Buying a new vhf. Need clarification

[PSGB]

I’m in the market for a new vhf. My current unit does not support nmea2000 and therefore doesn’t receive gps data from my network and it doesn’t have built-in gps. My boat is setup with Garmin electronics. I don’t need AIS in the radio. The Garmin 215 has its own gps and is also nmea2000 compatible. It also “integrates” with my chart plotter. I don’t know what that provides that other manufacturers units don’t. The Garmin is more expensive than the Icom or SH. Is the built-in gps and chart plotter integration worth the cost difference from the other tried and true specialist manufacturers. The integrated gps is nice redundancy in case the network fails. Opinions please ?

[fregata]

Have you looked at something like the standard horizon gx2400?
It’s like $380 so cheaper than the Garmin you listed and it includes GPS as well as AIS receive and it can integrate with your chartplotter to display the AIS targets on the plotter.

If you don’t have AIS, not sure what utility you expect to get from VHF-Plotter integration.

[rls8r]

fregatta -

When you tell us that you don't need AIS in the radio - is that because you have AIS elsewhere - like in an AIS transceiver?

The only other reason that I can think of to integrate your VHF with your plotter is so you can get DSC calling/information through your plotter (if you wanted to go that way).

I have a SH 2200 VHF linked to my Garmin 1243 MFD - and it works fine, so no need to go with the Garmin VHF as far as I can see.

[wholybee]

The chart plotter integration, which I believe only works if you have a compatible plotter of the same brand, allows you to select a boat on the chart plotter, and initiate a DSC call directly from the plotter.

Having AIS on the radio also enables another useful feature, you can call a ship by selecting the ships name from a list on the radio. Without that, you would need to either make a DSC call from the plotter, or enter the MMSI.

[PSGB]

I have a Garmin AIS transceiver already. I just wasn’t clear what the Garmin chart plotter integration entailed. I want a functional dsc with gps info. Some radios have built in gps and some get the position data from the network.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by PSGB

I have a Garmin AIS transceiver already. I just wasn’t clear what the Garmin chart plotter integration entailed. I want a functional dsc with gps info. Some radios have built in gps and some get the position data from the network.

IMHO, DSC is not "functional" unless the VHF has AIS. It doesn't need its own AIS receiver or it's own GPS, but it needs to be able to get them from the NMEA bus and know what to do with them. So the AIS radio works *with* your AIS transceiver, not instead of or in spite of it.

I'm not sure if you can buy an AIS VHF that doesn't have it's own built in receiver anymore, but imo that's fine, as it is just another backup. If your transceiver fails, you can at least still receive AIS and the radio will send that to your chart plotter.

Without the VHF having AIS, DSC is only a distress call function. With AIS, you can call and talk to other boats. With my standard horizon radio, the screen on the remote mic has a list of boat names that are within AIS range. I select one and press call. Simple as that.

[PSGB]

Is there any issue with the Garmin AIS transceiver “competing” with the vhf AIS on the network or do they all work together?

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by PSGB

Is there any issue with the Garmin AIS transceiver “competing” with the vhf AIS on the network or do they all work together?

On my standard horizon I can disable the internal AIS and GPS, so that it uses the external. Then, if there is a failure, I go into the menus and re-enable them.

I'm not sure how other models would handle it.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by wholybee

The chart plotter integration, which I believe only works if you have a compatible plotter of the same brand, allows you to select a boat on the chart plotter, and initiate a DSC call directly from the plotter.

Having AIS on the radio also enables another useful feature, you can call a ship by selecting the ships name from a list on the radio. Without that, you would need to either make a DSC call from the plotter, or enter the MMSI.

Or, curses upon my Luddite soul, call them on CH16.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by SailingHarmonie

Or, curses upon my Luddite soul, call them on CH16.

The OP specifically said they wanted DSC to work. So it really doesn't matter that ch 16 works also.

Regardless, it is a useful feature.

First, if calling a buddy maybe you don't want to blast that on 16. It is difficult to miss a DSC call. Where someone might not catch their boat name, an alarm that goes off until answered or ignored will not be missed. And it happens frequently that vessels in a port will be monitoring a traffic channel and not answer to calls on 16. But they will answer a DSC call. I have needed to use DSC a few times when calls on 16 went unanswered.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by wholybee

IMHO, DSC is not "functional" unless the VHF has AIS. It doesn't need its own AIS receiver or it's own GPS, but it needs to be able to get them from the NMEA bus and know what to do with them. So the AIS radio works *with* your AIS transceiver, not instead of or in spite of it.

I'm not sure if you can buy an AIS VHF that doesn't have it's own built in receiver anymore, but imo that's fine, as it is just another backup. If your transceiver fails, you can at least still receive AIS and the radio will send that to your chart plotter.

Without the VHF having AIS, DSC is only a distress call function. With AIS, you can call and talk to other boats. With my standard horizon radio, the screen on the remote mic has a list of boat names that are within AIS range. I select one and press call. Simple as that.

Still functional, just need to enter the MMSI # to make a DSC call, no different than a phone number.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by PSGB

I have a Garmin AIS transceiver already. I just wasn’t clear what the Garmin chart plotter integration entailed. I want a functional dsc with gps info. Some radios have built in gps and some get the position data from the network.

I have integrated Garmin and SH. I liked the SH vhf better than the Garmin for various reasons. Year before last I upgraded to a SH1850 Explorer with RAM but without GPS but upgraded again last season to the SH2400 with gps for those times the chartplotter is off and I still want full AIS/GPS/DSC functions. I can have both connected and running without interference and there is no loss of GPS signal turning one or the other off. They were both plug and play. I do still have the SH1850…

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by rbk

Still functional, just need to enter the MMSI # to make a DSC call, no different than a phone number.

I've actually tried that. It's technically possible, but I wouldn't call it functional. First you need to fumble the chart plotter to get the MMSI number, then fumble menus on the radio. The ones I tried wouldn't allow you to enter an MMSI to call, you had to add it to the address book, and then call from there. The whole process took damn near 15 minutes to fumble through. Even if you practiced it and got it to a few minutes, that isn't functional, and hardly comparable to using a phone number.

[CSY Man]

I have a Garmin 115 vhf, don’t like it at all, probably because the previous 4 boats had SH.
The Garmin display is small and hard to read in daylight and too many buttons have dual functions.
Love my Garmin plotter and autopilot, etc but not the VHF. (Had no choice, the boat builder equip the boats with Garmin stuff.)
Gave the dealer a brand new SH and asked him to instal it instead but the foot print was was different, would need a whole new dash to instal the SH, $$$
I gave up, returned the SH to West Marine and kept the Garmin VHF in place, but have a SH handheld VHF as a back up.
Hate the Garmin VHF…

[rbk]

Originally Posted by wholybee

I've actually tried that. It's technically possible, but I wouldn't call it functional. First you need to fumble the chart plotter to get the MMSI number, then fumble menus on the radio. The ones I tried wouldn't allow you to enter an MMSI to call, you had to add it to the address book, and then call from there. The whole process took damn near 15 minutes to fumble through. Even if you practiced it and got it to a few minutes, that isn't functional, and hardly comparable to using a phone number.

I’ve been a SH fan for a long time and for me it takes less than a minute with our setup. We usually get MMSI’s off people we know and want to keep in contact with (have a few printed on cruising cards), after it’s input it’s as simple a selecting a name on a list. I will agree that if some random boat bearing down on you 16 is still your best option in any situation then onto the horn and evasive maneuvers. It has also gotten a lot easier with integrated chartplotter and AIS to select a boat off the screen and direct call from the CP but when I’m below at anchor I use our ‘phone list’