Yachting

GEAR TEST

With an item that is so highly regulated in its

specifi cations, apart from ensuring that they

all worked as they should and testing that

they are capable of transmitting AIS data over

a reasonable range, there was little else to

judge these devices on apart from how easy

they are to install, their features and what is

provided in the box.

A few offer some additional features such

as direct dialling from a compatible (ie. the

same brand) VHF radio, and onboard logging

to a data card. Some also offer built-in Wi-Fi,

which is handy if you want to view AIS data

on a tablet or phone, although where the

latter is really useful is when the transponder

has a multiplexer and can transmit all the

information on your instrument network over

Wi-Fi. That said, the simplest solution to the

latter is to use the remote Bluetooth software

that comes with new multi-function displays,

such as RayControl (Raymarine), GoFree

(Navico), Garmin Helm etc, which will leave

you with access the Internet and give you

control over the navigation system rather than

simply being able to view it.

To split, or not

Cost-wise, you need to decide whether

you want an antenna splitter or not. If not,

then you may as well rule out those with an

in-built splitter and save the money for the

new antenna installation. If you do, then it’s

worth looking at one of those in which the

splitter is included, such as the Garmin AIS600

and Digital Yacht AIT3000, or even Icom’s

MA500TR, which also gives you an AIS display

as well. For neatness, choosing one with an

in-built splitter also saves on cabling. If you’ve

chosen to install a separate AIS antenna then

one bonus of Digital Yacht’s AIT3000 is that

you can ‘mate’ it with a combined GPS/VHF

antenna, halving installation costs and hassle.

Whilst all units come with the GPS receiver

circuitry built in, most require an external

GPS antenna. A few have an internal antenna

(AIT1500, Vesper XB, AISLink), but I’d be wary

of relying on it below decks, so it’s a feature

I wouldn’t take much account of, personally.

72 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MAY 2016

Specifi cations of the AIS Class-B Transponders on test

With an item that is so highly regulated in its With an item that is so highly regulated in its

Conclusions

The software is usually provided on

a CD and most programs offered the

same facilities, the most common being

proAIS2. The software not only enables

you to confi gure the AIS with your MMSI

and boat details, but also allows you

to diagnose problems, check the GPS

reception, list the nearby AIS vessels and

fi nally log the received NMEA stream

into a PC fi le via the USB connection.

CONFIGURATION AND

LOGGING SOFTWARE

With or without antenna splitter the

Vesper XB represents excellent value

Comes with GPS, splitter and

NMEA-2000 network kit included

Vesper XB-6000/8000

Garmin AIS600

MAKE MODEL RRP inc gps RRP inc split I-GPS Multiplex WI-FI VOLTS NMEA USB DIMENSIONS W’PRF

Digital Yacht AIT-1500 £440.00 £665.00 Y N N 12/24 0183 Y 160 x 38 x 120 IPX7

Vesper XB-6000/8000 £459.00 £644.00 Y Y £140 12/24 0183/2000 Y 200 x 60 x 130 IPX7

AMEC Camino 108W £482.00 £702.00 N N £67 12/24 0183/2000 Y 128 x 36 x 88 IPX2

McMurdo M10 £540.00 £760.00 N N N 12/24 0183/2000 Y 128 x 38 x 88 IPX7

Icom MA500TR £599.00 £599.00 N N N 12 0183 N 165 x 110 x 123 IPX7

Comar CSB-200 £622.00 £844.00 N N N 12 0183/RS232 N 165 x 50 x 120 IPX2

ACR AISLink CB1 £649.00 £869.00 Y N N 12/24 0183/2000 Y 140 x 50 x 100 IPX7

Seapilot CTRX Graphene £664.00 £831.00 N £265 £139 12/24 0183/2000 Y 210 x 144 x 50 IPX7

Garmin AIS600 £779.00 £779.00 N N N 12/24 0183/2000 Y 249 x 64 x 180 IPX7

Simrad NAIS400 £795.00 £1,012.00 N Y N 12/24 0183/2000 Y 152 x 52 x 135 IPX7

Raymarine AIS650 £835.00 £1,084.00 N Y N 12/24 0183/SeaTalk Y 167 x 54 x 96 IPX2

Vesper XB represents excellent value

Which AIS transponders do we recommend?

Best Value

Stand-Alone Unit

Best Value

Within a Network

PHOTOS: COLIN WORK

Class-B AIS transceivers

KEY I-GPS: Internal GPS Multiplex: Receives and transmits NMEA data simultaneously