[C320-list] AIS

[Joel Krauska]

I could do that -- it's been a while but should still be relevant.



On Sun, Jan 31, 2021 at 11:19 AM jason reynolds <jereyns at hotmail.com> wrote:

> This is Jason Reynolds, technical editor for the 320 section of
> Mainsheet.  In preparation for the next year’s articles in Main sheet, I am
> soliciting to see if anyone who has installed AIS on their boat would like
> to write an article for an upcoming issue.  In addition to the steps
> involved in installation, if you also could spend a little time discussing
> the choices you made with your selection of unit that would be great for
> the membership.
>
> If anyone is interested, please contact me:
> Jereyns at hotmail.com
>
> Thanks
> Jason Reynolds
> Affinity #68
>
> Please excuse my brevity and any spelling errors, this message was sent
> from my iPad
>
> > On Jan 9, 2021, at 1:30 PM, Mark Cole <boatnboot at me.com> wrote:
> >
> > Jeff;
> >
> > I installed the Vesper XB8000 AIS unit, the Vesper antenna splitter and
> a Standard Horizon GX1600 DSC VHF on Fiddler’s Green a few years ago and
> that system has worked great for me since.  You can take a look at my
> installation on my Fiddler’s Green album on the C320 website.  Like you, I
> have had commercial vessels contact me by name, so I know my AIS
> transmission makes a difference.
> >
> > I went with the XB8000 model because it creates a local area WiFi
> network and broadcasts all NMEA 2000/0183 data to up to 5 devices.  I’m
> currently using an iPad with a free charting app to display AIS information
> on my navigation chart until I can get a new NMEA 2000 MFD.  Both Vesper
> units include a multiplexer to convert and combine the two NMEA sentences.
> My VHF wants a NMEA 0183 sentence for DSC location info and the XB8000
> outputs this just fine.
> >
> > If you are thinking about replacing your VHF too, you might want to take
> a look at the Vesper Cortex V1.  It combines VHF and AIS functions in one
> box, including an antenna splitter.  While it is still a class B AIS unit,
> it uses SOTDMA broadcast technology, like mentioned in the article Graeme
> linked to.  You get either wired or non-wired VHF “mics” that are about the
> size of a smartphone to control the VHF and AIS info.  It is expensive, but
> rolls two units into one (three, if you include the splitter…) with all the
> new technology.
> >
> > Mark
> > Fiddler’s Green, #8
> >
> >> On Jan 9, 2021, at 8:52 AM, Jeff Smith <jeffreyssmith at live.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> To all,
> >>
> >> Lot’s of good information here. Thank you for your helpful suggestions.
> I have much to think about. Based on your conversations, option A involves
> converting to NMEA 2000 and connect NMEA 0183 (my estimate using raymarine
> multiplexer and two antisense converters is about $600). Currently, all of
> my devices are NMEA 0183, to include my Garmin chart plotter. Option B,
> upgrade all instruments and chart plotter to NMEA 2000 is approximately
> $1,800. $600 is still cheaper than new instruments and chart plotter. I
> could have my two sons build the stuff for me (one is a sound engineer and
> one is a computer engineer) but troubleshooting would be problematic (they
> do not live close). Then approximately $200 to either option for the NMEA
> 2000 backbone. These are in addition to the AIS install. Option C would be
> continue to use the NMEA 0183 network.
> >>
> >> It looks like for me it makes sense to buy the Vesper XB-6000 (both
> 0183 and 2000) and an antenna splitter. Then I can connect to the chart
> plotter using NMEA 0183. Once I decide to upgrade my instruments to NMEA
> 2000, the AIS transponder will be forward compatible. I am not sure I can
> justify the $800 (Option A) to go NMEA 2000 with old instruments just to
> get the data on the chart plotter given that the instruments are 20+ years
> old and certainly not the additional $2,000 to upgrade now given that all
> instruments work fine (even though they are 20+ years old). I won’t have
> wind speed and direction on my chart plotter but my chart plotter sits
> above my instrument pod anyway and my main concern is getting the AIS info
> on my display.
> >>
> >> Now I see why the Garmin chart plotter was on sale when I purchased it
> a few years ago. Had I known more about the internal communication network,
> I would not have purchased it.
> >>
> >> Graeme - one thought about the article that you provided (re: receive
> versus receive/transmit). We did have a large cargo ship contact us by name
> as we were transiting the Delaware Bay and just about to enter the
> Chesapeake and Delaware canal. It was about 0100; we were changing the
> watch; we were unfamiliar with the area and there was an obstruction marked
> on the chart. The cargo ship called us by name to politely ask us to get
