Interfacing an AIS receiver/transceiver to a Raymarine MFD

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Interfacing an AIS receiver/transceiver to a Raymarine MFD

Raymarine AIS receivers/transceivers may be interfaced to the system via NMEA 0183 communications protocol or via SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 communications protocol. However, when using MFD designs following the E-Series Widescreen MFDs, care should be taken to not interface the AIS receiver/transceiver via both NMEA 0183 communications protocol and SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 Communications protocol ... i.e. choose and implement only one of these communications protocols for interfacing the AIS receiver/transceiver to the system.

MFD and Chartplotter designs introduced prior to the C-Series Classic MFDs (2003) are not designed to support processing of data received from an AIS receiver/transceiver.


While the following Raymarine MFDs support receiving AIS data via their NMEA 0183 port, they are not designed to bridge received AIS data to a SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 backbone:
- a-Series MFDs
- c-Series MFDs
- e-Series MFDs
- eS-Series MFDs
- gS-Series MFDs
- G-Series GPM400 (retired)
- E-Series Widescreen MFDs (retired)
- C-Series Widescreen MFDs (retired)

Correspondingly, any devices on the SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 backbone capable of additionally displaying AIS data (ex. i70 MFIDs, ST70 MFIDs, etc.) would not receive AIS data via the MFD. As such, it is generally recommended that the AIS receiver/transceiver be interfaced to the SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 backbone when using one of the above listed MFDs. When interfacing an AIS receiver/transceiver lacking a SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 interface to the system, it is recommended that a NMEA 0183 to SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 data bridging device (ex. Actisense NGW-1-AIS) be used to interface the AIS receiver to the SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 backbone.

The below listed retired MFDs are not designed to SeaTalkng/NMEA 2000 process PGNs containing AIS data:
- A-Series Classic MFDs (A50, A50D, A57D, A70, A70D)
- C-Series Classic MFDs (C70, C80, C120)
- E-Series Classic MFDs (E80, E120)

As such, when interfacing an AIS receiver/transceiver to the A/C/E-Series Classic MFDs, the AIS receiver/transceiver MUST be interfaced to the MFD's 0183 port. The chart below addresses how an AIS350, AIS650, or AIS700 would be interfaced to the above listed MFDs. Should the MFD's NMEA 0183 Cable not be sufficiently long, then it may be lengthened by splicing marine grade twisted pair signal cable to the MFD's NMEA 0183 Cable. As AIS data is transmitted at 38400 BAUD, the MFD NMEA 0183 port to which the AIS receiver/transceiver has been interfaced must be configured for 38400 BAUD NMEA 0183 communications (AIS 38400).






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