Cheap(er) AIS transponders

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weustace

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Having recently made two night passages across to and returning from the Channel Islands, thankfully both in decent visibility, aboard a club 40'er, I am less inclined than I was previously merely to bodge up a 'homebrew' AIS receiver (had something broadly working, less a decent antenna, based on a Raspberry Pi) and instead invest in a proper transponder. The Matsutech HA-102 seems reasonably priced and has an RS232 output that I can easily interface with for display purposes; does anybody have experience of this?
 
weustace said:
Having recently made two night passages across to and returning from the Channel Islands, thankfully both in decent visibility, aboard a club 40'er, I am less inclined than I was previously merely to bodge up a 'homebrew' AIS receiver (had something broadly working, less a decent antenna, based on a Raspberry Pi) and instead invest in a proper transponder. The Matsutech HA-102 seems reasonably priced and has an RS232 output that I can easily interface with for display purposes; does anybody have experience of this?
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I have just installed that very model, it seems to work well, but the hand book doesn't help much when wiring it up. I amfinding it strange that Marine Traffic seems to have difficulty receiving my signal, so from where I am based in Fleetwood marina it doesn't show, but I have checked with NCI Rossall and they seem to pick my signal up ok. As already mentioned there is a load of advice on this forum relating to the Matsutec 102 and others.
Mike
 
Thanks--other posts mentioning the 102 seemed only to discuss it in passing as "another one in the range" etc. May I ask what your antenna setup is and where it is positioned?
I am dithering over the HA-102 Vs the HP33A, which does offer a built in traffic display...On the other hand doesn't seem that much use without the overlaid charts, but maybe one doesn't use the charts for traffic avoidance so much anyway? Seemed the case, now I think about it, on recent crossings–only interested in passing point (ahead or astern) and CPA etc. I would welcome views on this!
 
weustace said:
Thanks--other posts mentioning the 102 seemed only to discuss it in passing as "another one in the range" etc. May I ask what your antenna setup is and where it is positioned?
I am dithering over the HA-102 Vs the HP33A, which does offer a built in traffic display...On the other hand doesn't seem that much use without the overlaid charts, but maybe one doesn't use the charts for traffic avoidance so much anyway? Seemed the case, now I think about it, on recent crossings–only interested in passing point (ahead or astern) and CPA etc. I would welcome views on this!
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I would say that having a chart overlay is interesting but not important for collision avoidance. I tend to use the chart overlay when I'm looking at vessels which might be the other side of an island or headland and are clearly not an immediate issue but simply look interesting and I'm trying to pinpoint visually which vessel it is.

Once a collision situation becomes important I prefer the radar view and tend to zoom in the screen such that any land goes off screen anyway. If I was using the chart overlay all I would see is a blue background.

Richard
 
weustace said:
Thanks--other posts mentioning the 102 seemed only to discuss it in passing as "another one in the range" etc. May I ask what your antenna setup is and where it is positioned?
I am dithering over the HA-102 Vs the HP33A, which does offer a built in traffic display...On the other hand doesn't seem that much use without the overlaid charts, but maybe one doesn't use the charts for traffic avoidance so much anyway? Seemed the case, now I think about it, on recent crossings–only interested in passing point (ahead or astern) and CPA etc. I would welcome views on this!
Click to expand...
I dont know what the HP33A is. My 102 is connected to my raymarine C120 via NMEA and works a treat it does need an external GPS Antenna cost about £15 on amazon i have a Stubby antenna mounted on my wind genny pole which seems to receive ok and puts boats on the plotter but I am still not sure how far it transmits my position. I have not been out to sea since fitting it. I bought mine from Amazon it came without the external GPS antenna but there is one that includes this not sure how much more it costs but you can buy the GPS antenna on its own but it is £50 +. The first on I bought I couldnt screw the antenna plug on so I returned it, the next one was the same so I modified it by putting a saw cut the length of the screw cap now it goes on ok and works fine. I have not found a way of knowing whether the target is going to pass ahead or astern as it only shows the CPA, but if you turn on the Target heading line I guess you would see then where it will pass, funny that all the years I have had AIS receiver and crossed the channel many times I never thought of that I will check that out this afternoon. If you do decide to get one I will look up the wiring diagram that I used, it is actually very simple but there are many differing ones which makes it quite difficult.
Mike
 
Pagetslady said:
I am finding it strange that Marine Traffic seems to have difficulty receiving my signal, so from where I am based in Fleetwood marina it doesn't show, but I have checked with NCI Rossall and they seem to pick my signal up ok.
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I have this notion that Marine Traffic ignores stationary boats in marinas.

