Bypass Switch for Navigation/Monitoring

[Kerry1]

Hi all,

I have an issue that I would like advice on.

I have recently installed a Vesper Cortex system on the boat. When I wired it in I envisaged it being powered 24/7 because of it's connection to the cellular network and its capabilities for monitoring batteries etc from a cellphone or any internet connection.

I'm very pleased with those abilities as my boat is on a swing mooring unattended for long periods, though I'm only minutes away if needed. I have an 80 watt solar panel for maintaining battery while away. When I wired it up I simply ran a cable from the busbar that allows battery current even when the battery main switches are off. It's the same source that powers the bilge pump and the VHF even when main switches are off. I installed an inline fuse close to the source of power and everything was working fine.

I also added a security camera mounted in the saloon which is action motivated and connected via a modem wired into the 24 hour circuit.

The issue is that over time, with long periods of dull days I've found the system is unable to keep up with the drain on the house batteries.

My solution is to use a low powered timer on the Vesper Cortex so that it powers up only for say an hour every 24 hours, or maybe even every 12 hours. Of course this creates a long period in which a lot can happen and so degrades the ability of 24 hour monitoring, but it's still better than no monitoring at all.


I've found that after a period of being turned off, the Vesper system picks up a restart and records the vital statistics for me to access by cell phone the state of battery, bilge etc. So it seems the moment the system is live again, it sends of that data to the Vesper cloud for me to find out the latest on things at my leisure. Of course if something is amiss, I may be up to 11+ hours behind finding out about it. For most purposes it's there to monitor the battery and monitor if the bilge pump ever starts up. I've owned the boat for several years and it consistently maintains a dry bilge so far.

Obviously when onboard I'm happy to have the system live 24/7 for it's AIS and VHF capabilities, but not when ashore.

Do I wire in a bi pole switch that will bypass the timer when I'm aboard, and when leaving toggle it to the timer/relay circuit for intermittent use? Or should I just wire in the timer/relay to the 24 hour circuit and run a cable from the main battery switch so that when onboard it is powered on for as long as the battery switch is turned on.

Advantages? Disadvantates? A different approach?

Thanks in advance.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Kerry1

Hi all,

I have an issue that I would like advice on.

I have recently installed a Vesper Cortex system on the boat. When I wired it in I envisaged it being powered 24/7 because of it's connection to the cellular network and its capabilities for monitoring batteries etc from a cellphone or any internet connection.

I'm very pleased with those abilities as my boat is on a swing mooring unattended for long periods, though I'm only minutes away if needed. I have an 80 watt solar panel for maintaining battery while away. When I wired it up I simply ran a cable from the busbar that allows battery current even when the battery main switches are off. It's the same source that powers the bilge pump and the VHF even when main switches are off. I installed an inline fuse close to the source of power and everything was working fine.

I also added a security camera mounted in the saloon which is action motivated and connected via a modem wired into the 24 hour circuit.

The issue is that over time, with long periods of dull days I've found the system is unable to keep up with the drain on the house batteries.

My solution is to use a low powered timer on the Vesper Cortex so that it powers up only for say an hour every 24 hours, or maybe even every 12 hours. Of course this creates a long period in which a lot can happen and so degrades the ability of 24 hour monitoring, but it's still better than no monitoring at all.


I've found that after a period of being turned off, the Vesper system picks up a restart and records the vital statistics for me to access by cell phone the state of battery, bilge etc. So it seems the moment the system is live again, it sends of that data to the Vesper cloud for me to find out the latest on things at my leisure. Of course if something is amiss, I may be up to 11+ hours behind finding out about it. For most purposes it's there to monitor the battery and monitor if the bilge pump ever starts up. I've owned the boat for several years and it consistently maintains a dry bilge so far.

Obviously when onboard I'm happy to have the system live 24/7 for it's AIS and VHF capabilities, but not when ashore.

Do I wire in a bi pole switch that will bypass the timer when I'm aboard, and when leaving toggle it to the timer/relay circuit for intermittent use? Or should I just wire in the timer/relay to the 24 hour circuit and run a cable from the main battery switch so that when onboard it is powered on for as long as the battery switch is turned on.

Advantages? Disadvantates? A different approach?

Thanks in advance.

Would it not be easier and more productive to install another similar solar panel?

[smac999]

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