Garmin AIS 600 connected to Mac

ericvdborn

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Dear all,

I have got a Garmin AIS 600 Transponder on my boat. I woud like to view the information on my iPad (using the Avionics app) or my MacBook (using MacENC). The Garmin setup disk only supports Windows and I can't find anything useful via Google. Anyone got any experience?

Eric
 

bitbaltic

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A quick read of the manual seems to suggest that the PC software which comes with the unit is only intended for programming the static data (MMSI, vessel name etc), ie it says nothing about being able to display AIS data on a connected PC. It also has the usual disclaimer about the unit being programmed by a professional- not necessary but for this reason perhaps Garmin only released a PC version of the software as it's not strictly consumer-end stuff.

Are you sure that the unit and whatever software available for it (whether PC or Mac) can do what you are trying to do. If not you are going to have to go down the route of getting the N2K or 0183 data outputs into a USB or wifi form.
 
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ex-Gladys

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If you have a modernish Garmin Plotter as well, that interfaces through an iOS app to an iPad, if you don't have a Garmin Plotter, then if it's a wifi enabled plotter, most OEM's have an iPad app...
 

ericvdborn

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No Bitbaltic, I am not sure what's on the CD that I have got, I have a house full of Mac's, no PC's, so not been able to install it yet. The outcome of your scan through the manual surprises me because I am expecting that the output of an AIS should be made visible somewhere. There is a USB cable linked to the device, and being a Mac user, I thought plug it in and it works. MacENC supports AIS overlay.

Thanks for your effort.
Eric
 

bitbaltic

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I am expecting that the output of an AIS should be made visible somewhere. There is a USB cable linked to the device

You might be right. A bit of further digging finds a panbo article where it's suggested that Coastal Explorer (a PC nav program) was able to display AIS targets from the AIS600 once the drivers from the CD were installed and- I guess- a virtual COM port consequently assigned to the USB connection.

I had a little trouble with the 600's USB drivers, probably due to the decrepit XP laptop I was using, and couldn't get the installer software to write an MMSI, etc. to the transponder. Hence it's only in receive mode now, but Coastal Explorer did recognize the troubled port and showed A and B targets at good distances.
- http://www.panbo.com/archives/2010/07/garmin_7000_and_ais_600_some_install_details.html

No word anywhere on a mac driver though. I suppose it's possible it might just be assigned a port if you plug it in, but I know nothing about macs.

Cheers
 

jfm

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I've had a couple of AIS 600s and alas they are PC only.
A quick read of the manual seems to suggest that the PC software which comes with the unit is only intended for programming the static data (MMSI, vessel name etc), ie it says nothing about being able to display AIS data on a connected PC.
It does display all the received data (other vessel names, etc) on a PC using the supplied software but it is a fairly rudimentary list of data and of little use

If you have a modernish Garmin Plotter as well, that interfaces through an iOS app to an iPad, if you don't have a Garmin Plotter, then if it's a wifi enabled plotter, most OEM's have an iPad app...
+1 to that. The AIS talks to a Garmin or other plotter over n2k, and then you can pick that up on an iPad connected to the wifi. That all works well. You need to buy Garmin's wifi transmitter accessory and connect that to the plotter's Ethernet port
 
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