Best Buy AIS base station antennas

[Copinsay]

Hello All

Just looking out for a robust AIS base station antenna for home for feeding data into marinetraffic.com

I'm now setup to cover an area of poor coverage to the east of Orkney... Especially for class B units on RIBs like me!

Any suggestions or suppliers welcome on here or private

This looks like a front runner, but can't see many UK suppliers and not especially cheap.
396-1-AIS*A.I.S. Automatic Identification System Antennas

Many thanks

Steve

[Salty John]

The Metz will do that job.

Salty John: Metz Manta Marine VHF Antenna plus Metz AIS antenna and other fine boat and yacht chandlery products.

[Copinsay]

Hi Salty John

Many thanks for that - can you comment please on how flexible / robust the whip is please?

Winds can often be 60mph here and up to 100mph+ usually once a winter, so keen for something that will cope with that... certainly the price looks good.

Many thanks

Steve

[mick]

Originally Posted by Copinsay

Hi Salty John

Many thanks for that - can you comment please on how flexible / robust the whip is please?

Winds can often be 60mph here and up to 100mph+ usually once a winter, so keen for something that will cope with that... certainly the price looks good.

Many thanks

Steve

Got 2 on my rib now 1 for VHF and 1 for AIS and all worked well 1st time I have got the AIS to work as well and stood motorway speeds no problem

[Salty John]

Hi Copinsay,

My, you live in a windy spot!

The Metz is designed for masthead mounting on yachts where it has to cope with violent movement and strong winds. Having said that, we did have a problem a year or so ago with a couple of antennas that shed the whip. This was down to an undersized olive which holds the whip in the compression post. The problem was rectified.

[Erin]

I've done this very recently at home. I used an old Digital Yacht ANT100 receiver which I placed in the loft. I then made a colinear aerial from a simple design on the web which is cable tied behind a down pipe on the corner of the house. It picks up signals 30 miles away regularly and if the conditions are good sometimes 100 miles. The ANT100 is then connected direct to my router with a serial to Ethernet converter. No pc required! Look up station 999 - Erin on marinettaffic. The stubby helix that came with the receiver used to get about 10 mile reception. Nothing beats a big aerial for best gain.

[Copinsay]

Hello all

Many thanks for this - the biggest wind we got last winter was 160MPH, so hence why I'm looking for something robust :o)

The upside with the wind is that we generate twice as much electricity as we use with our 5kw wind turbine (see pic)

Good to see you are on with this too Erin... The area where I launch from most was an AIS black spot for marine traffic for both class A and class B units (like I have on the RIB), so I approached them and they've supplied me with a Comar SLR2000N. It's brilliant bit of kit (should be for the price) as you plug it directly into an Ethernet connection, as with your set up. Comar Systems SLR 200N / SLR 200NG

As you say, so much better than having the PC on all the time. Indeed that's part of the contract with MT. Yours looks to be working well, esp. to the south.

I'm currently using the 200N in the Marine VHF antenna I have outside for listening in on 16 during the day for emergencies. That's working OK, but I feel could be better. Also I'm going to mount the 200N within 2 metres of the antenna to reduce the signal loss, and just extend the Ethernet.

My station is 1344. AIS Receiving Station's Details

Would be great to get more stations to improve the class B coverage. I was amazed that MT let me have one of the units, but I found them really helpful and friendly, and so I'm very happy to support them.

Thanks for all your help as ever folks

Steve

[Erin]

I didn't bother contacting MT as they already have quite a few stations locally. However, like you, I found there was a blind spot along the east side of the island where I moor, and as I already had a spare receiver I decided to give it a go. My homemade aerial is made from 5 or so lengths of coax joined in a particular pattern. It only cost a couple of quid to make
and is fantastic.

[Copinsay]

Thanks Erin

I was suprised with MT too as they have a few good stations here, but I did some screen grabs showing the black spot and they agreed to supply. Amazed they can do that - must be worth it for them. We do get lots of cruise ships too.

I want to mount my antenna well above the apex of the house (see pic) so after something that will cope with that - otherwise your suggestion sounds good. Hopefully to get more of the oil field traffic as well as more class B units. Quite a few have appeared up here in the last 6 months.

Plus as they've supplied the unit, I feel obliged to spend a bit! (even as a Yorkshireman)

Cheers

Steve