Em-trak wifi multiplex

Now I know I've not been duped into buying a half-baked solution I'll contact Emtrac to ask the right questions and find out when the real deal is released, then I'll get one of those secure in the knowlege it will do what I want. I'm just a bit peeved that their blurb currently all but assures you it does what it doesn't. If not outright dishonest it is deliberately made VERY unclear.
Yeah, I get AIS plus transponder plus splitter plus wifi costs £, but it still seems a bit steep given how cheap electronics are these days. Still, we volunteer for it, as yotties!
Being able to display an entire instrument array plus a separate plotter/radar/AIS image below on a tablet/screen is well worth having, and if you're going to spend on a transponder in the frst place that huge add-on facility isn't bad value at all I suppose.
If it works as I anticipate I'll be well pleased.
 
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I’ve been considering one of these as well, and Em-track’s customer supports has been very helpful in answering my questions. That alone is a big plus. I haven’t bought yet, but I haven’t found anything of a comparable price that will do what I want, so likely will get one shortly.
 
Slowboat35 said:
Then their blurb is very misleading indeed as it very much implies that it does transmit all data - there is no hint that it is so restricted.
I'd be absolutely furious if I'd bought one as I so nearly did a month or so ago.
Glad to hear there is a ful-fat version coming though, as long as it doesn't whack the already eye-watering price up any further.
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Info seems clear to me, states the 0183 ports are multiplexed, no mention of multiplexing N2K. The device is actually an AIS transponder, any multiplexing is a bonus IMO.

As for price, very reasonable IMO, what can you find that's better value, seriously ?
 
PaulRainbow said:
As for price, very reasonable IMO, what can you find that's better value, seriously ?
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It's the usual complaint from those who fail to realize that it costs a lot more per device to produce a minority market item that sells a few thousand a year compared to a consumer electronics product that sells a million a week.

What's required to make a device like this... hardware engineering, software engineering, industrial design, documentation and website, product support, packaging, quality control, functionality and interoperability testing, regulatory compliance, manufacturing and assembly, standards licensing, dealer training, customer support, inventory control, sourcing and purchasing, product stocking and distribution, components, staff choccy biccies - and that's just what's directly involved in getting the product out of the door. Then there are all the hangers on and other costs - IT, finance, HR, marketing, sales, building management, cleaners, security, admin, heating, rent, rates. Just the cost of getting the staff alone - with a shortage in many of those professions listed above - is pretty eye watering.
 
AngusMcDoon said:
It's the usual complaint from those who fail to realize that it costs a lot more per device to produce a minority market item that sells a few thousand a year compared to a consumer electronics product that sells a million a week.

What's required to make a device like this... hardware engineering, software engineering, industrial design, documentation and website, product support, packaging, quality control, functionality and interoperability testing, regulatory compliance, manufacturing and assembly, standards licensing, dealer training, customer support, inventory control, sourcing and purchasing, product stocking and distribution, components, staff choccy biccies - and that's just what's directly involved in getting the product out of the door. Then there are all the hangers on and other costs - IT, finance, HR, marketing, sales, building management, cleaners, security, admin, heating, rent, rates. Just the cost of getting the staff alone - with a shortage in many of those professions listed above - is pretty eye watering.
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This is not news. I'm sure most people appreciate the costs. What this thread appears to be about is the unclear description of the product's capabilities which has nothing to do with the above. I have no skin in the game but other products at similar prices are available if one looks beyond the usual UK retailers.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Info seems clear to me, states the 0183 ports are multiplexed, no mention of multiplexing N2K. The device is actually an AIS transponder, any multiplexing is a bonus IMO.

As for price, very reasonable IMO, what can you find that's better value, seriously ?
Click to expand...
I bought mine over a year ago. Looking back at my support query post installation it seems I was under the impression it would send both AIS and GPS position data to a tablet (a WiFi only iPad running Navionics at the time).

Em-Trak support did offer help with this, but for whatever reason the “output GNSS sentences” configuration didn’t work for me.

At the time I had a delivery to do and a lot going on so I solved the issue by buying a Android tablet with GPS and haven’t revisited since.

I should say the unit is otherwise very good.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Info seems clear to me, states the 0183 ports are multiplexed, no mention of multiplexing N2K. The device is actually an AIS transponder, any multiplexing is a bonus IMO.

As for price, very reasonable IMO, what can you find that's better value, seriously ?
Click to expand...
If I've understood this correctly then it doesn't multiplex gps data from it's internal aerial, but would if you used an external 0183 one?
Odd, but at least that would give a workaround
 
Slight diversionary question to those who already have emtrak AIS.
I’ve got a full B&G N2K network. I want my new AIS to display targets on the Vulcan plotter, and for me to be able to click & call a target via VHF.
Any idea if the Vulcan / Em-trak combo supports this? I’m not sure which N2K PGNs / parameters are responsible.
 
Red Panda said:
Slight diversionary question to those who already have emtrak AIS.
I’ve got a full B&G N2K network. I want my new AIS to display targets on the Vulcan plotter, and for me to be able to click & call a target via VHF.
Any idea if the Vulcan / Em-trak combo supports this? I’m not sure which N2K PGNs / parameters are responsible.
Click to expand...

It isn't a case of whether the Vulcan/Emtrak combo supports it, it's a case of whether or not he Vulcan/VHF combo supports it. Some/most recent B&G plotter/combos do support is, as do Garmin plotters/VHF sets, Raymarine do not.
 
Apparently this update in the next few weeks will also introduce multiplexing from NMEA 0183 to NMEA 2000. I assumed it did that already, but the manual mentioned only NMEA 0183 to wifi, so contacted their technical support who were very prompt (question asked late at night, response received just after 10am).

So the addition of an em-trac AIS seems potentially a way to get old NMEA 0183 transducers talking to a modern NMEA 2000 chartplotter, once the update is released.

It seems like NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 sentences are not the same, and some translation is needed. It's not just a case that the wiring is different, but a processor needs to translate or rewrite from one of the other. Does anyone know if this is correct?
 
Thread resurrection time as I get closer to purchase.
I was reading the Navionics guide to how to connect AIS, and it offered an option I hadn't previously considered - using a WiFi-enabled chart plotter like my B&G Vulcan 7 to provide the WiFi feed to the Navionics app. That would mean I don't need a WiFi-enabled AIS, which is quite a saving in Emtrak world.
Has anyone used this option?
 
Something wrong with that link.

For anyone else clicking: https://www.navionics.com/media/wys...es_plotter/Mobile/Boating_app_AIS_Devices.pdf

I didn't know the Vulcan could do that - I have the same plotter myself.

I don't see anything in the B&G manual about it, but I'd think Navionics would know better than me. Since I'm just on the cusp of buying an em-trak myself, this could save me a little money so I'll get in touch with B&G this afternoon and see what they say.
 
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When I do it I set the plotter to be an access spot and use iPad wifi to connect to it, then when I open Navionics app it just works
 
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