Calling an AIS target on VHF without entering the MMSI manually

[Plum]

Looking for a new fixed VHF and, although not high on my list of wants, am looking for one that, when linked via NMEA0183 (both TX and RX) to my Standard Horizon chart plotter which has an AIS input, if I select an AIS target on the chart plotter, the MMSI of the target be transmitted to the VHF so I can call the target. Standard Horizon tell me on their VHFs I will have to enter the MMSI manually into the VHF to call the AIS target. Has anyone got this facility on a VHF (other than a VHF with AIS built in)?

Thanks

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[howard easton]

God Forbid. Just imagine you are out sailing in say the Solent of a sunny Saturday afternoon, trying to enjoy the peace and instead having to leap up and go down inside the boat to answer daft queries from someone who really is fascinated by the technology he has bought. We get lots of unnecessary radio check calls but this will be worse because you cant turn off the alarm on the VHF.

I suppose the side benefit would be that people will soon learn not to broadcast AIS, just receive.

 

[pvb]

Calling a ship directly from the plotter is one of those great features which ought to be universal, but isn't. Even Standard Horizon can't manage it with their own kit, although in fairness they stopped making plotters a while ago. I have a Garmin plotter and Garmin VHF, and they work together to allow calls to be initiated direct from the plotter.

On the newer Standard Horizon radios with integral AIS, you can call a ship directly by finding it on the miniscule radio display and then pressing a button.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Looking for a new fixed VHF and, although not high on my list of wants, am looking for one that, when linked via NMEA0183 (both TX and RX) to my Standard Horizon chart plotter which has an AIS input, if I select an AIS target on the chart plotter, the MMSI of the target be transmitted to the VHF so I can call the target. Standard Horizon tell me on their VHFs I will have to enter the MMSI manually into the VHF to call the AIS target. Has anyone got this facility on a VHF (other than a VHF with AIS built in)?

Thanks

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

I have the early and cheaper Standard horizon GX2000 which requires AIS and GPS input but will allow a DSC call using the MMSI number received from the external AIS

The later and more expensive GX2200 has the AIS receive and GPS built in and also outputs the data that can be connected to a plotter or OpenCPN on a computer as I have.


http://www.milltechmarine.com/Standard-Horizon-Matrix-GX2000-VHF-Radio-AIS-Display_p_201.html

At $199

http://www.milltechmarine.com/Standard-Horizon-Matrix-GX2200-AISGPS-Receiver-VHF-Radio_p_275.html

At $369

Just a satisfied customer.

 

[pvb]

I have the early and cheaper Standard horizon GX2000 which requires AIS and GPS input but will allow a DSC call using the MMSI number received from the external AIS

The later and more expensive GX2200 has the AIS receive and GPS built in and also outputs the data that can be connected to a plotter or OpenCPN on a computer as I have.

The OP was asking about initiating a call from the plotter.

 

[rogerthebodger]

The OP was asking about initiating a call from the plotter.

Yes I know but as for as I know that is not available on any radio yet and I discussed this with one of the OpenCPN developers when he was in South Africa and have considered doing some code myself when the radios can receive the data message,

Don't even know if there is any message format defined for that function in NMEA 0830 which the SH radios use may be in 2000. Do you have any info on that.

 

[LadyInBed]

I just call the ship by name, as given by AIS.
Works for me.

 

[pvb]

Yes I know but as for as I know that is not available on any radio yet and I discussed this with one of the OpenCPN developers when he was in South Africa and have considered doing some code myself when the radios can receive the data message,

Don't even know if there is any message format defined for that function in NMEA 0830 which the SH radios use may be in 2000. Do you have any info on that.

Yes, as I posted in post 3, my Garmin plotter allows calls to be initiated directly on my Garmin VHF.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Yes I know but as for as I know that is not available on any radio yet

It's available on Garmin VHF's and i believe some Raymarine units. Not sure what the plotter sends to the VHF though, but it should be possible to do it from OpenCPN if the sentence can be discovered.

I can't see it being possible with a SH VHF though.

 

[PaulRainbow]

A little discussion here :

http://www.panbo.com/forum/2015/04/direct-dsc-vhf-calls-to-ais-targets-a-nmea-2000-standard.html

https://www.coastalexplorer.net/forums/support/topics/87375

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/marine/ask-garmin-contacting-an-ais-target/

A couple of key points :

1) The VHF must be able to understand the PGN, most will not. It seems likely that the protocol is proprietary between some systems.

2) I can find no mention of the facility existing on NMEA 0183, which means that it cannot be done with OpenCPN as it does not support N2K. It's about time OpenCPN did support N2K.

 

[doug748]

Not on a plotter.

But I have just fitted a Vesper Watchmate class B effort linked to an Icom M323G and can click on the target on the Vesper screen for a direct VHF call.

