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AIS Unit for Raymarine Chartplotter System

21K views 44 replies 20 participants last post by  SanderO 
#1 ·
It is Boat Show time here in snowy Seattle. So I think it is time for me to purchase an AIS receiver to install in my C320. The type of sailing we do on busy Puget Sound and not so busy San Juan Island and Canadian Gulf Islands suggests that an AIS receiver would be a worthy upgrade.

I have the Raymarine integrated C80 Chart plotter, Radar, GPS, and Autopilot installed in our 2007 C320 Mk II. We have an ICOM VHF ICM412 Base Station Radio with the Command Mic at the helm. It is a great set up. I like the radio as well. We also have an unused VHF antenna splitter that was incorrectly utilized by the factory (or commissioning dealer) to connect our factory installed LCD TV antenna to the VHF antenna. Since both the TV and VHF work off of different frequencies, the splitter was of no use for TV reception. So I still have the splitter for use with a new AIS receiver if I need it.

So, I am looking at the following AIS receivers:

A. An ICOM MXA 500 Dual Channel AIS receiver. It has a built in antenna splitter and NEMA 0183 and PC data outputs. I found it at Defender for about $335 and ICOM currently has a $100 rebate on the unit resulting in a net cost of about $235.
B. An ACR Nauticast Dual Channel AIS receiver. It is has a small unit with similar dual channel features without a built in VHF splitter for about $140 at Defender.
C. A used Raymarine AIS 250 that is selling at a local marine exchange for about $280. It is an older unit with only a single channel receiver.

So, my questions are:

1. Anyone have any experience with any of these AIS receivers?
2. Connecting them to the Raymarine C80 should be pretty straightforward. Has anyone done this and are their any bits of advice out there from fellow sailboat owners?
3. Since the AIS data will be streamed to the C80 Chart plotter, I would imagine that the data that is displayed would look the same on the chart plotter whether it was from a ICOM, Raymarine or the ACR unit. Right?
4. Any other AIS receiver recommendations?

I am leaning toward getting the ICOM unit due to the price with rebate, built in VHF splitter, and same brand as my VHF radio. I did look at the integrate d Standard Horizon VHF with built in AIS, but with my relatively new ICOM VHF and Command Mic set up, changing out the good working existing VHF radio with a new VHF with AIS does make sense to me. So, my plan is to upgrade my existing system with an AIS receiver.

So, any and all advice or experience with these AIS units or others would be welcome.

Thanks!

Dave

David Swanson
S/V Emily Ann
2007 C320 MK II, No. 1107
Mukilteo, WA
 
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#2 ·
We bought an AIS transceiver for our Raymarine C80 plotter and we are very pleased. We got the same unit that is West Marine branded ($500) but was being sold directly by a company called Cactus Marine who imported them from England where they are made. We got it at the Annapolis show and don't remember the price but it was a lot less than $500 and is a transceiver.

Install went fine. It requires a particular baud rate setting on the chartplotter and that might be a problem if you are sending data at other rates to other devices because it seemed to me that you could only have one baud rate sent - but I willingly admit to not being an expert about electronics.
 
#3 ·
Hey,

If I were you I would buy the Standard Horizon unit and sell my Icom unit. This will be cheaper and you will have one less piece of gear to install, power, maintain, and learn to operate.

The Sh radio is under $350.

Barry
 
#4 ·
Thats receive only, btw. Not a transceiver. Also, the $350 is deceptive. You also have to buy the following if you're replacing out a VHF...and like most people, I'm assuming he has a ram mic @ the helm.

Ram Mic to work with SH $100
Cable to extend Ram Mic $25
NMEA cable to work with plotter $40
 
#5 ·
I am in the market for an AIS unit as well and curious why you are only considering a receiver ? I always thought it best to see and be seen (with option to turn off transmitting).

My apologies for somewhat taking the discussion on a different track, but for a more expensive model (if cost is not the object) the ICON MA-500TR class B transponder comes with a dedicate GPS, VHF Antenna connection provides 3 NMEA in/outputs and a great interface to my ICOM M604 for calling AIS targets.

Your thoughts are much appreciated.
 
