DSC VHF with built in AIS ?

[ianj99]

Navicom RT-650

The has AIS baud rates of 4800 or 38400 - selectable in the AIS setup menu.

However nowhere is it stated whether the same baud rate is applied to both input and output, so possibly the output is the standard 38400 and its just the input baud rate that is selectable.

I also found a bug in Belfield's Chart Plotter - it kept coming up with an 'exception' every few seconds which seemed to be if AIS data was sent on the same com port as GPS & instrument data rather than on a separate port.
Belfield's 'fix' was to disable the warning message after it had popped up 5 times. I was also concerned that it kept failing to display some vessels on the chart even though both Polarview and the RT650 showed them to be present. One was the nearby Cal Mac ferry - less than 3miles away.

 

[Boo2]

You can separately connect the AIS feed from the radio to your notebook - the NMEA output should drive several listeners.

To the notebook, yes, to the software, no - AIUI it needs AIS and GPS on the same link

Boo2

 

[mersey]

Lowrance Link-8

http://www.lowrance.com/en-GB/Products/VHF-AIS/link-8-en-gb.aspx

NMEA-2000 to your plotter?

 

[Boo2]

Correction of misaprehension

Thanks to all who posted, I had no idea there were so many VHFs with inbuilt AIS around.

I just thought I'd better correct a misaprehension I was laboring under in case someone was misled : I'd assumed it was possible to bridge AIS sentences in the e7 chartplotter so as to have it output GPS and AIS sentences on the same NMEA port. However I asked Raymarine and they said as follows :

The e7 or any other MFD does not bridge AIS data or output AIS data. It only receives the data it is given from the AIS engine.

So, as far as I can see the only way to get GPS and AIS onto the same input port on a PC is to use an NMEA Mux as suggested above.

Thanks again for all the replies,

Boo2

 

[sailorman]

Thanks to all who posted, I had no idea there were so many VHFs with inbuilt AIS around.

I just thought I'd better correct a misaprehension I was laboring under in case someone was misled : I'd assumed it was possible to bridge AIS sentences in the e7 chartplotter so as to have it output GPS and AIS sentences on the same NMEA port. However I asked Raymarine and they said as follows :



So, as far as I can see the only way to get GPS and AIS onto the same input port on a PC is to use an NMEA Mux as suggested above.

Thanks again for all the replies,

Boo2

Bellfield AIS dongle + GPS dongle from Maplins works for me running on open CPN

 

[AngusMcDoon]

So, as far as I can see the only way to get GPS and AIS onto the same input port on a PC is to use an NMEA Mux as suggested above.

My Navicom RT650 receives AIS, reads GPS via NMEA at 4800 baud from a £25 GPS serial mouse, combines the two together, and bungs the whole lot out as either NMEA or RS232 at 38400 baud. All goes straight into a netbook to be used by OpenCPN. Simples.

 

[Rossynant]

Can't see how that helps. The radio is still going to want GPS info (for DSC) at 4800baud, which is what he's trying to avoid because the plotter can't produce it at the same time as accepting AIS (crappy plotter design, but there we go).

That's even less helpful for the scenario in question . Neither the radio nor the plotter will accept USB.

One comment, someone may stumble upon this. Not the topic question.

There is another way around - to have a VHF with integrated GPS.
No problem with connecting the boats GPS or plotter to it, doubles as back-up GPS, recommended for safety as no risk of it losing connection in emergency.
Not many on the market, as it's difficult to fit GPS receiver inside and not get some interference; but Standard Horizon makes such, http://www.standardhorizon.com/inde...5A9C52CA71AA33BA6F5&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0
and other are made as handhelds, which is desirable thing to have for safety.
Sending mayday from stationary radio in case of wet electrics or dismasting may not be so easy
Then AIS may be had as separate, just for plotter or computer. .

Computer dongles for GPS, on USB, usually use standard 5V I believe. But there is a connection called Powered USB (I think only IBM sells this) which supplies a voltage as needed, 5V, 12V, 24 V. It is possible to just replace standard USB with this, and standard USB plug will also work in such port - the port just has extra pins for power.

Computers themselves use many different voltages - may be usefull to get one going on 10-12 V, so possible to connect it to batteries directly. Toughbook is one, for instance.

 

[sailorman]

One comment, someone may stumble upon this. Not the topic question.

