July 30, 2008 18:00
jfewtr Wrote:The Nasa AIS Engine 2 looks similar to the SR161 and the Comar AIS-2-NMEA. It would need its own power supply and a separate serial to USB converter. Price is good though.I would be careful of the NASA box, to the best of my knowledge, it is not really a "dual band" device. It does receive on both AIS freqs, but not concurrently. It can be set to either receive on one or the other full time or set to alternate between the two. Either setting will miss as many as 50% of the available transmissions. While I have no first hand experience with the Comar AIS-2-USB, I have owned their SLR200 and currently own their CSB 200, both of which are true dual band receivers meaning they are receiving full time on both AIS freqs, in addition to Ch 70.
The attraction of the Comar AIS-2-USB (for which at the moment I can't find any direct competitors) is that it draws power from the USB and does not need a separate serial:USB converter. Just plugs straight into the USB. Much less clutter, which, to me, is a good thing.