Class B AIS waste of money

[StuM]

Originally Posted by SV Enough

Nothing illegal about it. Your not required to have it and we are required to look at it. Exceptions are the few jurisdictions requiring it and even then we are required to look at it. Admit it it’s all about look at me see me ego but having obtained and MMSI for your ego to be looked at you HAVEN’T A CLUE HOW TO USE IT IN THE ONE PLACE IT REALLY COULD SAVE YOUR EGO, YOU DSC RADIO!

He's baaaaaaaaack!

12 months later and our Able Seaman(Engineering) resurrects his thread to show us that he hasn't changed.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

Lol.......i see someone has left the door to the engine room open again, guess the deck plates are not getting scrubbed....

hey I resemble that.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Ok what exactly do I need to install AIS transceiver on my defender I am looking for specifics as far as what I will need . ( cheapest way to do it ) fixed income ) I'm an engineer not an ET.

So that is your conclusion after reading a thread titled AIS waste of money?
Your question probably deserves a thread of its own.

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by newhaul

hey I resemble that.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

what can I say I was a good old fashioned hull tech chief
Raised from the deck plates .

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Ok what exactly do I need to install AIS transceiver on my defender I am looking for specifics as far as what I will need . ( cheapest way to do it ) fixed income ) I'm an engineer not an ET.

EMtrak class B costs about $450, antenna splitter about $250. Diverse cables etc. Installation is simple - Use CD supplied software to program AIS unit with vessel name and data (size, sail, position of AIS unit on board). Screw-in wiring for the splitter to radio to AIS.

Simple wire connections for NMEA0183 from unit to your autopilot/chartplotter computer.

turn on unit -

Unit has its own and separate GPS.

My installation (I'm not an engineer nor am I an ET) took about 1 1/2 hours

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Lantau

Too bad the US Navy seems to have chosen to turn off their AIS not far from Singapore. It may have contributed to the deaths of several sailors.

The US Navy agrees and new guidance to the fleet is that AIS is active by default. I've seen AIS on from warships up and down the US East Coast in the last few months. I can't speak to conditions elsewhere.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by carstenb

EMtrak class B costs about $450, antenna splitter about $250. Diverse cables etc. Installation is simple - Use CD supplied software to program AIS unit with vessel name and data (size, sail, position of AIS unit on board). Screw-in wiring for the splitter to radio to AIS.

Simple wire connections for NMEA0183 from unit to your autopilot/chartplotter computer.

turn on unit -

Unit has its own and separate GPS.

My installation (I'm not an engineer nor am I an ET) took about 1 1/2 hours

sounds simple enough . Just one more question concerning your install directions . I don't have a chart plotter or auto pilot ( chart plotter is equal to paper chart and a hand held GPS ) or sextant). Does this unit require a chart plotter?

[h20man]

Originally Posted by newhaul

sounds simple enough . Just one more question concerning your install directions . I don't have a chart plotter or auto pilot ( chart plotter is equal to paper chart and a hand held GPS ) or sextant). Does this unit require a chart plotter?

No chart plotter is needed for AIS transponders to work. AIS takes the GPS signal of where your GPS antenna is located, coupled with your boat MMSI, dimensions, current speed and heading and broadcasts it on VHF channel 70, to allow others to read this information (and other boats broadcasting the same information) to determine the location of your vessel and if a collision is imminent.

You CAN connect a chart plotter to most AIS transponer systems, as the chart plotters can use the GPS signal and the received AIS transmissions of OTHER vessels to display information on a chart plotter.

OR... you can connect your PC to your AIS system, and now have everything visible on good navigation programs.. LIKE THE FREE and FANTASTIC OPENCPN.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Ok what exactly do I need to install AIS transceiver on my defender I am looking for specifics as far as what I will need . ( cheapest way to do it ) fixed income ) I'm an engineer not an ET.

Do you have a reasonably new (<10 years) chart plotter capable of displaying AIS targets?

If you do, the you just need is a black box AIS like this one:

https://www.defender.com/product3.js...908&id=1849984

You can find them still much cheaper if you shop around.

You will need to connect it to your chart plotter via NMEA 0183, or just plug it into an NMEA2000 network if you have one. That's simple.

Then you need to arrange 12v power for it -- also pretty simple.

All of these units have built in GPS receivers, and a socket for attaching in external antenna. You will normally not need an external antenna for the GPS receiver depending on where you install the unit.

