AIS Installation?

[Chuck_on_Hudson]

Has anyone installed AIS on their C 350?

If so where did you locate the unit? In front or behind the electrical panel?

Did you buy a Raymarine and interface it with the chart plotter? What is involved?

If not Raymarine did you install another brand and interface it to the chart plotter?

Did you install an antenna splitter or did you install a 2nd AIS VHF antenna?

Thanks,

Charlie

[pdenoncourt]

Charlie, I installed AIS (receiver only) on my early model C-350 (hull # 72). On my boat there is a cabinet above the nav station with a roll-up door. My vhf radio, stereo, and tank gauge are mounted in the face of this cabinet (see attached picture). In my AIS installation, I mounted the receiver unit on the aft bulkhead inside this cabinet, and used the supplied short vhf cable to connect the AIS and radio to the single vhf antenna. I also connected the AIS to the GPS chart plotter so that the position of any AIS contacts is shown on the chart plotter.

I have done this twice. The first time was using the Raymarine C-70 chartplotter and Raymarine AIS. This system worked well for a while, but after a few years the AIS receiver died. By then I had my fill of inflated Raymarine prices and questionable quality and switched my chartplotter, radio, and AIS to Garmin. That is what I have now, and it works very well. I do not have radar, but with AIS I always know where are the big ships, and nowadays, the larger pleasure craft too.

Peter Denoncourt
KITE, #72
Jax, FL

[wolfe10]

We have an AIS transceiver (send and receive). The unit is located starboard aft locker. Mushroom antenna outboard starboard cockpit locker (below deck). VHF antenna on dingy davit.

We found it very helpful in the intercoastal (busy commercial traffic portion in Texas and Louisiana)-- allowed you to see the name of the tow boat coming toward you just around the bend.

Also helpful offshore to determine speed and course of ships-- particularly in crossing the busy sea lane from FL to West End, Grand Bahama.

One VERY bizarre identifier-- at 3am crossing from Apalachicola to Tampa bay (60 miles offshore) an RV appeared on the chart plotter. Dianne showed it to me as I can on watch. My foggy brain was trying to figure out how she could have gotten so far off course that there was an RV on the screen. OK, a cup of coffee and all became clear. RV= Research Vessel.

Brett

[saileagleswings]

If you haven't already purchased an AIS receiver, you might consider a VHF radio with built-in AIS. I have a Standard Horizon GX2100 interfaced to a Garmin 4800 Chartplotter. Interfacing is very easy. Standard Horizon now sells a VHF with a built-in AIS transceiver.

[Chuck_on_Hudson]

Thank you for the suggestions and inputs

[jbd3]

I bought a Standard Horizon 2150 at Strictly Sail Chicago last winter and interfaced it with the Raymarine C120 on Esperance, hull 394. I had to run a single conductor wire from the VHF to the C120 (already had the GPS signal to the older radio in place) and now we have receive only AIS. It was very helpful crossing foggy shipping lanes in Lakes Michigan and Huron and a simple /cost effective addition that involved no additional VHF antennas and about $400 investment for the radio and remote speaker/mic. The 2150 is capable of operating at 38,400 bps. which is essential as the C120 has only 1 NMEA port and other systems that require 4800 bps require you to make choices about what will work and what won't. The 2150 also has a display that shows AIS data so there is redundancy at the helm and ability to see what's about from the nav station where the radio is installed. Highly recommended..