B & G AIS RADIO

[Scott Tudury]

We have been fighting with a new B & G radio to contiguously send out ais signal.
We have replaced the in dash (v60b new radio). That we could not get to work.

We have installed the BG Hercules Expansion Module and the same issues....works...doesn't work....

We put a separate vhf antenna...works...doesn't work. I am using a electronics installer who is a good company, any suggestions would be appreciated.

[FlyingScot]

Despite being hard to get a hold of, you need to contact B&G or have your dealer contact them. It could just be faulty and need replacing. Maybe a factory reset is in order before that.

[SailingHarmonie]

You have had two things that fail intermittently after installation, or at least I think that is what you are saying.

Something is wrong. It is POSSIBLE that both pieces of gear have manufacturing issues, but that is very unlikely. Might be the install, might be a network issue, or a power issue. I could guess all day without hands-on testing.

[AnsleyS]

Scott,


Why don't you tell us a bit about your set up?


What radio do you have?
AIS receiver?
Antenna(s)?
Splitter?
NMEA0183 connection?
NMEA2000 connection?
VHF verbal transmission status?


Maybe it is an instal prob.

[mvweebles]

Is the the AIS receive only radio, or the AIS B with transponder? I had the Simrad version of the radio and could not get it to work with my Simrad MFDs. Navico tech support sucked. I ended up replacing the radio with standard horizon and a Vesper AIS B+ module. Expensive mistake. No more Navico products for me.

[wholybee]

How are you testing that it is working? It might be your testing that is flawed.

You cannot confirm AIS with marine traffic or any of the other Internet sites. Those sites themselves are often intermittent in their reception and reporting of class B/B+ AIS.
Also, Class B AIS doesn't transmit contiguously. If the boat isn't moving, it will only transmit an occasional "I'm still here." If you combine that with checking via Marine Traffic, you might only appear on the site every couple days.

The easiest way to test is to go sailing away from you slip, while someone else is monitoring you from their boat. That way, you are moving, and you take the Internet AIS site out of the equation.

If you are testing correctly and it still isn't working, then we need more information about the setup. The most common issue would be a bad connector on the coax.

[Scott Tudury]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

Despite being hard to get a hold of, you need to contact B&G or have your dealer contact them. It could just be faulty and need replacing. Maybe a factory reset is in order before that.

This installation was done by a very competent dealer. They have changed out 2 in dash b&G ais radios. And now we have the integrated box on the nema network. I might add all electronics are new, plotter, gauges, antenna, wire, 2 external vhf antenna, etc. No expense has been spared.

They have been in touch with dealer support for a few months now. I will list all the components as soon as I can.

I was looking to see if someone had a similar experience. The installers have tried just about everything we could think of.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Scott Tudury

This installation was done by a very competent dealer. They have changed out 2 in dash b&G ais radios. And now we have the integrated box on the nema network. I might add all electronics are new, plotter, gauges, antenna, wire, 2 external vhf antenna, etc. No expense has been spared.

They have been in touch with dealer support for a few months now. I will list all the components as soon as I can.

I was looking to see if someone had a similar experience. The installers have tried just about everything we could think of.

A marine electronics tech can test the AIS function in the shop on a test bench and know 100% for sure if the radio or AIS unit are functioning correctly. They also can (and really NEED to) test the cables and antennas as installed with an analyzer. That test would be standard after any installation, reported problems or not.

The most common issue as I said before is a bad coax connector. Common enough that even the best techs will use an analyzer to check there own work before signing off on an install. And the first thing they will check approaching a problem like this.

Intermittent problems (of any kind) are often bad power connections. Checking voltage is not enough. You need to check voltage right where the radio(or whatever device has a problem) is connected, while the radio is connected, and while the radio is turned on. That usually means cutting wires or stripping back some insulation. Then monitor the voltage as the radio transmits. If the voltage drops more than about .4V (3% of 12.7V) below the battery voltage then there is a bad connector in the power cabling somewhere.

Similarly, the NMEA network can be tested and confirmed, etc.

This shouldn't be difficult for a marine tech to figure out. If you have someone that has spent a few months on it, maybe its time to look for someone else. You said "dealer." Dealers sell stuff. You need a technician, who can test and fix stuff.

[SailingHarmonie]

The installer is really competent... but can't make it work....

Sorry, but those statements have an inherent conflict. Until you get that you are diving down the rabbit hole.

[stevead]

We have replaced the in dash (v60b new radio). That we could not get to work.

Unless there is a software fault, don't you think it is extremely unlikely that two radios are faulty? Have you checked for software updates?

We have installed the BG Hercules Expansion Module and the same issues....works...doesn't work....

The expansion module is independent to the V60 so if it is not working reliably it possibly indicates a network fault.

We put a separate vhf antenna...works...doesn't work

If you cannot reliably send and receive a VHF call then you either have a faulty aerial, aerial connection or radio.

This is not rocket science.

Start with your network.Do all the devices (VHF, Depth, Speed, Wind etc) appear in your chartplotter's list of devices. If not you probably have a network fault.

Next look at your GPS. Do you have an external gps connected to the radio, a separate gps connected to the NMEA 2000 network or a gps integral to your Chart plotter?

Does your Chart plotter and VHF display your position? Without a valid GPS position an ais transceiver will not transmit an ais message.

Next look at your VHF. Do you have separate antennas for VHF and AIS or are you using a splitter? Has the installer performed a SWR test to ensure the antennas and cabling are OK?

Does your DSC display a position? Can you make and receive a VHF call? Can you make a DSC call (requires that you have entered your MMSI number).

Finally can you see other vessels on AIS and can they see you?

This is not an exhaustive list, but it's not overly difficult

[AnsleyS]

Also you may want to check the radio specs. The 60 comes in two versions, one is send and receive AIS and the other is just a receiver.

[Mickeyrouse]

I have rarely if ever had any issues of consistent reporting on marinetraffic.com in our home area. I frequently encounter lack of coverage on marinetraffic.com while traveling. The reason is the nature of the marine traffic network. It is all volunteer, not counting the satellite reporting. Volunteer conversge is not assured in all areas. That’s why marinetraffic should be thought of as a “ fun to know” app, but not something that should be considered part of a vital navigation suite. Other similar sites, Shipfinder.com and vesseltracker.com for axample, are similarly structured, with similar coverage challenges.