AIS – Navigation Mac

XB-8000 new transponder AIS WiFi for mobile devices [Update]

Posted on5 February 202316 November 20237 Comments

Vesper Marine, company established in 2007 in Auckland (New Zealand), specializes in the design of devices for AIS data broadcasting. Their latest product, XB-8000, is a Class B AIS transponder certified NMEA2000® compact, low consumption, responding to the yachting market and small business units. It has essentially been designed with a view to WiFi transmission to navigation applications developed on tablets and smartphones.

[Updated] After the acquisition of Vesper Marine by Garmin, this device is discontinued since February 2023. The brand name is also removed.

Garmin offers Vesper Marine

Posted on4 rd, January 20224 rd, January 2022Comment

Obviously Garmin® has long teeth ! After Active Captain and Navionics charts, Garmin® has just announced the purchase of Vesper Marine, specialized in high-end AIS transponders (¹). Read more …

Weather4D and SailGrib improve the AIS network

Posted on5 June 201921 rd, January 20227 Comments

Many AIS tracking networks broadcast over the Internet are available. Among the best known : Marine Traffic, Vessel Finder, SiiTech, LocalizaTodo, and many others. One of these networks especially stands out, AISHub, an AIS NMEA data sharing center, which provides developers with an API for integration of its network in applications, and therefore display of AIS targets received over the Internet directly into the application. Featured from the beginning in Weather4D Routing & Navigation, this system has made it possible to envisage new and particularly innovative services. Read more …

The new AIS transponders Class B + explained

Posted on17 April 20191 March 202113 Comments

The new AIS transponder AIT5000 (from Digital Yacht) increasing the transmission rate depending on the speed of the ship.

A new transponder generation (¹) AIS Class B + claims to make them more visible pleasure boats. here's how… Read more …

AIS Transponder, dedicated antenna or antenna splitter ? [Update]

Posted on25 July 201821 rd, January 20225 Comments

I relayed by an article published in 2014 on the blog Digital Yacht which provides an excellent discussion of the choice of the antenna to be installed for a transceiver AIS. You will find below a transcript freely adapted by my care.

One of the most frequent questions asked by boaters who want to buy an AIS Class B Transponder : which antenna VHF use ? Read more …

iNavX 5.2 : AIS by Internet service becomes paying

Posted on7 May 201810 July 20207 Comments

With the latest release 5.2 of iNavX, AIS reception service by internet becomes charge. This service, provided by the company SiiTech for free from the origin of iNavX (¹), becomes a subscription service.

Test Nomad – stand-alone AIS transceiver by Digital Yacht

Posted on8 October 201719 December 2022

I introduced last may the Nomad, a portable AIS transceiver designed by Digital Yacht. I had to wait until the end of the summer to have the opportunity to test in real situation this device that had been entrusted to me by the manufacturer. I can already say that I was conquered.

I conducted the test in two phases. The first in my home port of St-Vaast-La-Hougue in my own boat, to the pontoon, and at low tide, the port doors closed - the context is important - for the commissioning of the reception only. The second at sea, in Roussillon, with setting the transmission service. Read more …

Nomad, an AIS Classe B mobile transponder

Posted on10 May 201721 rd, January 20225 Comments

Company Digital Yacht offers Nomad, the first AIS transponder class B mobile with Wi-Fi interface.

The Nomad is supplied with a portable VHF antenna 25 cm equipped with a sucker and a 4 metres cable, and with a built-in GPS antenna. USB and Wi-Fi interfaces will allow the use of the device with many navigation and charting application for iOS devices, Android, PC and Mac.

Receiving AIS on the Web [Update]

Posted on1 November 201521 rd, January 2022

For some years websites for viewing marine traffic grew on the web. They transmit continuously via the internet the positions received from the AIS transmitters of the ships, captured by shore-based reception bases, all along the coast. Two of them caught my attention because they present very different options : Marine Traffic and SiiTech. Read more …

AIS for Dummies

Posted on13 October 201521 rd, January 20224 Comments

With the progressive generalization of the AIS (transceivers) on board our yachts (¹), and their mandatory presence aboard a large part of merchant ships, capacities for display and processing of targets (surrounding vessels equipped with a transceiver) have significantly improved our security. Still need to know how to interpret this information that, in high-traffic areas, can quickly become a real headache.

In such a situation, better have a quick diagnosis of the risk of collision ! (Weather4D 2.0)