Want the Best, Cheapest Easiest AIS solution:-)

[NorthPacific]

I give in!

I reckoned that since I bought radar I did not need ais. I have been badgered and called names and at the 11 hour I am faltering.

I have a Garmin 545 Gps map unit. A West marine Radio. I will be going offshore. So what to do Garmin 300 or 600? Any Brit stuff, seen NASA?

Can it be as easy as plug and play?

Cheers

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by NorthPacific

I give in!

I reckoned that since I bought radar I did not need ais. I have been badgered and called names and at the 11 hour I am faltering.

I have a Garmin 545 Gps map unit. A West marine Radio. I will be going offshore. So what to do Garmin 300 or 600? Any Brit stuff, seen NASA?

Can it be as easy as plug and play?

Cheers

You want something with a separate screen or just the targets on your Garmin 545 screen? You can buy a "black box" unit without screen when the Garmin 545 is good to use. Check out the Vesper Marine units as they are very good. The new models even have wifi so that you can use an iPad as display too!

[NorthPacific]

Cheers Jedi,

Looking now

[NorthPacific]

Looks like a good piece of Kit! Better than the Garmin 600 for sure. Thirsty little buggers! I was shocked to see how much they draw.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by NorthPacific

Looks like a good piece of Kit! Better than the Garmin 600 for sure. Thirsty little buggers! I was shocked to see how much they draw.

That would be maximum draw which is for a fraction of a second when they transmit a beacon. Average draw will be minimal

[NorthPacific]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

That would be maximum draw which is for a fraction of a second when they transmit a beacon. Average draw will be minimal

Er,, seemed high so went back. Watts not amps

Now which one?

[downunder]

Vesper possibly best units.

Not necessarily cheapest.

Cheers

[seandepagnier]

digital tv usb stick. They can get ais.

[NorthPacific]

Anything good but little better deal. Just emailed Vesper to find out what litttle extras are needed to get the sucker to work.

Do the Purdeys have all this stuff?

[NorthPacific]

Bloody Quick reply from New Zealand!

Hi,

You don't need any bits other than the transponder itself and a VHF antenna.

Here's the options:

1. WatchMate-850 - has everything you need for a dedicated screen-based low-power consumption AIS transponder. If you install it with a view of the sky (say under a canvas dodger) then it will work fine with it's built-in GPS antenna. If you install it below, then you'll need one of our external GPS antennas.

2. WatchMate-Vision - also has everything needed for a dedicated color touchscreen AIS transponder with WiFi. Same thing for the GPS antenna. No need for an external one if mounted in a place with a view of the sky. If down below, then you need our external GPS antenna. WiFi allows you to also use it with a tablet or smart phone running navigation apps.

3. XB-8000 - comes with the external GPS antenna because these are almost always installed below in a locker somewhere. Needs some sort of display system such as a chart plotter. Has WiFi so you can use a tablet or smart phone running navigation apps. Has NMEA-0183 and NMEA-2000 for interfacing to MFD's and plotters.

All of these require a VHF antenna. The simplest case is a dedicated VHF antenna mounted on a stern rail or better yet a bit higher on an arch, solar array, radar pole, etc. The antenna should be mounted in "clear air" as far away as possible from other antennas and parallel metal structures like masts and rigging.

You can optionally share an existing VHF antenna, such as at the mast head, by using one of our splitters (SP160). This is often the easiest way to install any of the transponders because it doesn't require another VHF antenna and the splitter acts as a junction box too. Our splitter is unique because others impose significant signal loss, but ours actually has signal gain due to its built-in amplification. The result is an increase in AIS receive range.

So... you need the transponder and a VHF antenna. You may need an external GPS antenna depending on where you mount the unit (not needed to buy with the XB-8000 because it comes with it). Optional: you can eliminate the VHF antenna and use a splitter instead.

All of our transponders are flexible and can be integrated with other equipment, like MFD's, instruments, plotter, radars, VHF radios, etc. but none of that is required.

To install you might need a few bits of wire and a fuse holder and/or available circuit breaker.

If you have any questions or would like more info, just let me know.

Best regards,

Jeff

[downunder]

Good company.

[Dockhead]

I bought a Sitex Metadata black box transceiver. Like most of the last generation of black box AIS transceivers (the Digital Yacht AIT2000, Comnv X2), it outputs NMEA2000, NMEA0183, and USB. I don't think there is much to choose between any of these -- features, price, size, power draw, etc., are all about the same. I chose the Sitex on a gamble that the built-in GPS would receive at my nav table, leaving me one less cable to pull, one less hole to drill in my toe rail, and one less antenna to mount. It does receive well so the gamble paid off .

Note you will have to install an antenna -- the most burdensome part of the install of one of these devices.

Note also that many plotters (I think Simrad is the main culprit) require proprietary NMEA2000 sentences for AIS and so will only work with NMEA0183 with non-Navico AIS units. I don't know about Garmin.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by NorthPacific

...Do the Pardeys have all this stuff?

Good one!

[s/v Jedi]

I'dd go for the XB-8000. My reasoning is that the display is the weakest part of most equipment so without a display the unit will last longer. I'll use my plotter and my iPad as displays.

But that touch-vision is very good looking and if you have room for it under a dodger or so, depending on where you sail, you might be able to run just that and switch off the big screen. All that while still having wifi and allowing iPads etc. to connect to it

Decisions decisions

[downunder]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I'dd go for the XB-8000. My reasoning is that the display is the weakest part of most equipment so without a display the unit will last longer. I'll use my plotter and my iPad as displays.

But that touch-vision is very good looking and if you have room for it under a dodger or so, depending on where you sail, you might be able to run just that and switch off the big screen. All that while still having wifi and allowing iPads etc. to connect to it

Decisions decisions

Agree .In some passages don't need large screen all the time. A nice standalone unit. Anchor alarm works well from those who have them.