After recently doing some passage making on a vessel carrying a raymarine AIS transponder I made a decision I want to upgrade the vesper 650 receiver to a receive and transpond unit.

i looked at the raymarine transponder but then discovered the vesper 8000 for roughly the same price. I like he idea of wifi and app so it can used on my iPad.

On the recent passages I used both the marine tragic and the raymarine chart plotter. Problem with Marine tragic is when your VHF antenna looses shore base connection it stops your track which is frustrating for all that are trying to track you through marine tragic.

the wifi won't solve this problem but seems very handy if you can set it up on more than one device.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Vesper-Marine-XB-8000-AIS-Transponder-built-in-WiFi-and-NMEA-2000-Gateway-/351677206751?hash=item51e19850df

Marine Tragic?
The ability of friends and family to see where you are via marine traffic could leed to some worrying times for them. Especially as your AIS Transmission disappears between shore stations that recieve AIS and send it through the internet. Then if you go blue water??
I, like you had the WM650 with a receiver and chose the GME AIST which multiplexes an nmea stream with AIS and delivers that stream via a USB. No wifi so I will need another gadget sometime in the future should that need arise.
All good

www2.vespermarine.com/catalog/category/view/s/transponders/id/9/
found this not sure if you need it though
How are you South Ace?

If you are serious about friends being able to track your movements you should look at a Spot or Yellow Brick tracker. I use a Yellow Brick. These are a great devise, l can set the time period between position reports and because these work on satelite and not vhf you have continuous coverage. The other good thing is you have the ability to send and receive text messages to friends Via satellite. The Yellow Brick connects to your computer via Blue tooth as well so it is easy to send and receive messages.
With regard to AIS units I believe any boat that carries AIS, the unit should be a transceiver and not just a receiver unit. I had a bloke up in the Whitsundays tell me that he thinks it is great to be able to see where other boats are, but he is only using a receiver unit as he said people don't need to see him as he can see them, a bit selfish I think. If every body had that attitude the whole system would not work as no body would be transmitting.

Yes I have spot in my locker somewhere Jode5 I will re activate on my next adventure.

I guess we didn't realise how marine trafic worked and was a little worried for 48 hours that the new AIS was not transmitting .....after calling the Iron Bark that was closing in on our stern the 800 ft ships Aussie captain reinsured us that he could see us on AIS and was changing coarse to our port.

At least now nzen and I know the exact wiring and system upgrade on his new AIS. His new VHF antenna is mounted on his davits and was giving a range of around 12 to 15 NM and when we connected the mast head antenna I guess we where getting close to 20 NM. What was confusing was we where seeing ships and vessels around us that where on marine trafic but we where invisible. I put it down to the ships being 7 storys high!

on a brighter note Telstra has improved somewhat since 2009 and we had internet and phone just about all the way from SA to NSW.

im liking the idea of the vesper 8000 , the only problem I have will be a large hole in my intestrment panel when I remove the old vesper 650 receiver.

just a snap shot, long weekend in Rosslyn Bay Keppels Island.
Over 100 yachts in the area / marina & Keppels/ .
Over 120 trailable boats log in with Coast Guard leaving the harbour.
High percentage don't log in.
Check the Coast Guard computer, 3 AIS transponders in area.
Just come back from LNG facility in Gladstone, over 50 AIS on the screen, any giving moment.
That's East Coast for you .

My main concerns are the 800ft objects moving at 12 to 17 knots I'm not worried about day sailors or the odd passage making yacht without AIS. most sensible passage makers should have AIS transponders I only picked up one without it during a night watch between SA and NSW.

We have the xb-8000. Nice bit of kit. NMEA gateway built in so you can also get your instrument displays on the iPad, there are plenty of NMEA apps to try out. Get INavX if you want traffic display on Navigation App.

we run ours through splitter to mast top VHF antenna, can pick up ships over 100nm away.

Thanks free radical for the review, already have the splitter So I'm quarter the way there. I never got the current vesper 650 recover to overlay onto my C80 chart plotter hope I have better luck with the 8000.
regards southace

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southace said..
Yes I have spot in my locker somewhere Jode5 I will re activate on my next adventure.

