Must I install the GPS antenna supplied with my AIS transceiver?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Must I install the GPS antenna supplied with my AIS transceiver?

One of the most commonly asked questions concerning AIS Class B transceivers is whether the GPS antenna packaged with the AIS transceiver must be installed. The short answer to this question is YES.

AIS Class B transceivers are not designed to utilize GPS data from the vessel's marine electronics system. Instead, AIS Class B transceivers feature an internal GPS receiver which is dependent upon an installed passive GPS antenna (in much the same way that a vehicles AM/FM radio is dependent upon an external passive antenna). AIS Class B transceivers are designed to not only be integrated to vessel's marine electronics system, but also to support functioning as a stand alone device. This design permits AIS broadcast from a powered Class B AIS transceiver to continue when part or the remainder of the vessel's marine electronics system is powered OFF. GPS information from the AIS Class B transceiver is not shared with the vessel's marine electronics system. Correspondingly, the vessel's marine electronics system will need to receive GPS data from one of its other installed devices (ex. Raystar 130 GPS Sensor, MFD w/internal GPS receiver, etc.).

RAYFAQ#