[C320-list] AIS

[Jeff Smith]

I am considering adding AIS to Sailmates. I would like it to both send and receive versus just receive. I have read the previous exchanges about AIS but here is my question for anyone who has either installed AIS, is contemplating it, or just knows about it. I currently have an old Standard Horizon VHF radio at the nav station (with second mic at the pedestal) and a Garmin 74DV chart plotter at the helm. There seems to be two directions to go: 1. Add an AIS transceiver and use a splitter to utilize the existing VHF antenna, or 2. Swap my VHF for a VHF/AIS unit. My NMEA backbone is still 0183. I contemplated upgrading to NMEA 2000 at the same time but I don’t know that I will get any benefits.

My thoughts are that I am better off purchasing a Garmin VHF/AIS transceiver combined and just replacing my VHF. Costwise it will be about the same, as I won’t need a splitter but I will need to install a second mic at the pedestal. The unit should handle sharing the same antenna at least as well and probably better than a different AIS unit + splitter. The AIS is to help handle the busy Chesapeake Bay (we operate in the Hampton Roads shipping channel) and to increase my wife’s confidence for night sailing.

Am I missing something that makes this a bad idea? Also, if you think it is worth upgrading to NMEA 2000, feel free to chime in on that, as well. For further information, everything I currently have is NMEA 0183. This is why I originally decided not to convert because I am not sure there is any advantage, though I could be talked into converting if there is something I am missing.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Jeff
’94, #121, Sailmates