I guess we didn't realise how marine trafic worked and was a little worried for 48 hours that the new AIS was not transmitting .....after calling the Iron Bark that was closing in on our stern the 800 ft ships Aussie captain reinsured us that he could see us on AIS and was changing coarse to our port.

At least now nzen and I know the exact wiring and system upgrade on his new AIS. His new VHF antenna is mounted on his davits and was giving a range of around 12 to 15 NM and when we connected the mast head antenna I guess we where getting close to 20 NM. What was confusing was we where seeing ships and vessels around us that where on marine trafic but we where invisible. I put it down to the ships being 7 storys high!

on a brighter note Telstra has improved somewhat since 2009 and we had internet and phone just about all the way from SA to NSW.

im liking the idea of the vesper 8000 , the only problem I have will be a large hole in my intestrment panel when I remove the old vesper 650 receiver.

Hi Southace,
bit of a thread drift, but I have making a panel for the same problem for a mate. Would this idea work for you? (I'm not smart enough to make a replacement piece that fits cosmetically in the hole, so I'm kinda cheating.)


I use an NKE AIS transponder with a VHF diplexer, it detects out to 20k, unsure of transmit range. I agree with Jode5, passage makers with the beneift of AIS should be transmitting too.
(Edit) One advantage of AIS, the GPS receiver. I only realised recently it is my primary GPS for the instruments. I do run another GPS as a backup though.

It seems raymarine and vesper both try to supply a separate GPS antenna my current vesper uses my c80 sea talk antenna and feeds the VHF radio and AIS with GPS positions not sure why they recommend using a separate GPS antenna.

inreach phones?

www.alwaysinreach.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&catid=10

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southace said..
It seems raymarine and vesper both try to supply a separate GPS antenna my current vesper uses my c80 sea talk antenna and feeds the VHF radio and AIS with GPS positions not sure why they recommend using a separate GPS antenna.

B&G / Simrad also use a seperate antenna so there must be some reason.

I also use a Yellow Brick. You can send and receive messages and it also has a "panic button". Messages can be set up to go to email or mobile phones. Up to 12mths of battery life if you only do a position report once a day. And it all reports to a web site your friends can access. They can also write comments into web site and it can also be linked to social media. You can add photos and text to the web page once you are back near a wifi connection. The web page has better resolution than the standard Google Earth and I have used it to see where water holes are beyond the mangroves in some anchorages. It also blue tooth's into your iPad so you can compile and receive messages easily. It's a self contained unit and easy to grab and take into a life raft. Charges up on a USB outlet.

Another option is an Iridium Go which also comes with a web page that reports your location. The Iridium Go has WiFi connectivity with your phone so making a call is as simple as ringing the usual way. The apt you put on your phone also hooks up with your "Contacts List" This is also easy to grab and take into a life raft as it has it's own built-in/fold-out antenna. For me the main purpose for the Iridium Go was to have a WiFi connection to get weather reports. Excellent piece of gear when visiting out of the way places like New Caledonia and Vanuatu where WiFi might not be readily available.

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southace said..
It seems raymarine and vesper both try to supply a separate GPS antenna my current vesper uses my c80 sea talk antenna and feeds the VHF radio and AIS with GPS positions not sure why they recommend using a separate GPS antenna.

I believe it's so that it is compliant with the IMO regulation AIS IEC 62287 regulations. it probably relates more to a big ship rather than a yacht. The AIS signal that is received actually displays the location of the antenna, not the ship ie. the point of origin of the signal. Imagine a 1000' long ship and the antenna is on the stern, that means there is 1000' of boat in front of where the antenna says the ship is. Conversely if mounted on the bow there will be 1000' of boat behind the origin of the signal.


The AIS frequencies are on the high end of the VHF FM band (@ 162mhz). Because of this, the standard marine VHF antennas are not manufactured for optimum performance at those frequencies.