The somewhat more complex part of installation of an AIS transceiver is to arrange a good antenna for it. Like with any radio, the antenna is a crucial element. Ideally you should have a separate antenna for it, one specially tuned for AIS, but that may be very complicated and/or expensive if your mast is up. Alternatively, you can use an antenna splitter like this one: https://www.defender.com/product.jsp...655&id=1850004.

Everything having to do with antennas needs to be done with quality coax cable (if required; probably won't need any if you use a splitter) and quality connectors, well installed. That's the one part of the job where you might want a pro (or a skillful friend) to help you if you don't have this skill.

If you don't have an AIS-ready chart plotter, then you might want a standalone AIS unit, like this one: https://www.defender.com/product3.js...911&id=1567798. Vespers are supposed to be great units, but the downside is you need a place to put it.

The third alternative is to use an AIS transponder which has a wifi interface to a tablet, like this one: https://www.defender.com/product3.js...908&id=2135822. I don't like this as much because a piece of consumer electronics like a tablet is not ideal for use for a critical function like this in the cockpit, but some people are happy with it. An advantage of this particular unit.


Good luck and let us know how you get on. Notwithstanding some of the comments made in this thread, AIS is a Godsend for any sailor who sails anywhere near ship traffic. You will be really glad you installed it.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Paul L

So that is your conclusion after reading a thread titled AIS waste of money?
Your question probably deserves a thread of its own.

Some people know how to think for themselves! Kudos to Newhaul Happiest thread drift I've seen in a while.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Do you have a reasonably new (<10 years) chart plotter capable of displaying AIS targets?

If you do, the you just need is a black box AIS like this one:

https://www.defender.com/product3.js...908&id=1849984

You can find them still much cheaper if you shop around.

You will need to connect it to your chart plotter via NMEA 0183, or just plug it into an NMEA2000 network if you have one. That's simple.

Then you need to arrange 12v power for it -- also pretty simple.

All of these units have built in GPS receivers, and a socket for attaching in external antenna. You will normally not need an external antenna for the GPS receiver depending on where you install the unit.

The somewhat more complex part of installation of an AIS transceiver is to arrange a good antenna for it. Like with any radio, the antenna is a crucial element. Ideally you should have a separate antenna for it, one specially tuned for AIS, but that may be very complicated and/or expensive if your mast is up. Alternatively, you can use an antenna splitter like this one: https://www.defender.com/product.jsp...655&id=1850004.

Everything having to do with antennas needs to be done with quality coax cable (if required; probably won't need any if you use a splitter) and quality connectors, well installed. That's the one part of the job where you might want a pro (or a skillful friend) to help you if you don't have this skill.

If you don't have an AIS-ready chart plotter, then you might want a standalone AIS unit, like this one: https://www.defender.com/product3.js...911&id=1567798. Vespers are supposed to be great units, but the downside is you need a place to put it.

The third alternative is to use an AIS transponder which has a wifi interface to a tablet, like this one: https://www.defender.com/product3.js...908&id=2135822. I don't like this as much because a piece of consumer electronics like a tablet is not ideal for use for a critical function like this in the cockpit, but some people are happy with it. An advantage of this particular unit.


Good luck and let us know how you get on. Notwithstanding some of the comments made in this thread, AIS is a Godsend for any sailor who sails anywhere near ship traffic. You will be really glad you installed it.

no chart plotter I actually have a minimum of electronics on the boat . A vhf , a multimeter, depth sounder and basic wind instruments. Don't want to add any more to the boat however with the advent of AIS I decided it would be a good and worthy addition to my onboard systems ( i am looking for a stand alone unit . ( I am a ham so install would be simple enough ) doing mast work is not an issue for me ) however if I don't need an additional antenna I would rather not install it.

My boat is my escape from the modern tech world. ( for when I need a break for a couple weeks or months .

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Paul L

So that is your conclusion after reading a thread titled AIS waste of money?
Your question probably deserves a thread of its own.

Paul I said I want to install class b AIS but I don't want to spend a grand or more if I don't need to.

[transmitterdan]

Newhaul,

You can use a class B black box unit with dedicated VHF antenna for way less than $1,000. If you want to see other vessels around you OpenCPN will do that. All you need is a very inexpensive computer such as Raspberry Pi or just about any laptop. There is an inexpensive version of OpenCPN for Android smart phones.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by transmitterdan

Newhaul,

You can use a class B black box unit with dedicated VHF antenna for way less than $1,000. If you want to see other vessels around you OpenCPN will do that. All you need is a very inexpensive computer such as Raspberry Pi or just about any laptop. There is an inexpensive version of OpenCPN for Android smart phones.

ok so I would need to tie it to some type of device for readout ? Ok no problem