Recommendations for inexpensive AIS VHF Radio

[zstine]

Originally Posted by Vortec

I have a Lowrance Link-8 with built-in AIS receiver witch outputs NMEA 0183 to OpenCPN. ...).

This is the exact config I use. Link-8 new is available for under $400. No rewiring needed, just plug in your existing VHF. I bought a cable to plug it into a USB and display it on openCPN, which is free download navigation SW I used living aboard for a year sailing through the Caribbean and Eastern USA.

[smac999]

I don’t think anyone makes a vhf with ais transponder. The vesper one may be out now. But certainly won’t be cheap.

All the radios above are Ais receive only.


Install in cabin. Buy remote mic for helm.

Nobody reads ais display on radio screen. Useless. Feed it to a chart plotter.

[KP44]

Our Standard Horizon 2200 does it. It works well with my systems and sends AIS location to the chart plotter. It also has DSC and a loud hailer. I installed a hailer horn just under my radar mast bracket and the hailer works as a foghorn and it can "listen" as well.

[continuouswave]

Originally Posted by smac999

I don’t think anyone makes a vhf with ais transponder.

The SIMRAD RS40B is a DSC radio and an AIS transponder. I mentioned it in the first reply in the thread. See above.

[continuouswave]

Originally Posted by Sailon1

I have one vhf masthead antennae....

The word "antennae" is a plural, so you cannot have one antennae.

The word "antennae" is not used as the plural of antenna when discussing radio aerials, unless you are writing a scholarly paper about radio aerials in the U.K.

"Antennae" are generally sensory organs on living organisms.

The plural of "antenna" is generally written "antennas."

You apparently have only one antenna at the masthead.

It would be helpful in replying to your question if you could elaborate on what device you are seeking:

--a DSC radio with an integral AIS transponder, or

--a DSC radio with just an AIS receiver.

[Vortec]

Originally Posted by continuouswave

The word "antennae" is a plural, so you cannot have one

"Antennae" are generally sensory organs on living organisms.


It would be helpful in replying to your question if you could elaborate on what device you are seeking:

--a DSC radio with an integral AIS transponder, or

--a DSC radio with just an AIS receiver.

You may be right arbout the antennas, but regarding AIS there's only receivers and transmitters. A combination is called a transceiver. Despite my Matsutec is labelled TRANSPONDER on it's side (but what do they know about that in China?). 😉

[continuouswave]

Originally Posted by Vortec

...my Matsutec is labelled TRANSPONDER on [its] side...

Actually, I don't think that MATSUTEC device is approved for sale in the USA, so I am not familiar with it. Compare at

https://cgmix.uscg.mil/Equipment/EquipmentSearch.aspx

Re "transceiver" or "transponder": both seem to be used, and sometimes quite incorrectly.

I prefer "AIS transmitter-receiver" to distinguish from "AIS-receive only."

But the thread is already a jumble of replies on both AIS-receive only and AIS transmitter-receiver that are offered as integrated into the same case as a VHF DSC radio because the initial question was unclear, and remains so.

Also, while wordsmithing, I wonder: does the chronic misuse of "antennae" come from some dumb spell checker that is ignorant of radio aerials?

Also, many decades ago I was employed as a technical writer. I had a lot of fun translating technical documents into English from foreign language literal translations of German. "The turning part" became "rotor."

[Johnknutson]

Originally Posted by DefinitelyMe

I also vote for a Matsutec 33A, plus separate VHF. But, you do need a splitter or a second antenna. Yes, despite what VHF enthusiatsts will tell you, both will work fine using whatever antenna you currently have; it just won't be optimised for one or the other.

The Matsutec is a standalone unit that doesn't require a chartplotter to work. The screen is not huge, so if that is a concern for you it might not be a great fit.

I am looking to include AIS capability as well. Just so I understand, if I install the Matsutec 33A, do I still require a separate VHF/radio that receives AIS data from other ships? I'm new to this. Thanks!

[sailingharry]

I have and am exceptionally happy with the B&G V50 and the accompanying H50 handset. AIS, DSC, NMEA 0183 and N2K, easy to read, easy to use.

[Dsanduril]

Originally Posted by Johnknutson

I am looking to include AIS capability as well. Just so I understand, if I install the Matsutec 33A, do I still require a separate VHF/radio that receives AIS data from other ships? I'm new to this. Thanks!

