MacGregorSailors.com

Thank Bnix

Your set up looks good. I had a Great week of G.A.S. -Gear Acquisition Syndrom

Sold my Raymarine digital radar on Ebay for $750;
Bought Lowrance 4g for 1700 on Cyber Monday saving 2bills & picked up the standard Horizon VHF w/ gps & ais for 3bills - its still on sale + $40 rebate , every other place $100 more

Thanks Sumner: gpscity.com is The place to go.

So, like a degenerate gambler, I feel I'm up 3 bills or got the VHF for free, rather than down the 2 boat bucks I was gonna spend by next season anyway.

Now if only The Admiral was a gambler...

WATZ A Lowrance 4g ?

latest solid state radar- way less radiation- apparently less than a cell phone.
reduced range- with awesome sensitivity and clarity.
basically a lot safer- and more user friendly- shorter range- i have the 3G lowrance- same as 4G a little less range

Wayne nicol wrote:latest solid state radar- way less radiation- apparently less than a cell phone.
reduced range- with awesome sensitivity and clarity.
basically a lot safer- and more user friendly- shorter range- i have the 3G lowrance- same as 4G a little less range

How did you set up your 3g, Wayne? Do you use it much? & How much do you like it?
Is your Lowrance connected to yoyr motor & providing info?

& of course - Would love to see pics of your setup- at your convenience

Inquiring minds would like to know...

I'd like to think that I have a strong case of gadgetitis but just not the finances to fully support it yet. Or perhaps more accurately, not the financial approval yet. But I'm looking at a few AIS receiver options and curious about how you picked that model out.

When I look at the SH GX2200, the big draw seems to be that it has an integrated GPS, which would be beneficial for use with OpenCPN (i.e. using without a chartplotter, which I don't yet have).

I was also looking at something like the Lowrance Link-8, but it has no GPS. My one course of action has me connecting a handheld GPS to display some NMEA data anyways, so I was kinda thinking the GPS may be redundant. Not sure.

The other alternative is a standalone AIS receiver which is moderately cheaper. No GPS again, but the big question here is whether or not these integrated models have a dual use capability. Basically, if I buy a VHF with AIS built-in, is it functional doing both, or is there a big tradeoff? I would suspect that I can't recieve AIS data while I'm using the radio for other things (unless there's a weird antenna setup that goes along with it), but I'd be curious about actual real-world usage (as in, does this really affect anything).

Dog House wrote:I'd like to think that I have a strong case of gadgetitis but just not the finances to fully support it yet. Or perhaps more accurately, not the financial approval yet. But I'm looking at a few AIS receiver options and curious about how you picked that model out.

When I look at the SH GX2200, the big draw seems to be that it has an integrated GPS, which would be beneficial for use with OpenCPN (i.e. using without a chartplotter, which I don't yet have).

I was also looking at something like the Lowrance Link-8, but it has no GPS. My one course of action has me connecting a handheld GPS to display some NMEA data anyways, so I was kinda thinking the GPS may be redundant. Not sure.

The other alternative is a standalone AIS receiver which is moderately cheaper. No GPS again, but the big question here is whether or not these integrated models have a dual use capability. Basically, if I buy a VHF with AIS built-in, is it functional doing both, or is there a big tradeoff? I would suspect that I can't recieve AIS data while I'm using the radio for other things (unless there's a weird antenna setup that goes along with it), but I'd be curious about actual real-world usage (as in, does this really affect anything).

I



I have been eyeing that GX2200 and wondering about the doing both will the AIS alert in I using the Vhf low power to stay in contact with dingy boat to boat. I am thinking that that AIS and GPS should be working with each other my location and AIS ship location.

Dog House wrote:.... Basically, if I buy a VHF with AIS built-in, is it functional doing both, or is there a big tradeoff? I would suspect that I can't recieve AIS data while I'm using the radio for other things (unless there's a weird antenna setup that goes along with it), but I'd be curious about actual real-world usage (as in, does this really affect anything).

In the case of the 2200 with GPS/AIS it will send the AIS data to your chart plotter or OpenCPN while at the same time allowing you to talk/receive at any transmission strength. Also at the same time it is looking for anyone's DSC distress signal. It is actuality 3 radios operating in one common case. Most newer radios with just DSC also have two separate receivers in them. One that is always on the channel for DSC and the other that is on any channel you select. Older ones would scan the DSC channel while also transmitting or receiving.

