AIS 350 install

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Q1. When you refer to leads above do you mean lead (1 wire)?
A1. No. NMEA 0183 communications requires one pair of leads for each direction (transmit or receive) of communications. Accordingly, the MFD NMEA 0183 Cable features two NMEA 0183 input leads (+/A & -/B) and two NMEA 0183 output leads (+/A & -/B). The MFD will expect 4800 BAUD (default) or 38400 BAUD NMEA 0183 communications via these leads depending upon how the MFD's NMEA 0183 Port setting has been configured. AIS receivers/transceivers featuring a NMEA 0183 communications interface are designed to communicate at 38400 BAUD with chartplotting products. The AIS350/650 features an internal multiplexer which is cable of re-transmitting at 4800 BAUD, the NMEA 0183 sentences received from the MFD at 38400 BAUD. Accordingly, devices such as DSC VHF radios which are designed to communicate via 4800 BAUD NMEA 0183 communications may be interfaced to the 4800 BAUD NMEA 0183 leads of an AIS350/650 to receive data from the MFD.

Q2. Do I need to keep a NEMA connection between the VHF and the MFD?
A2. No ... see the response to Q1.

Q3. Is there a downside of sharing the Antenna?
A3. Yes. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing this subject.