You can get a GME transceiver for the same price. The only thing is it doesn't have a display.

nswsailor said..
I've got my AIS receiver set up to be seen on my chartplotter.

it seems this thing is a chart plotter and ais in 1?

dunno!

it seems this thing is a chart plotter and ais in 1?

No, the class A transponders, which are required for commercial mariners, are more expensive than the class B transponders targetted at recreational mariners. The class A transponders transmit at higher power and more frequently. Class A is listed in the "Offshore Special Regulations" as required for cat 0. So sure class A seems better, but hard to afford it. Maybe if you were rich enough you could look for a unit with more features, like a SART alarm:

www.oroliamaritime.com/products/mcmurdo-smartfind-m5-ais-class-a-transponder/

You will need a splitter, or if you don't care about the "Offshore Special Regulations" then I guess you could install a second VHF antenna at some other location. The splitter specs seem to say they can't handle class A, this one should work anyway:

digitalyacht.net/2014/03/27/isaf-offshore-special-regs-now-mandate-an-ais-splitter/

An alternative approach (which will be no good if you really want a transponder, but just letting you know of the option), is: instead of the transponder and the splitter, to change the VHF radio to one that includes an AIS receiver, such as the Standard Horizon Matrix GX2200 (the GX2200 would have to be imported from the USA, and is presumably not type approved in Australia, it was discussed on seabreeze a while ago).

apps.apple.com/au/app/transas-isailor-marine-navigation/id398456162

seems like you can get apps for all this. this one looks like its free! gonna try it out.

i know very little about this . But i did read somewhere a few years ago that ......... a good option is to keep the ais separate from your radio antenna for a couple of reasons , ........... 1 ......... if mast head Ariel fails ais still works . 2 keeps coax cable clean , free of joins

Ais antenna on stern still works fine .as ships antenna is very high and can see low yacht ais antenna easily

all yachts should carry second Arial anyhow . ............

RiffRaff said..
I used a standard RS232 to USB converter for AIS on one USB port and have a puck type GPS plugged into another. 5000 nautical miles without a glitch.
cheers
RiffRaff

I'm interested to know how you connected it to your laptop using the RS232 to USB converter as well - I've had one of these radios for a while but haven't yet had a chance to play with it propely.

Do you run the NMEA 0183 wires into the RS232 end?????

Remember you will need nav software to read the nmea ais sentences

RiffRaff said..
Remember you will need nav software to read the nmea ais sentences

Should work with OpenCPN

Sectorsteve said..
I guess i dont really know what i want - well i do but i have no idea what stuff does what.

im preparing to sail up to QLD and beyond next year and i would like to 24 hour sail. i want boats to be able to see me and me them. Id also like a chartplotter. I was hoping there might be something all in one. i have a handheld garmin, navionics on phone and ipad. maybe i dont need a gps seeing as i already have a few. I will be chart plotting on paper charts using the dead reckoning system, deviation etc. id also like to rig up a windspeed thingo on the mast with the display for that on my plotter. i might be going a bit overboard with the things i want...might not need any of it. probably dont!

I guess my main concern is other ships at night

So other ships can see you - if they have a AIS receiver, and you can get an alert if other ships approach - if they have a transponder. Once upon a time, in the good old days before the war, a boat traveling from A to B would almost surely miss a boat traveling from B to A because DR navigation was not an exact science. But now they will both have their autopilots on GPS and set to travel the route, steering only a few meters off course, and the chance of collision is high. So, AIS or not, you really should not be traveling at night without a watch. In my not so humble opinion.

Agreed that not all targets will have AIS, it is a fact that a watch should always be maintained.
There are times however when cruising at night, that the lights can get confusing and the eyes play tricks. Having the additional string to you bow with AIS should not be discounted because people are afraid of or do not trust technology.
With this technology being available and the low cost to purchase and install, it would be crazy not to take advantage of it.

I believe most equipment nowadays has NMEA output.
Keep in mind that with the NMEA0183 you can only have 1 talker and multiple listener's. If you want multiple NMEA0183 talkers to one listener then you will need some kind of multiplexer. I think NMEA2000 can have multiple talkers and listeners but the hardware is a bit more expensive

I've got a friend sailing from Europe to nz right now. It's taking him a while. Minimal cash.only been sailing a short time. 28 foot steel boat. Hand held GPS only, no Nav skills. On his approach to Barbados , a few days out he realised he didn't even have the cards for his GPS for that area. He used a compass and the sun instead. He made it no problem. He's encountered a fair few problems. As someone said here before , you start with a big bag of luck(hopefully) and a small bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck runs out. Great analogy. I worry about my mate dean on this trip .hes been really lucky. He even lost his boat in the canaries when it slipped off its mooring, his wind vane keeps breaking. He keeps having steering problems. Engine problems. But hes getting there. He's about to go through the Panama Canal.
even though he's doing it and I respect that he's doing it. It's inspiring. I'd prefer to be a bit more organised. Navigation skills, extra GPS. Back up steering, back ups for back ups where possible. He's got a really really strong boat and in the med on his way to Mallorca he got hit with 50kn at a time where he had minimal experience. I guess the experience has given him- experience.
as far as buying things online and the bcf thing. Bcf refunded and gave the parts for nothing in the end. They even gave extra gift carDid. It cost them. Recently I sent a pair of sunnies to the usa to be re lensed. They stuffed it up and did it for nothing In the end. you're right though in regards to buyer confidence online. You can get stung. I have been. There is a risk, but lately I've been lucky. Bimini for 120. Can't beat that. I feel for some shop owners that haven't shifted to online selling- like friend of mine who have had shops for 20 years but haven't moved with the times. They're struggling and paying massive rents locked into 10 year leases. With online buying I guess you need to do a lot of research on a product and you'll get that product cheaper as you are cutting out a few middle men.
with electronics I know we don't need all the stuff. But my thinking is like this: if I'm really tired and it's night time, I'd like some aids. I'd like my ,instincts tto be alert also and this is something you really don't wanna lose, relying on tech gadgets. I'd like to think for the most part, I wouldn't use the electronics, to save power and because I'd hope to be confident enough to read the wind, weather, keep a look out etc. but for those times when conditions are testing, I'd like to be able to rest my brain that may not be coping too well and read whether the winds increasing to help me make a decision, and to see on screen if large container ships are bearing down on me in the middle of the night.

Im going 400 watts 200ah batteries.
id consider getting one of those little Honda gennys

I've mentioned in several times in other threads, but have a look at the Vespermarine XB-6000. It has inbuilt wifi gateway which allows NMEA data on iPads etc. Your iPhone or iPad become the display for AIS traffic And there are free apps to display NMEA data. If you use iNavX on the iPad (similar to Navionics), it overlays the AIS on the chart display. We have tacktick for wind and ST60 depth and speed. The tacktick requires the T122 module to connect into the network and pass wind info to the c120 plotter, autopilot, and vesper. The autopilot can then steer to AWA which is neat.

the vesper is not cheap, but you might find it all you need along with an iPad.