ACR AIS Receiver

J

journey on

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I bought an ACR AIS Nauticast Receiver. $123+$45 for antenna. Couldn't resist.

This unit connects to a PC through an USB connector. I'm trying to use it with Fugawi nav software. Being 30 miles from the ocean, there is a paucity of AIS signals.

Before I drive to San Diego Harbour to test the thing, has anybody used one, especially with a PC?

Boris
 
OK, I'm not gonna leave this alone. As I mentioned above, for less that $200, cheaper than a Generac generator, I've added AIS to the boat. Antenna and all. And why am I so pumped?

Well, we spend a lot of time dodging the Washington and BC ferries up north and down south the Chinese container ships cruising at 25 knts between Santa Cruz Island and the mainland. You hit one of those babies and your day is over. Don't forget the tankers and container ships going through Rosario Strait and Boundary Pass or the Catalina Channel or up and down San Francisco Bay. So anything that helps is gonna be good, and AIS helps. You do not need a transmitter, just a receiver. Nothing against a transmitter, but those cost a great deal of money and don't give YOU more information.

What does AIS do? Well, by law, all those biggies have to broadcast thier ID, position and velocity via AIS transmitters. So that data is out there for free. And when you receive it, and plug it into your navigation program you get:
... The name and type of vessel, so you know at which one you're looking.
... And that name shows up at the ships position, reaffirming your view.
... Also, most nav programs accept AIS data and calculate:
...... Closest point of approach based on your GPS data and their AIS signal.
...... The time of that closest point of approach, so you can decide with some accuracy if you're going to have to duck or just keep on going.
... It also displays their speed and direction.

Now, this supposes you're running a navigation program that accepts AIS data, either on a PC or a chart plotter. I think all the newer ones do: Fuguwa, Rosepoint, Mapquest as well as Furuno, Raymarine, Garmin, etc. And a large number of C-Brats have one or the other.

So how easy was the Nauticast receiver to interface? Easy, once I went to a place that had AIS signals, as in San Diego Harbour. First you have two choices for input into your PC or chartplotter: USB or dedicated RS422 lines. And you can multiplex your GPS data through this AIS receiver, or use an independent input. The input comes via NMEA sentences, and the unit only outputs data when it receives an AIS signal , which explains why I had to leave the mountains and go to San Diego. It needs its own DC supply, but it only takes 200 mw. The Fugawa software picked up about 20 signals and plotted them on the chart and showed a table of the ships and the data. Most were docked.

So, I heartily recommend the ACR Nauticast AIS receiver as a low cost nav aid with a large payoff.

Boris
 
I'm with Boris and Roger. Finally, and where did you get the antenna? And, what chartplotter did you interface with? How much trouble was the installation?

Thanks for bringing this up Boris .
 
I also picked up the exact same ACR AIS receiver for about $132 US. I also got a perfect antenna for $5 CAN (shipping was $15 though). It's a 1.5 foot Pacific Aerial [http://radioworld.ca/marine-vhf-antennas-p6106-p-7281.html] Had to get a mount for it, but that's not a lot. All in, easily less than $200. I've read that antenna height is not critical for AIS receiver use in small boats. The heights of the AIS transmitting antennas on those big ships are considerable and they will be seen by your receiver from several miles away - in lots of time to get out the way. I have yet to install it, connect it to my Garmin GPSMAP 421 and try it out. It's not radar (which I don't have), but it's not thousands of dollars either. And I need to see those big ones because they might not see me! Any other experiences with this particular AIS receiver would be appreciated.
 
The antenna came from Defender: Shakespeare Style 5250-AIS Mini Antenna (the one with cable.)

Hooking it up (easily, for a change,) consisted of hooking the power leads to a battery, connecting the antenna, plugging the USB connector into the PC and going to San Diego Harbour for the signals. I had Fugawi on the computer.

Boris
 
Agree--great addition. We have the Standard Horizon Radio/AIS combo, with link to Garmin chart plotter. I think that for most of our use, the receiver only is more than satisfactory.
 
I happen to like duplicit redundancy and that is why I went with the Standard Horizon 2150 and it's AIS receiver function. The VHF had the loud-hailer and Auto fog horn capability that could add the redundancy features I wanted and I got the AIS as a bonus :wink: It is connected to the Raymarine C-120 for full service AIS reception, AND the SH 2150 allows one button DSC call to any AIS target. Yes, it was more that $200 but the additional features are worth it, at least for me, and it is a top end VHF, which means it talks out just like the others but has more buttons I don't know what to do with. :roll:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
I have the ACR receive/transmit version and am very well pleased with it. Has saved me many worries in heavy traffic/fog conditions more than once and it can even tell me if that damned tug with logs in tow is about to enter the Swinomish at the same time as we negotiate the tight bits. :shock:

In retrospect, the receive portion is certainly the most valuable but I do feel that the Tx part lets the big guys know what you are doing and that you have probably seen them, often without need for a VHF call.

The "one touch" VHF call to a target given by the latest Radio's is another real plus because no-one is going to be messing about inputting an MSSI # in heavy seas/fog/traffic leaving you with the Bridge-bridge call option.

M
 
I installed my ACR AIS Nauticast Receiver today, along with my 1.5 foot antenna. Connections were very simple, as were the settings on my Garmin GPSMAP 421. Works great. Could see all the targets within at least a 10 mile range, just from my yard (two blocks from the water). Looking forward to trying it on the water.
 
My ACR Nauticast AIS Receiver was waiting on the porch when I returned home from AZ tonight. The order was submitted Monday morning! The unit was $109.15 plus $8.95 S&H from Hodges Marine in Oldsmar FL. I'm looking forward to installing and using the unit. Spring seems right around the corner! :wink:
 
Roger,

Maybe we can do a comparison run for fun and see how they look. I am looking forward to getting some things done and the boat in the water too.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
The ACR works great. Integrates perfectly with my Garmin GPSMAP 421. Alarms, full information on the AIS targets, it's all there and works perfectly. Great addition.
 
I finished up the ACR-AIS installation this morning. Very happy with the results. It interfaces perfectly with the Raymarine E-80. With the 15" sailboat antenna, I got 62 signal responses, the furthest away was a ship anchored in Cowichan Bay, 72 miles away. We'll probably see fewer when we're in the water instead of high on our hill!

This was a bargain at under $160 total expenditure.
 
Roger,

Nice job. Pretty good Dxing for a start. Guess a 500 foot antenna might keep that range, but maybe that's more than you'll need even with the TomCat.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Hi,
do this AIS work with any chartplotter? I have a northstar 6100i. do you need a special interface or will it be plotted automatcaly on the chartscreen?
 
Amazing range with not much antenna. Fished the Strait of Juan de Fuca today. Picked up a commercial AIS target from 26.5 nautical miles today (about 30 statute miles).

My antenna is 18 inches long and mounted on my gunwale, therefore it is probably only 2-3 feet off the water. The height of the VHF antennas on these commercial vessels really make the difference.

Very impressive.
 
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