AIS Transceiver in VHF

[donradcliffe]

I just assumed that an 'integrated' unit would be able to share one VHF antenna. Whoops! Add $250 to the cost of installing the SH6500.

[continuouswave]

Everyone seems to have assumed that the "new" product that was seen by the OP was the GX6500. If so, then there is no news here; this product has been known about and under discussion for four months.

Re the need to have a completely separate antenna for the GX6500 VHF Radio and AIS Class-B Transponder combination: this isn't a particularly onerous burden. A separate antenna is probably less expensive that a good splitter and will work better.

What does seem to a bit of a burden is the requirement of the GX6000--just a VHF radio with an AIS receiver--to also need a separate antenna for the AIS receiver. That will be an annoyance for some prospective buyers.

[jamesdavis]

I'm holding the Standard Horizon brochure for the GX6500 Quantum Class B AIS/GPS ie, class B transponder aboard.
Supplied accessories: hand Microphone, power cord, mtging bracket, External GPS Antenna (SCU-31*1) and USB Cable.

Still waiting for FCC approval .................................................. .............

[ronstory]

Interesting, I just noticed the WM now has the GX-6500 as available on-line at $800. Just wondering if anyone has fiddled with one?

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/stand...nder--18047696

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by xslim

They don't have antenna splitter. you will need a second antenna.

I have my current AIS transceiver connected to spare VHF antenna on aft rail.

How high is your rail?

[redhead]

Originally Posted by ronstory

Interesting, I just noticed the WM now has the GX-6500 as available on-line at $800. Just wondering if anyone has fiddled with one?

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/stand...nder--18047696

I went into our local WM last Tuesday. Not on display and the sales person didn't know what I was talking about. She said online and in store almost 2 different companies.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by xslim

I actually prefer it on separate antennas - less chances of interference, one less electronic device, and I don't need to see boats that far away (too distracting)

I agree that a splitter is not ideal because there's some insertion loss that we wouldn't want on our VHF operation, but I would have thought that SH would have been able to engineer the product to where it could share a single antenna by internally switching from one function to the other.

Perhaps there's no good way around it, but I don't want my boat looking like a porcupine and I don't want to have to worry about lowering another antenna for bridges.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by jamesdavis

I'm holding the Standard Horizon brochure for the GX6500 Quantum Class B AIS/GPS ie, class B transponder aboard.
Supplied accessories: hand Microphone, power cord, mtging bracket, External GPS Antenna (SCU-31*1) and USB Cable.

Still waiting for FCC approval .................................................. .............

Yea, the GPS antenna but not the AIS antenna.


I currently do not have any AIS equipment on my boat and since I'm not usually where there is a lot of commercial traffic, it hasn't been something of critical importance. Sometimes I cross the Charleston, SC harbor but if there is a ship moving, I can pretty well see and avoid it.


I'm planning a trip north to NYC and beyond next year and I can see where AIS could be pretty useful around NYC. Hopefully, things will be settled by then and I can install something.

[ronstory]

Well drat on the "no store has one".

With thy WM 30 day return policy I'm tempted to just buy one and play with it, but I've got international biz travel planned next week so unfortunately it's two weeks before I could spend some serious time with it.

Hopefully some other brave soul will go first. ;^)

[svhulagirl]

It's on Amazon for $766

[ronstory]

Good catch. The trick is that while Prime shipping is available it's got the note "Usually ships in 1 to 2 months". (sigh)

[daletournier]

I've got the standard horizon GX2200, its cool how connected to opencpn it tracks ships.
I just installed a vesper xb8000,its picking up ships 20+ nm out where the standard horizon isnt, they share the same antenna?

Sent from my vivo Y35 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Sailsarefull]

Originally Posted by ronstory

Well drat on the "no store has one".

With thy WM 30 day return policy I'm tempted to just buy one and play with it, but I've got international biz travel planned next week so unfortunately it's two weeks before I could spend some serious time with it.

Hopefully some other brave soul will go first. ;^)

I talked with a guy from WM and they said even if you order they aren't going to be available for several weeks.

Originally Posted by deluxe68

How high is your rail?

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by travellerw

Damn.. $800... Thats a pretty premium price...

I know I know.. All the other Transceivers are like $500 and you now don't need an antenna splitter..

I guess its just sticker shock!

'All the transceivers' do not have vhf radio coming with them.

The price seems about right compared to whatever is available on the marker right now. You get, in one IPX7 package:

- an AIS transceiver,
- advanced VHF DSC radio,
- small, but useful, AIS screen,
- AIS alarms,
- ability to call AIS objects DIRECTLY from the AIS screen,
- AIS and DSC data out to plotters,
- SH quality.

I am buying one. We have their vhf/AIS receiver combo here. It is an excellent product.

Cheers,
b.

[John_Trusty]

Originally Posted by rwidman

I'm planning a trip north to NYC and beyond next year and I can see where AIS could be pretty useful around NYC. Hopefully, things will be settled by then and I can install something.

Ron,
I think that you would be overloaded with hits around any busy port like New York -- it's just too crowded with commercial vessels. For us, AIS has its benefits in the middle ground of crossing commercial traffic where you otherwise do not notice (or can't see) if it is around - a poor man's radar. In busy harbors, we do not turn it on because there are too many close-aboard CPA notices.

Check out this live view of traffic centered on NYC -- MarineTraffic: Global Ship Tracking Intelligence | AIS Marine Traffic