The future of nautical instrumentation is called Cortex

At Marine Pan Service we have been in the world of nautical instrumentation for almost 50 years and we have never seen a product so radically change our way of conceiving technological navigation or a single product capable of covering such a vast set of needs.

In Cortex the navigation needs, those of communication and remote monitoring of the boat, are covered by a single device with an interface of similar shape to our smartphone.

All this has been possible by integrating VHF, DSC, AIS, GPS, WiFi, 4G (mobile telephony), NMEA gateway, splitter, compass and barometer in a single device and putting together all those noble software mechanisms designed over the years by Vesper Marine.

Functions that were previously carried out only by complex naval systems, are now made available to the pleasure boat. For example, by detecting another vessel on the display, with a simple "tap" we can make a selective DSC call to that boat, and then deepen the communication in voice via VHF. Everything is done through a small device in an immediate way and not through the integration of several devices, as it happens in complex naval systems.

Cortex has already won the IBEX Award, the NMEA/RTCM Award and now presents itself as a candidate for the Dame Award, in short, the involvement is total including operators, users and even judges.

The following list lists the records achieved by Cortex and at the same time represents a justification, for all those who, like us, have been surprised by the debut of this technological device (it could not enter into our imagination a set so vast of technological breakthroughs):

• First VHF with hybrid control (keys and touch screen)
• First VHF with very high definition display.
• First device to integrate VHF/DSC/AIS with the remote control functions of the vessel.
• First device to integrate VHF/DSC with WiFi
• First device to integrate VHF/DSC with 4G
• First portable device to integrate VHF/DSC with AIS technology
• First portable device with integration of specific features such as anti-collision, Anchor Watch and man overboard.

Please consider this News as a preview, in fact Cortex will only be available in our warehouses from March 2020, but the list of orders in the hands of Vesper Marine is already very dense and we are not able to ensure punctuality in deliveries. So if you are interested in buying, we suggest that you hurry to your nautical dealer, because it is very likely that the problems of availability will persist throughout 2020.

Mauro Dell'Uomo, administrator of Marine Pan Service, comments: "I'm recognized as having a certain familiarity in interpreting the technologies that will happen in the future, yet the Cortex has left me totally unsettled. Cortex is a distinctly new concept and an ingenious aggregation of technologies, to give you, at the end of the day, functions that are simple to use, but powerful in their use. I booked my Cortex and I feel irrational to feel the need for something that did not even exist before, but it would be even more irrational if I sailed next summer with my family, without having the security of a Cortex.

The Cortex V1 comes with a blackbox (Cortex M1) and a handset (Cortex H1) very similar to a mobile phone. The blackbox supports all the functions carried out by the handset. The standard handset is wired, but you can buy separately the portable one (Cortex H1P), or perform the functionalities through our smartphone with a free app.

Every single component has been built according to the strictest standards of the New Zealand Vesper Marine, as has always accustomed us. The handset is submersible according to the IPx7 standard, the glass is built with Gorilla technology and the touch screen works perfectly even with wet fingers or wearing gloves. While the blackbox doors are absolutely galvanically isolated.

The handset also features a particularly effective keyboard, with a central "click-wheel" key that is useful for quickly scrolling through functions and guaranteeing correct operation even with just one hand. The handle has also been specially designed, for the best ergonomics and safety of grip. Another interesting feature is the audio volume, capable of releasing up to 85 dB, so more than enough to listen to messages even in the noisiest situations, also in an original way, the alarms are not marked by a generic "beep", but by a voice that indicates precisely the reason for the alarm.

The blackbox M1 has been designed to perfection with particular attention to its absorption, virtually zero when not in use and particularly optimized during use. The visibility of the display has also been given a lot of attention, offering clear visibility even under direct sunlight or with the use of polarized glasses.

The blackbox M1 provides the full functionality of the NMEA Gateway and although it is not a novelty for a Vesper Marine product, it should be noted that no other device on the market performs this functionality in such a total and refined way. This feature ensures that all data present on the boat can be easily conveyed, and then be spread on the boat via WiFi or in the world via 4G.

The M1 performs AIS transponder class B functions through the brand new SOTDMA protocol (Self Organised Time Division Multiple Access) which allows a higher range and adjusts the frequency of the update pulses according to the speed of the boat.

The blackbox also features a splitter with Vesper Marine no-loss technology (particularly popular!), so you won't even need to buy a separate splitter to operate the AIS and VHF with a single antenna.

The SIM 4G is integrated directly from Vesper Marine, without any additional cost and without the need to provide any subscription.

Inside the blackbox everything has been perfectly integrated, VHF technologies, DSC, WiFi, 4G, GPS, NMEA gateway, splitter, electronic compass and barometer, all coexist perfectly, having given Vesper Marine a particular priority so that they do not interfere with each other.

Describing the specific features of the Cortex is really a laborious and complex job, especially considering the new scenarios that this apparatus has been able to open. In this first article on Cortex, we will therefore limit ourselves to describing only a few of them.

We want to talk first of all about the remote control features of the boat, because with the technologies integrated in the blackbox and the valuable software, this feature becomes very interesting. In fact, wherever in the world we are, we can monitor the condition of our boat. The Cortex, with its sensors alone, informs us about the position, the level of the batteries, the direction of the bow, the ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. However, the Cortex with its renowned gateway capabilities can easily connect other readings on the boat, such as wind speed and direction, water temperature and virtually any other information is already available on the boat.
Obviously for each reading we can set alarms, for example, with the parameter of the position we can be informed if our boat goes out of a certain area.
Our boat will no longer be left alone!

The anti-collision functionality has always been a feather in Vesper Marine's cap, but on this apparatus, thanks to the sensors used, it becomes even more precise and portentous. This is a set of software mechanisms designed to detect the probability of collision with another boat and show the master all the relevant data to better avoid the risk of collision. In addition, thanks to the integrated DSC, with a simple "tap" we can immediately call the other boat and coordinate better on maneuvers.

The Anchor Watch is a real "good night" for all lovers of the roadstead and is the result of years of optimization of this functionality by Vesper Marine. We can fix the alarm in a matter of seconds, with all the desired intervention thresholds, when it will be the primary task of the Cortex to understand whether the anchor is really rolling, while our role will be to rest with peace of mind.

We would like to continue to talk about all the other features, but for editorial reasons, we stop here at the moment, but we will return to talk about it and update you on this valuable device.