AIS with GPS, WiFi, Splitter and SART 970

Tim Good

Tim Good

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Morning all...

So I just ordered an AIS unit from a German company that does a lot of things in one. Firstly I don't like wiring runs and secondly I feel WiFi capability is futureproof and bypasses N2K to a degree.

So this unit has its own GPS which works fine in the saloon. It has wifi to transmit ais data to an iPad and wifi enabled plotter. It has a splitter to share the VHF antenna or a dedicated one if required. Additionally it has an AIS SART button.

With all that I basically just need to mount it near my DSC and patch them together, sharing the VHF antenna in the masthead. No other wiring needed apart from 12v. I will let you know how I get on with it.

Manufacturer: WeatherDock
Model: A208
Price: £1000 inc vat

View attachment 63483
 
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RichardS said:
I don't think he intends to. He's just flagging up a useful new product.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's right... just felt it was quite unique and should be good. I'm the first in Europe to get it apparently so it's not in their site quite yet. It is very expensive but they do the same version without the AIS Sart but with splitter wifi and GPS for about £750 which is not dissimilar to a Raymarine or Digital Yacht system without as many features.
 
northcave said:
Yeah that's right... just felt it was quite unique and should be good. I'm the first in Europe to get it apparently so it's not in their site quite yet. It is very expensive but they do the same version without the AIS Sart but with splitter wifi and GPS for about £750 which is not dissimilar to a Raymarine or Digital Yacht system without as many features.
Click to expand...

The standard A151 version, without the AIS SART button, already has the software to send the AIS SART message automatically - it just needs a simple push-button to be wired across the green and white wires in the external switch cable. So it looks like the integral button has cost you about £250.
 
northcave said:
Yeah that's right... just felt it was quite unique and should be good. I'm the first in Europe to get it apparently so it's not in their site quite yet. It is very expensive but they do the same version without the AIS Sart but with splitter wifi and GPS for about £750 which is not dissimilar to a Raymarine or Digital Yacht system without as many features.
Click to expand...
Would you like to share where you bought the AIS Sart version and how much it costs?
(even thought it isn't yet in the catalogue)
 
This is a fixed 12v tranceiver using the main (or a masthead) VHF antenna isn't it? I'm struggling to see the point of the SART function under those circumstances. Assume an emergency where you're still on the boat, the electrics are on, the mast is still up. You press the SART button and this thing transmits an AIS distress plus location message to anything in range (perhaps a couple of tens of Nm from the masthead). How does that beat hitting your VHF DSC with a similar range, distress function and alerting capability? Rescue can then home in on your AIS transmission as it would if you had fitted any other tranceiver. If the mast is down or the 12v out so you can't use your radio, you can't use this thing either. I don't really see an advantage worth the extra money. In the circumstances where you could use the SART capability it doesn't offer anything much more than a regular tranceiver on a boat with a DSC radio as far as I can see. the £250 difference would cover a PLB though, which compliments local distress alerting with a global MRCC alert. Much better idea. Am I missing sometihing?
 
pvb said:
The standard A151 version, without the AIS SART button, already has the software to send the AIS SART message automatically - it just needs a simple push-button to be wired across the green and white wires in the external switch cable. So it looks like the integral button has cost you about £250.
Click to expand...

Seems to me the wired button is preferable anyway, because this thing is going to be mounted out of sight in an electronics bay and not on display.

Pete
 
prv said:
Seems to me the wired button is preferable anyway, because this thing is going to be mounted out of sight in an electronics bay and not on display.
Click to expand...

That would be my view, too, I certainly wouldn't want an ugly box of bits on display. Of course, there's the convenience of not having to wire in a separate simple push-button switch, but I reckon £250 is a high price to pay for that!
 
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