New VHF radio - delivery time.

I think there are one or two VHFs with AIS transponder built-in, but I'm not sure any are B+.

I had my heart set on the B&G V100-B but ended up with the non-AIS one and an emtrak B953 instead, as the V100-B is class B, not B+. The emtrak B953 is B+ and has a built-in antenna splitter, and I think this ended up a couple of hundred quid cheaper too.

The V100 is a black-box style VHF, but you might look at the V60-B - IMO the main handset is fugly, but it supports remote handsets.

If your primary use of the remote handset is approaching marinas then you might consider just using a handheld instead.
 
I'm trying to understand why anyone would want a VHF with AIS built in ? Surely best is to have a Plotter whether PC or Chart Plotter based with AIS ? Screen, data, tracks ?

Given that possible price of a VHF with AIS would be in range of a reasonable AIS Transceiver equipped Plotter ... ????

With gear evolving as it is ... I'm even starting to think that 'black box' additions to provide AIS are 'old hat' - good for those with existing gear and not wanting to replace.
 
Refueler said:
I'm trying to understand why anyone would want a VHF with AIS built in ? Surely best is to have a Plotter whether PC or Chart Plotter based with AIS ? Screen, data, tracks ?

Given that possible price of a VHF with AIS would be in range of a reasonable AIS Transceiver equipped Plotter ... ????
Click to expand...

Because there are not many AIS transceiver equipped chart plotters. Not everyone wants to buy Chinese Onwa equipment, me included. I don't care how cheap it is, I'm not having it on my boat.
 
AngusMcDoon said:
Because there are not many AIS transceiver equipped chart plotters. Not everyone wants to buy Chinese Onwa equipment, me included. I don't care how cheap it is, I'm not having it on my boat.
Click to expand...

Sorry - but that is a head in the sand post .....

Of course I am sure you will produce first hand experience of why you consider such to be not suitable for use ?? Genuinely interested - as I assume are many others who have such "cheap crap" gear ??

As to which brand - did I mention any ?? Pal of mine has a Garmin with AIS transceiver .... not cheap - but when compared to the VERY FEW available VHF with AIS .... not a bad deal.

I have to smile ..... some years ago - one boat delivered had a full Raytheon suite with display at the helm ..... as usual I carried my cheap and chatty Lowrance 5500 with Lowrance own mapping.
Give you 3 guesses which Plotter did the job without fault ... the Raytheon was a PITA to use ... the new owner who was with me was close to deep-sixing it ...... in fact asked if I would sell him my Lowrance ..... No way !! I still have it in fact ... replaced but still working.
 
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Refueler said:
Dunno ... its what he told me ... I will be asking him next time ... he's got Covid at present - so worried about him.
Click to expand...

I can save you the job of asking him, there isn't one. Garmin do not make (and never have made) a plotter with a built in AIS tranceiver, same goes for all of the big name electronics companies.
 
I've just got back from working on the boat for a week.
My thought process was roughly like this:
AIS is just digital traffic over marine band VHF, channels 87B and 88B.
Most fixed handsets are rated at 25W.
AIS B+ (also called Class B SOTDMA) is essentially just AIS with transmit power increased from 2W to 5W. The "analogue" transmit side of a standard VHF will be able to handle that. Yes, I know B+ uses the same self organising network as class A. The more complex algorithms to cope with Class A AIS already exist in commercial systems, it is essentially just software and a more powerful microprocessor.
VHF and AIS can share the same Aerial, without a problem, I've been doing that for the last 10 years or more with the Digital Yachts black box.
Having AIS sharing the same Transmit and Receiving stages with a VHF radio, eliminates duplication and the need for an aerial splitter.
Most of the more expensive VHF's already have an NMEA2000 interface.
WiFi mirroring from MFD to smart phones already exists, and is reliable. I can make a WiFi phone call from my smart phone, via my laptop and my home internet connection.
I can charge my smartphone wirelessly in the car.
From a technical point of view, it seems to me to be a repackaging exercise.
A completely sealed hand sets, wirelessly charge, communicating with a VHF transceiver black box over WiFi.
The VHF transceiver, incorporating an AIS class B+ and communication with the boast MFD's over NMEA 2000, although I can see NMEA 2000 being replaced by a WiFi link at some stage. I already use a WiFi link from my radar antenna to my MDF's and that seems to work reliably.
I wouldn't want to give up my big MFD screens with good graphics and mapping technology, I like the ability scroll and zoom in and out to keep situation awareness.
I don't see from a technical point of view why that couldn't be built now.
Commercial consideration and regulatory and compliance, I know nothing about!
I've been waiting for the big name manufactures of Marine Electronic to catch up with something which seems the obvious way forward, for a couple of years now.
 