A bit of reading here for you .... www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

Ideal aerial for 162MHz is 1.85m , most articals say, the most VHF aerials cover AIS simply it is within frequency range.
I personally would not use splitter, bacause 25 W from VHF transmitter blast AIS regardless of splitter,
splitter is just a few caps and coils introducing some losses .
AIS RX only can be connected to anything, byt AIS RX & TX combination must have own tuned aerial, for proper performance.

It's been compulsory to have AIS in Singapore for a while now and after almost 2 years of fluffing around by the Thai government it is also mandatory for foreign yachts in Phuket.
Just a few weeks ago Indonesia have also announced that AIS is necessary. See Noonsite for new regulations regarding cruising conditions. Who knows how they will inforce it.

So having one is getting more necessary.

Ours is priceless. Crossing the Malacca Straights, weaving thru hyper speed merchant ships is stressful.

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Jode5 said..

southace said..
It seems raymarine and vesper both try to supply a separate GPS antenna my current vesper uses my c80 sea talk antenna and feeds the VHF radio and AIS with GPS positions not sure why they recommend using a separate GPS antenna.

B&G / Simrad also use a seperate antenna so there must be some reason.

I think it just a fail safe thing where its simple to use a dedicated antenna on the stern of the yacht . The big ship can still see it because their antenna is high up .
And it keeps the mast head antenna cable for the radio clean and uninterrupted . A much better system .

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Sectorsteve said..
inreach phones?

www.alwaysinreach.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&catid=10

I used one for the trip around from Newcastle to Perth and i cannot fault it. good rates on plans and I think a little cheaper than the yellow brick. to purchase.
Powered by iridium so great coverage all around Aus.

Big ship coming down on your stern what would you do if your just going by lights and by line of sight ? I'm happy to see there heading and destination to make a firm decision if I need to make a firm coarse change within 5 Nm range. Without AIS you could be changing coarse the same as the pilot/captain and still have him bearing down on you. It's a big ocean but the odds are still there to be eaten by a great white shark or a big ship of steel! :)

I only have a receiver with the correct 1.82m antenna mounted 2m above water.

I regularly had vessels come up on my plotter during my 7 month cruise last year that were over the horizon. [over 22 miles away]

I also spoke to a couple of LARGE vessels approaching from astern at night, and yes they could see me on radar as we discussed our course of action!

Knowing where they were and where they were going was reassuring.

[P.S. They always answered when called by name, but calling them 'big ship' or big fishing boat' got no response at all!]

What wasn't good were the fishing boats that disappeared [turned their AIS OFF] when I presume they started fishing !!!!!
I even passed one anchored 10 nm off the QLD coast with no AIS going????????

I thought ALL commercial vessels were required to have an A Class AIS going 24/7 now?

I doubt any commercial fishing vessel would have AIS. Vessels with Commonwealth endorsements will have transponders that are entirely different to AIS that have to transmit 24 hours a day to Canberra. These boats transmit only, and the only people to see the positions are the Canberra department. Interestingly this bit of kit is for monitoring fishing activities only. Few years ago a fishing vessel sunk in Queensland, Canberra noticed it disappear but failed to notify anybody.

AIS is only required in vessels over a certain size. It also does not have to be switched on either unless the vessel is in an area where it's compulsory like the English Channel. I have no idea what areas in Australia are compulsory.

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nswsailor said..
I only have a receiver with the correct 1.82m antenna mounted 2m above water.

I regularly had vessels come up on my plotter during my 7 month cruise last year that were over the horizon. [over 22 miles away]

I also spoke to a couple of LARGE vessels approaching from astern at night, and yes they could see me on radar as we discussed our course of action!

Knowing where they were and where they were going was reassuring.

[P.S. They always answered when called by name, but calling them 'big ship' or big fishing boat' got no response at all!]

What wasn't good were the fishing boats that disappeared [turned their AIS OFF] when I presume they started fishing !!!!!
I even passed one anchored 10 nm off the QLD coast with no AIS going????????

I thought ALL commercial vessels were required to have an A Class AIS going 24/7 now?

