Albin Owners Group

After reading Doug's post regarding his MMSI issue I thought I would start a new thread on my AIS install. I selected the Vesper Marine XB-8000 Wi-Fi, AIS/VHF antenna splitter and the portable GPS antenna. I went with the antenna splitter and portable GPS antenna first to see if dedicated antennas would be required. Plus running two more wires up to the radar arch isn’t much fun. Happily it all works well. VHF transmit and receive is still clear and the GPS positioning is quick and accurate. I installed the unit behind the helm. Sorry no pictures yet.

The marinetraffic.com website is awesome. I have posted pictures of Lyon’s Pride there. The boat is on the hard so you won’t see a live location but it will show the last known position if you search for it. There is another Lyon’s Pride listed but you should be able to tell which one is the Albin. I use iNavX on my iPad for navigation. It is a great app and I have yet to have any issues with it. The AIS unit sends all local AIS targets to the current chart for viewing via the Wi-Fi connection. Setup is a breeze. I highly recommend the XB-8000 and iNavX app to all that want AIS and another cool toy to play with.

Very cool! I've added you to my Fleet!

I've added a couple of pictures of Sonny to the MT site as well.

I've been looking at several AIS units. The Vesper Marine is definitely in the running. What made you choose it?

Here's a good review and discussion at Panbo, although it includes coverage of the display as well. But the basic unit's capabilities seem to be well proven.

http://www.panbo.com/archives/2013/08/h ... star_.html

The alarm filter is more valuable for high traffic situations in particular.

I'm deaf as a door nail,is there anything available with bluetooth or wi-fi that my VHF radio can transmit & receive to a wireless headset.I have tried external speakers which don't help enough.I can hear while sitting or at idle but underway it is pretty much impossible for me to process the words.I use headphones for the TV at home and it helps a lot.
P.S. don't suggest getting hearing aids I already have a couple grand of them and like most people that have them they are buried in a dresser drawer.

ADMIN Note - Copying this post to a new thread to carry on the "headset" conversation separately from the AIS discussion. See - "Headsets / Hearing"

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=6952

amber jj wrote:I'm deaf as a doornail,is there anything available with wi-fi that my VHF radio can transmit & receive to a wireless headset.I can hear while sitting or at idle but underway it is pretty much impossible for me to process the words.

AIS uses more visual interfaces than audible, so as long as the alert, which is usually for a CPA (Closest Point of Approach) warning, has a loud buzzer/beep, you would probably be ok. The really handy part is that you not only see the ship's info, but you know what her name is, course, and speed. Knowing the name makes it easy to hail them if there's an issue.

So for example, on my recent late season trip. I was steaming to Port Jefferson on Long Island. There are two large ferries that run between there and Bridgeport CT. It was pretty hazzy so I was using my radar, but I also had my AIS app up and running. As I approached the entrance I was able to look at the screen and see where the ferry was, hidden in the mist and approaching, but clearly far away enough to know she wasn't a problem. The second ferry was tied up at the dock so I knew they wouldn't be a problem.

What this did was improve my Situational Awareness, and allow me to concentrate on the waters right around me.

What the app does NOT do, and what dvlyon's true AIS does do, is show up on the ferry's AIS plot. And the app is only as good as your cellular data connection. (Which is pretty good in Long Island Sound) But the app is a good way to try this stuff out and for friends and family to track you.

DougSea wrote:Very cool! I've added you to my Fleet!
I've added a couple of pictures of Sonny to the MT site as well.
I've been looking at several AIS units. The Vesper Marine is definitely in the running. What made you choose it?

I went with the Vesper XB-8000 because of the Wi-Fi option. It will also transmitter other NMEA data via Wi-Fi which is nice for the iNavX app.

amber jj wrote:I'm deaf as a door nail, is there anything available with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi that my VHF radio can transmit & receive to a wireless headset. I have tried external speakers which don't help enough. I can hear while sitting or at idle but underway it is pretty much impossible for me to process the words. I use headphones for the TV at home and it helps a lot.
P.S. don't suggest getting hearing aids I already have a couple grand of them and like most people that have them they are buried in a dresser drawer.

Amber JJ - consider plugging a Bluetooth transmitter into your VHF external speaker jack. http://www.amazon.com/Miccus-Mini-jack- ... B002HHLOWC You may need to get a plug adapter but they are easy to find at Radio Shack. Then get yourself a nice set of Bluetooth noise canceling headphones.