Im sorry if this already been covered here.
im curious about these combo AIS/VHF units.
Im really after a simple solution to having an AIS. I already need a fixed VHF and i know you can buy AIS/VHF.
Can people let me know about these and what needs to be done?

Good explanation here

www.sea-tech.com/2018/12/14/choosing-a-vhf-dsc-radio-and-ais-transponder-combination-that-works/

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Sectorsteve said..
Im sorry if this already been covered here.
im curious about these combo AIS/VHF units.
Im really after a simple solution to having an AIS. I already need a fixed VHF and i know you can buy AIS/VHF.
Can people let me know about these and what needs to be done?

Have a look at the Daisy units. These may be better suited for your needs.

www.tindie.com/products/astuder/daisy-ais-receiver/

I bought one of the VHS radios with AIS a while back but it only showed the AIS objects, boats, on the small VHS screen. It worked but it was too hard to really make out where the boat was or where it was coming from etc.

I got the dAISy unit & have it hooked up to my Raymarine MFD 7 it works beautifully.

IMO go with the dAISy & get a normal VHS with DSC.

Thanks guys. I have no screen. I'm using paper charts. GPS watch. Navionics on 4 screens and Garmin hand held.

I have one and really like it as it gives the course and speed of approaching shipping plus ease of calling them up to ask their intentions
nothing scares me more at sea than ships the unpredictable moving immovable object

+1 for the dAISy. I added a Twinyakker wifi NMEA muxer and for not a lot of $$ I now have AIS and GPS data displayed on my laptop, tablet etc. Great value for coastal sailing.

Hi Steve,

I assume you just want to monitor/receive AIS and not transmit. For transmission you will need a separate AIS unit, integrated transponders don't exist. Transmitting can get quite complicated.

For receiving only, that daisy units looks very cool, bit of stuffing around to get it going I expect.

I have a Simrad RS35 VHF/AIS radio and it works well connected to a chart plotter. The integration doesn't seem to affect the quality of the radio, but it does however need a seperate GPS signal ( I use my chart plotter's GPS). The VHF screen is very small and would be a pain to use by itself without a plotter. It's easy to make a mistake setting up warning zones because it is so small. I don't think the integrated options are worth it unless you have a chart plotter because of the screen limitations.

Just noticed there are some fully integrated AIS/VHF/GPS units around now. Some things to check are whether they have a NMEA or 0183 or NMEA 2000 output and if they need separate antennas. I recall one of the Standard Horizon units needed a separate Antennas for the GPS, AIS and VHF or something equally annoying.

If I was getting a new one for offshore work, I would be looking at the new B&G V60 for $669. Just connect the power, one antenna (I am pretty sure only one is antenna needed), enter your MSSI number and away you go.

www.chsmith.com.au/Products/BandG-V60-DSC-VHF-AIS-Radio.html

If one is considering AIS, I cannot understand why one would even consider anything other than a transceiver (ie AIS transmitter AND receiver).
See and be seen - only safe way to go.
regards,
allan

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Datawiz said..
If one is considering AIS, I cannot understand why one would even consider anything other than a transceiver (ie AIS transmitter AND receiver).
See and be seen - only safe way to go.

In fact I couldn't agree more, but Steve said was interested in the combined units and they don't transpond.

In addition to my combined VHF/AIS I am running a Simrad transponder - the combined VHF unit is my recieve back up incase the transponder fails. The low power transponder works stand alone and I leave it on 24/7 charged by the solar panels, you can see "Currawong" in St Kilda on Marine Traffic. I don't know if there is a budget DYI version of this, but the big brands costs north of $600.

It definitely makes a difference crossing busy shipping lanes at night and it is sort of comforting to know that the bigs ships, oil platforms as well as friends and family have some visibility of where we are.

A

New from Vesper.

www2.vespermarine.com/cortex

I keep full watches on the continental shelf and when over the edge I am not in shipping lanes. Three trips to Lord Howe plus two half ones and I have seen one ship when past the shelf, cpa about 10 miles away going my way.

Out there the chance a ship needs the same 34ft of water I'm in is very remote indeed.

If I am sailing coastal full watches are the norm.