#6 ·
Hello from the Pacific West Coast, Canadian side.

Dave, I have just completed installing an ACR Nauticast (Receive Only) in my Tanzer 28. I chose the ACR over the others because of price ($126.90) and more specifically because it will multiplex "all" NMEA sentences vice GPS only like many other AIS units including ICOM 5000. I have a number of instruments that employ NMEA, including Garmin GPS, Raymarine X5 Smart Pilot (fast heading sensor) and a laptop for sending the chartplotter waypoints, routes, etc. Given that the C80 only has 1 NMEA 0183 input, I feed the 3 NMEA inputs through a Raymarine Multiplexer and now through the ACR AIS to the C80. I, at first, thought I wanted a VHF splitter but after giving it some thought I decided against it. I now have a separate AIS (Shakespeare 5250 - $39) antenna for the AIS and will utilize it as an emergency VHF if the need arises. This combined with my Seatalk instruments (ST60 wind, ST60 speed, ST60 depth) plus Raymarine RD218 gives me a lot of info at the helm.

Len
 
#7 ·
AIS install

I'm also considering an AIS install on my B40. Can't decide is a VHF splitter or a separate VHF antenna is the best way to go. Obviously the splitter is the easy route but the fact that the VHF antenna is "tuned" to the radio and not best optimized for the AIS and the fact that hey share makes me wonder if this the best solution. But, I'd be happy to not have the hassle of pulling cable from a new antenna.
Any advice? Plan to use a Raymarine transceiver, existing kit is Ray E80 and all the other nomad Ray items.
 
#10 ·
I want to correct a couple statements on this thread that may mislead others:

...Obviously the splitter is the easy route but the fact that the VHF antenna is "tuned" to the radio and not best optimized for the AIS and the fact that hey share makes me wonder if this the best solution...
AIS transmits over VHF channels 87B and 88B. It uses the same design VHF antenna as any VHF radio. There is no special tuning of the antenna.

...If I were you I would buy the Standard Horizon unit and sell my Icom unit...
In general, DSC radios can only be sold with your boat. To activate a DSC radio (with our without AIS), you must register a MMSI for your vessel, and then enter the MMSI into the radio's permanent flash ROM. Once you have done that, the is radio permanently paired with the vessel. You can pass the MMSI to another owner (when you sell the vessel), but you cannot move the MMSI to another boat, and you cannot erase or change the MMSI once it's entered into the radio.

It is important that owners of DSC radios do not assume that they can resell the radios to offset the cost of purchasing a new radio. It is doubly important that potential purchasers of used DSC radios not get duped into buying a used radio that is permanently registered to someone else's vessel.

My advice is to NEVER buy a second-hand DSC radio (fixed mount or handheld), otherwise you won't be able to register it. Non-DSC handhelds are OK to buy second-hand (since there's no MMSI registration). Since DSC has been a requirement for all fixed-mount radios made for the last 10+ years, non-DSC fixed mount radios are all too obsolete to be worth buying on the used market.
 
#8 ·
I use a splitter and do not seem to have a problem with range. We 'see' ships at more than 20 miles. Certainly not a scientific experiment since there is no control for comparison with two antennas. The idea of having a redundant antenna is attractive though.
 
#9 ·
I thought I'd share that on my Celestial 48 it seems like I've decided the most expensive route. I've ordered the ICOM MA500TR AIS Transponder with the Digital Yacht SPL2000 VHF/AIS powered antenna splitter and the Shakespeare 396-1-AIS broadband VHF antenna. SPL2000 will also support the onboard stereo. The new antenna will replace my exisiting VHF antenna. I plan to run an alternate/secondary antenna for VHF sitting on my radar arch. NMEA from the AIS will also show targets on my C80.

Phew ! hopefully this will have us covered on the wild blue. Thank you all for your suggestions.
 
#12 ·
I doubt that anyone here can answer this question. You would have to call the manufacturer. Be prepared to tell them why you want to know this.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for your help

Thanks everyone for your help and advice. I ended up purchasing a ACR Nauticast Class A and B Receiver. I bought it for $110 at Hodges Marine. I also installed a Milltech Antenna splitter and connected it all to my Icom VHF and Raymarine C80. They work great. The only issue was that the Raymarine NEMA cable color coding of the small wires was wrong relative to what my Raymarine installation manual stated. Don't believe everything you read. For about $220, both units work well together.

