Finished my VHF Install

[Bad Obsession]

Holy Cow! That was a HUGE project.

Basically I added a brand new VHF into my boat where there has never been one. I ran the Coax up the mast, rewire the mast at the same time, and did all the wiring for the GPS and VHF to be networked.

With the set-up I now have AIS targets showing up on my Garmin 441s. I have the ability to do AIS as well.

Today I finished putting the terminals on the coax and hooked everything up. I did learn that I suck at soldering.

I powered up the VHF and it worked. I was happy to hear everything was working and I even saw an AIS target on the GPS. This is with my mast down so it will only get better when I step the mast.

I also finished putting the deck plug on my rewired mast. All my nav lights worked also.

I am happy with the upgrade and I am glad that I am done. Now I have a lot of cleaning to do from sawdust, construction dust, and other things. Ugh.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Congrats, great job. Do you mean you can also transmit AIS?

 

[cb32863]

Pics!

 

[Bad Obsession]

I just receive AIS right now.

Pictures will come when things are clean! My cabin is horrible!

 

[Ken13559]

Congrats!
You know, sailing with AIS is like a person with cataract removed. You have clearer pictures of waters around you. That's how it felt to me when I first install a Class B AIS.
Wonderful feeling to know who's coming and going and at what speed.

 

[rgranger]

Congrats Bad

I just purchased the same radio and I'm about to do the same job. So when you get pics, I'd love to see them.

Fair winds,
r

 

[Bad Obsession]

rgranger....The wiring schematic that I had come up with earlier was the correct set-up. You should be able to search the post.

The NMEA 0183 on the Garmin 441s wasn't exactly straight forward. You adjust the baud rate but you just put NMEA 0183 high speed (or something similar to that) when you select the Port 1 and Port 2. On the VHF end you want the higher of the numbers for the baud rate. That was a bit confusing but I figured it out.

I still am not sure what to do with the AIS alarms. I wonder if I should do with them or if I should just turn them off.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I still am not sure what to do with the AIS alarms. I wonder if I should do with them or if I should just turn them off.

From everything I've read on this issue (and I'm NOT a user, just a prolific reader) the alarms should all have adjustable settings. Get into the menus and find what works for you. www.cruisersforum.com has lots of discussions about this issue.

Evans Starzinger, Beth Leonard's husband has written quite a lot about it.

http://bethandevans.com/

That's his homepage, but try CF and search there.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Stu, I am sure that there is a lot of information out there on this and I will end up reading it just because it is interesting. I could see having them off during the day and on by night.

Thank you for the links.

 

[windward54]

I ended up turning mine off. I'm in Los Angeles Harbor, and the alarms go off constantly. I turn it back on when away from the harbor.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I could see having them off during the day and on by night.

In addition to that, a lot depends on where you are and what the potential traffic is.

It may not be as black & white as night & day. (Sorry, Matt, I just couldn't resist.)

One of the threads that Evans started on CF was his concern about skippers leaving their AIS transmit units on when they were docked and even when NOT on the boat. Of course there were some rubbish responses where someone claimed they liked to see that their boat was there by watching the AIS traffic on their computer at home: a feeble excuse for a security system. For goodness sake, their boats, without security systems and before AIS, hadn't been stolen before, but still... Personally, I find that kind of attitude rude to other boaters, by jamming up a network or even a simple receiver with garbage information of absolutely no use to a mariner who is underway and needing clear information about MOVING traffic.

Here's that link: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...s-off-when-docked-moored-anchored-103814.html

You can do an advanced search on CF using "ais" & "estarzinger", he's made lots of very helpful and informative posts and started many valuable threads.

 

[Ron20324]

I still am not sure what to do with the AIS alarms. I wonder if I should do with them or if I should just turn them off.

A guy in my sailing club went on a rant about ALL THOSE ALARMS. So many alarms as to be of no practical use. He was hoping the manufactures would find a way to set a minimum range (say 1/4 mile, for example) which could be considered a real threat.

 

[Stu Jackson]

AIS ALARMS

He was hoping the manufactures would find a way to set a minimum range (say 1/4 mile, for example) which could be considered a real threat.

Ron, Evans' discussions in the link I provided earlier covers this, IIRC. My understanding is that one should be able to set the, for example, CPA trigger. I also figure that each model AIS has different characteristics. It's the old RTFM time again - Bruce D, F stands for Funny!

 

[rpwillia]

What brand of radio/model was it?

 

[Bad Obsession]

Standard Horizon 2150. Got it for a steal at $200.

I am VERY happy with the install and the radio. It is a cool capability at a reasonable price.

 

[rpwillia]

Standard Horizon 2150. Got it for a steal at $200.

I am VERY happy with the install and the radio. It is a cool capability at a reasonable price.

Nice!