No need for AIS, nice to have but no need. So many things that don't have AIS on in coastal shipping lanes AIS is of marginal use.

AIS is the best single bit of kit which has come along in my lifetime
so many uses. Cheap and reliable
with the advantages boty says

for Cat 1 in NZ they require you to have EVERYTHING before leaving. might have to get an aussie passport!

Morning - I think one of the best things about AIS is that it can help you with your watches. You can get extra information about course and speed of boats around you, and at night it is fabulous to be able to radio boats that are overtaking you with their correct name. For me it is a fabulous $50 spend and worth ten or 20 times as much. My wife loved being able to get confirmation at midnight that the boat doing 23 knots from behind could see us on their radar. Very, very comforting and much much safer.

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MorningBird said..
No need for AIS, nice to have but no need. So many things that don't have AIS on in coastal shipping lanes AIS is of marginal use.

I have to agree. What did we do before GPS and what did we do before AIS??

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cisco said..

MorningBird said..
No need for AIS, nice to have but no need. So many things that don't have AIS on in coastal shipping lanes AIS is of marginal use.

I have to agree. What did we do before GPS and what did we do before AIS??

You Hallucinated

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Sectorsteve said..
Im sorry if this already been covered here.
im curious about these combo AIS/VHF units.
Im really after a simple solution to having an AIS. I already need a fixed VHF and i know you can buy AIS/VHF.
Can people let me know about these and what needs to be done?

My old "Electophone" is on it's last legs, still has exceptional range but has developed a few annoying problems just down to age. New radios are cheap and I think if you have to replace a VHF it may as well be a VHF with AIS even if it's only recieve and has a built in Gps. AIS transceiver is a bit of an overkill in my case, most of my near collisions are with amatuer fishermen. Built in GPS will give another back up and will give a course and speed which is handy if your well offshore and have your plotter off.
My pick at the moment is the Standard Horizon GX2200e. Unfortunately fairly expensive at the moment through Whitworths so I may have to settle for the Lowrance equivilent from CH Smiths for $200 less. I'm open to suggestions however.

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cisco said..

I have to agree. What did we do before GPS and what did we do before AIS??

You either worked on the bridge of a large vessel that had a full time navigator that plotted other vessels to manually and mathematically determine another vessels path and CPA and TCA (and I know you know that),

Or, you worked on the "Big Ocean" theory (like here)

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MorningBird said..

Out there the chance a ship needs the same 34ft of water I'm in is very remote indeed.

You can't deny GPS has made navigation easier and safer. Unfortunately, with the advent of GPS and everybody else having the same desired routes, the ocean just aint that big anymore.

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lydia said..
AIS is the best single bit of kit which has come along in my lifetime
so many uses. Cheap and reliable
with the advantages boty says

Nice to have but you can't rely on it coastal, many if not most obstacles coastal don't use it.

I'd put GPS ahead of AIS. I'd put windvane steering ahead of AIS. I'd put AMSA up there too. Auto pilots are pretty useful.

It isn't cheap to get the full benefit. A suitable chart plotter, the AIS, wiring and radio are needed.

It doesn't avoid you keeping watches in busy areas and outside busy areas you don't need it.

Yes, nice to have but not essential at all.

As kankama said, it's good to know who's about, and be able to call them to make sure you know that they know. Especially so if if your passing somewhere like Newcastle around high tide when the heavy traffic is on the move.
AIS will become the norm, like GPS. Given that AHO is moving to electronic charts only in 5 years.
flags and morse have had their day ! ... --- ...

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MorningBird said..

lydia said..
AIS is the best single bit of kit which has come along in my lifetime
so many uses. Cheap and reliable
with the advantages boty says

Nice to have but you can't rely on it coastal, many if not most obstacles coastal don't use it.

I'd put GPS ahead of AIS. I'd put windvane steering ahead of AIS. I'd put AMSA up there too. Auto pilots are pretty useful.

It isn't cheap to get the full benefit. A suitable chart plotter, the AIS, wiring and radio are needed.

It doesn't avoid you keeping watches in busy areas and outside busy areas you don't need it.

Yes, nice to have but not essential at all.

