fredrussell
Well-Known Member
Just out of interest, what is your existing plotter? You can get a Matsutec AIS send AND receive box that’ll display on an NMEA 0183 enabled plotter, for less than £240 on AliExpress or similar china commerce site.
Navionics app on a tablet, and integrating AIS targets
- Thread starter Dellquay13
- Start date
Dellquay13
Well-Known Member
It’s a Cobra marine MC600i from 2006
I have contacted the UK tech centre for Cobra about NMEA in from AIS, but no-one works there who remembers this old unit.
There is no mention of AIS in the manual, it predates widespread leisure use of AIS.
It is working, still has plenty of valid tidal data, works very well for me for data fields, the charts are old but I rarely use them and the Coast around Pembrokeshire changes at a geological pace.
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fredrussell
Well-Known Member
Others will know better than me but I have a hope that if it has NMEA 0183 it’ll display targets from an AIS outputting NMEA 0183 data. Tech not my strong point though.
Dellquay13
Well-Known Member
The only mention in the manual about NMEA input is for an optional sonar sounder or external gps data.
I’ve owned it 18years, AIS on pleasure boats wasn’t a thing when it was made, or even when it was discontinued.
I’ve owned it 18years, AIS on pleasure boats wasn’t a thing when it was made, or even when it was discontinued.
B27
Well-Known Member
I think AIS on leisure boats has been 'a thing' for longer than some people imagine.
I'm pretty sure I sailed on a boat with the early NASA 'AIS Radar' in 2005, if not 2004.
AIS became compulsory on vessels in the 'hundreds of tons' bracket before 2005.
I'm pretty sure I sailed on a boat with the early NASA 'AIS Radar' in 2005, if not 2004.
AIS became compulsory on vessels in the 'hundreds of tons' bracket before 2005.
Refueler
Well-Known Member
Yes ... but in early days - people were not so quick to catch on .. it was just another one of those gizmo things ...
Dellquay13
Well-Known Member
Many thanks to all who helped!
In the end I opted for a Quark024 rx, and a very cheap tablet package from London Chart plotters. Around £215 all in, and no ongoing subscriptions.
It seems to do what I want, it shows AIS targets with their headings and I can set parameters such as as safe passing distances. I have only briefly tried it though, more sailing planned over Easter. (That and a better install than cable ties onto the sprayhood frame)
I rarely use my old plotter as a plotter, it’s more for data such as SOG and VMG. I haven’t tried the plotter app on the tablet for anything other than the AIS overlay to keep out of the way of Ferries and LNG tankers, but I am very pleased with the price, quality and service from London Chart Plotters.
I haven’t had to pay an annual subscription for Navionics, but if my plotter needs ever change, and the Marine Navigator app and Raster charts don’t do it for me, the tablet is ready to download the Navionics app.
In the end I opted for a Quark024 rx, and a very cheap tablet package from London Chart plotters. Around £215 all in, and no ongoing subscriptions.
It seems to do what I want, it shows AIS targets with their headings and I can set parameters such as as safe passing distances. I have only briefly tried it though, more sailing planned over Easter. (That and a better install than cable ties onto the sprayhood frame)
I rarely use my old plotter as a plotter, it’s more for data such as SOG and VMG. I haven’t tried the plotter app on the tablet for anything other than the AIS overlay to keep out of the way of Ferries and LNG tankers, but I am very pleased with the price, quality and service from London Chart Plotters.
I haven’t had to pay an annual subscription for Navionics, but if my plotter needs ever change, and the Marine Navigator app and Raster charts don’t do it for me, the tablet is ready to download the Navionics app.
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RogerFoxTerrier
Well-Known Member
I'm confused - I have Navionics with a paid subscription but I see no AIS targets even though it's on in the settings - but it also states I need to plug it into a receiver. So which is it? Do I need additional hardware, as I infer from this thread that, as long as I have an internet connection, I don't.
I just want AIS for the Solent etc. I can get it on Marine Traffic app but I'd rather it was all in one place.
Thanks
I just want AIS for the Solent etc. I can get it on Marine Traffic app but I'd rather it was all in one place.
