AIS compatibility

[chwarae]

Anyone know if a Garmin 200 vhf is compatible with a Garmin AIS transceiver or something like a Vespar AIS. I know the radio is compatible with NMEA2000. I also have a garmin 8000 chart plotter. If so can it work off the masthead aerial. Ideally would like it to plug and play. Thanks in anticipation of responses.

 

[pvb]

Anyone know if a Garmin 200 vhf is compatible with a Garmin AIS transceiver or something like a Vespar AIS. I know the radio is compatible with NMEA2000. I also have a garmin 8000 chart plotter. If so can it work off the masthead aerial. Ideally would like it to plug and play. Thanks in anticipation of responses.

I don't understand what you mean by "compatible". The Garmin 200 is a simple VHF radio. It doesn't need to interface with an AIS transceiver. It should interface with your Garmin plotter to display DSC info.

 

[Sandy]

Do you mean from a AIS plot call a ship on the radio using its MMSI number?

 

[RobF]

I think the OP is looking to use the NMEA sentences from the AIS unit to into the VHF to enable the VHF to show Lat/Long and to broadcast the OP's position when the red Distress button is pressed. My understanding is that this should be fine so long as the AIS is outputting sentences in the correct format (NMEA2000 / NMEA0183) expected by the VHF unit.

 

[pvb]

I think the OP is looking to use the NMEA sentences from the AIS unit to into the VHF to enable the VHF to show Lat/Long and to broadcast the OP's position when the red Distress button is pressed. My understanding is that this should be fine so long as the AIS is outputting sentences in the correct format (NMEA2000 / NMEA0183) expected by the VHF unit.

Position information would normally be provided by the plotter.

 

[MikeCC]

Another take - you can't use the VHF radio to pass a signal to an AIS unit. You would need an AIS transponder compatible antenna splitter to do that. There is a significant difference between that type and a receive-only splitter.

 

[chwarae]

Are you saying that the AIS transceiver will work directly to the chart plotter without the need to utilise the radio and will use it's own aerial? Connection by NMEA2000?.

 

[davidaprice]

Garmin's two current AIS transponders, the AIS 600 and AIS 800, both have internal antenna splitters, according to their product pages. So they can share the masthead aerial with the VHF radio. The same is true for the Vesper Marine Cortex M1 AIS. The Vesper Marine WatchMate XB-8000 will need a separate antenna splitter.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Garmin's two current AIS transponders, the AIS 600 and AIS 800, both have internal antenna splitters, according to their product pages. So they can share the masthead aerial with the VHF radio. The same is true for the Vesper Marine Cortex M1 AIS. The Vesper Marine WatchMate XB-8000 will need a separate antenna splitter.

At £1350 it wants to do something special

 

[ShinyShoe]

Are you saying that the AIS transceiver will work directly to the chart plotter without the need to utilise the radio and will use it's own aerial? Connection by NMEA2000?.

Not exactly

You have not been clear what you want the three units to do.

Your VHF can receive DSC data and send that to your plotter to display.

Your AIS can receive AIS data and send that to the plotter.

Either the plotter or the AIS can send your position to the VHF so that when you press the red button you send your position.

It is possible with some plotters to click on an AIS target and call it on the radio (i.e. the plotter sends a message to the radio saying call 123456789)

That's all I'm the NMEA (data) side. There are some complexities to that. Your radio likely wants 4800 baud NMEA 0183. The AiS to plotter needs much faster (too much data).

Without know what if anything is sharing NMEA data on your boat we can't make firm suggestions.

As for aerials...

AIS can only share an antenna with a VHF with a splitter. There are two camps. Those who love splitters because it means you only have 1 antenna and you get AIS as high as possible so the wife can track you from the internet easier. And those who think splitters add an extra component to break potentially disabling both bits of equipment. While if you put a seperate antenna on (perhaps on the cockpit rail), with leads set up to swap between sets you have redundancy in the event of a mast failure or ant failure. If the ant is on the rail you loose women AIS range - but should still be sending upto 5 miles and receiving from big stuff 15miles. You don't care about a yacht with AIS on the rail 5 miles away. You care about slow to steer ships which you would still see 20mins or more away...

 

[PaulRainbow]

Are you saying that the AIS transceiver will work directly to the chart plotter without the need to utilise the radio and will use it's own aerial? Connection by NMEA2000?.

