Author Topic: AIS (Again)  (Read 5037 times)

Seductress

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AIS (Again)
« on: January 25, 2015, 08:18:53 AM »
Thanks for all the info on the Standard Horizon GX2150 in the last post. I'm starting new since the thread is so old and I got a past 120 day warning.Now with the introduction of the GX2200 with built-in GPS there is no need to connect the radio to a GPS. But, I bought a factory refurbished GX2150 (they call me Cheap Joe) and plan to connect it to a Lowrance Elite 4 Gold Chartplotter that I'll mount on the helm. I'm wondering if anyone has connected either of those radios to a chartplotter and if the GPS then automatically displays the target vessels on its screen? Reading the literature and talking to my local West Marine genius it sounds like it does and thereby eliminating the distraction/difficulty issue previously raised about the small radio display.

THEN: There's a breakout cable available from Milltech Marine that could also be connected to a set of radio leads and terminates with a USB connector. That raises the possibility of installing a wi-fi or bluetooth transmitter and possibly picking up the AIS data on a iPad to display running iNavX chart plotting software.
OR: is come kind of multiplexer or software required to do this? For the price of the breakout cable ($35) I think I'll give it a try.

I like the idea of redundancy. The radio with remote microphone that also has a display gives me two tiny AIS screens, one in the cabin and one at the helm. The helm also has the GPS (with AIS target display, I expect and will report). I want to have all the same data on the iPad chartplotter with the advantage of portability (if possible). I know if the radio goes out the AIS is lost. But the iPad and GPS carry on. If the GPS at the helm goes out you have the iPad (with or without AIS depending on question above) functioning as a chart plotter (and our iPhones too). I also have a hand held VHF so I think I'm fully covered with fail-safe redundancy on the radio and GPS if not on the AIS.

Please poke holes in my reasoning. Your thoughts, comments, criticism, suggestions are welcomed.
thanks,
Joe (and Julie)
Very recent proud owners of Seductress, a 1982 323


Dolce_Vita

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Re: AIS (Again)
« Reply #1 on: January 25, 2015, 11:09:42 AM »
Redundancy is good.  I have a similar setup, with a SH Matrix 2100 interfaced to my Garmin chartplotter.  The chartplotter and the RAM3 remote mike are mounted at the helm.

Even though the chartplotter is my primary "go to" device, I still find myself occasionally using the RAM3's display for information.  And below at the nav station, where the radio is mounted, I can get GPS position without having to go back up to the helm.

I'll be real interested to hear about your USB experiments.  Keep us posted!
@(^.^)@  Ed
1977 P-323 #42 "Dolce Vita"
with rebuilt Atomic-4