No. The 33A (and all the other transceiver/transponders I know of, I'm sure someone can point out one that doesn't) both sends AIS transmissions so that other vessels can know about you and receives AIS transmissions from other vessels so you can know about them.

Whether you want/need a VHF radio for other purposes is a separate question, and you may want AIS receive capability as a backup in case your 33A fails for some reason. Those are all $ and philosophy questions.

[KP44]

There is some talk about a separate antenna that must be optimized for AIS frequencies.

Marine VHF channels use frequencies from 156.050 MHz through 157.425 MHz and NOAA Weather channels received by VHF radios are 162.400 MHz through 162.550 MHz.
The two AIS channels are 161.975 MHz and 162.025 MHz.
Digital Selective Calling (DSC) is channel 70 at 156.525 MHz.

Most sailors use a single antenna for all these channels. But if, for some reason you want to send your AIS location, a dedicated antenna could make sense.
AIS can be received on a VHF radio and sent to a chartplotter for visual display.

Keep in mind that sailboats have excellent VHF communication compared to most power boats because the VHF antenna is much higher.

[Johnknutson]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

No. The 33A (and all the other transceiver/transponders I know of, I'm sure someone can point out one that doesn't) both sends AIS transmissions so that other vessels can know about you and receives AIS transmissions from other vessels so you can know about them.

Whether you want/need a VHF radio for other purposes is a separate question, and you may want AIS receive capability as a backup in case your 33A fails for some reason. Those are all $ and philosophy questions.

Ok, thanks for clearing that up. Thanks again!

[blazing928]

Can’t see the point of AIS if your NOT transmitting your boats position as well. For safety Im convinced it’s imperative to have it and I believe in the future it may end up being a requirement, no different to having a VHF on board.

Vesper make a dedicated Ais/vhf aerial, about AUD$250. From reading it’s meant to work very well, I’ve got one coming this week!

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by blazing928

Can’t see the point of AIS if your NOT transmitting your boats position as well. For safety Im convinced it’s imperative to have it and I believe in the future it may end up being a requirement, no different to having a VHF on board.

Vesper make a dedicated Ais/vhf aerial, about AUD$250. From reading it’s meant to work very well, I’ve got one coming this week!

The point is pretty simple. For not much money, an AIS receive gives you the name and info on every commercial boat on your chart plotter. If you are already upgrading the radio (I was), the AIS was nearly free, and zero additional labor. AIS Transmit is several (many?) hundred dollars, and significant additional labor.


I'm not sure for most boaters that transmit provides any safety. I sincerely doubt that freighters coming up the Chesapeake do anything with AIS-B -- except lean on the horn when they see a cloud of gnats ahead. Offshore is a very different story, of course.


And, my usual rant on the subject. AIS-B has destroyed the value of AIS. When I look toward a freighter, and on my screen see 15 targets that-a-way, it's hard to find the one I care about. And it has made CPA alarms impossible to use, since any meaningful alarm zone makes the alarm never stop.


I have AIS receive/transmit on my current boat. Usually, I leave it off -- it makes the chart plotter easier to see, and helps reduce the clutter on everyone else's plotter.

[Pizzazz]

Another vote for the Lowrance Link-8. It is inexpensive and very flexible. You do not need a built-in GPS. Most setups have a GPS source in the chart plotter and if you need an additional GPS source for backup you can purchase a GPS chip for $12 on Amazon that has much higher sensitivity and accuracy than any of the marine units. You can put it anywhere (I have tried the bilge) and it still works.

For me AIS receive is all I need. I want to see others and if I need to talk to them then you can just send a DSC request. AIS transmit is expensive and a big effort to install well. If you are racing you need to switch it off so that the others do not track your speed. If you are in a harbor AIS class B transmit, once every 30 seconds is too slow to be useful (you can check this by tracking a transmitting boat on your radar and see how the transmitted position lags the actual position significantly. Actually, it is a safety issue for me. In any way, as noted above, AIS is not that useful in harbors anymore because every person I know has the AIS alarm set to silent. Lastly, while most of us track AIS vessels on the chart plotter, I find it comforting to have a small radar screen built into the VHF, it gives you another stand alone way to visualize what is happening around you. The Link-8 is great in this respect.

Oh, one more thing. The Link-8, is the only radio I know of that will output AIS targets at 4800 bps vs. the more standard 38,400 bps. This is super useful if you are integrating with an older system where the autopilot and the chart plotter is 4800 bps and you can set the radio to the lower speed, thus simplifying the network setup. Highly recommended.

SV Pizzazz