Thanks for the help as I didn't even get one response from my C320IA owners association.

Dave
S/V Emily Ann
2007 Catalina 320 MK II
Mukilteo, WA
 
#16 · (Edited)
ACR Nauticast looks like a real nice choice for someone (like you) who already has an up to date radio. The built in multiplexer looks like a really nice feature, especially for people who only have one input on their chart plotter.
 
#18 ·
This might be a late post, but there is some needs for clarification.

Most DSC VHF radios will allow 3 or 5 changes in the MMSI number. It is only if they are providing AIS functions that they will accept only one entry, thanks to the paranoid US regulations. Most suppliers, like Raymarine and Standard Horizon, will reset the MMSI number for free (ok, some shipping cost here) if you can provide all the required information (previous owner, some way to contact them, and a proof of purchase).

Go ahead, buy these used if you can get this information. It is a shame to try to convince people that used equipment should not be bought. Some of use can't afford the new toys, so give us a break.
 
#19 ·
Interfacing the ICOM MA-500TR Class B AIS transponder to other navigation equipment.
By Pedro M.J. WYNS, BSc&T.

The Icom MA-500TR is a very promising AIS device when reading the promotional leaflets. Installing and integrating it with other brands of equipment can be a serious challenge, regarding the amounts of forum posts and calls for help on this issue.
Not finding any help while installing mine, I decided to write a small manual for all those unhappy people out there.
Problem 1: GPS
If you were thinking about integrating the MA-500TR with your existing GPS using NMEA0183 on any of the 3 ports, forget it, it won’t work. The MA-500TR looks for a very specific GPS sentence, the GBS line, which is a line containing data about the reliability of the received satellite signal. There are almost no commercial GPS units that deliver this sentence apart from the optional Icom GPS. If the MA-500TR does not see this particular line, he will display a “GPS not found” alert. So the bad news, you MUST buy the Icom MXG-5000 GPS antenna/receiver. I never understood why they were not sold as a package.
Problem 2: AIS data
The manual is very unclear how to attach your existing plotter. Any plotter will do, Raymarine, Garmin,… BUT… It will only work when connected to NMEA port 2. The manual is telling this port is “only for Icom Marinecommander system”, so everybody takes by default Port 1 and sets the data rate to 38400 bps, and then desperately waits for icons to appear on the map. It won’t work. You MUST use port 2.
Additional equipment:
Having bought an extra GPS it might as well serve as a backup for your existing GPS. Using the port 2 NMEA0183 output this is possible, if you set the output option to “AIS+GPS” and further adjust your plotter to look for more GPS data sources in its own menu.
If you have a DSC VHF radio it has a GPS input for automatic emergency position reports. It can be connected to port 1 and if compatible it can even do DSC calls piloted from the MA-500TR.

I hope this info was useful to you. If it helped, please drop me a little email, this keeps me motivated posting modification sheets like this one.
Pedro M.J.WYNS – ON7WP AA9HX C5WP - 20151028
 
#20 ·
This is late but we have been using a Nauticast for the past 6-7 years. One of the first out at a reasonable price. It both receives and transmits. We have a lot of miles under our keel and it works like a champ and never had an issue.

NOW I do not agree on a splitter. In our opinion our vhf antenna is for our radio and our ais antenna is for our ais period. We like redundancy. We mounted the ais antenna above the bimini between our solar panels and can see boats a long way off and never had an issue with it. As with our Nauticast we also put on a separate gps for it and it is also above the bimini between the solar panels.

We did keep a separate gps for the chartplotter in the salon that also feeds our vhf and ssb.
 
#29 ·
Help me out SV. How am I losing VHF range? Where exactly is the loss happening?

Again, late model splitters.

Thanks
With an active splitter there should be no loss in range due to insertion loss at the connectors and the 3dB you'd suffer with a passive combiner. That's the whole point of making it active, isn't it?
Tell me the make and model of splitter and I'll tell you the loss.
 
