The CME combinator doesn't register CMEs for orbit when placed on the planet (and I assume vice versa). The defense umbrella doesn't care and protects both, so maybe the combinator shouldn't either or at least have a toggle switch to enable widening the detection to the whole planet/orbit system as well.

I guess you could work around that by having a CME combinator in orbit and sending that signal to the ground with a signal transmitter.
I'm hesitant to add options and toggles to this mod, it's meant to be as simple as possible. Thoughts?

Yeah I put up a combinator in orbit and dropped a few additional signal receivers on the planet to update the clock and trigger the battery, as a work around it works.

I though it would be nice to get it built in, but the decision is of course yours and dealing with it isn't that complicated.