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Old 12-11-2020, 01:29 PM   #41
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The Vesper 8000Xb with the Vesper antenna splitter works very well for me. Nice feature is my Simrad nss evo2 did not have wifi. The Vesper transmits any info on the NMEA 2K network over it's wifi. The Vesper has a dedicated GPS antenna (as does any Class B transmitter) Its' anchor watch is really accurate and I use it regularly since I can power down the rest of my system - just leaving the Vesper and my tablet or phone on.
The only issue I found is the software for the momentary push button alarm silence is rudimentary & apparently the work around for that issue was pushed back getting Cortex approved and to market! I also found 8000XB would not remember my boat wifi router address after being powered down so I reverted to using the native Vesper Wifi address and that is stable & repeatable-just requires switching my phone and tablet to the correct network when needed.
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Old 12-11-2020, 02:07 PM   #42
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I was hoping an integrated VHF/AIS system would ultimately be more cost efficient but we haven't seen that yet in the latest offerings. When I upgraded "Starlite"'s com systems, I added a Standard Horison GX2200 VHF which has recieve only AIS, with a plan to add a stand alone AIS xcvr in the future. Still the plan.



Currently the GX2200 puts GPS and AIS data up on the Nema 0183 hi speed buss (N2k is not supported). My Garmin 942xs MFD has access to the N0183 bus and can be programed to use both the GPS and AIS data streams from that bus. The GX2200 GPS seems to acquire a fix faster and is more accurate/reliable than the Garmin MFD built in GPS (w/ no external antenna) Using a common GPS issures the DSC and Chart info are consistent. The radar is displayed on the 942xs so the AIS and radar overlays are consistent as well.


Wasn't sure all this fancy electronics would be useful on the Tennessee River but actually has turned out to be very handy. As the weather has turned colder, ground fog pops up earlier in the evening and almost every morning. The radar helps keep an eye on the "High Speed Bass Boats" blitzing thru the morning fog at 60knts. The AIS plots the Tugs & Tows moving the fall grain harvest up and down the river at all hours. These tows are so big the radar pictures looks like a moving mountain - not a boat. Helps to be able to communicate with these very professional crews by name.



Having everything - sonar/radar/AIS Position and info/ chart data - all posted on a readable 9" MF Display is the best of all worlds. Adding a AIS xcvr is definitely in the cards. Working with a narrow river channel, big tows, locks and ground fog requires every tool in the box.
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Old 12-11-2020, 02:07 PM   #43
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I purchased a Vesper Cortex about a month ago and so far happy with the product. I purchased an older boat with older electronics earlier this year so I needed most of the functionality it provided.

The existing VHF sounds great but doesn't even support distress/DSC. I had AIS and monitoring on the previous boat. I really missed AIS in the smoke and fog over the summer.

The Cortex provides.

1. VHF
2. AIS Transponder
3. Antenna splitter
4. NMEA to wifi gateway
5. Basic monitoring when away from the boat using built-in cellular.
6. Anchor watch and similar functionality provided in other Vesper products.

I've only taken the boat out twice since it's the off season and happy so far. The handset can display a lot of info besides the number 16. I have been using it to display AIS targets. I do need to get a new antenna designed for both standard VHF and AIS so don't forget to add that to the overall price.

The single component is very easy to install compared to all individual components. I'll be keeping the old VHF for redundancy.
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Old 12-11-2020, 03:27 PM   #44
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I used all Simrad and integrated everything. Radio, AIS, radar, etc. Whatever you need all in one place.
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Old 12-11-2020, 06:53 PM   #45
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Transponder is the key

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Originally Posted by Pgitug View Post
As far as I know, the only full transponder integrated with a VHF radio so far is the SIMRAD RS-40B. I recently installed one, and it is great. Normally, I would have just added an AIS transponder, but the radio was old and inferior and needed replacing anyway, so this was a good option. It did not include the antenna splitter which I had to add. There are transponders with splitter included. And, the comments on the Cortex unit seem spot on. It looks amazing.

