Recommendations for AIS setup, Australian boat

[conachair]

Originally Posted by GILow

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

Matt

The Matsutech transponders seem to get good reviews from people who have fitted them >

https://www.amazon.com/Matsutec-HP-3.../dp/B00MC9Q40M

[GILow]

Originally Posted by conachair

The Matsutech transponders seem to get good reviews from people who have fitted them >

https://www.amazon.com/Matsutec-HP-3.../dp/B00MC9Q40M

Yes, I was hoping someone here would mention them....

There were even some positive reviews on CF. (Go figure).

They make a neat little all-in-one box for sub AU$500 which has my attention, but I admit to being a bit worried about their compliance status. Can't seem to find clarity on that point.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by GILow

But... usually when I am scared I want information....

Yes... but... it was probably the information that scared you in the first place...

I'd go stand alone rather than getting involved with interfacing etc....

Although hooking my AMEC Camino up to the Vesper slave display was simple enough....

As was putting the info on the ship's PC.... the Amec came with a simple AIS viewer which loads up on the PC....

You can get an AMEC from the US (Milltech) for about US$450 plus A$100 for an antenna and you are in business... assuming you already have PC and screen.

Not sure how the AMEC would be treated for GST under the new regime... maybe add $70 to the bill?

Picture of 5yo AMEC AIS Viewer below vvvv Maybe the new ones are fancier..

[GILow]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Yes... but... it was probably the information that scared you in the first place...

I'd go stand alone rather than getting involved with interfacing etc....

Although hooking my AMEC Camino up to the Vesper slave display was simple enough....

As was putting the info on the ship's PC.... the Amec came with a simple AIS program which loads up on the PC....

You can get an AMEC from the US (Milltech) for about US$450 plus A$100 for an antenna and you are in business... assuming you already have PC and screen.

Not sure how the AMEC would be treated for GST under the new regime... maybe add $70 to the bill?

Picture of 5yo AMEC AIS Viewer below vvvv Maybe the new ones are fancier..

Hmmm... I agree with the stand alone bit.

But to be honest, I am trying avoid a PC on the boat if I possibly can, 25 years of working with the darn things means they are honestly the LAST thing I want to have to confront on the boat. I sailed to get AWAY from computers, and cables and programming and... etc....

The plotter came with the boat, so I scored a "free" screen that works, but if it died tomorrow I'd probably swallow my distaste and go down the pragmatic PC/OpenCPN or RasberryPi route just because of cost.

The Matsutec Hp-33A comes with its own little screen as well as the ability to speak NMEA 0183, so it may be the best of both worlds, if the plotter dies it will still work on its own.

It's very cheap. Almost too cheap. One review claims poor transmit power, but only one so far, and that might simply be poor antenna wiring.

I'm just checking out your little black box idea...

[gspeak]

I also installed the GME transceiver & splitter into my existing Raymarine network 3 years ago. Works a charm on our a77 MFD. Cheaper than most other Solutions & because the a77 has WiFi everything is available on iPads & iPhones for us via the Raymarine apps.

[El Pinguino]

Is that Matsutec price US or Australian?

Connection options with a 'black box'. vvvv

[MLOI]

Originally Posted by GILow

Mike, there are a few GME's out there, do you happen to know which model you are using?

this one (or one that looks identical)
GME AIST120 AIS Class B Transceiver

I seem to recall $500 ish, and another $250 ish for the splitter.
Gave it to my wife for her birthday as she wanted it and I didn't care. Ended up really appreciating in in north NSW and QLD.

Mike

[GILow]

E.P. Australian. Very cheap.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by MLOI

this one (or one that looks identical)

GME AIST120 AIS Class B Transceiver



I seem to recall $500 ish, and another $250 ish for the splitter.

Gave it to my wife for her birthday as she wanted it and I didn't care. Ended up really appreciating in in north NSW and QLD.



Mike

Yes, looks to around $650 at the moment. High on my list.

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by GILow

Yes, looks to around $650 at the moment. High on my list.

I've used a few of these GME units. They seem to work fine, and can easily be hooked up to a compatable plotter or OpenCPN. Sometimes you can pick up a small plotter/sounder that will hook up to nmea and show other vessels pretty cheap these days. I got one for about $420, with aussie wide charts and a transducer. But so far no AIS.

Boat electronics seems to a black hole where a heap of money can rapidly disappear into some rubbish consumer grade gear that is obsolete and broken after just a few years.