#32 ·
I've worked with the Vespar splitter in the past. It is the one I referred to above as not so bad. Insertion loss is specified as 1 dB, plus of course the additional ~1 dB from two extra connectors. That's roughly 40% reduction on both radios in both directions.

I haven't touched the Simrad splitter. The spec is 0 dB insertion loss on receive (1 dB on transmit). I don't believe it. I would want to know the measurement points. With all the connections even if there is a high quality low noise amplifier (LNA) inside the signal to noise ratio (SNR) will deteriorate. I don't think Simrad is accounting for the whole signal path.

Both are expensive splitters and not what most people purchase. Those are worse and result in the 3-4 dB loss that is common.

Note that "active" doesn't mean there is an LNA. It just means the box does something, like switch a relay. If you're lucky it will have a small dummy load on the switched off transmit side rather than depending on the AIS or VHF foldback circuitry to protect the radios.
 
#33 ·
Yes, I saw that in the spec sheet I linked to. Cost is not the question here as the cost of the splitter is partly or largely offset by obviating the need for a second AIS antenna and cable run.

The Vesper unit does have an LNA on the AIS side and they quote a receive gain of 12dB and a net sensitivity increase of 6dB. You don't get a sensitivity increase by amplifying both signal and noise to the same degree. You can't do anything about environmental noise at the limit of detection but the additional gain stage does help in overcoming the noise in their AIS receiver at the limit of detection.

Granted, the splitter costs you 1dB on the transmit side for both VHF and AIS but my question still stands: are you better off with this splitter on the masthead with +6dB receive / -1dB transmit AIS performance and -1.5db receive / -1dB transmit VHF performance or are you better off with a 0/0 dB VHF hit and a stern mounted AIS antenna which, I'm guessing, would cut your AIS range in both transmit and receive equivalent to -6dB or more?
 
#34 ·
Yes, I saw that in the spec sheet I linked to. Cost is not the question here as the cost of the splitter is partly or largely offset by obviating the need for a second AIS antenna and cable run.
So the question is whether any degradation is acceptable to you as a trade-off to adding another antenna.

The Vesper unit does have an LNA on the AIS side and they quote a receive gain of 12dB and a net sensitivity increase of 6dB. You don't get a sensitivity increase by amplifying both signal and noise to the same degree.
Not that simple. In fact you can get a sensitivity improvement by amplifying signal and noise. Recognize that even an LNA has a noise floor. Still, this is why satellite TV systems put an LNA at the feed point - amplify everything before the losses associated with transmission lines and connectors on the way to demodulation, accepting that SNR will deteriorate in the LNA.

For AIS and VHF things are easier but frankly 12 dB amplification and "6 dB net sensitivity increase" is a pretty noisy front end. SNR which correlates to demodulation (voice clarity and demodulating AIS sentences) takes a hit.

are you better off with this splitter on the masthead with +6dB receive / -1dB transmit AIS performance and -1.5db receive / -1dB transmit VHF performance or are you better off with a 0/0 dB VHF hit and a stern mounted AIS antenna which, I'm guessing, would cut your AIS range in both transmit and receive equivalent to -6dB or more?
Well the +6 dB number doesn't include an extra dB of attenuation from the extra connectors. Even my 1 dB number assumes good connectors well installed. Shakespeare crimp connectors are 1. much worse and 2. really expensive.

I'd love to run some math for you on gain and attenuation but the big deal is geometry (trigonometry is beautiful). Accordingly the difference of masthead from pushpit (or radar pole or backstay) is line of sight. In simple terms line of sight (LOS) (nm) is about 1.41 x sqrt of height (ft); this number accounts for ray bending at VHF.

So a sailboat with a mast 55' above the water and pushpit 10' above the water receiving an AIS signal from a commercial ship whose AIS is 100' above the water (Class A AIS requires an independent AIS antenna - think about that) is as follows:

LOS masthead = 1.41 ( sqrt(55) + sqrt(100) ) = 24.6 nm
LOS pushpit = 1.41 ( sqrt(10) + sqrt(100) ) = 18.6 nm

The math does not account for network congestion (trivial) or for reflection or refraction (not dependable and net increases).

