Considering AIS on a budget

[CaptnKen]

The benefits of AIS are getting A CPA

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by Brewgyver

I looked it up, and indeet it only receives (or recognizes) RTE and WPL sentences, so no go on the AIS.

So, yes, any of the receivers or transcievers can be connected to a laptop running OpenCPN, but then what? Running a laptop in the cockpit is not a good option.

The daisy 2+ with a $5 DT-06 wifi card can broadcast AIS data to your tablet which is a better option in the cockpit (under the dodger)!

[sanibel sailor]

Originally Posted by Brewgyver

OK, this is pretty basic. You say your radio has DSC, but without connecting the NMEA output of your RC435 to the VHF, you've got nothing. If you hit the Distress button on the radio, it will not put out your location. Do you even have an MMSI number?

Yes, I have my MMSI programmed into it.
I tried connecting the yellow SeaTalk wire to the VHF which didn't work and abandoned getting GPS to it after that feeble attempt.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

Yes, I have my MMSI programmed into it.
I tried connecting the yellow SeaTalk wire to the VHF which didn't work and abandoned getting GPS to it after that feeble attempt.

Seatalk and NMEA are not compatible. SEATALK is Raymarine propietary (its a 9-bit implementation where NMEA is regular 8-bit) you would need a converter box in between. like one of these

YakBitz

[CATJAVA]

Nobody has said it on this thread, but I will. Several countries will not let u in unless u have a transceiver AIS. U might not want to go to Thailand or Indonesia or Australia, but I think more countries will require this as time goes on.

Best investment I’ve made. It’s a lovely feeling when a LARGE ship changes course to miss u! And I sleep well while hove to at sea knowing my AIS has my back covered.
Evan on JAVA

[philmarks]

We've got an Emtrak B300. Fitted it in the Canaries, now in New Zealand. A great piece of kit. Antenna is rail mounted aft. In the open sea we often pick up shipping at 25 nm. We also fitted the Emtrak VHF antenna splitter.


We use it with OpenCpn and a guard zone. Connection is via a wifi hub but it could be plugged straight in to the laptop using the supplied USB cable.



Before that I had a cheap $20 AIS receiver puck. That worked well and no extraneous wiring was required. However we felt that the added comfort of the transceiver was well worth it.

[Boatwright]

I can recommend Milltech Marine. We have been using their under $200 AIS antenna splitter for several years. We cruise the northern Great Lakes where there is a lot of ship traffic often in narrow waters. We do not have a transmitter and I have seen our PC / GPS based chart display getting increasingly cluttered with AIS transmitter equipped yachts. I worry that this clutter if it continues will actually reduce safety.

I am interested in staying out of the way of the big boys and have been told by a good friend who is an officer on one of our thousand footer Great Lakes bulk carriers that they continue to rely on ship to ship radio for collision avoidance. The maneuverability exceptions defining the burdened vessel in the Rules of the Road are the actual rule in many situations here. It is possible to use AIS receive only to operate safely.

I have found our Milltech splitter to be completely reliable, receiving a clear signal without interference on a shared mast-top antenna. They also sell a transmitter complete with GPS receiver for under $500, and a dedicated transceiver with target display for $1,600.

https://www.milltechmarine.com/

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

Yes, I have my MMSI programmed into it.
I tried connecting the yellow SeaTalk wire to the VHF which didn't work and abandoned getting GPS to it after that feeble attempt.

OK, you need to do that the next time you're on the boat. It's easy.
You need to connect the NMEA OUTPUT pair to the VHF. It's just two wires, yellow and brown, that are in the same cable as the power connection to the plotter. They connect to the NMEA INPUT of your VHF. Check your radio documentation, many of them are yellow and green. The connection is polarized, with the plotter output being yellow positive and brown negative, they need to be connected to the positvie and negative INPUT pair on the radio. So, positive to positive and negative to negative. Consult your radio's manual for the color coding. If you don't have it, most of them can be found online. Most DSC radios have a POSITION button, push it after making the connection, with plotter up and running, it will display your position coordinates, verifying the connection.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by sanibel sailor

I am considering adding AIS to my very simple electronics. I would like to maintain a tight budget.

