Where to put AIS antenna?

rgranger · Jun 22, 2023

Is this AIS system integrated with the VHF radio?

I installed one of these on my H26

And I had many of the same concernes that you are considering. The unit comes with a built-in AIS antenna. The manual said the AIS might not recieve if the unit is inside the boat... so I purchsed an AIS antenna... but never needed to instal it. Once I had the VHF in the boat and fired it up, the internal AIS antenna worked just fine. Anyway, I was going to install my AIS antenna on the stern rail.

rgranger · Jun 22, 2023

Also, if you decide to use a VHF with AIS, this unit has a very nice RAM mic. I also installed that on my H26... you have full functionality with the RAM and the mother unit stays in the boat nice and dry.

Richard19068 · Jun 22, 2023

arcadiahunter28 said:
1) Does your radio transmit AND receive? (AIS)

Does there exist a single unit that receives VHF and GPS and both receives and transmits AIS?

jviss · Jun 22, 2023

You can get an AIS splitter, which allows an AIS transponder and VHF to share the antenna at the top of the mast. I have an older one, the Raymarine AIS Splitter 100.

You can get the Shakespeare VHF/AIS Antenna Splitter - 5257-S at Defender for $60.

Davidasailor26 · Jun 22, 2023

Richard19068 said:
Does there exist a single unit that receives VHF and GPS and both receives and transmits AIS?

The B&G V60-B can do this, for a mere $1199. But you still need two antennas or a splitter.

Davidasailor26 · Jun 22, 2023

rgranger said:
Is this AIS system integrated with the VHF radio?

I installed one of these on my H26

View attachment 217146

And I had many of the same concernes that you are considering. The unit comes with a built-in AIS antenna. The manual said the AIS might not recieve if the unit is inside the boat... so I purchsed an AIS antenna... but never needed to instal it. Once I had the VHF in the boat and fired it up, the internal AIS antenna worked just fine. Anyway, I was going to install my AIS antenna on the stern rail.

Is it the AIS antenna that’s built in or GPS? I would’ve guessed the GPS antenna could be built in but might be attenuated by some hulls, but the AIS reception would come from the same whip antenna as the VHF radio as they’re very similar frequencies.

kappykaplan · Jun 22, 2023

My AIS has a splitter with the VHF and a separate GPS antenna on the stern railing.

rgranger · Jun 22, 2023

arcadiahunter28 said:
OK, I'm looking at the Raymarine AIS700 Transceiver that will both receive and transmit AIS data. 2 questions: 1) Does your radio transmit AND receive? 2) Is yours integrated with a chart plotter (I have a Raymarine Axiom 12+). Thanks!

No
Just received

kappykaplan · Jun 22, 2023

arcadiahunter28 said:
Ok that's where I was thinking of putting it. Does yours tie into a multifunction display?

Yes. Raymarine E90W.

kappykaplan · Jun 22, 2023

arcadiahunter28 said:
That's an amazing MFD. So the integrated GPS on that unit won't suffice for the AIS? You need both?

Regulations require separate GPS source for AIS.

Tally Ho · Jun 22, 2023

I sail on Lake Michigan (South end). I installed a B&G V50 AIS-enabled VHF radio. It also supports N2K, so I networked it with my older Garmin GPSMaps Chart Plotter.

the CP provides the GPS coordinates for DSC and emergency broadcast should I need it, and the radio provides the AIS info to the CP so I can see other ships with AIS. I can hail them by name, etc. I find it a nice feature.

I do NOT have AIS transmit capability, but I don’t really miss that. And my set up cost about $500 for the new radio and n N2K cable. Used my original antenna - the radio handles the splitting of the signal I guess.

Greg

jssailem · Jun 22, 2023

Richard19068 said:
Does there exist a single unit that receives VHF and GPS and both receives and transmits AIS?

Yes

Vesper Marine developed the Cortex.

Cortex combines a state-of-the-art VHF radio with Vesper’s unique smartAIS transponder and remote vessel monitoring technology.

Vesper was acquired by Garmin January 2022.

jssailem · Jun 22, 2023

Arcadia. Many sailors just want to know where the commercial boats are. For that all you need is a VHF radio with AIS receiving. The single VHF antenna on your boat will work great providing AIS reception, data of the boats, where they are in relation to your boat. If you attach the radio to your Seatalkng network the data will be available to your Axiom Chart plotter and you’ll be able to see the boats around you so you can avoid them.

While a transceiver sends out a signal for your boat the cost of the systems go up. For basic use and localized reception (6nm and under) you can use the same antenna. The AIS uses a bandwidth just above the middle range of the VHF radios.

You can put a separate tuned antenna for the AIS or you can ge a splitter and get a separate AIS unit sharing the single antenna. Bear in mind you talk on the VHF the AIS sits and Estes till you are finished. Then resumes looking for AIS data.

SoSound · Jun 22, 2023

Under good weather conditions, I was very happy with just reception through my VHF and displayed on my chartplotter. The chartplotter displays extension lines for the AIS targets, and that is what I usually see, long before the target itself appears on my screen. The chartplotter and AIS reception provide me with plenty of time to monitor any commercial traffic that I encounter and make adjustments, if necessary.

As we spent more time cruising the San Juan Islands and venturing into Canada, we had a couple of low visibility encounters which convinced me that there was a significant benefit to transmitting a signal so that I could be seen by others as well, so I bought a transponder. The unit that I bought has an integrated splitter, which saved me a little on the purchase price. The small GPS antenna for the transponder (finally getting to the point of the OP question) seems to work just fine from inside the boat, located just below the deck on top of the interior cabinetry.