Vesper 850 Watchmate AIS

[Trident voyager]

Hi
I'm thinking of getting one of these and wondered if anyone has / uses one, and if there are any p[os / cons.
I like the Idea of having a standalone system as opposed to tying it up with other equipment to get the information.

John

[barnakiel]

I have heard something on Vesper nearly ready with a color unit. Maybe wait a bit and get the newest thing?

BTW This feature of Vesper: "...Shows the relative position of a target vs. your vessel at the closest point of approach. This provides a graphical view of the crossing situation and clearly indicates whether a target will pass ahead or behind..." always sounded very tempting to me.

b.

[savoir]

There are two new Vesper models due out now but I have no more detail. I'm waiting for the black box model myself. The big plus for me is not needing new screens. I already have 3 and that is enough.

[S/V Alchemy]

Do you mean this "black" box?

Panbo: The Marine Electronics Weblog: Vesper Marine Virtual AIS Beacon, and more

[savoir]

No, it's actually blue and mentioned on this page.

newsletter2012

The big plus for me is that it can talk to my GPS screens and doesn't need a screen of its own.

[blgklr]

Does anyone wonder if haveing an AIS transmitter may make you a target in some areas? Also a lot of commercial fishermen will not transmit because they do not want their fishing locations broadcasted.

[S/V Alchemy]

Yes, I do wonder about that and it's why I would pull the power cord at certain junctures, OR I would figure out a way to disable the transmit or to send a false location to deceive people who might be up to no good.

One doesn't send up flares when there is no emergency.

[Trident voyager]

The thing I like about the vesper unit is that you can turn the transmit off and only have it recieve.

[S/V Alchemy]

Exactly.

Interestingly, I read a small item today about how Iranian oil tankers are circumventing, in part, the sanctions against their country and pumping oil into the global black market by switching off their I.D. transponders.

From the Tehran Times:

Iran wisely disables oil sanctions - Tehran Times

WSJ: Iran Oil Tankers Switching Off Tracking Systems -Reuters - WSJ.com

So what's good for the Iranian goose, I guess...

[Rigamarole]

I purchased a Watchmate 850 in March and used it during a crossing of the Atlantic and for 3 months in the Mediterranean. It was one of the best purchased I've made for Palarran for several reasons.
1- It is very easy to use. Almost anyone can sit down in front of the screen and learn to use the functions in about 5 minutes
2- I like the standalone feature because it is redundent on gps signals but also because you can turn all your other electronic equipment off when at anchor and leave only the 850 on.
3- Being able to set the alarm parameters for Offshore, Costal, Harbor, and Anchor prevents the alarm from going off all the time for no reason.

And the biggest reason -
It has to be the best anchor alarm you can buy for the money. I put a Radio Shack potentiometer and alarm buzzer on the inside of our cabin. It is loud enough to wake the dead depending on the pot setting. The accuracy is quite unbelievable, easy to set, low power draw, easy graphics, etc. I can not say enough about how comforting it is to have such a great system watching out for us on anchor. You can sleep soundly.

The only drawback is that the screen is hard to see from an angle greater then maybe 30 degrees. It's better at night but still not "great" in that regard. So, you have to position yourself directly in front of it to see clearly. I shouldn't be that lazy!!

[S/V Alchemy]

Thanks for the endorsement. It closely reflects (no visual pun intended) most of what I've heard about the 850. The narrow viewing angle wouldn't bother me as the unit would be mounted on an armature in the pilothouse. It's not the sort of unit I would actually want at the outside helm.

The anchor alarm aspect is very appealing to me, as the ability to "run silent". The idea that it would be the only item left on (aside from an LED anchor light) overnight on the hook is also a good selling point.

Colour? Meh...I don't need no steenking colours...