I am not a great fan of calling ships so I may never use it for that, but it is there so I wired it up.

PS

The facility was designed for the Icom MA500TR transceiver so, of course, it works with that as well.

 

[prv]

Don't even know if there is any message format defined for that function in NMEA 0830 which the SH radios use may be in 2000. Do you have any info on that.

Yes, there is an NMEA 0183 message for this purpose. The Vesper AIS displays provide the "click to call" function, and emit the corresponding message - but as they warn in their manual, relatively few VHFs respond to it.

Pete

 

[rogerthebodger]

Yes, there is an NMEA 0183 message for this purpose. The Vesper AIS displays provide the "click to call" function, and emit the corresponding message - but as they warn in their manual, relatively few VHFs respond to it.

Pete

Hi Pete

Can you point me to the message format details.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

A little discussion here :

http://www.panbo.com/forum/2015/04/direct-dsc-vhf-calls-to-ais-targets-a-nmea-2000-standard.html

https://www.coastalexplorer.net/forums/support/topics/87375

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/blog/marine/ask-garmin-contacting-an-ais-target/

A couple of key points :

1) The VHF must be able to understand the PGN, most will not. It seems likely that the protocol is proprietary between some systems.

2) I can find no mention of the facility existing on NMEA 0183, which means that it cannot be done with OpenCPN as it does not support N2K. It's about time OpenCPN did support N2K.

Yes, there is an NMEA 0183 message for this purpose. The Vesper AIS displays provide the "click to call" function, and emit the corresponding message - but as they warn in their manual, relatively few VHFs respond to it.

Pete

Hi Pete

Can you point me to the message format details.

Might I suggest that these messages are covered by "vendor Extensions": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMEA_0183#Vendor_extensions

 

[PaulRainbow]

Hi Pete

Can you point me to the message format details.

More stuff here Roger ; http://www.panbo.com/archives/2011/12/vesper_marine_ais-dsc_calling_merry_christmas_again.html

Seems that there is a sentence for 0183 and it does work with some Standard Horizon VHF's, much to my surprise.

 

[lpdsn]

Garmin very helpfully publish their proprietary NMEA0183 sentences (190-00684-00). I can't see anything in there, so if it is supported by 0183 it must be a standard sentence.

NMEA also publish a list of PGNs and fields (not the structure of the PGNs as they want money to tell you that). Nothing obvious in there either to support a remote initiation of a DSC VHF call. Of course, with a bit of imagination I'm sure any vendor could implement it with PGN 126208, but obviously without cross-vendor support.

I wouldn't imagine SH would be interested in retro-fitting something to their older radios and it is very easy to call an AIS target MMSI from their models that support AIS.

 

[prv]

Hi Pete

Can you point me to the message format details.

Sure - it's sentences DSC and DSE, the details are at the bottom of page 36 here. Although a lot of the fields relate to distress calls, the sentence can still be used for routine traffic with these left blank.

The sentence is emitted by a VHF when it receives an incoming DSC call; if you send a similar sentence to the VHF then it should make the call (this is what it means by "determined by system configuration"). But as mentioned, many models of VHF do not.

Pete

 

[GHA]

Looking for a new fixed VHF and, although not high on my list of wants, am looking for one that, when linked via NMEA0183 (both TX and RX) to my Standard Horizon chart plotter which has an AIS input, if I select an AIS target on the chart plotter, the MMSI of the target be transmitted to the VHF so I can call the target.

You could splash out on something like a gx2100 and a ram mic, then have a backup ais and a mini display in the cockpit plus call ships direct. great vhf radios solo, one of the better buys for the boat,

http://www.standardhorizon.com/inde...83&encProdID=F858763BB81027701141A0167DE2A031

 

[rogerthebodger]

Sure - it's sentences DSC and DSE, the details are at the bottom of page 36 here. Although a lot of the fields relate to distress calls, the sentence can still be used for routine traffic with these left blank.

The sentence is emitted by a VHF when it receives an incoming DSC call; if you send a similar sentence to the VHF then it should make the call (this is what it means by "determined by system configuration"). But as mentioned, many models of VHF do not.

Pete

Thks Pete that very helpfull. As you may know I do have a SH GX2000 which I have connected to my OpenCPN system and have tested it with receiving DSC calls both position response and other DSC messages from the radio.

I know you also have a SH GX2150 I think. Have you set it uo to make a DSC call from your chart plotter or has any one done this to date.

Also Thks to all for the info I will now study it and see what I can implement.

 

[lpdsn]

You could splash out on something like a gx2100 and a ram mic, then have a backup ais and a mini display in the cockpit plus call ships direct. great vhf radios solo, one of the better buys for the boat,

I can endorse the Gx2100 as a very good bit of kit, but it was superseded by the Gx2200 a year or two ago.