The 2200 transmits the AIS info at 38400 baud so you need one input into the chart plotter or a computer running OpenCPN receiving the AIS from the radio separate from your current GPS location. If OpenCPN can be configured to receive AIS and GPS at 38400 baud then you can use a single RS232 serial to USB converter with the computer along with the wiring to get from the radio to the computer and receive GPS and AIS over the one cable (I haven't tried that).

If not and you want to receive GPS location for use with the OpenCPN then you would need a second RS232 serial to USB converter as that is sent from the radio at 4800 baud. It is probably easier to just use a $35 GPS puck that plugs into a USB port on the computer for GPS position.

I use the puck for GPS with the OpenCPN and one cable from my AIS radio (prior Standard Horizon with no internal GPS) to see AIS targets with OpenCPN. I have another cable from the computer to a handheld in the cockpit so that I can send routes/waypoints from OpenCPN to the handheld and the handheld also transmits GPS location to OpenCPN so I have backup in case the puck failed. The computer I built has two RS232 ports on the back of it so I don't need to use the RS232 to USB converters but have a couple on board as back up in case I had to switch to the laptop or a netbook I also have onboard with OpenCPN and charts loaded.

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

Hey sumner, your not saying that we can SEND an AIS signal, right?

BOAT wrote:Hey sumner, your not saying that we can SEND an AIS signal, right?

No, not with a SH 2200. It will only receive and send the target info to the chart plotter,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[quote="Gazmn"]Thank Bnix
& picked up the standard Horizon VHF w/ gps & ais for 3bills - its still on sale + $40 rebate , every other place $100 more


Where did you pick up the Standard Horizon ? and is it the gw2200 ?

Sumner wrote:

Dog House wrote:.... Basically, if I buy a VHF with AIS built-in, is it functional doing both, or is there a big tradeoff? I would suspect that I can't recieve AIS data while I'm using the radio for other things (unless there's a weird antenna setup that goes along with it), but I'd be curious about actual real-world usage (as in, does this really affect anything).

In the case of the 2200 with GPS/AIS it will send the AIS data to your chart plotter or OpenCPN while at the same time allowing you to talk/receive at any transmission strength. Also at the same time it is looking for anyone's DSC distress signal. It is actuality 3 radios operating in one common case. Most newer radios with just DSC also have two separate receivers in them. One that is always on the channel for DSC and the other that is on any channel you select. Older ones would scan the DSC channel while also transmitting or receiving.

The 2200 transmits the AIS info at 38400 baud so you need one input into the chart plotter or a computer running OpenCPN receiving the AIS from the radio separate from your current GPS location. If OpenCPN can be configured to receive AIS and GPS at 3800 baud then you can use a RS232 serial to USB converter with the computer along with the wiring to get from the radio to the computer and receive GPS and AIS over the one cable (I haven't tried that).

If not and you want to receive GPS location for use with the OpenCPN then you would need a second RS232 serial to USB converter as that is sent from the radio at 4800 baud. It is probably easier to just use a $35 GPS puck that plugs into a USB port on the computer for GPS position.

I use the puck for GPS with the OpenCPN and one cable from my AIS radio (prior Standard Horizon with no internal GPS) to see AIS targets with OpenCPN. I have another cable from the computer to a handheld in the cockpit so that I can send routes/waypoints from OpenCPN to the handheld and the handheld also transmits GPS location to OpenCPN so I have backup in case the puck failed. The computer I built has two RS232 ports on the back of it so I don't need to use the RS232 to USB converters but have a couple on board as back up in case I had to switch to the laptop or a netbook I also have onboard with OpenCPN and charts loaded.

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

Awesome info, thanks very much. This answers questions I hadn't even pondered yet.

Where did you pick up the Standard Horizon ? and is it the gw2200 ?

Check out hodges marine, you have to put it in the cart for the price, the gx2200 is $292. I picked one up there last spring. I like the radio, splice 2 basic wires to your plotter and the targets show up. SH sent the rebate pretty quickly too.

Seapup wrote:

Where did you pick up the Standard Horizon ? and is it the gw2200 ?

Check out hodges marine, you have to put it in the cart for the price, the gx2200 is $292. I picked one up there last spring. I like the radio, splice 2 basic wires to your plotter and the targets show up. SH sent the rebate pretty quickly too.

Thanks for the info I found one and it is on order got for $299.99 free shipping .