Panbo

The Marine Electronics Hub

Category: AIS

All these AIS targets were being sent to Marine Traffic by one vessel's DataHub, with little effort or cost 24

Editors' Blog / Wireless & Apps / AIS / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K / Monitoring & Tracking

Share your boat’s AIS info, easy with DataHub by PredictWind

Do you use an AIS tracking website or app to follow cruising friends, check that your own AIS is transmitting, hunt for Russian oligarchs, and/or simply to identify an interesting vessel from your seaside restaurant table? Indeed, some of the services like Marine Traffic and FleetMon are now rich with photos, added vessel info, and features like extended track histories. But perhaps you’re also aware that volunteer receiving stations provide most of the data, and a lot more stations are needed to cover even just the planet’s coastal areas. So I’m pleased to report…

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Press Releases / Safety & SAR / AIS

Milltech Marine Announces Acquisition and Eyes the Future

Milltech Marine, a global leader in marine safety specializing in Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) and communications systems, announced today it has been acquired by Jason Young, former Global Sales Director for Vesper Marine, a leading manufacturer of AIS solutions. Young has committed Milltech to continuing its legacy of exceptional customer service, while expanding its reach to small manufacturers looking to move into the American market…

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Editors' Blog / AIS / The Trade / Monitoring & Tracking

Garmin Buys Vesper, will the innovation continue?

t that Ben Ellison and I are big fans of Vesper Marine. As a small company out of New Zealand, Vesper has punched above its weight class by delivering numerous innovations. Well before getting involved in the marine electronics industry, I’ve been impressed by Vesper’s ability to deliver easy-to-use products that make boating safer and more relaxed. Vesper’s anchor alarm functionality (first covered on Panbo over a decade ago!) remains more capable than any MFD anchor alarm I’ve seen. So, it was a big surprise this morning to see that Garmin has bought Vesper. What will this mean for the scrappy little company and its track record of innovating?

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Wireless & Apps / AIS

AMEC B600W Class B SOTDMA AIS, data multiplexing included

Class B AIS transceivers only became legal in the USA about 13 years ago, but they’ve certainly become valued equipment on many mid-size and larger recreational vessels. The Class B regulations have also improved — when the higher-power, faster-talking SOTDMA transmission protocol became a choice — and many manufacturers added useful features beyond what’s required by the AIS regulations. The AMEC WideLink B600W that I recently installed on Gizmo Junior pretty well illustrates the state of Class B these days, and also includes a rare data multiplexing ability that can improve PC or tablet navigation…

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Editors' Blog / Communications / AIS

Digital Antenna 992, wideband VHF/AIS antenna with easy cabling

Both Ben Ellison and I have recently installed Vesper’s Cortex VHF Radio, AIS, and boat monitoring system. Cortex uses a single VHF antenna for VHF voice and AIS, which calls out for a wideband antenna that covers both frequency ranges well. Ben E. selected a Shakespeare 6500-WB antenna, and I’ve been testing a Digital Antenna 992 wideband antenna. We don’t have the ability to perform in-depth performance comparisons, but here’s a look at what you should expect from the antennas, and also the installation differences.

New Boat Network feature seen on iPad and Android phone versions of Cortex Onboard apps

Communications / AIS / The future / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K / Monitoring & Tracking

Vesper Cortex update: Boat Networks, squashing bugs & more

Vesper Marine’s Cortex AIS, VHF, and monitoring system is the most innovative marine electronics product I’ve tested in a long time. But Cortex is also a serious challenge to review properly because it has so many useful capabilities — some of which look and feel strikingly different from their antecedents — and it’s also a system designed to evolve. That’s the justification for this update, even though…

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Navigation / Communications / AIS / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K / Monitoring & Tracking

Testing Vesper Cortex M1: excellent AIS, monitoring, and much more in one box

What a box! If possible, I’d expand the headline to “excellent AIS transceiver, dual antenna splitter, high-performance GNSS, AIS display and collision avoidance, NMEA 0183 & 2000 data multiplexing, nav app WiFi support, anchor watch, and general off-boat monitoring.” And even that long list leaves out the powerful VHF radio that’s also inside the M1 hub, accessible with the innovative multifunction Cortex handsets, and understandably the most prominent feature in Vesper’s marketing. But that’s my plan for this review…

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Navigation / AIS / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

Quark-Elec A026: AIS receiver with WiFi, GPS, and NMEA 0183 multiplexing

Quark-Elec offers quite an array of problem-solving marine electronic devices. I’ve been testing their A026 AIS receiver with built-in GPS; data output via WiFi, USB, or NMEA 0183; plus an 0183 input that can be multiplexed into its output stream. This little box could be the perfect answer for day sailors, delivery captains, and any boater looking for an easy way to get AIS target and GPS data to a navigation app running on a tablet or phone, or to a PC or MFD. But, how does it perform?