Icom MXA 5000 AIS with Raymarine network

[Ric]

Hello,

I have an all Raymarine set up (E7D Plotter, Raymarine radar and instruments). I want to install an AIS receiver.

I'm dithering between getting the Raymarine AIS350 or ICOM MXA 5000. The Raymarine just plugs into sea talk, but I would have to install a dedicated antenna. The ICOM has the advantage of a built in splitter, so I could use my existing VHF antenna. The ICOM would be a fair bit cheaper too.

Does anybody have any experience bad or good with either option?

 

[boatmike]

I have it on good authority that the main circuit board used in most receivers including the AIS350 is identical and only the case varies. All Raymarine stuff is IMHO overpriced. Buy the cheapest! There is nothing wrong with ICOM and it's a simple solution. Although many have posted on here that splitters are not a good idea I have used one for 4 years without problem and have never heard of one failing.

 

[cornell_b]

ICOM

my icom radio needs a part, icom canada has it but will not sell to USA, icom USA does not have the part and refuses to get me one from icom canada....i will never buy icom again, when this fails, soon, will be my last.

 

[laika]

My set-up is neither of the OP's proposals but I have to reply to the previous post: I've found ICOM UK's customer service to be exemplary and the vast majority of other posts I've seen on the subject here agree.

As for the original question...Obviously an alternative which may be more convenient (but no cheaper) than a dedicated antenna is a separate splitter, but that brings the cost of the Raymarine solution to more than 150% of the cost of the ICOM.

There's no mention of where the e7 is located, but if everything else is on a single SeatalkNG bus which runs close to the intended location of the AIS, not having to run nmea-0183 cables to an at-helm chartplotter would be quite a big argument in favour of the raymarine. ~£140 for networking simplicity? That's for the OP to decide...

 

[Ric]

Yes, have gone for the Raymarine finally, mostly because of ease of networking. As the AIS networks over Seatalk, I'm hoping that I can use the freed up NMEA port on the E7 to read Navtex from a NASA navtex engine, but my research hasn't come up with a definite answer yet. Anybody know?

 

[pvb]

Yes, have gone for the Raymarine finally, mostly because of ease of networking. As the AIS networks over Seatalk, I'm hoping that I can use the freed up NMEA port on the E7 to read Navtex from a NASA navtex engine, but my research hasn't come up with a definite answer yet. Anybody know?

I don't think the e7 supports Navtex.