent series of announcements changed the rules, options, and pricing for subscribers. Especially for those who use Starlink on the move. So, what’s the current state of Starlink, and is it a good option for boaters? Read on, and I’ll try to break it down for you.

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Editors' Blog / Fishing & Sonar / Navigation

MIBS 2023 – Raymarine Axiom Pro 2, Axiom XL 2, and more

Raymarine announced several new products either at or just before MIBS this year. The list includes updates to their Axiom Pro and Axiom XL MFDs, a new sonar sounder, and a new camera. Additionally, Raymarine showed off a pre-release version of their latest software update, including an attractive new icon set for the core applications.

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Editors' Blog / Communications / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

MIBS 2023 – Icom 510BB VHF radio

The Miami International Boat Show (MIBS) is the first major show of the year. As a result, it’s frequently where we see manufacturers showing off their latest products. This year was no exception. I walked the show floor, finding the latest and greatest offerings in the marine technology space. I’m going to do a series of posts on what I found. The first up is Icom’s M510BB black box VHF radio.

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LiFePO4 / Electrical & Engines

Epoch Batteries, elegant drop-in LiFePO4

Good design matters, even for a product you probably won’t spend much time admiring. Epoch batteries’ line of LiFePO4 has design covered and an attractive list of features. But the big question is, are these batteries more than just a pretty face? I’ve been putting a couple of their 100 amp-hour, 12-volt batteries to the test, and it sure looks like they have the goods to back up the design.

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LiFePO4 / Network & control / Electrical & Engines / The future

Mercury’s 48-volt alternator and Fathom e-Power, state-of-the-art boat power?

An engine launch event might be an odd fit for an electronics and technology blog. I’ve attended Mercury launch events before, and each time, there’s been plenty of technology news. But when I went, I wasn’t expecting an announcement that could change the industry. I certainly didn’t anticipate the thunder from the launch of a 350 or 400-horsepower, 10-cylinder engine would be stolen by an alternator.

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Editors' Blog / Safety & SAR / AIS / Monitoring & Tracking

Garmin shrinks Vesper product line. Will only Cortex remain?

Although it acquired Vesper Marine in January of 2022, even today Garmin’s VHF/AIS product pages only list the Cortex and its accessories. The entire WatchMate product line is conspicuously absent from the product list, and the Vesper name is absent from the Cortex items. In retrospect, these are telling ommissions, as today Garmin confirmed that the WatchMate XB-6000, XB-8000 and Vision2 have all been discontinued, soon to be followed with the Vesper brand name.

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Electrical & Engines / Monitoring & Tracking

Installing and configuring a Victron battery monitor

Deep cycle, house batteries can be critical to enjoying time on your boat away from the dock. But, as boaters, we often fail to consider what’s happening with our batteries. A battery monitor helps us understand what’s happening with our electrical system and our batteries. For many owners, ignorance may be bliss when it comes to their house banks. However, that bliss can come to a screeching halt when you find yourself prematurely murdering your batteries. The solution? A battery monitor. This article will walk you through the basic process of installing a Victron battery monitor and the critical settings to ensure accuracy.