SeaBits | Marine Electronics, Boating and Technology

Wakespeed WS-500 regulator review

January 20, 2020January 20, 2020 by Steve Mitchell

The Wakespeed WS-500 regulator is super programmable, has a ton of features, and can be used for dual engine, LiFePO4 banks, and smaller engines very effectively.

Upgrading VHF and AIS antennas

January 14, 2020January 12, 2020 by Steve Mitchell

I have wanted to update my VHF antennas for a while, specifically to get a dedicated AIS antenna for my Class B transponder. I decided to move forward with this project this winter.

Victron GX now sends NMEA 2000

January 4, 2020December 27, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

Victron has had a lot of impressive connectivity products, but one area they have had challenges with is in getting all of that data onto NMEA 2000. In their recent v2.40 release, that has changed for the better.

Poynting OMNI LTE antennas

January 14, 2020December 23, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

I’m always on the lookout for new LTE antennas that could help improve my signal while on the water. Poynting has a couple of interesting marine antennas that I’ve been using for a while.

NMEA 2000 network troubleshooting tools

January 14, 2020December 16, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

NMEA 2000 networks are part of any connected boat, and can be problematic by nature of their design. Troubleshooting an N2K network can be done very easily and cheaply, or you can use more advanced tools.

What’s on your boat server?

January 3, 2020December 5, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

Servers are more common on boats today than ever before. Having some sort of system to run SignalK, a dedicated alerting system, or some other service has become just as integral as having a chart plotter or VHF radio.

One year after switching to power

January 3, 2020November 16, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

I switched from sail to power a year ago and haven’t looked back. There are pros and cons, but I am glad I made the switch!

Furuno FM-4800 VHF Radio

January 14, 2020October 29, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

Furuno released the FM-4800 VHF radio in late 2018, and I have been using it since then, and really like it as my primary boat radio.

Low Data Mode helps boat WiFi use in iOS 13

January 3, 2020October 17, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

As of iOS 13, there is a Low Data mode for WiFi! For many years, you’ve been able to limit cellular bandwidth usage, but iOS has not had a way to control the same thing for a WiFi network, until now.

weBoost Drive Reach cellular amplifier installation and testing

January 16, 2020October 12, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

weBoost released the Drive Reach recently which is a more powerful and refined version of the venerable Drive 4G-X, the gold standard for cellular amplifiers since 2014. I have been using mine for a few months, and have some observations

Victron + Wakespeed + Battle Born power system

January 14, 2020September 21, 2019 by Steve Mitchell

Rendezvous came with a decent power system which I had hoped to use for a year before upgrading. However, performance and other problems cropped up in the first few months of using it, so I moved this project earlier in the list and jumped in.

Steve Mitchell on Wakespeed WS-500 regulator review: “I definitely have a higher charge rate than your bank given that they are LiFePO4, that's for sure. I had…”

Paul g on Wakespeed WS-500 regulator review: “I noted your practice of running the genset while underway to add to your total charging current. I suppose that…”

Mike Weaver on One year after switching to power: “Good info. I don't think I would buy a single screw motorboat, but those fuel numbers were not bad. Sailboat…”

Steve Mitchell on Wakespeed WS-500 regulator review: “Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you got the chance to meet Al and hear about the Wakespeed product.…”

Mic on Wakespeed WS-500 regulator review: “Thanks for another great write up. I first became aware of Wakespeed back when it was first mentioned in the…”

Steve Mitchell on Grace’s redundant Internet setup: “For those looking for the MikroTik Groove setup guide, that can be found here: https://seabits.com/mikrotik-groove-step-by-step-setup-guide/ Note that a lot of…”

Maks on Best boat Internet systems: “hi Martin, yes, you are right. But you need to understand what is the benefit of second antenna. Modems like…”

Maks on Best boat Internet systems: “hi Alan. Actually Pepwave is a big cell phone which allow you to attach external antenna with big gain and…”

Maks on Best boat Internet systems: “almost nothing if you want to have access youtube online services etc. World is waiting oneweb and starlink which is…”

Steve Mitchell on Installing and using a Victron LiFePO4 energy system: “The Venus GX is a great product. I have one installed in a remote location on land controlling a solar…”