AIS

[chouliha]

Vesper 850 stand alone. It’s been terrific. Easy to use, numerous filters, feeds our computer via usb. Very little power. Great anchor watch. We have had it in daily use for years

At the very least have a look

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by boatman12

I have a trawler so the AIS antenna will be basically the same height as the VHF antenna although I'll probably go with a 3' model for AIS.

That is a perfect argument for a separate antenna.. In your case, a separate antenna will not only be cheaper, but provide a backup.

Back to the AIS unit. We originally had a an XB-8000 (actually a Watchmate, but thats just an 8000 with a screen) but it was taken by lightening. I replaced it with an XB-6000 (due to budget) and I will say I do miss the WIFI capabilies. It was pretty nice to see a bunch of boat data (wind speed, SOG, COG, depth, ect) on my tablet or laptop. That may not matter much to you on a trawler, but I though I would mention it!

[boatman12]

So the Garmin controls all the settings? No need to have the AIS "accessible"?

[hpeer]

I use Standard Horizion which communicates with the Standard Horizion VHF.

Seperate antennas.

I am happy with my set up. Same on both boats.

[cfarrar]

Boatman,

Our XB-8000 is hidden behind our nav station. No need for regular access. We control the settings via Wifi (iphone or ipad). There's a free app, which also turns the iPad into an AIS display with alarms, nice for off-duty in your bunk.

AIS data is fed to the instruments and chartplotter via NMEA2000, and to a separate nav station AIS display via NMEA0183. It's a piece of cake to set up.

Colin
sv Strider

[AedanC]

Originally Posted by boatman12

So the Garmin controls all the settings? No need to have the AIS "accessible"?

On the xb-6000 and 8000 there are no buttons or switches on the AIS units themselves. They do have an optional wire to a switch that tells the unit to operate in Receive-Only mode, I've installed two of the systems and in neither case has the wire been connected as we felt it was not necessary. In both cases the transponders are behind cabinet work and can only be accessed by removing panels with a screwdriver.

You do need to connect the AIS transponders to a laptop or tablet (8000 only) to configure it during installation, after that you just turn it on and off.

The Garmin plotter does not send anything to the AIS.

[CaptTom]

I've said good things about the Vesper XB-8000 I use, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I still concur with all of the positive responses above.

One issue, if you use NMEA 0183 output instead of NMEA 2000 (i.e.; if that's all your plotter can accept) then you want to consider the length of the run for the data wires. They're small gauge and subject to interference and voltage loss.

Out Vesper unit is buried in a somewhat hidden location, but ties into the NMEA 2000 backbone, so it doesn't matter. If you don't already use N2K, this might be a good excuse to start.

[rabbi]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

I think AMECs Camino models are fine too and not too expensive. If your boat is very wet, get an IPX7 unit (more bucks too, but worth it).

Vesper makes units that can wirelessly display on tablets and phones. Sweet bananas on a dark and rough night.

AMEC have a Camino 108w, which provides a Wifi network, too. Works with any app that can read standard NMEA0183 data streams, including OpenCPN.

It has Nmea0183 and N2k connectivity, as well as a NMEA0183 multiplexer. Multiplexed data is transmitted over Wifi, too.

There is a "generation 2" model that has a new Wifi modue that can handle multiple connections in parallel. Sometimes you can get the "generation 1" off ebay for cheap. We paid 320 for "new old stock" generation 1 unit, works perfect with B&G instruments via N2K, and OpenCPN on android via Wifi.

[boatman12]

Thanks everybody for your help.

[barnakiel]

I

WOULD

integrate.

How else do you want to DSC an AIS ship? By looking up and typing in the number?

How much time does it take to look up and dial it? When you are sleepy and tired? How many typos will you make?

I would integrate.

On our unit, we simply highlight the desired AIS ship and press the 'call' button and that's that. The VHF calls the AIS ship using the DSC.

Sweet bananas.

Love,
barnakiel

[chuckr]

We have had an ACR for the past 8-9 years and love it. It is bullet proof. We have been underway for 10 years and just can not say enough of how great it has been. We also have a separate antenna as we believe that each antenna has a specific purpose and we want it to accomplish that purpose without interruption