AIS on laptop (without wifi!)
- Thread starter Kelpie
- Start date
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
No NMEA 2000, needs a separate GPS (not included) and needs a VHF antenna or splitter. Makes it an expensive, poorly spec'ed solution.
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
If on a budget, why not forget about transmitting AIS and connect the NASA to the laptop ?
Kelpie
Well-Known Member
That's a possibility.
The NASA unit has never worked very well though. I should maybe try checking the connections.
awol
Well-Known Member
I use an emtrak B100 via USB to OpenCPN and Belfield - works happily but needs an aerial connection. No longer a current model but available on eBay at a chunk less than £600.
Laser310
Well-Known Member
I am not sure what a CAN interface is.., but...
Actisense NGT-1 plugs into the N2K backbone, and puts all the N2K data, including AIS, out through USB.
It works very well, and is not expensive.
I installed it myself in about 1 minute on one of the boats I race on, and it is perfect.
This boat has a high level H5000 system. I use a websocket connection directly to the H5000 processor for all the B&G calculated data (even though it is also available on the N2K network) .., and the NGT-1 for all the N2K data - mostly GPS (even though GPS is available on the H5000 websocket) and AIS (which is not available on the H5000 websocket).
Kelpie
Well-Known Member
Hmmm. It looks like the £475 Onwa is maybe worth the money.
Upgrades me from a 5" to a 7" plotter.
Integrates seamlessly with the AIS, because it's built in.
Free global charting included.
Can mount it in the cockpit.
I'll go and raid the piggy bank...
Upgrades me from a 5" to a 7" plotter.
Integrates seamlessly with the AIS, because it's built in.
Free global charting included.
Can mount it in the cockpit.
I'll go and raid the piggy bank...
laika
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure that the NGT-1 is ideal for the OP's use case. OpenCPN accepts data in NMEA-0183 format. The NGW-1 translates selected PGNs (including AIS) from NMEA-2000 to NMEA-0183. The NGT-1 doesn't so you'd need additional software for the translation if you wanted to use it with OpenCPN.
Laser310
Well-Known Member
i agree - i was only responding to a post that seemed to be saying it was difficult to get N2K out on USB...
prv
Well-Known Member
Compared to free, free, and £5 respectively for the other options, it’s expensive in relative terms. Laika’s post shows why it’s less convenient.
We’re all agreed that it’s possible, though, which was my point.
Pete
Laser310
Well-Known Member
But I think opencpn _does_ support a direct N2K connection. I don't use opencpn though.
So.., isn't it just a case of what the network is?
if he has an 0183 network, he needs an 0183 to USB device.., and if he has an N2K network he needs something like the NGT - 1
In this case, it seems likely that his network is 0183.
I was just making the point that if one does have an N2K network, it is pretty easy to have an N2K USB connection.., and I am pretty sure that you can input it directly to opencpn.
TernVI
Well-Known Member
The cost of developing the software and getting an AIS transponder type approved is not trivial.
The test equipment to do in house development is very expensive.
The electronics are not particularly hard, but a bit more complex than a simple voice/DSC VHF set. Dual channel receiver as a minimum.
I don't think there is the volume to drive prices down, you would be caught between the boaters who will do without and those who spend several grand on the latest chartplotter and instruments.
Under 500 quid for an AIS transponder with a chart display seems pretty good to me.
To sell me a unit without the display, it would have to be cheap indeed against that option, then you'd have to sell an awful lot of them before you made any money.
GHA
Well-Known Member
Opencpn will only recognize nmea0183 or signalk data, not n2k.
Though on a windows or linux machine it would only take a few minutes to install and set up a signalk server which will read all sorts of data over serial or wifi and multiplex into signalk and nmea0183 data, both of which opencpn will happily read. The signalk server will also do pretty much anything you can think of with any data coming in.
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
I have a N2K network and a laptop running Windows 10, with OpenCPN. OpenCPN will run stand alone using a GPS puck plugged into a USB port, or it connects to the N2K network with a device that converts N2K to 0183 and feeds it to the laptop via USB.
I'm interested in your comment above, highlighted in red. How would you suggest this is done ? I'm genuinely interested but i don't have the time to learn any programming languages or tinker with Raspberry Pis or the like.
GHA
Well-Known Member
First, download the signalk server from here, the latest version is on the right hand side of the screen under "releases", 0.4.1 today >
SignalK/signalk-server-windows
& double click to install. Quite good instructions on the web page.
After double clicking it might come up with a "widows protected your PC" warning, if so click more info and run anyway, it's safe.
then accept the defaults and it starts installing. The default "signalk as service" means it runs automatically in the background each time the machine is turned on. Now there will be some shortcuts on your desktop, right click "start signalk service " and "run as administrator", this starts it then double click signalk gui to open a web browser with signalk. Or just put http://localhost:3000/ in any web browser.
First thing to do is set up a user and password - click on security and then users and enter a name and password.
then the server will ask to be restarted, normally there's a button top right to do this but I had to go back to "start signalk service" right click and run as administrator again. Then log on by pressing the login button top right.
Then you're in.
Can you get n2k into the laptop? If so ... set up a connection got to server/connections and click add then datatype "nmea2000" and hopefully your device should be in the drop down list
Or if it's only 0183 you'll miss out on loads but the connection is similar.
Next in opencpn go to connections and create a new network signalk connection at address 127.0.0.1 port 3000.
Hopefully that's it, all n2k data on your bus should be sent to opencpn.
Lots more the server can do, try looking in webapps and open @signalk/instrument panel and click the spanner icon to see everything. though i much prefer the KIP dashboard which can be downloaded in appstore/available. Or just to have a play there is SKSIM in the appstore which is a simulator.
All that took an awful lot longer to type than to do.
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PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Thanks for taking the time to type it up, appreciated. I'll have a little play with it later.
The KIP dashboard looks good.
GHA
Well-Known Member
Very useful, one huge bonus with signalk is how you can put pretty much anything in there. There's even an app to upload your wind data to windy, I'm live now ? All running on a Pi Zero drawing 0.18A
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Very useful, one huge bonus with signalk is how you can put pretty much anything in there. There's even an app to upload your wind data to windy, I'm live now ? All running on a Pi Zero drawing 0.18A
Could be just the job. I have some data that would be useful to display without having everything turned on, just the N2K network and am planning to fit some N2K tank senders, i think this would do the job. I can show it all on the Garmin MFD, or the mirrored tablet, but i'd like to only have the network on. The Maretron N2K View looks good, but i'm not spending over £1k for a PC dash
GHA
Well-Known Member
Also logging data to a database then plotting can be gold dust, needs a couple more programs installed but the signalk side has a simple app to do the writing.
Laser310
Well-Known Member
I'm surprised to learn that opencpn doesn't support N2K directly.
I use Expedition for PC nav, and it has supported N2K for a while - I think at least since H5000 came out
I use Expedition for PC nav, and it has supported N2K for a while - I think at least since H5000 came out