Ian_Edwards said:
I've just got back from working on the boat for a week.
My thought process was roughly like this:
AIS is just digital traffic over marine band VHF, channels 87B and 88B.
Most fixed handsets are rated at 25W.
AIS B+ (also called Class B SOTDMA) is essentially just AIS with transmit power increased from 2W to 5W. The "analogue" transmit side of a standard VHF will be able to handle that. Yes, I know B+ uses the same self organising network as class A. The more complex algorithms to cope with Class A AIS already exist in commercial systems, it is essentially just software and a more powerful microprocessor.
VHF and AIS can share the same Aerial, without a problem, I've been doing that for the last 10 years or more with the Digital Yachts black box.
Having AIS sharing the same Transmit and Receiving stages with a VHF radio, eliminates duplication and the need for an aerial splitter.
Most of the more expensive VHF's already have an NMEA2000 interface.
WiFi mirroring from MFD to smart phones already exists, and is reliable. I can make a WiFi phone call from my smart phone, via my laptop and my home internet connection.
I can charge my smartphone wirelessly in the car.
From a technical point of view, it seems to me to be a repackaging exercise.
A completely sealed hand sets, wirelessly charge, communicating with a VHF transceiver black box over WiFi.
The VHF transceiver, incorporating an AIS class B+ and communication with the boast MFD's over NMEA 2000, although I can see NMEA 2000 being replaced by a WiFi link at some stage. I already use a WiFi link from my radar antenna to my MDF's and that seems to work reliably.
I wouldn't want to give up my big MFD screens with good graphics and mapping technology, I like the ability scroll and zoom in and out to keep situation awareness.
I don't see from a technical point of view why that couldn't be built now.
Commercial consideration and regulatory and compliance, I know nothing about!
I've been waiting for the big name manufactures of Marine Electronic to catch up with something which seems the obvious way forward, for a couple of years now.
Click to expand...



I went with a similar line of thought with AIS receive only, boxed within a VHF set. It looked totally possible about 2010, was promised now and again, photographs of kit appeared but never seemed to fully materialise. In the end I got fed up waiting and went down a different route.

As you hint, it might well be a commercial or regulation type log jam that prevents a low cost solution.

.
 
doug748 said:
I went with a similar line of thought with AIS receive only, boxed within a VHF set. It looked totally possible about 2010, was promised now and again, photographs of kit appeared but never seemed to fully materialise. In the end I got fed up waiting and went down a different route.
Click to expand...
You can now get AIS receiver built in to handhelds, but for a transmitter, you need to effectively shield the two systems. Digital transmission looks a lot like noise to an analogue receiver.
 
An AIS slot is only 26.66ms long, this is being fed into the same aerial as the VHF receiver on the Digital Yachts box. I think that they effectively disconnect the aerial from the VHF receiver, for the duration of the AIS transmission, and 26.66 ms is short enough that the human ear doesn't notice it.
I'm not sure I've got that entirely correct, but in a naive way that's what I would do.
But whatever the mechanism, I don't get any interference from the digital transmit ion from an AIS B transceiver.
 
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