[C320-list] AIS transponder advice?

[Mark Cole]

Hi, Pat;

A couple of seasons ago, I installed a Vesper XB8000 AIS transponder and a Vesper SP160 antenna splitter on Fiddler’s Green and it works great.  The XB8000 came with an external GPS antenna and feeds GPS info and AIS info into the NMEA 2000 bus plus broadcasts all NMEA info via a WiFi network throughout the boat.  The XB8000 is my only AIS and GPS “talker” on the network, so I don’t have any conflicts with competing electronics trying to confuse each other, but, as I understand it, the new NMEA 2000 protocol is smart enough to solve those conflicts.  

The antenna splitter made sense to me since the masthead location is the best place for a VHF antenna on a sailboat for both VHF communication and AIS communication and you can’t put two antennas at the masthead.  The XB8000 has a built-in signal strength tester so you can be sure the cable in the mast and the antenna are working up to spec.  I was guaranteed that the splitter gives total priority to VHF radio communications and will not interrupt it with an AIS ping.

That is pretty much the extent of my knowledge, but I bought my equipment from Milltech Marine (milltechmarine.com <http://milltechmarine.com/>) and the owner, Doug Miller, is an AIS wizard.  He should be able to answer your questions.  Also, if you want to take a look at the install on Fiddler’s Green, here is a link  <https://c320.org/mediagallery/media.php?f=0&sort=0&s=20181119010258572>to my album on the C320 site.

Mark Cole
Fiddler’s Green #8
Puget Sound

> On Feb 5, 2019, at 8:49 AM, Pat Tormey <ptormey at 4square.net> wrote:
> 
> I’ve got am iCOM M506 VHF with a built in AIS receiver, seamlessly feeding into a Garmin 7607 Chart plotter (with GPS), but this year I’d like to add an AIS Transponder. 
> 
> So far I think I understand that I should buy one with it’s own internal GPS and either use second dedicated antenna or connect the that mast head VHF thru a splitter/sharing gadget.
> 
> So I think that I’d then need to disconnect the M506’s AIS and hook in the “insert new AIR transponder gadget here” AIS. OR maybe I can just ignore the new gadget’s AIS and leave the iCOM alone. 
> 
> Pros are the existing iCOM AIS receiver already works and uses the masthead antenna 
> Cons are MAYBE the transponder will chat with the iCOM and continuously warn me that I’m colliding with myself 😉
> 
> I’m leaning toward the internal GPS transponder with a stand alone antenna.
> 
> Anybody got any experience or advice before I take that plunge?
> 
> Thanks 
> 
> Pat
> 
> Pat Tormey 
> s/v Blue Skies
> #1037