I'm not sure if all marinas (maybe just a small database) but I'm sure I've heard of people giving similar reports to yours in the past.
 
Thanks Mike—that's very helpful. I think I will probably go for the HP-33A, as I don't carry a plotter and the NMEA output would be to a home-made setup, which although great fun may not be the most reliable in a seaway—and I can always get output from the HP-33A from my understanding. Many thanks for the review!

William
 
LadyInBed said:
Do these displays without chart overlay display North up or Course up, or are they programmable?
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Certainly on mine you can choose North up or Course up. Although I use chart overlay screens in North-up so they look like a paper chart, I always use the AIS "radar" screens in course up so I can look at the port quarter to see a boat approaching on the port quarter exactly as in the same direction as it appears on the screen.

Richard
 
Strolls said:
I have this notion that Marine Traffic ignores stationary boats in marinas.

I'm not sure if all marinas (maybe just a small database) but I'm sure I've heard of people giving similar reports to yours in the past.
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Down here in portugal marinetraffic doesn't ignore stationary boats, almost but not all in the marina are on marine traffic and live, though there's one which only shows up on the web and a couple which only show up live. Interestingly there's one (class b) in the anchorage showing up live but as "sat - ais" in marine traffic.

Could be in some cases all the masts soak up a bit of the energy and the web ais receivers struggle ?

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-8.5/centery:37.1/zoom:14
 
GHA said:
Down here in portugal marinetraffic doesn't ignore stationary boats, almost but not all in the marina are on marine traffic and live, though there's one which only shows up on the web and a couple which only show up live. Interestingly there's one (class b) in the anchorage showing up live but as "sat - ais" in marine traffic.

Could be in some cases all the masts soak up a bit of the energy and the web ais receivers struggle ?

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-8.5/centery:37.1/zoom:14
Click to expand...

It looks to me that Marine Traffic has changed its display during the last couple of months and now displays vessels which are at 0 knots, and therefore often found in marinas, as a round blob rather than a boat shaped icon. It looks like a good change to me and makes it much easier to ignore berthed boats.

Richard
 
RichardS said:
It looks to me that Marine Traffic has changed its display during the last couple of months and now displays vessels which are at 0 knots, and therefore often found in marinas, as a round blob rather than a boat shaped icon. It looks like a good change to me and makes it much easier to ignore berthed boats.

Richard
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Yes, now you come to mention it I've seen that but not really took any notice. If the attention span is up to it I'll watch this fishing boat come in and see it/when it changes.

One thing about having web/live side by side is how little you should trust the web based AIS stuff!!
 
Pagetslady said:
I amfinding it strange that Marine Traffic seems to have difficulty receiving my signal, so from where I am based in Fleetwood marina it doesn't show, but I have checked with NCI Rossall and they seem to pick my signal up ok.
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All the AIS reporting websites are dependent on their (mainly unpaid voluntary) report receivers that Marinetraffic transparently identifies with position and current serviceability (Toolbar>Layers>Stations). My area in Italy (Northern Adriatic) is poorly served by receiver stations and we rely on Koper in Slovenia 25nm distant to report us, which understandably at that distance, is not consistent.

I have found that Vesselfinder is far more reliable and consistent throughout the Mediterranean and could follow a friend's track, without any loss, from our marina to Gibralter with that, where Marinetraffic often lost his signal completely and for long periods. However, it is coy about identifying its contributing receiver positions, for some reason or other. However, it always reports my position, some 5nm inland in a lagoon marina, when Marinetraffic will only pick me up consistently - with my pushpit-mounted AIS antenna - when I clear the lagoon entrance.

.
 
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Worth getting in touch with JGtech of Weymouth, if you're in the market for a new transponder.

John, there, has a supply of British-made AIS transponders, made by a firm that make for other big names. Cost is far less than others.
 
Definitely. If John can't help you, no-one can. He's not a box-shifter and won't sell you something you don't need. He just talked me out of spending another £100 un-necessarily, by telling me how I could achieve it another way, for less money.
 
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