May 3, 2010 00:01
I'm curious about why you wouldn't recommend an AIS transponder over the above mentioned receivers. I've spent a fair amount of time working in and beside some heavily traveled shipping lanes and I can't recall a problem with seeing big ships, either visually or on radar. We've always hoped that those big ships could see us.
Granted, a transponder can cost quite a bit more than a simple receiver, but it looks like a few models could be pretty reasonable, especially when the GPS function is considered.
I've been considering an ACR Nauticast-B transponder. It is a complete package including GPS and VHF antennas for about $700. Couldn't I plug that into a Shipmodul multiplexer and have a backup GPS feed in addition to the position reports? It does seem like a better deal overall, but maybe there is something I haven't considered yet.
Granted, a transponder can cost quite a bit more than a simple receiver, but it looks like a few models could be pretty reasonable, especially when the GPS function is considered.
I've been considering an ACR Nauticast-B transponder. It is a complete package including GPS and VHF antennas for about $700. Couldn't I plug that into a Shipmodul multiplexer and have a backup GPS feed in addition to the position reports? It does seem like a better deal overall, but maybe there is something I haven't considered yet.
Edmund