Vesper Cortex impressions?

[bowball]

What’s the impression now?

I installed a system this spring but really only used the anchor alarm. The handset ergonomics I didn’t like so I continued to use my Icon. I noticed there was a recent squelch upgrade which solved an often stated concern

I also like the B+ AIS but display it on my Furuno.

 

[Sababa]

Is also don’t like the handset ergonomics and continue to use my Raymarine for VHF comms much of the time. I do like the ability to check that my battery is charged remotely (I have accidentally hip checked the shore power breaker off while packing up the boat before and run down my battery). I’m planning to add the bilge monitoring at some point this off season. Also like the improved AIS performance over my retired XB8000. And having a dedicated screen for the anchor watch is definitely an improvement over busting out my phone. Worth the cost? Probably not, but on balance I don’t regret it.

 

[boomerang]

We bought one (just the M1 AIS, not the VHF handset) last winter because we were so happy with the XB-8000 on our previous boat. I installed it in Florida for our trip up back up the east coast, not only for the AIS, but also for the anchoring app and also for a position fix via wifi on an iPad charting app. Like I mentioned in another post, I bought it days before it was announced that Garmin had acquired Vesper. Had I known, ,I might've looked more closely at another brand, but maybe not. I do like the Vesper anchoring app.
We did have an issue the entire way back, and that was not being able to turn off the internal heading sensor. Due to the M1 having to be mounted near other electronics, the sensor always had a severe deviation to the heading, causing our charts to be skewed, in the heading up mode, sometimes as much as 30-40˚. I spent quite a bit of time on the phone with a Garmin tech, who was obviously not at all familiar with the Vesper unit. I was assured I would get a call back after they contacted the Vesper gurus in New Zealand. I never did get a return call. Fast forward 6 weeks later for the 2nd leg of our trip home from SC , where we noticed another boat on our chartplotter whose boat icon was "crabbing". I hailed him on the radio and he told me they were having trouble with their new AIS. I asked if it was a Cortex and his surprised reply was yes. Finally , fed up with our own boat "crabbing" up the east coast, I called Garmin again. This time, they were fully aware of their problem & had an answer for me.
1) I could wait for a new software update
2) They would send me a garmin smartcast sensor to add to the nmea 2000 buss (if the Cortex sees a "HDG" message in the nmea 2000 data stream, it uses that and ignores the internal sensor).
A week later I installed the sensor and for the most part, it fixed the skewed heading issue, although the chartplotter still briefly switches to the internal heading of the Cortex sensor, but not long enough to be a nuisance.
All said and done, I guess the Cortex was the best AIS for us.

 

[wkearney99]

A week later I installed the sensor and for the most part, it fixed the skewed heading issue, although the chartplotter still briefly switches to the internal heading of the Cortex sensor, but not long enough to be a nuisance.

It'll be more than a nuisance if it happens while you've got the autopilot going and it suddenly decides to throw the rudders over. I had a bad heading sensor on our old boat and had it happen. It'd periodically get confused about the heading and managed to do it just long enough for the autopilot to think the boat was pointed in the wrong direction. Gave me a nasty bump getting tossed when the boat gave a hard turn to port.

I don't know what plotter you have installed but most have the option to let you specify exactly which source should be used for heading and positioning. It's usually buried in setup menus.

 

[CaptTom]

We bought one (just the M1 AIS, not the VHF handset) last winter because we were so happy with the XB-8000 on our previous boat.

I, too was very satisfied with my XB-8000 and used to sing its praises every chance I got. Great hardware, great software, a company representative used to frequent forums like this and answer questions, and there were regular firmware updates which added new features.

But when they started development of Cortex that all started to change. The reps and the firmware updates disappeared. Updates they had promised never materialized. Then Garmin bought Vesper. Garmin doesn't have the best reputation for continuing to develop and support products they've bought.

I don't have any first-hand experience, but I'd have to weigh the risk of investing in what might end up being a dead end.

 

[boomerang]

It'll be more than a nuisance if it happens while you've got the autopilot going and it suddenly decides to throw the rudders over. I had a bad heading sensor on our old boat and had it happen. It'd periodically get confused about the heading and managed to do it just long enough for the autopilot to think the boat was pointed in the wrong direction. Gave me a nasty bump getting tossed when the boat gave a hard turn to port.



I don't know what plotter you have installed but most have the option to let you specify exactly which source should be used for heading and positioning. It's usually buried in setup menus.

Im not looking for any course changes to occur due to the chart plotter occasionally going heads up in the cog mode instead of always following the nmea2000 sensor because ,even though the plotter is interfaced to the pilot, the pilot is using a dedicated nmea 0183 compass for it’s heading.
Now watch. Next time I switch on the pilot ,it’ll probably make a sudden u-turn and pile us up on a shoal. [emoji38]