In the real world my experience is that the worst thing you can do is put two antennas at the masthead. From the perspective of AIS performance I just can't tell the difference between masthead through a splitter and pushpit mounting locations. I can tell the difference between voice VHF through a splitter and not.

I have had customers complain of poor VHF performance and moved the AIS to known-good suction cup mounted VHF antenna on the cabin top with no discernible degradation and solved the voice VHF problem. Net-net moving to a good quality installation (note tirade above about Shakespeare crimp connectors) makes everything better.
 
#37 ·
SVA,
Timely discussion for me (although maybe I’m coming to it a bit late). I am about to undertake a similar project. I have a Raymarine E80 with GPS, radar, and autopilot and would like to add AIS. With the range of options out there, I decided to keep it simple as a DIY project and stick with Raymarine (not as simple as I thought because it turns out the E80 SeaTalk is not compatible with the AIS650 SeaTalk-ng and I have to use the NMEA 0183 connection between the AIS and E80). I have an arch with two solar panels, a wind generator, radar, and GPS antenna. I am adding an antenna for Wi-Fi boosting and now another GPS antenna for AIS. I decided that will all that on the arch, I would go with a splitter for the VHF and purchased the Raymarine AIS100 splitter and I have the Raymarine AIS650 transponder. I hope this was not a big mistake…planning on installing next weekend.
John
 
#39 ·
I have a Raymarine E80 with GPS, radar, and autopilot and would like to add AIS. With the range of options out there, I decided to keep it simple as a DIY project and stick with Raymarine (not as simple as I thought because it turns out the E80 SeaTalk is not compatible with the AIS650 SeaTalk-ng and I have to use the NMEA 0183 connection between the AIS and E80).
I quite like the Raymarine E80 - it is a good plotter. Remember you'll have to use the setup menus to change the E80 NMEA 0183 interface from 4800 bps to 36400 bps for AIS. You may already have something hooked up at 4800 bps (VHF DSC radios for exampls) in which chase you'll have to make a decision. You can add a multiplexer like the Actisense NDC-4-AIS to provide data rates suitable for all your NMEA 0183 inputs and outputs. You might also build a small network segment (either NMEA 2000 or SeaTalkng for future "someday" upgrades and do one conversion to SeaTalk or SeaTalkhs; in future new equipment will be added to the new segment and older equipment will be retired from the old segment(s).

If you are fortunate, nothing is connected to the NMEA 0183 interface on the E80 and you can just hook things up.

Please please PLEASE hook up a silent switch so you can run your electronics without transmitting. Don't be a lid transmitting from the dock.

I have an arch with two solar panels, a wind generator, radar, and GPS antenna. I am adding an antenna for Wi-Fi boosting and now another GPS antenna for AIS. I decided that will all that on the arch, I would go with a splitter for the VHF and purchased the Raymarine AIS100 splitter and I have the Raymarine AIS650 transponder. I hope this was not a big mistake…planning on installing next weekend.
I think I've been pretty clear I don't think much of splitters and why. VHF and AIS performance deteriorates. You can't beat physics. In the grand scheme of everything we can do on and to our boats I don't think I would call it a big mistake: no one will die and your boat won't sink. I think it is not well advised.

Most arches leave plenty of room for an antenna farm. Your biggest issue is shading - not nearly so big a problem with VHF as your wind generator.

Good luck with your project.

What WiFi range extender did you choose?
 
#38 ·
I've got my VHF antenna on my masthead and my AIS antenna mounted on the back of my spreader.

The AIS transponder and the VHF unit are next to each other, so if I lost one of the antennas I could easily switch to using the other one in a matter of seconds.

IMO, having that redundancy is worth the extra hassle.
 
#45 ·
I recently upgraded my VHF to the Horizon GX2200... which includes AIS, DSC, GPS which is output to a C80. The AIS works fine... and target show on the C80. I didn't use a splitter... but when the mast was down last Spring I put a new VHF antenna (Vesper) and new RG213 coax. BIG difference!
 
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