Icom MA - 500TR AIS on Navionics ipad

[Malcolm3]

I have a class B AIS icom transponder. A yakker nmea to wifi converter and Navionics on an iPad. Is it possible to superimpose the AIS on the Navionics chart . I don't seem to manage but the Yakker does show up on wifi in the iPad settings.
Thanks
Malcolm

 

[duncan99210]

What version of iOS are you running? If it’s not relatively up to date, it won’t work well with AIS data. When I was setting mine up last summer, I also found it was worthwhile shutting all apps and restarting the iPad.

 

[Malcolm3]

I have 9.3 on iPad but 13.4.1 on iPhone . . So far haven't got anything overplayed on Navionics at all. On either.

 

[Daverw]

iPad version is quite old, Will it update at all? If not the iPad model may not support latest version as the processor is slow and the AIS needs faster

 

[Malcolm3]

Hi Dave
Thanks - no I can't update the software on the iPad anymore but I don't get anything on the iPhone which is more modern. Will try different nmea outputs tomorrow and see if that makes a difference.
It may though be that the icom doesn't work with the yakker and ipad
Malcolm

 

[Daverw]

Check your port speed, the AIS will need HS connection

 

[Malcolm3]

Will do thanks.

 

[Malcolm3]

Still no success. Has anyone definitely succeeded in getting data from an icom ma500 transponder and superimposing the AIS on iPad running Navionics. Via a yakker.
So far I've tried connecting nmea 1 nmea 2 and nmea 3 without success and at 4200 and 38000 .

 

[duncan99210]

OK, the Yakker bridge is one of the recognised WiFi devices that’ll link your iPad to the NMEA signal. First thing to check is that the AIS is putting out NMEA 0183 not 2000, as I don’t believe that the iPad will recognise that. Secondly, make sure that the Navionics app is ”seeing” the Yakker, you’ll need to turn on the AIS option in the app: when you do that it’ll tell you what devices it’s seeing. You should see it reporting the presence of AIS and probably gps.
Final thing, if the AIS isn’t receiving any data via its antenna, then you won’t see anything on the iPad. I found that it often took a few minutes for the iPad/iPhone to sort itself out and start displaying the AIS data.
Just looked at the manual, it outputs 0183 so thats not a problem. You need to use pins 7 and 8 as those pins are the only ones which output the VDO and VDM messages which contain the AIS data. Make sure that the polarity of the wires to the Yakker are correct.
Hope that helps.

 

[Malcolm3]

Many thanks Duncan. The icom is definitely working and showing AIS targets. In the Navionics ap AIS is switched on. The yakker has three terminals and I connected one to + power 12v one to pin 8 (nmea + ). The other terminal I connected to ships negative - is that wrong should it be to pin 7 nmea - ve.
On the iPad I found yakker on wifi in settings and linked to it.
I then opened browser and went to 192.168.4.1
Tried udp on port 2000
And TCP on port 23
Both on 38400
No AIS appeared but it may be because not connected to pin 7 or maybe have a port wrong ?
Thanks again for your help.
Malcolm

 

[Daverw]

Suspect that you need to connect power +12v and negative, and then nmea + and nmea - to radio, nmea - not always connected to negative power. Pins 7 and 8 as per #9

 

[duncan99210]

Ok, you need Pins 7 and 8 connected to the AIS, otherwise there’s no data. Move the wire you have connected to the ships negative to the negative NEMA pin. It serves both as the power circuit and data combined. That should work

 

[Malcolm3]

Sorry maybe wasn't clear. All 15 pins are connected to the AIS icom. But there are only 3 terminals on the yakker one marked positives , one marked ground and one marked Rx. I've connected the + ve to 12v supply , the ground to ships negative, and the Rx to pin 8 which is nmea +

Should I connect ground terminal on yakker to nmea -ve pin 7
Thanks

 

[Daverw]

Without the nmea -ve connected your unlikely to get any data in.

 

[duncan99210]

Sorry maybe wasn't clear. All 15 pins are connected to the AIS icom. But there are only 3 terminals on the yakker one marked positives , one marked ground and one marked Rx. I've connected the + ve to 12v supply , the ground to ships negative, and the Rx to pin 8 which is nmea +

Should I connect ground terminal on yakker to nmea -ve pin 7
Thanks

Yes! Connect a 12v + supply to the Yakker 12v +, Pin 8 to the Yakker RX + terminal and Pin 7 to the ground terminal of the Yakker. The last will act as both the - pole for the power supply and as the data link. You must have both pins of the NEMA circuit connected for data to flow.

 

[Malcolm3]

Thanks Duncan. Success at last! Connected as you suggested but still didnt work and yakker didnt start but connected pin 7 also to boat ground and it all works now.
So I presume that pin 7 wasnt grounded or couldnt carry enough power to start the yakker.
Anyway most pleased and most gratefull for your help.

So in case anyone else is trying the same
12v supply to yakker
Boat neg to yakker ground and pin 7 as well
Pin 8 to Rx

Go settings in ipad and find WIFI yakker and link to that
using Ipad browser go 192.168.4.1

Using NMEA 2 output on Icom which has fixed rate of 38400bps
Using yakker password as 12345678
Using UDP mode on yakker and UDP port 2000

And it works which is great as I find it much easier to understand AIS if boats are superimposed on a chart as opposed to being on a blank " radar "screen.
Malcolm