VHF Radios? Chart Plotters? I'm starting from scratch!

[Morgali]

Originally Posted by Pizzazz

Your $2,000 will not be enough.

Good luck.
SV Pizzazz

I guess I'm rather unclear today.

I meant chart plotter under 2k and prefer under 1k. I have expectations to spend about 6-8k on the full outfit, over the course of a year or two.

[Calif.Ted]

I purchased it at auction, and it was fairly well stripped out.

1967 Santana 27, I'd suggest a chartplotter and working radio would suffice until you get a few of your other issues worked out. I recently got a 7" Garmin for $400 that is fully integrated with other "legacy" instruments thru 0183/2000 Seatalk1/Seatalkng as Snore mentioned in his post. Anything in future should be "plug & play" one way or another.

[DefinitelyMe]

I agree with the choice of a SH GX2200 VHF.

Chart plotter? IPad, or any other high-quality tablet. In my opinion dedicated chart plotters are over-priced, superfluous and kind of out-dated things. We sold our B&G Zeus two years ago and haven't missed it over the last 20,000nm.

Depth sounders are handy. Get one that mounts inside the hull without having to drill a hole.

[Morgali]

I agree with the choice of a SH GX2200 VHF.

Chart plotter? IPad, or any other high-quality tablet. In my opinion dedicated chart plotters are over-priced, superfluous and kind of out-dated things. We sold our B&G Zeus two years ago and haven't missed it over the last 20,000nm.

I thought about this, but they aren't water/moisture secure and that worries me. While I dream of open water cruising, I think I'm destined for coastal waters for the foreseeable future. So maybe I should look at that. Do you recommend a particular software?

Depth sounders are handy. Get one that mounts inside the hull without having to drill a hole

There is one! I don't know if it's functional, I know it is detached from the hull and laying in the bilge. I'll see more about it this Saturday.

[Snore]

My first entry into AIS was a VHF-receive only device. So please understand I am VERY familiar with these devices.

While the radio will do a good job of receiving AIS, it does an absolutely terrible job of displaying them. At the dock the 1" display look small, on a 33' Tartan in 6-8 it is useless. Add a major squall with 1 mile or less visibility, when AIS becomes critical, and the small display goes from useless to maddening.

The only way AIS-receive is a useful tool is if the information is displayed on a screen big enough to be easily seen.

As I opened, I started receive-only. Sailing out of Hillsboro Inlet, it did not take long to be in a situation where having the 'big guys' see me was important. The price differential between VHF and VHF+AIS is about $200. You can get a basic Vesper for $479 (link below), add to that $100 for a rail mounted antenna- net cost increase if $379. Or Vesper + splitter is $479 more. The splitter has the added advantage of providing AM/FM signals off a separate connection.

Please note the basic Vesper does not include WiFi. If you are using a tablet, having the GPS data from the boat through wifi means you can buy less expensive, non-GPS enabled, tablet. Yet another variable!

My council is to take pencil to paper and write out what you want. Then list the inputs you have gotten here. List the strengths, weaknesses, price and needs of each option. At that point you can evaluate how our inputs work with your wallet. I say to write it down, because when I got my VHF-AIS I got what I thought I wanted. It was not until everything was objectively written out, with a SWOT analysis, that the solution became obvious.


https://www.milltechmarine.com/Vespe...nna_p_439.html

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Morgali

I agree with the choice of a SH GX2200 VHF.

Chart plotter? IPad, or any other high-quality tablet. In my opinion dedicated chart plotters are over-priced, superfluous and kind of out-dated things. We sold our B&G Zeus two years ago and haven't missed it over the last 20,000nm.

I thought about this, but they aren't water/moisture secure and that worries me. While I dream of open water cruising, I think I'm destined for coastal waters for the foreseeable future. So maybe I should look at that. Do you recommend a particular software?

Depth sounders are handy. Get one that mounts inside the hull without having to drill a hole

There is one! I don't know if it's functional, I know it is detached from the hull and laying in the bilge. I'll see more about it this Saturday.

No matter what "system" you get you will have to play w/the set up. The SH GX2200 can easily be connected to a bigger screen tablet to see the AIS targets better. (I agree w/Snore here). I do like the additional handheld mike in the cockpit for direct calls to the AIS targets.


In a similar fashion, also do like the bigger screen for the chart plotter and details are much easier to see on the big screen (>10"). We run a basic touch screen windows based tablet in the cockpit for >4 yrs and is still working. Hate the windows platform, but they are cheap enough to have a backup below. We do have a dodger/bimini up all the time but if we do have bad weather we throw the outside tablet in a 2 gal. ziplock type bag to "waterproof" it.

Most depth sounder transducers will shoot through a solid f/g hull as you have on your Santana. Many ways to set this up, but the easiest is to cut a PVC tube (usually a bean cut) and attach it to the hull to hold water (mounted perpendicular to the sea bottom).


We've already discussed the opencpn based chart plotter before and you thought it was too much work. Another added benefit to this format is it can load/use any of the major chart formats vs. having to buy proprietary chips/charts in the name brand potters. Most name brand plotters do come preloaded w/US charts, but they are free and are easily down loaded to a tablet w ocpn. Once set up these charts can easily be updated when new ones come out.