There is another way around - to have a VHF with integrated GPS.
No problem with connecting the boats GPS or plotter to it, doubles as back-up GPS, recommended for safety as no risk of it losing connection in emergency.
Not many on the market, as it's difficult to fit GPS receiver inside and not get some interference; but Standard Horizon makes such, http://www.standardhorizon.com/inde...5A9C52CA71AA33BA6F5&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0
and other are made as handhelds, which is desirable thing to have for safety.
Sending mayday from stationary radio in case of wet electrics or dismasting may not be so easy
Then AIS may be had as separate, just for plotter or computer. .

Computer dongles for GPS, on USB, usually use standard 5V I believe. But there is a connection called Powered USB (I think only IBM sells this) which supplies a voltage as needed, 5V, 12V, 24 V. It is possible to just replace standard USB with this, and standard USB plug will also work in such port - the port just has extra pins for power.

Computers themselves use many different voltages - may be usefull to get one going on 10-12 V, so possible to connect it to batteries directly. Toughbook is one, for instance.

my Acer runs @ 19v. i just have a Maplins100w Laptop / car adaptor (A73HU)
i can use this for various devices i have

 

[Rossynant]

Yes, and actually toughbook requires 16 V, but was told it works in car directly connected, will try this season. I got an universal charger with selection of plugs and currents for many devices, useful thing. But good to know it's possible to do without, PRV asked before about GPS dongles for 12 V. Simple is nice

 

[pvb]

There is another way around - to have a VHF with integrated GPS.
No problem with connecting the boats GPS or plotter to it, doubles as back-up GPS, recommended for safety as no risk of it losing connection in emergency.
Not many on the market, as it's difficult to fit GPS receiver inside and not get some interference; but Standard Horizon makes such, http://www.standardhorizon.com/inde...5A9C52CA71AA33BA6F5&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0
and other are made as handhelds, which is desirable thing to have for safety.
Sending mayday from stationary radio in case of wet electrics or dismasting may not be so easy
Then AIS may be had as separate, just for plotter or computer. .

One advantage of having a VHF with integrated AIS is the ability to call a ship direct without having to enter its MMSI number.

Computer dongles for GPS, on USB, usually use standard 5V I believe. But there is a connection called Powered USB (I think only IBM sells this) which supplies a voltage as needed, 5V, 12V, 24 V. It is possible to just replace standard USB with this, and standard USB plug will also work in such port - the port just has extra pins for power.

I don't understand this comment. USB ports are powered; dongles just plug in and use the power from the port.

 

[Rossynant]

I don't understand this comment. USB ports are powered; dongles just plug in and use the power from the port.

Just a comment
May be of use to someone who makes connections in his system. USB only supplies 5 V (4,5 - 5,5 and not much current (amps).
There was a bit earlier about GPS computer dongles, that they are only for 5 V - which is standard voltage of USB. No way to power a receiver working on higher voltage from USB directly, so you have to make another connection to power source - as with GPSes truckers use here, that I mentioned earlier.
But there is a port made for such use, that you can put in place of standard USB (or whatever port there is). Most computers, or other devices, have a bigger voltage inside, or on power input; this can be connected to power the 'attachments' - and less spaghetti around
http://www.poweredusb.org/whatispusb.html

 

[Roberto]

Another vote for the GX2100E with its own GPS chip (globalsatellite or whatever). I have mine then connected to the PC with opencpn.

An additional feature maybe worth considering is the radio inbuilt CPA-TCPA alarms. When sailing offshore I usually keep the PC turned off, with the radio in standby: the radio alarm works wonders, it might wake up a dead person too). If the radio ais target display is not clear enough, one has all the time to power up the pc and have a more detailed look.

As others have said, it also is handy having the MMSI of the targets on the radio: if they get a DSC call it will recorded on their black box (or so I am told?) which is an incentive to pick up the call, fwiw.

 

[ianj99]

Thanks to all who posted, I had no idea there were so many VHFs with inbuilt AIS around.

I just thought I'd better correct a misaprehension I was laboring under in case someone was misled : I'd assumed it was possible to bridge AIS sentences in the e7 chartplotter so as to have it output GPS and AIS sentences on the same NMEA port. However I asked Raymarine and they said as follows :



So, as far as I can see the only way to get GPS and AIS onto the same input port on a PC is to use an NMEA Mux as suggested above.

Thanks again for all the replies,

Boo2

The Shipmodul USB Mux, whilst not a cheap solution, is very flexible.
Any of the 4 inputs can operate at 4800 or 38400, Input 4 can be set to read Seatalk data, there are 2 nmea outputs with selectable baud rate as well as the usb connection to the laptop.
You can filter the incoming and outgoing data eg route only gps data to the vhf from one output, and everything to a plotter from the other.
They now do a wifi version as well (wifi to pc, pity it won't talk to Tacktick instruments & transducers as well!)

Possibly a future proof option?