> out of his way and informed us that we had plenty of clearance . Same trip
> leaving Newport, R.I., it was extremely foggy (approximately 15 feet of
> visibility). There was almost a collision between two ships as a commercial
> ship kept calling on VHF to identify targets on his radar. Had the smaller
> boats been transmitting on AIS, he could have identified by name. The main
> reason, though, is the Admiral has ordered that we will have both
> capabilities.
> >>
> >> Again, thanks to all for helping me think through this by identifying
> issues and solutions.
> >>
> >> Jeff
> >> ’94, #121
> >>
> >>>> On Jan 9, 2021, at 7:16 AM, Graeme Clark <cg at skyflyer.co.uk> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> To add to what Doug has said, if you don't want to go the whole hog
> and replace everything then my experience may be useful
> >>>
> >>> I use an Actisense converter and for under $100 it is a bargain,
> simple to install and works without any input from me.
> >>>
> >>> If you have several 0183 signals to convert you can buy an NMEA0183
> multiplexer (raymarine or Actisense do these) which greatly simplifies
> things
> >>>
> >>> Looking to save a few bucks  I made my own by   programming a small
> Arduino processor to read in the 0183 signals (sentences) from the various
> pieces of 0183 kit and then output them in a single  sentence to the
> Actisense.
> >>>
> >>> When i say “I” I mean that i co-opted a clever friend who understands
> electronics and  programming microprocessors!  Not sure I could do it on my
> own, even second time around.
> >>>
> >>> All this was necessary because of installing a new Evo below deck a/p.
> (which is 2k). I got over the problem of too many wires in the pedestal
> tubes by buying a multicore cable (30 cores if I recall correctly) and then
> making the necessary connections to each end of that in the instrument pod
> and in a waterproof connection box I mounter on the rear of the aft cabin
> bulkhead (i.e just in front of the rudder post) The only other wires I had
> to run up the tubes was the 2k backbone cable and power supply cabling so
> there was plenty of room.  I have had  no ‘cross-talk’ problems at all from
> one signal wire to the other but I know some people have used Cat6 network
> cable or telephone cable which has twisted pairs inside it - supposedly
> these reduce interference.
> >>>
> >>> Hope that helps
> >>>
> >>> Graeme
> >>>
> >>> 1996, #366
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> On 9 Jan 2021, at 01:38, Doug Treff <doug at treff.us> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> And the problems below outlined by Troy are part of the reason I did
> my entire suite over from scratch. Most of my gear was vintage 1996 and I
> wanted all new anyway, and didn't want to piece-meal it because of
> compatibility issues between 0183 and 2K, and I also didn't want to deal
> with running wires in my pedestal guard tubes more than once. So I ripped
> out all the old devices and wiring, and did the entire project at once.
> >>>>
> >>>> Actisense does make a gateway that will translate between the two
> protocols, but I viewed that as an intermediate step and ultimately decided
> that the money would be better spent on going all 2K at once.
> >>>> https://actisense.com/products/nmea-2000-gateway-ngw-1/
> >>>>
> >>>> It was a lot of work, kind of expensive, but I'm really glad I did it
> this way. Any new devices I add now will be easy to add to the 2K backbone.
> Lots of decisions for you. There are quite a few folks who have done
> similar projects. If you're handy at all, it's not too difficult.
> >>>>
> >>>> --
> >>>> Doug Treff
> >>>> doug at treff.us
> >>>>
> >>>> On Fri, Jan 8, 2021, at 6:26 PM, Troy Dunn wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> In general when I think NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000, I'm usually
> thinking about
> >>>>> how to get an old standard data source onto the new standard
> backbone.
> >>>>> Generally speaking the MFD will be the new standard and the data
> sources
> >>>>> will be a combination of new and older standard data sources with an
> >>>>> electronic translator (it's not a simple matter of wiring) to get
> from the
> >>>>> older standard to the newer.   In your case you are talking about
> >>>>> purchasing a new data source and wiring it to the old standard
> backbone.
> >>>>> I think that's probably not a good idea.   It would be better to
> purchase a
> >>>>> data source that is backward compatible with NMEA0183 and wiring
> using the
> >>>>> 0183 port on that device.  If it is possible to somehow get the new
> >>>>> standard device wired to the old backbone using the NMEA2000 port
> would be
> >>>>> more expensive because you would have to purchase a 2000 to 0183
> >>>>> conveter...again...if that exists...i'm not sure.
> >>>
> >>
> >
>