Milltech Marine News

March 2023

Vesper Marine Cortex Gets Long Awaited Software Update

Cortex just got even better. Introducing the new and improved Cortex 2.0 software update. There's a new sleek user interface for Cortex handsets and some big improvements to core VHF functions to ensure you never miss a word. Cortex software 2.0 features new Squelch EQ

automated squelch with manual fine-tuning, omni watch multichannel scanning, and VHF audio recording and playback. Find out more here.

February 2023

Vesper XB8000, XB6000, and SP160 Discontinued

The Vesper XB series has been discontinued and no longer available. There is no direct replacement but we strongly recommend looking at the Vesper Cortex M1 as an alternative, basically an XB-8000 on steroids. If you were looking at getting an XB-8000 and the SP-160 splitter the Cortex M1 is a 5w SOTDMA AIS with the splitter built-in with all the benefits of Vesper's award winning SmartAIS and more! Find out more here.

January 2023
Vesper Marine Cortex on Sale while Supplies last

Vesper(Garmin) has officially discontinued the North American version of the Cortex and will soon be releasing a global version. We will only be selling the North American versions at a discount until they are all gone and the global versions are shipping. If you were ever considering the Cortex and boating in North America there has never been a better time to buy. Find out more here.

January 2022

Milltech Marine has been acquired

Milltech Marine, a global leader in marine safety specializing in Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) and communications today announced that it has been acquired by former Global Sales Director for Vesper Marine, Jason Young. Check out the news here.

October 2020
Did Vesper Cortex just save my boat?!?
Check out our blog article with an overview of the Remote Vessel Monitoring capabilities in Vesper Cortex and some real-world stories on the value of this unique system.

August 2020
The Vesper Cortex product is finally available and initial shipments have gone out to customers!
Curious to understand what all the excitement is about? See our Vesper Cortex: First Impressions blog article with a quick review of unboxing our first Cortex product.

June 2020
Can't decide which AIS transponder to buy?
Check out our blog article "How to Choose an AIS Transponder" here.

June 2019
Having antenna issues? Check out our latest blog article.
Getting the VHF antenna connected to your AIS system is probably the most important factor for good AIS performance. Check out our guide here for our top ten antenna tips.

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Home > NMEA 2000

NMEA 2000

NMEA 2000® is a plug-and-play communications standard used for connecting marine sensors and display units within ships and boats. Communication runs at 250 kilobits-per-second and allows any sensor to talk to any display unit or other device. The protocol is used to create a network of electronic devices on a boat. Various instruments that meet the NMEA 2000 standard are connected to one central cable, known as a backbone. The backbone powers each instrument and relays data among all of the instruments on the network. This allows one display unit to show many different types of information. It also allows the instruments to work together, since they share data. NMEA 2000 is meant to be "plug and play" to allow devices made by different manufacturers to talk and listen to each other.

Products listed below all support NMEA 2000 and can be used together to create a network of NMEA 2000-based marine instruments.

For more information on building a NMEA 2000 network, check out the Technical Reference for Garmin® NMEA 2000® Products guide. While this guide is focused on Garmin products, the networking fundamentals sections can be used as guidance for building a NMEA 2000 network made up of any combination of NMEA 2000 certified products.

Milltech Marine staff have been trained on installing NMEA 2000 networks. If you have questions related to building a NMEA 2000 network or using NMEA 2000 certified products, feel free to contact us.

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