+1, but most of my offshore sailing is solo coastal - so full watch anyway

I imagine it would be handy to confirm what tired eyes are seeing when overnighting, would save the 15 minutes wondering where it's going before you can properly make out its lights. And in fog, I've used marine traffic when in close to the coast and it's foggy, it did make me keep a sharper lookout when I saw a boat heading for me at great speed, knowing from looking at the screen something was there.
if I had the $$, the electrical capacity, the space and the desire to add something electrical, I'd go for a radar over ais

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Toph said..

You either worked on the bridge of a large vessel that had a full time navigator that plotted other vessels to manually and mathematically determine another vessels path and CPA and TCA (and I know you know that),

No!! I learnt how to navigate using charts, compass and observations on coastal passages where the risk of hitting something is a lot higher than if you are out on the big blue briny.

On the big blue briny I learnt how to use charts, compass, time piece, sextant and tables. The method of using tables I have since forgotten.

The advent of GPS serves to confirm the accuracy of your plotting.

I am not knocking GPS or AIS but I do say that if one does not understand the basics of navigation and relies completely on GPS and AIS, that one should not be in charge of a vessel on the open waters.

Trigonometry is what that one needs to learn which is quite simple but I don't think it is taught in schools anymore which of course is part of the agenda of the string pullers to dumb down the general population.

For your information, I have never piloted or stood a helm watch on a vessel over 12 metres in length.

It's all good Cisco. I wasn't inferring you personally. But you obviously knew what I was on about.

Oh and BTW, thank 'F' sextants and tables are no longer in use. There is a better way to navigate without all those inherent errors

Thanks Toph. I didn't take it personally.

Navigation is a facinating subject. I had a book years ago titled "We the Navigators" written by Doctor David Lewis of "Ice Bird" fame.
He spent a lot of time with the Polynesian (spelling??) navigators who had higher status than their shamans. These guys were able to make precise landfalls on passages over hundreds of miles without any kind of navigation tools except by observing wave patterns, flotsam, birds and stars among other things.

Back on topic:- The Daisy AIS unit seems to be a great tool to have for the price.

The Daisy AIS requires a splitter or a separate aerial. If you need a new VHF then a combined unit like the Lowrance comes out far cheaper. The exchange rate and postage is the killer for the Daisy unit. Splitters are over 40 bucks.

www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Lowrance-Link-8-DSC-VHF-AIS-Radio.html

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Ramona said..
The Daisy AIS requires a splitter or a separate aerial. If you need a new VHF then a combined unit like the Lowrance comes out far cheaper. The exchange rate and postage is the killer for the Daisy unit. Splitters are over 40 bucks.

www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Lowrance-Link-8-DSC-VHF-AIS-Radio.html

I have a link 8, It still needs a gps to be wired to provide the ais data.

Or buy a dAISy and make your own vhf antenna for next to nothing, mount it on the pushpit, and have the added benefit of a spare VHF antenna.

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Jolene said..

Ramona said..
The Daisy AIS requires a splitter or a separate aerial. If you need a new VHF then a combined unit like the Lowrance comes out far cheaper. The exchange rate and postage is the killer for the Daisy unit. Splitters are over 40 bucks.

www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Lowrance-Link-8-DSC-VHF-AIS-Radio.html

I have a link 8, It still needs a gps to be wired to provide the ais data.

Thanks for that Jolene. Makes the Standard Horizon GX2200 suddenly better value.

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Ramona said..

Jolene said..

Ramona said..
The Daisy AIS requires a splitter or a separate aerial. If you need a new VHF then a combined unit like the Lowrance comes out far cheaper. The exchange rate and postage is the killer for the Daisy unit. Splitters are over 40 bucks.

www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Lowrance-Link-8-DSC-VHF-AIS-Radio.html

I have a link 8, It still needs a gps to be wired to provide the ais data.

Thanks for that Jolene. Makes the Standard Horizon GX2200 suddenly better value.

yeah, I was a little disappointed it wasn't a stand alone ais receiver. Have since installed a transponder unit and I now consider the link 8 an ais back up wired to a secondary gps if my primary chart plotter/MFD fails