SR161 AIS Receiver

Sy-Revolution

Sy-Revolution

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Hi Folks,
I've been reading John C Stevenson's excellent website ( http://www.svsarah.com/index.htm ) and in it he mentions a budget AIS receiver called SR161 that he tested against the Nasa black box with good results. I've found one online in the US for $180 but can't find mention of them here in the UK. Has anyone come across these units here?

Cheers,

Crispin.
 
SR161 suppliers...

The SR161 is listed by marineIQ in Gosport at £199. You can probably find it cheaper in other European countries, eg 235 euros from NavKom Shop in Germany.

Also consider Easy AIS, which seems quite highly regarded.
 
SR161 from US...

A quick Google for sr161 ais will find various suppliers - Milltech and SeaTech are obvious ones, selling at $189. I don't know whether you'd be shipping to South Africa, but by the time shipping to the UK is added, plus duty, plus VAT, the landed cost here could be close to £160, so not a great saving.
 
Re: SR161 from US...

I've looked into this in some detail, and you are quite right. You can buy a NASA AIS engine VAT paid in the UK for under £110, more typically £130 (the RRP). The wholesale price of the SR161 ex China, even in large quantities, makes it impossible to compete.
Another worry for Europe is CE badging. At the moment it isn't required on receive-only type B devices but this could change at any time, I suppose. The NASA unit is CE marked.
I have no connection with any of the AIS companies and couldn't comment on the performance of any of them, but the SR161 does seem to have a good reputation in North America.
 
Re: SR161 from US...

The nasa ais works as well as any other and there is a new one on e-bay auctions currently at £28.
 
Re: SR161 from US...

[ QUOTE ]
The nasa ais works as well as any other...

[/ QUOTE ]That may be true, but if you follow the link in the original post, the reviewer found that the SR161 was significantly more sensitive than the Nasa engine. The other frequent criticism of the Nasa engine is that it has no LED indication that it's working.
 
Re: SR161 from US...

Thanks for the referances. Yes I would be importing to South Africa and I find it a lot cheaper to buy from the US than UK .

1) I dont pay state tax
2) shipping from US is cheaper that from UK
3) Import duty on most things boaty is zero
4) VAT is 14% which sometimes if sent by post I dont get charged
5) Post from US is usually quicker than UK
6) The rand is currently strong against the USD but not so strong against the GBP
 
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