One of the main things I dislike about the name brand chart plotters and accessories is spending a lot of money on a system that is then obsolete/not supported in a couple of years. Then you are on the hook to do the same thing, over and over when they come out w/the latest and greatest IMO this seems like a modern version of one of the levels in Dante's Inferno.


Bill O.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by Bill O

No matter what "system" you get you will have to play w/the set up. The SH GX2200 can easily be connected to a bigger screen tablet to see the AIS targets better. (I agree w/Snore here). I do like the additional handheld mike in the cockpit for direct calls to the AIS targets.


.

Not being sarcastic- but how do you suggest that be done?

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Snore

Not being sarcastic- but how do you suggest that be done?

Well its very easy and described on the Milltech page using a usb break out cable. We did it in conjunction w/OCPN and an RPi, but it works w/tablets also.
If you don't like that approach or don't have your nav. computer set up w/wifi, now they make a wifi interface for the GX2200.

Still find the OCPN/OPlotter to be very helpful/cutting edge w/embedded multiplexer, an AP program and more for future expansion.

Bill O.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

We have the SH 2200 and second the unit - has been very good for us.

You are in Seattle; check out the CL listings for used gear if you want to keep the cost down at the start.

https://skagit.craigslist.org/bpo/d/...011795592.html

[roland stockham]

Kiss principle is to my mind most important in electronics. Go simple not cheap. Would recomend Icom for all radio stuff and Garmin for anything based on GPS but thats just because I have used them and found them to work and be reliable. Take a look at gear made for small comercial craft rather than the leasure boat market. It generally sacrifices style and somtimes size for functionality and durability. Also as far as possible dont intigrate anything you dont have to. Networks are a significant sorce of breakdowns and the more you intigrate the more chance that a failure in one item will disable thw whole setup. The issue with fishfinders/chartplotters is that all the leasure one are now multifunction devices, ie it is a laptop in a marine case so if you install the right software they will do everything. It doesn't cost much more to add fishfinder capability so they all do.
I based my inital fit out on the recomendations for small comercial craft opperating in sea area 2. Not necesarrily all of it, but it made a good start.

[tfox2069]

There's this thread over on SBO started by someone who pulled out all working electronics to do a complete upgrade. He's got a very capable Garmin chartplotter and radar still for sale.

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/th...on.1249921740/

[Snore]

Originally Posted by Bill O

Well its very easy and described on the Milltech page using a usb break out cable. We did it in conjunction w/OCPN and an RPi, but it works w/tablets also.
If you don't like that approach or don't have your nav. computer set up w/wifi, now they make a wifi interface for the GX2200.

Still find the OCPN/OPlotter to be very helpful/cutting edge w/embedded multiplexer, an AP program and more for future expansion.

Bill O.

Gotcha- $60 for cable + $269 for WiFi = $320. And 0183 network (AIS+ depth +boat speed) is on wifi. Not a bad work around...

$850 gets VHF+AIS send/receive on pushpin + wifi- or add another hundred for a splitter. As previously posted, the OP would be well served by taking pencil to paper, map out his needs and the planned network; then comparing all that to his budget. It may be better to go in steps towards his goal, if one step is not feasible.

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Snore

Gotcha- $60 for cable + $269 for WiFi = $320. And 0183 network (AIS+ depth +boat speed) is on wifi. Not a bad work around...

$850 gets VHF+AIS send/receive on pushpin + wifi- or add another hundred for a splitter. As previously posted, the OP would be well served by taking pencil to paper, map out his needs and the planned network; then comparing all that to his budget. It may be better to go in steps towards his goal, if one step is not feasible.

Guess my math was different when we set ours up: $25 for usb break out (Digikey) + $35 for a RPi (already has wifi output).

W/OPlotter loaded on the Pi (or another computer) the multiplexer handles both the 0183 and 2000 networks and can do AIS, depth, wind, boat speed, digital radar and AP.
I do like the Vesper xb-6000 (currently $479 w/o antenna). This could be directly exchanged for the GX2200 AIS input in the system above at a later date if a transceiver is needed.

Agree planning is needed, but like to use a base system that can easily be expanded when appropriate.


Bill O.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

Kiss principle is to my mind most important in electronics. Go simple not cheap. Would recomend Icom for all radio stuff and Garmin for anything based on GPS but thats just because I have used them and found them to work and be reliable. Take a look at gear made for small comercial craft rather than the leasure boat market. It generally sacrifices style and somtimes size for functionality and durability. Also as far as possible dont intigrate anything you dont have to. Networks are a significant sorce of breakdowns and the more you intigrate the more chance that a failure in one item will disable thw whole setup. The issue with fishfinders/chartplotters is that all the leasure one are now multifunction devices, ie it is a laptop in a marine case so if you install the right software they will do everything. It doesn't cost much more to add fishfinder capability so they all do.
I based my inital fit out on the recomendations for small comercial craft opperating in sea area 2. Not necesarrily all of it, but it made a good start.

I have a SH 2200 Matrix GPS/AIS because my ICOM stopped working and ICOM would no longer work on it. (M504) After @ 2 years have been very happy with it, and much less expensive than ICOM.

YMMV

[Ramona]

My system is Standard Horizon 2200E. Dell Wyse computer with windows 10 running OpenCPN. The Wyse runs straight off 12volts. 24 inch 12 volt TV mounted at the chart table and easily visible from my steering position in the cockpit. For a plotter 19 to 20 inch should be the minimum. You can't have too much screen real estate!