You don't actually say what it is you are trying to achieve, i'll take a guess anyway. I guess you have a Garmin 200VHF and a Garmin plotter and that they both work, your DSC works because it's connected to the plotter via NMEA something or other.

If you want to fit an AIS transducer, that has no bearing on the above. The AIS will need it's own VHF antenna and GPS receiver (unless you buy one with a built in VHF splitter). If you fit a N2K AIS it will send AIS data to the plotter but will not receive GPS data from the network, it needs it's own GPS. I would suggest the following options ;

1) Em-trak B100 AIS. N2K, NMEA 0183 or USB outputs. Works very well, comes with its own GPS (most others do too), which usually works below decks. Install a second VHF antenna or buy the Em-trak sailor package, which includes the B100 AIS and a splitter.

2) As you have a Garmin plotter, you could fit a Garmin AIS, which would allow you initiate a DSC call from the plotter. It includes a built in VHF splitter too. But, it's pricey.

 

[pvb]

There are some complexities to that. Your radio likely wants 4800 baud NMEA 0183. The AiS to plotter needs much faster (too much data).

The OP said his radio is NMEA2000 compatible.

 

[chwarae]

Paul Rainbow, you are correct. I just wish to purchase an AIS transceiver that will be compatible with the Garmin plotter (It's at the helm position). The Garmin AIS 800 is expensive and wonder if something like the Vesper would work. I have MNEA2000 for my instruments. Thanks for comments so far.

 

[pvb]

I just wish to purchase an AIS transceiver that will be compatible with the Garmin plotter (It's at the helm position). The Garmin AIS 800 is expensive and wonder if something like the Vesper would work. I have MNEA2000 for my instruments.

The most cost-effective AIS transceiver to meet your needs is the em-trak B100 which Paul Rainbow has already suggested. Why? It's got both NMEA0183 and NMEA2000 connectivity. It's designed in England and made in Europe. It has a sensible user manual. It has an SD card slot for data logging. And it has a 3 year warranty. If you buy it as the £450 Sailor Package (with a splitter included) it will be easy to install and will use your existing VHF antenna.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Paul Rainbow, you are correct. I just wish to purchase an AIS transceiver that will be compatible with the Garmin plotter (It's at the helm position). The Garmin AIS 800 is expensive and wonder if something like the Vesper would work. I have MNEA2000 for my instruments. Thanks for comments so far.

Pretty much any AIS will work with your plotter. If you don't want to spend Garmin money, fit the Emtrak.

 

[ShinyShoe]

If you want to fit an AIS transducer, that has no bearing on the above. The AIS will need it's own VHF antenna and GPS receiver (unless you buy one with a built in VHF splitter). If you fit a N2K AIS it will send AIS data to the plotter but will not receive GPS data from the network, it needs it's own GPS. I would suggest the following options ;

It is a requirement off all class b AIS that they have inbuilt GPS so don't let this distract you.

2) As you have a Garmin plotter, you could fit a Garmin AIS, which would allow you initiate a DSC call from the plotter.

Surely the model of AiS is irrelevant? The call is placed via the VHf?

 

[PaulRainbow]

It is a requirement off all class b AIS that they have inbuilt GPS so don't let this distract you.

That's not exactly correct, in most cases an external GPS receiver is still required, but usually comes with the AIS unit.

Surely the model of AiS is irrelevant? The call is placed via the VHf?

Yes, my bad. The VHF needs to be Garmin (which the OP already has) and the plotter must also be Garmin. I was thinking of mine, which is a Garmin black box VHF/AIS.

 

[ShinyShoe]

That's not exactly correct, in most cases an external GPS receiver is still required, but usually comes with the AIS unit.

If an external bit is required is it not just a GPS antenna. You can't swap it for the NMEA 0183 from the plotter for instance...

 

[pvb]

If an external bit is required is it not just a GPS antenna.

It depends, some transceivers have an internal GPS receiver and are supplied with an antenna, which can be mounted inside or outside. Other transceivers have a separate dedicated GPS receiver, rather than an antenna.

 

[RichardS]

It depends, some transceivers have an internal GPS receiver and are supplied with an antenna, which can be mounted inside or outside. Other transceivers have a separate dedicated GPS receiver, rather than an antenna.

As you say, my XB8000 has a separate antenna which connects to the AIS unit with a coax cable. If it were a full GPS receiver, wouldn't that have to connect to the AIS unit through NMEA and wouldn't that mean that any NMEA GPS signal could be inputted which might not be dedicated, and I didn't think that was permitted?

Richard