Never assume that another boat / ship can see you on radar. Yachts do not show up good on radar and only marginally better with a radar reflector unless you have an active reflector. The radar on my boat is the latest digital B&G which is supposed to see things down to a couple of metres, but I am lucky to see a yacht blip on the screen 1 out of 5 sweeps and can easily be confused with sea clutter. Yachts even become harder to see in rough water. I passed Nswsailor several times in the Whitsundays and do not recall him coming up on the radar. The last trip from Brisbane to Sydney with AIS we had a ship steaming from behind at 18kn in the dark and at 5nm we could see it change course to starboard and to go round us. He would have known exactly what sort of boat we were , our speed, course and call sign, which makes it very easy on the ships captain to make a decision and gave us comfort that he was not going to run us over from behind.
Most fishing boats do not run AIS. I think it is mainly because the don't want their fishing spots known to other fishermen.

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Charriot said..
just a snap shot, long weekend in Rosslyn Bay Keppels Island.
Over 100 yachts in the area / marina & Keppels/ .
Over 120 trailable boats log in with Coast Guard leaving the harbour.
High percentage don't log in.
Check the Coast Guard computer, 3 AIS transponders in area.
Just come back from LNG facility in Gladstone, over 50 AIS on the screen, any giving moment.
That's East Coast for you .

Hi Chariot,

I think the visible AIS difference between Gladstone and Roslyn Bay would be due to Gladstone being a commercial shipping port that has a busy turn-around along with tugs, ferries, port facility vessells and I think they also have a few pilot vessels in use. Of course a few private vessels as well

Roslyn Bay by comparrison would have a few ferries and any private vessels that had AIS fitted.

We currently use just an AIS receiver but will change to a transiever sometime in the future.

I think AIS is great. Even with just a receiver. As Nswsailor pointed out, the ability to contact a ship by name canot be overlooked as well as the ability to see a ships currentheading and projected course when deciding to alter your own course or not.

I don't think just having a receiver is selfish. I think just having a receiver is a nice step above NOT having just a receiver and that having a transiever is a nice step above just having only a receiver.

Is it really such a good idea that family can see where the boat is .... what if wife finds out you are sailing around the harbour when you are supposed to be at work...

I should also mention that navy vessels don't use AIS either for obvious reasons but do monitor.

Fair go Jode, I was the SMALLEST yacht around last year, but as there are so many AIS signals I only looked at those who appeared to be a threat, so don't remember you on a passage. Did we [SEAKA and I] meet you at an anchorage?

I have been informed by large ships that they have me on radar, even saying what course speed and the fact that I had just changed course away from them!

So BIG ships, as against small yachts, have big radar and can see better than small yachts.

As for the fishing boats I have seen them with AIS on and then disappear, a visual check had them still there.
Personally I think fishing boats that are restricted by trawl gear should be transmitting an AIS signal.

I have found that big ships will not answer a call unless called by name, are they required to record all radio calls?

Regardless of my rant above I recommend to all who ask and I will also be fitting a Class B AIS for my next voyage

Whitworths have a GME transciever for $549
www.whitworths.com.au/gme-aisr120-ais-transceiver-class-b
I haven't installed mine yet so I can't tell you how good it is.

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Ramona said..
I should also mention that navy vessels don't use AIS either for obvious reasons but do monitor.

HMAS Wollongong

MMSI:503210000

Call Sign: [b]VKPM

[/b] Flag: [b]Australia [AU]
[/b]
AIS Type: Military Ops

Currently broadcasting her position

Toph and I spotted this coming back from Rottnest. Appeared to be on sea trials going up and down the coast at 30+ kts. Appeared on AIS. We also spotted a surface submarine, but they didn't show on the AIS. I guess the Navy turn off AIS as required due operational reasons.

Hi Freeradical

The "navy" ship you saw is in fact doing sea trials and if I am correct it is one of the new boats that Austral have built for one of the Middle east countries, which one ???

You will also find that Customs boats turn their AIS off too, unless they want you to know where they are.

It is coming that racing yachts (think from memory Cat 1,2 &3) are going to be required to have AIS, not sure which season but not far away.

So I am finding some of your comments interesting, especially about where and how you mounting them as I have to go down this track soon, so good "food for thought"