I use a dAISy 2+ in my delivery go-kit. It's small and USB powered. I have an AIS Class B (ACR) on Auspicious. If I was starting from scratch I'd get B+.

Line of sight is 1.22*SQRT(height of eye) for height in feet and distance in nautical miles. You have to calculate twice, once for you and once for the ship, and add the numbers. If the ship's antenna is 120 feet up, the difference between 10' on your pushpit or 60' on your mast isn't significant. My AIS antenna on a radar pole at about 18' does fine and I generally see targets about 30 nm out.

Splitters are evil. Do a search here on CF and you can get my engineering reasoning and all the offended people who disagree with me.

Originally Posted by CarlF

If you aren't really good at soldering consider the Shakespeare solder-less ones. They test very well and are just about foolproof.

Please don't. The Shakespeare crimp connectors are truly horrible.

[CarlF]

Those suggesting an AIS receiver don't seem to have had a transceiver themselves.

Is there anyone out there who has an AIS transceiver now who would save money and opt for receive-only next time?

I certainly wouldn't.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by CarlF

Those suggesting an AIS receiver don't seem to have had a transceiver themselves.

Is there anyone out there who has an AIS transceiver now who would save money and opt for receive-only next time?

I certainly wouldn't.

I would agree, but a receiver depending on where you are is more of and interesting add to your setup than a necessity. Here on the great lakes there is really no need for the ability to transmit as the level of commercial traffic that recreational boats need to deal with is either low or concentrated away from most activity. Its a safety device I get it, but for me is low down on the list of priorities..

[Pitchondesign]

I was suggesting a receive and I have a tranceiver. The reason is simple. If money is a real issue, then receive is better than not having anything. You can always buy better stuff for more money. Sometimes you just don't have more money. With receive, you can still see where the bug guys are, and call them by name and let them know here you are. Not as good as a tranceiver, but way better than nothing.

Originally Posted by CarlF

Those suggesting an AIS receiver don't seem to have had a transceiver themselves.

Is there anyone out there who has an AIS transceiver now who would save money and opt for receive-only next time?

I certainly wouldn't.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by KP44

I have never needed a transmit AIS. My Horizon VHF gives AIS positions to my plotter. It is also a loud hailer and does fog sounds, when needed.
If you need to know a ship's intentions, then contact it. It is much more important the you see the ship and less important that it sees you. These ships usually cannot do much to zig-zag around you.

This is far different than my experience.
1. It is much easier to establish contact with a ship if you supply your name. The ship recognizes you on its screen instead of sesrching for someone who states 'I am the yacht on your starboard bow'
2. No ship wants to overrun a yacht. Any ship contacted in sufficient distance will take some action to avoid you. I am not talking about a supertanker in narrow channel but normal craft in open waters.
3. More and more pleasure vessels install AIS. As the seas get also more crowded, it seems common sense to broadcast your existence ( it is always possible to close transmission if required, e. g. in pirate area)

[KP44]

Originally Posted by CATJAVA

And I sleep well while hove to at sea knowing my AIS has my back covered.

Very dangerous to not keep watch, IMO. I don't care if "Everybody does it." And outside maritime law, as well.

All these conveniences make life easier. I am in favor of using AIS but not depending on it.

[seacap]

Originally Posted by n5ama

I have a GX2200 and also can’t see it very well unless I’m right at the display. Is there a way to use my iPad (for a bigger screen) to look at the AIS receiver only output?

An app that makes this happen would be great. I guess there is also the issue of needing wireless because the GX2200 doesn’t have a USB port.

Any help greatly appreciated!

I have the same radio and now have it wirelessly showing on my iPad nav program iNavX. And I believe it will work with other iPad nav programs. Very easy to set up and the seller offers great support if there is a problem. Cheap at around $56 with shipping from Australia. Highly recommended.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NMEA-to-WiF...4AAOSwc9ha6X~q