Recommendations for AIS setup, Australian boat

[petter5]

If you are on a thigh budget and can do well with only AIS receiver this can be done very cheap and with goo quality.
First, buy on of these:https://www.tindie.com/products/Quar...ac_prod_search


Avotd antenna splitter at any cost - they tend to decrease your AIS reception quality significant.
Use a decent dedicated antenna of professional quality, they cost just significant more than a hobby antenna and will perform far better compared to most hobby antennas. I can recommend COMROD AV15 antenna that have worked very well for me. Also, if antenna cable lenght is longer that 1,5 meter - use RG213 or better coax cable - do not use RG58. Total cost inclusive Comrod V15 antenna ? +- USD$ 250

Originally Posted by GILow

Hi all,

I really need to sort out my thinking on AIS, so many options, so much reading... so confused.

So, I'm giving up and asking for help for my particular setup.

Currently I have an older Raymarine C80 chart plotter on board, two VHF radios (one DSC equipped) and I am running the older SeaTalk protocol to keep the plotter and various instruments talking to each other. (I also have a DSC equipped HF as a stand alone unit at the nav station.)

The plotter has a spare NMEA port available on the back.

Where I travel, marine traffic is VERY light, so the processing power of the C80 should cope with any traffic I encounter and feed to it for display.

What I am TRYING to figure out is a way of adding an AIS transciever to the mix so that I can a) receive an alarm when something is close by and b) hail the nearby boat by name to see if they can see me.

It would be NICE to see AIS data on the plotter, but not essential, and I don't want to limit my options based on the C80 plotter because it is old enough now that it could go phht tomorrow.

So, with that mix in mind, and also noting that I am in Australia and trying to keep things "locally compatible", if such a concept is relevant, what can people recommend?

Oh yeah, and budget is... er... tight.

Matt

[petermjdavies]

We have a DigitalYacht AIS unit attached to our C80, using 38400 as advised elsewhere. We also have gps info sent to our radio so that we can transmit an automatic mayday with position. We are in the UK. dunno if this model is available in Oz. Yes this ais stuff is expensive, but I think is as good as radar in most circumstances.

[Pepperberrybleu]

Another vote for Vesper (I have a WatchMate Vision). In my current cruising adventures, it has been an excellent navigational aid; I would second the recommendations for transponder rather than just receiver. It's good to be seen, and you can always switch to receive only mode if desred.

Note that Vesper is based in New Zealand, so pretty "local" for an Aussie boat.

One additional feature of the Vesper (certainly the Vision, not sure about other models) is an excellent anchor alarm. It is simple to set or adjust the anchor position; then set the desired alarm radius from the anchor position, and you're done. I've drawn some pretty circles on the Vision in the Bahamas... and it is (in my view) a very robust solution. I didn't even know it existed when I purchased the AIS unit, but it has tuned out to be a very valuable feature.

Connecting via wifi and using the Vesper app with an iPad as a portable / remote display has also proven very useful.

Vesper also sell a splitter, and antenna, which work well with both the AIS transponder and a separate VHF radio (and a regular FM radio, if you have one).

Clearly there are plenty of other good options out there, but Vesper has been great for me.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Our boat has a Raymarine set up also. E80 and all NMEA 0183 electronics including a multiplexer from ShipModul. It included an AIS 250 receiver. The AIS and the multiplexer bit the dust on the way to Alaska last year and this is what we did.

Replaced the AIS with a Vesper XB 6000, a Rose Point Marine / NEMO Gateway multiplexer (there are many others available), and hooked in an older cable modem from Comcast that I had in order to have a wifi signal. I used a multiplexer again as I needed more 0183 connections than were available on a Vesper unit. The hardware itself was @ $1100. The new hardware is connected via a NMEA 2000 backbone where I could, so changing to newer electronics may be less of a chore in the future.

The new configuration allows me to see the AIS signals on my E80 as well as hook my laptop up and see the AIS signals on Open CPN. I have to configure the Vesper via a USB connection to my laptop and the NEMO Gateway via an app on my Ipad.

This was installed in Petersburg, AK this past spring and we are now on the west coast of Vancouver Island going south. Works great - no complaints to date. Other boats report no issues with seeing me on AIS and I can see them clearly.

Note that I opted to use the Vesper without the external gps antennae hooked up; it mounted behind a panel adjacent to the nav station. No issues. I also installed a manual 'on/off' switch for turning off transmit when I want to.