Thanks
FairweatherDave
Well-Known Member
Not sure what set up you have. My navionics on a tablet will display AIS information but that needs to get to the boat and then to the tablet. So I use a Quark AIS reciever which then wirelessly communicates to the tablet, and displays AIS on an overlay on the navionics chart. I'm not sure how I would get internet based AIS info onto my tablet. Not sure Marine traffic AIS info is updated enough to be useful for navigation.
RogerFoxTerrier
Well-Known Member
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 that I hot spot to my phone for data.
RogerFoxTerrier
Well-Known Member
FairweatherDave
Well-Known Member
That's what I have, but someone might come along and say technically you can connect a phone hot-spot Internet AIS...but it took ages for Navionics to link the AIS as an overlay, so I suspect they might not like Marine traffic info...probably Marine traffic on their display is unique to them (I'm definitely a layman here,) PS if you are interested in my Quark send a PM as I am planning to install AIS transponder before launch).
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Navioinics can display AIS, but you need an AIS receiver.
Internet AIS is transmitted by AIS equipped vessels, relayed to the internet provider (Marine traffic etc) then made available on the internet. It isn't exactly live and is unfit for navigation.
Internet AIS is transmitted by AIS equipped vessels, relayed to the internet provider (Marine traffic etc) then made available on the internet. It isn't exactly live and is unfit for navigation.
requiem
Well-Known Member
It's certainly not; positions can be many minutes, hours or days old.
However, some apps connect to services like AISHub that provide near real-time data that's more suitable for overlaying on a chart. Coverage is limited to those areas where people have placed AIS hardware and shared their data, so you're relying on the AIS hardware of others, but it's reasonably broad.
Somewhere I have a screenshot comparing my internet feed with the Marine Traffic positions; I'll have to dig it up later.
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eddystone
Well-Known Member
I run Navionics on a Sailproof Android tablet with subscription. It refuses to make a wireless connection with my Ocean Signal AIS although Garmin list this unit as compatible. Ironically if I have the Garmin/Navionics app open on my iPhone it receives the AIS targets!
Dellquay13
Well-Known Member
I have one of those to get the AIS data onto my Navionics tablet.
You also need to connect the AIS receiver to a vhf antenna. You can use either a dedicated standalone antenna connected directly to the AIS receiver, or you can share your normal vhf radio antenna by using a vhf splitter.
I have also connected my ancient Cobra plotter via nmea0183 out to the quark to get an accurate set of gps position, COG and SOG broadcast over the Wi-Fi network along with the AIS data.
As PaulRainbow says, the live vhf AIS broadcasts are the only way to safely get the AIS info onto your nav tablet. For the purpose of safe navigation the web based data is little more than an unreliable gimmick.
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requiem
Well-Known Member
Here's just a quick side-by-side, MT on the left pane. MT suggests an update once per minute as a rule of thumb for those in range of shore stations. Do bear in mind that even live AIS is based on the other vessel providing correct data and can be subject to delay, but you can see here how even a short delay can be an issue. (Each tickmark on those vectors represents 1 minute of travel.)
MoodySabre
Well-Known Member
I bought a Yakker which is a Wi-Fi bridge between the AIS data on my Standard Horizon VHF and Navionics on my iPad.
RogerFoxTerrier
Well-Known Member
Thanks all, that's really useful info and I now won't be using Internet based AIS data! To be fair, on my boat, mainly sailing around the Solent and South coast, I don't really need it. I was just so impressed with Navionics, that I was looking into all available options.
dje67
Well-Known Member
Another Quark A026 user here, with separate VHF antenna on the pushput (which can be swapped onto the VHF if mast-head fails). Works well enough - I get about 6-8miles range. I do also make regular use of Marinetraffic, but really just to see any distant traffic heading up/down the Clyde that I need to be aware of before being anywhere near it.
Quark used to do an AIS transceiver, but I don;t seem to be able to find it online nowadays which is pity because it looked pretty-much like a swap in/out of the A026 to gain transmission capability. Other similar transceivers seem to be around the £600-800 price range.
Quark used to do an AIS transceiver, but I don;t seem to be able to find it online nowadays which is pity because it looked pretty-much like a swap in/out of the A026 to gain transmission capability. Other similar transceivers seem to be around the £600-800 price range.
