GEAR TEST
MAY 2016 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 71Contact Raymarine Te l 01329 246700 Web http://www.raymarine.comRaymarine AIS650 £1084 with active splitter, £835 without
A small, well-sealed box
with VHF and GPS antenna,
Power/NMEA-0183 socket and
SeaTalkng ports on the bottom.
Under a plastic cover on the
front is a mini-USB2 port
and full-size SD card slot. A
single LED on the front shines
different colours depending
on the status – green (good),
amber (waiting), blue (silent)
or red (error). The AIS650
has a built-in 50-channel GPS
receiver and manual or soft-select
silent mode. Being Raymarine, it
has a SeaTalkng connector rather
than standard NMEA-2000, so
you need a converter cable to join
a network. We feel this should
have been included, along with a
USB cable, which is essential for
the initial confi guration. A copy
of proAIS2 is supplied on a CD,
along with other documentation,Contact Navico UK
Tel 01794 510010
Web http://www.navico.comSimrad NAIS-400 £1012 with active splitter, £795 without
Fully waterproof and compact,
this AIS has sockets for the
VHF and GPS antennae on the
speed GPS receiver built in and
a GPS antenna supplied, you
can be up and running in no
time using the proAIS2 software
supplied on disk.
The NAIS-400 boasts low
power consumption (170mA),
despite having a powerful
transmitter for maximum range
and it also contains a multiplexer
for converting between the NMEA
data and providing it as an output
on USB for connection to PC.
Simrad also produces an active
antenna splitter, in a separate
identical box, for those who want
to share the VHF antenna ratherProAIS2 programming Other vessels
A list of target vessels in user-
defi ned order.
Diagnostics
In the checklist MMSI, GPS fi x, AIS
transmit/receive, antenna and power
check should have green ticks.
Statistics shows the number of signals
sent/received and Status replicates
the front panel LEDs, but adds a ‘silent
mode’ soft switch. The Messages
window displays logging data and the
one below alarms.Serial data
A continuously scrolling list of AIS data being
received and transmitted by the transponder
in NMEA-0183 format. The list can be paused
when checking for errors or missing sentences.£1084 with active splitter, £835 without
top and the data ports, including
NMEA-0183, NMEA-2000, USB,
together with the power at the
bottom. With a
50-channel high-The receiver
for the GPS is
built in, an
antenna is also
suppliedthis AIS has sockets for the
VHF and GPS antennae on the
NMEA-0183, NMEA-2000, USB,
together with the power at the
bottom. With a
50-channel high-than install a separate one.
Using this in conjunction with a
B&G, Simrad or Lowrance VHF
radio will enable direct dialling
from the plotter screen.8 /
10The NAIS-
400 is
small with
a simple
LED
displayUnder the
cover is a
mini-USB2
port and a
standard
SD slotRaymarine uses
a proprietary
SeaTalkng port
rather than
NMEA 2000Under the8 /
10or red (error). The AIS650 along with other documentation,
Raymarine uses
a proprietary
SeaTalk
rather thanThe SD card slot is available for
software updates and offl ine
data logging.and Windows found the drivers
online and installed them
automatically, which made
setting-up quick and simple.Confi guration
Insert your Maritime Mobile Service
Identity (MMSI) here. Once confi rmed
it can’t be changed without returning
it to the maker for reprogramming.
Call sign, vessel type and dimensions,
GPS data type and Satellite-Based
Augmentation System (SBAS – either
EGNOS or WAAS) are also entered
here. The default port speed should
remain at 38,000 baud.
GNSS
GPS signal strength. A blue bar
indicates a satellite is detected, turning to
green when the receiver locks on. If an SBAS is
being used it turns yellow. Bar height refl ects
reception quality (>30dBHz is good).
ABOVE: Most of the AIS transponders
on test use ProAIS to confi gure and set
up. This includes entering the location
of the GPS antenna on board the vessel