[rlevin73]

Hello
AIS provides a margin of safety if other folks can see you on their AIS so get a Class B and place the antenna high on the mast. Some of the new VHF radios have AIS that can be integrated to a larger screen chart plotter. Google
AIS NAVCEN to get good info

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by chouliha

We are huge fans of Vesper owning two AIS units. First a 750 before Vesper had USCG approval for the 850 model. We now have the 850 model which we love! It’s 4 years old. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT

Also strongly recommend a transmitter as well. We have been out cruising now almost 14 years and it amazes us how few boats actually broadcast an AIS signal. For a few extra bucks why not have vessels see you. We have seen large vessels move around us on our approach to the Panama canal in strong rain and poor visibility. If you are concerned about certain areas transmitting a signal then turn the transmitter option off.

The Vesper unit has a USB port and we plug it directly into the computer where we feed OpenCPN. It also has additional take off for direct wiring to other units. Plus depending on what type of VHF it will direct call ships using the Vesper to initiate the call.

At the very least have a look at the products Vesper Marine produce.

Good luck with your choices

Chuck
Jacaranda
Mo’orea

I totally second Chuck's comment. We have a AIS transponder (not Vesper unfortunately) and feed it into the PC running OpenCPN. You could duplicate the 38400 NMEA into your plotter if it accepts that. We also feed ours into a Standard Horizon Matrix VHF which allows us to monitor the AIS while the PC is off or in standby, saving power.

[Jimmyhenry]

Our previous boat had a c60. We spent 6 months in the Sth Pacific and used a very cheap AIS receiver. It wired very easily into the NMEA. Performed perfectly. But other boats could not see us. Big negative. Our current boat we have the c90. We bought the Raymarine AIS treanceiver. Not cheap but “sleep well at night”. It came with its own GPS aerial which is not always necessary as the AIS signal is via VHF.
So your c80 with any AIS transceiver and a splitter for the VHF aerial would give you a good outcome.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by GILow

Wow, Vesper seems to be the popular choice.

For the record, yes, definitely want a transceiver, I do want the buggers to see me as well.

Hmmm... I was hoping for some cheaper alternatives, the vesper looks to be around AU$1300, which is not exactly giving it away. But, it does come with positive reviews, which is not to be sneezed at.

Anyone else using something at little more suited to a student budget?

Matt

I dont have one but you can get Matsutec transponders for under $400. And with it's own display for under $500.

But remember you'll also need either an antenna splitter or an additional VHF antenna for the AIS.

And you need to have an MMSI number.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by ronstory

I'm also in the market for AIS tranceiver since our boat is receive only through our Simrad radio.

Has anyone had any experience with AIS Class B transceivers with SOTDMA? SOTDMA has a bit more transmit power at 5W and uses the same network protocol as the Class A transceivers.

Just to add some confusion to the OP's decision making process --


The original Class B AIS protocol is a bodge which happened because of licensing issues. Those have finally been solved and now we have SOTDMA, which is what Class B was supposed to be in the first place.


The original Class B standard is actually obsolete. The OP could make two different things out of that --


Either buy an original Class B cheap (it does sort of work). Or buy an SOTDMA black box set, which are gradually getting cheaper. What he should NOT do is pay full price for an obsolete non-SOTDMA AIS set.


I'll be upgrading mine this winter. There should be plenty of used sets on the market cheap.

[David Gunn]

Hi We are Australian and circumnavigating (currently in Caribbean). We set out from Australia with a Raymarine C80 and Vesper AIS (receive only).
In Gibraltar we fitted a new Vesper transducer and feed the AIS data to the C80 without issues. Our AIS aerial is on the Bimini and we are only visible for about 5-10miles from other yachts. Suggest you split the VHF aerial on mast top with the AIS.
We were glad to fit the transponder, especially leaving Gibraltar and in shipping lanes as other ships can see you. We had a few close calls when operating with a receiver only.
The Raymarine instruments are all 15 years old (including the chart plotter) and still working well. The AIS data is transmitted to the C80 via NMEA and we can then program the C80 to show alarms and all ships.
The new Vesper transponder has an inbuilt GPS which saves fitting another GPS to the transponder.
We hope to get back to Australia with these systems as we are very pleased with the old Raymarine sea talk and instruments.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by David Gunn

...Our AIS aerial is on the Bimini and we are only visible for about 5-10miles from other yachts.


...The Raymarine instruments are all 15 years old (including the chart plotter) and still working well. The AIS data is transmitted to the C80 via NMEA and we can then program the C80 to show alarms and all ships.



...as we are very pleased with the old Raymarine sea talk and instruments.

David, thanks for the great post.

A clarification please. How high above the water would you say your bimini sits and what sort of aerial do you have? You make a good point that 5 - 10 miles is a little close for comfort.