With your big dry boat and IT skills it seems like some sort of PC or linux based navigation and AIS system makes a lot of sense.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

I've used a few of these GME units. They seem to work fine, and can easily be hooked up to a compatable plotter or OpenCPN. Sometimes you can pick up a small plotter/sounder that will hook up to nmea and show other vessels pretty cheap these days. I got one for about $420, with aussie wide charts and a transducer. But so far no AIS.

Boat electronics seems to a black hole where a heap of money can rapidly disappear into some rubbish consumer grade gear that is obsolete and broken after just a few years.

With your big dry boat and IT skills it seems like some sort of PC or linux based navigation and AIS system makes a lot of sense.

Well, the GME is on the list, and gets a boost thanks to the price.

It's a good point you make about rubbish consumer grade gear, and I am reluctant to head down that rabbit hole.

As for pissing around with PCs on boats, hell no! Seriously, 25 years can give you a serious aversion to that sort of stuff. i had to reconfigure my printer's network settings yesterday and I swear I was getting flash-backs. I know it is the SMART thing to do, but right now... can't even contemplate it. I love the utter break from computers I get when sailing. I only turn the plotter on if I want to look at the radar these days, even the plotter is too much technology.

I think the GGR has something to be said for it in that regard. Now if they'd allow a Swanson 36 to compete....

[Paul Kelly]

I bought a Matsutec HP-33A earlier this year. They are about half the price of the Vespa and as they are made in China you ought to be able to get one easily in Oz (I am in the UK).

I think there are several advantages with the Matsutec. The Vespa Marine is a dedicated AIS, that's all it does. The Matsutec is an AIS A & B and it is also a very capable GPS system allowing you to enter waypoints, routes etc.

My Raymarine E7 chart plotter is down below and gets AIS. But it doesn't clearly give me the range on that which I find a problem. It also means continually going up and down the companionway to check. I wanted AIS up on deck as well, especially when sailing at night. My boat is tiller steered so I can't have a plotter by the helm. So the Matsutec gives me an AIS and a GPS on deck.

In addition I have iSailor on my iPad and I've just paid GBP20 to link that to AIS, so it ought to pick up the Matsutec AIS data and give me that on my iSailor charts too.

That might sound a bit of overkill. But I reckon I've now got three AIS systems; at the helm, down below and wherever the iPad is. Plus the same with GPS and all for about half the price of the one-function Vespa (which I am sure is very good at what it does).

I haven't had a chance to fully test the system yet, but am off on a two week cruise next week which will give me the chance to see how it all works in practice. Fingers crossed!

[smac999]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

+1 for the Vesper products, they are quite nice.

One note, most of the AIS units will only output AIS data on NMEA 0183 networks at 38,400 baud rather than the standard 4,800. The C80 port (according to the manual) can handle this, but I'd confirm before counting on it. You can confirm on the C80 by checking the menu options:

MENU->SYSTEM SETUP->SYSTEM INTEGRATION->NMEA PORT SETTING:

NMEA 4800
AIS 38400
NAVTEX 4800
NAVTEX 9600

As long as you see the "AIS 38400" option you should be good to go with pretty much any AIS unit that supports NMEA 0183.

If it does 't show up. Then you need to update the plotter software. Ais was added mid way through.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by BigAl.NZ

I have the vesper XB8000. Very happy with it.

It has no display, but you can output to the app on a smart phone or opencpn via USB.

I think it also outputs NMEA.

Had all the alarm functions you could want.

I also have this unit. It outputs to radar over NMEA 0183 (not installed until I get a heading sensor) and over NMEA 2000 (your new plotter?) and, via USB, to a small laptop running OpenCPN (my "other" plotter). My plotter is a small B&G Vulcan at the pilothouse helm. My VHF is a SH GX-2200, which does a basic sort of AIS receiver.

So I'm well-set. The Vesper AIS transponder has its own antenna off the first port spreader, and I can see AIS targets on the south shore of Lake Ontario, 25-30 NM away (I'm in Toronto), so that's more than adequate for the open sea we hope to be in next year. AIS is more than "nice to have" in my view, because it complements RADAR so well and I fully expect that the next 10 years will see the advent of "AIS buoyage", where things like reefs and other hazards too remote for a physical buoy or daymark will have "a stick with a transmitter and a solar panel" to do the job.

Here's what my looks like: https://alchemy2009.blogspot.com/201...mms-n-sea.html

[Telemark43]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Another vote for the vesper , simple and elegant. (a bit like myself )

100% Vesper recommendation. Been on for two years, interfaces with everything, and reliable.