PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Drop cables = 6m max
Backbone = 100m max
Those cheap AIS Transponders... are they any good?
- Thread starter Phil_boat
- Start date
Backbone = 100m max
Phil_boat
Well-Known Member
Cheers. I'll get the tape measure out 
Phil_boat
Well-Known Member
Well I finally got around to ordering an ONWA KS-200A+ from AliExpress for £170 and it arrived today. No extra customs / vat charges etc.
I’ve rigged it up in a bedroom window with a cheap Bantem aerial with the connector taped together and it’s picking stuff up about 5miles away with a few houses in the way and showing it on Navionics on the iPad. I imagine range will be slightly better with the aerial on the boat roof and the connector soldered up properly.
Didn’t realise it didn’t have a built in GPS antenna so I’ve ordered one from Amazon to come tomorrow.
Total spend so far under £250. I do need to buy a long NMEA 2k cable which doesn’t seem cheap or particularly easy to find.
I’ve rigged it up in a bedroom window with a cheap Bantem aerial with the connector taped together and it’s picking stuff up about 5miles away with a few houses in the way and showing it on Navionics on the iPad. I imagine range will be slightly better with the aerial on the boat roof and the connector soldered up properly.
Didn’t realise it didn’t have a built in GPS antenna so I’ve ordered one from Amazon to come tomorrow.
Total spend so far under £250. I do need to buy a long NMEA 2k cable which doesn’t seem cheap or particularly easy to find.
KompetentKrew
Well-Known Member
AliExpress have them.
Note that a minimal NMEA 200 network is a 12-volt supply T,, two standard T's, two drop cables and two terminators. See here.
Phil_boat
Well-Known Member
Cheers. I’ve already got a basic network, just that I’d planned to fit this box away from needing quite long cable run. Might be easier to run the VHF aerial cable over the longer distance and mount it somewhere else, but I’m quite limited for space.
Phil_boat
Well-Known Member
Today's jobs...
New aerial, pull the cables through to the ONWA and get it all connected up.
And it found the ferry 12 miles away
New aerial, pull the cables through to the ONWA and get it all connected up.
And it found the ferry 12 miles away
igster
New Member
Would it be possible to share the link pls? I can't find it in AliExpress for less than £270.
Phil_boat
Well-Known Member
This was the seller I used
ONWA KS-200A+ AIS Transponder Marine AIS 5 Watt Klasse B+ AIS Transponder Unterstützt nmea2000 mit WLAN - AliExpress 201355758
Currently comes out at £232
There were a couple of offers when I ordered which made it cheaper.
Looks like there’s a £30 off code going live from the 12th
igster
New Member
Thank you so much for your quick reply!
did you install an active splitter to be able to share the VHF antenna with the radio and the AIS transponder?
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PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Not sure how you are getting VAT knocked off, i'm getting a price of £279.81 from your link.
[208637]
N/A
It looks like the final price is £249 plus nearly £15 for postage as long as you get to use the "pending" £30 off voucher that they are offering. Import costs will depend, but anything up to about £80 on top.
igster
New Member
borderline on the topic - did you get an active splitter to go with it?
Phil_boat
Well-Known Member
I’m not sure how either but it only shows once you get to the checkout and before you confirm payment.
The one I actually bought was the same and had VAT deducted.
It was delivered by Royal Mail and I wasn’t charged anything extra.
Phil_boat
Well-Known Member
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Ah, just did that and got the VAT off, but if you click the question mark next to "VAT" you get a popup:
TSB240
Well-Known Member
You wasted your money on the GPS antenna.
This unit is supplied as required with its own built in. There is provision for an optional one to be added probably required for a tin top steel boat not a plastic tub!
Phil_boat
Well-Known Member
I thought the same but it didn’t work without it so…