Sounds like your instrument setup is about the same as mine. For the record my ST60+ is getting a bit forgetful in its old age and has to be factory reset for each use, but I’ve got a theory about that and when I get a chance to test my theory I’ll post the results here.

Glad to hear you got the C80 talking. I am hearing positive reports on using it with nmea devices. I guess I’ll find out how it works with mine very soon.

Happy travels, it’s a bit cold here in Oz right now so don’t rush back.

[David Gunn]

Our small VHF antenna for the AIS is about 2.5m above the waterline. We are back in Australia now so cannot measure the exact hight. Hurricane season in the Caribbean so our boat is on the hardstand in Grenada and strapped down.
Boats sailing with us across the Atlantic said they could not see us when more than 5-6miles away. However large ships can see us from further away -possibly 10-20 miles away as they often send signals acknowledging our presence, especially at night in shipping lanes. We can see them from up to 20 miles away.
The other aspect to consider is when the AIS aerial is on the mast top- i.e. around 15-20m above the waterline you will often be swamped with AIS signals from other ships and boats.
The advantage of a low aerial is filtering out ships a long way away.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by David Gunn

Our small VHF antenna for the AIS is about 2.5m above the waterline. We are back in Australia now so cannot measure the exact hight. Hurricane season in the Caribbean so our boat is on the hardstand in Grenada and strapped down.
Boats sailing with us across the Atlantic said they could not see us when more than 5-6miles away. However large ships can see us from further away -possibly 10-20 miles away as they often send signals acknowledging our presence, especially at night in shipping lanes. We can see them from up to 20 miles away.
The other aspect to consider is when the AIS aerial is on the mast top- i.e. around 15-20m above the waterline you will often be swamped with AIS signals from other ships and boats.
The advantage of a low aerial is filtering out ships a long way away.

Thanks mate, good info.

My davits are about 3 meters above the water. I'll try the antenna there first and see how the reception and transmission works out. Problems... then I'll try the spreaders. From what you say, the ones that REALLY worry me, the ships, will be ok at that height. Not too worried about bumping into other sailing boats where I sail, not many about, sadly.

Also, marine traffic generally around here is VERY light. So swamping won't be a problem no matter where I put the antenna, for which I am very thankful.

Matt

[GILow]

General update to this thread from the OP who posed the initial request for help.

My profound thanks to all for the excellent input.

It came down to the Vesper vs the Matsutec in the end. The vesper looked REALLY good, it's rare on CF to see such universally positive reviews of any piece of equipment. The remarks from people using it with the C80 just added to its appeal for me.

BUT...

And there's always a "but", isn't there? I am currently a full time student, and when I crunched the numbers it was going to end up costing me a LOT more than the Matsutec. (I posted this question hoping against hope I had missed some REALLY good CHEAP option, but as is often the case, there are no such simple cheap solutions with boats.) There was also the minor concern that, should the C80 fail (it is getting old now) I would be faced with needing to run a laptop to use the Vesper signal graphically and I just have this serious desire to NOT go that path. (25 years of IT Management have given me a serious distaste for computers on boats, yeah, I know, get over it, but seriously, it's hard to describe the revulsion I feel for the idea. You might feel the same way if you'd spent the last 25 years on 24 x 7 call to the mongrel things. When I sail I LOVE being away from all things IT related.)

So, yesterday I crossed my fingers and ordered a Matsutec from Ebay. The HP-33A which had some good reviews here an on other web sites. I MAY regret this, but I hope not. And it only needs to last until I finish my Masters and become employed again after which, should it fail, I WILL go the Vesper path because it looks great.

All of the posts prior to this one are super good, and just because I am not in a position to easily avail myself of the good advice, does not mean other readers will not be.

So again, thanks to all for the great contributions. It's threads like these that bring me back to CF any time I need to get my thoughts in order about anything boat related.

Matt

[GILow]

A further update to this post, sort of related.

I put the MMSI application in to AMSA last week, sent them the form and a copy of my radio license at 19:40 on a Monday night, using the serial number of the DSC radio for the application. I received an automated reply saying the form had been received and noting that due to the high quantity of enquiries, MMSI applications usually take two weeks to process.

"Good stuff", thinks I, glad I put this in early, now if I just make up my mind about the AIS I should have them both arrive around the same time.

The next morning, at 07:26 my phone lit up with a message. It was AMSA politely informing me that my application had commenced processing.

Ummm.... ok, no complaints.

07:28, another message. This time it was my completed application and my MMSI number.

Ah... right.

07:30, one more message, informing me that my MMSI had also been linked to my EPIRB registration.

Wow!

Not sure what happened to two weeks, but I guess I can hardly complain, except it spoiled my whole MMSI/AIS arriving around the same time plan.