I recommend the expert at https://milltechmarine.com Doug Miller. He sells all these things and has a nice comparison matrix on his website.
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Old 12-12-2020, 11:57 AM   #46
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelD View Post
Normally, I would have just added an AIS transponder, but the radio was old and inferior and needed replacing anyway, so this was a good option.

I recommend the expert at https://milltechmarine.com Doug Miller. He sells all these things and has a nice comparison matrix on his website.
That's the position I'm in. My radio is +30 years old, so I'm looking for a upgrade bundle. The Cortex offers a lot, including VHF radio, but it has things that I'm not sure that I would need (Wifi) and is $300 more than the Simrad. Plus, an extra Cortex wireless handset is $600 instead of $150 for the Simrad.

I probably should talk to Milltech Marine since I'm in Port Orchard and they are just down the road.
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Old 12-12-2020, 12:55 PM   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MichaelD View Post
As far as I know, the only full transponder integrated with a VHF radio so far is the SIMRAD RS-40B. I recently installed one, and it is great. Normally, I would have just added an AIS transponder, but the radio was old and inferior and needed replacing anyway, so this was a good option. It did not include the antenna splitter which I had to add. There are transponders with splitter included. And, the comments on the Cortex unit seem spot on. It looks amazing.

I recommend the expert at https://milltechmarine.com Doug Miller. He sells all these things and has a nice comparison matrix on his website.
That was the reason for my upgrade as well, 30 year old radio and the microphone switch quit working. I had no idea all of the things the iCom would do on the MFD screen and how cool it would be until I hooked it up. I also replaced the antenna since it made no sense to use a likewise 30 year old antenna on a new install.

I would consider a transponder if I lived in a higher traffic area, but where I operate there is very little vessel traffic. I installed G3 radar for my transit up the Inside Passage due to being overtaken by high speed ferries and the common coastal fog. It's pretty poor radar, but adequate for collision avoidance and anchoring in the dark and operating in low visibility conditions.
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Old 12-14-2020, 10:55 AM   #48
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Combined VHF with AIS Transmit And Receive Transponder

Look at the Standard Horizon 6X6500 Quantum
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Old 12-14-2020, 01:38 PM   #49
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Don't think its actually been released for sale in US. Prototypes have been seen but I can't find one for sale!!
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Old 12-27-2020, 12:21 PM   #50
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Question about the Vesper install

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Originally Posted by firehoser75 View Post
I added a Vesper XB8000 AIS transmit and receive to the boat and kept the existing Raymarine VHF. I did add a separate AIS antenna as well. Works well, and offers WiFi so it connects to my Laptop, VHF, and 2 IPads. It also has a built in anchor alarm function.
I was looking to add this unit as well. We currently only have AIS receive, through our Standard Horizon VHF. I was looking at the Vesper installation instructions, and it says not to have the unit’s AIS or GPS antennas in the path of the radar signal, or it can be damaged. I’d place both on the port side of the fly bridge, so they’d be forward of the radar, but perhaps a little below the radar signal. Think that’d be a problem? The unit’s WiFi connectivity sounds great.
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Old 12-27-2020, 02:38 PM   #51
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It will depend a great deal on the power of the radar, and the distance between antennas. I have a 2KW 18" dome, the AIS antenna is about 6' away and directly in line, Vesper XB8000, so far no problems. More power is obviously of more concern, however the received power is a D^2 thing, so twice as far away means 1/4 the power.
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Old 12-27-2020, 04:46 PM   #52
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Quote:
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It will depend a great deal on the power of the radar, and the distance between antennas. I have a 2KW 18" dome, the AIS antenna is about 6' away and directly in line, Vesper XB8000, so far no problems. More power is obviously of more concern, however the received power is a D^2 thing, so twice as far away means 1/4 the power.
Thanks! Our radar is a newer Raymarine Quantum, which I believe is fairly low in power compared to older ones.
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Old 01-06-2021, 06:19 PM   #53
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+1 for having the transmit feature. Once you have sailed with it you will not want to be "invisible"again.

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Old 01-07-2021, 09:51 AM   #54
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+1 for having the transmit feature. Once you have sailed with it you will not want to be "invisible"again.

Nick
Thanks. It makes sense to me to not be invisible!
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