[CA] [CA11] AIS 650 not transmitting reliably

[Labratdeb]

I have an AIS 650, 3 i70s, and an eS78, and other components, all installed 3 years ago. The AIS 650 receives just fine, but is running silent the majority of the time. On the eS78, silent mode is set to off. On the i70s, silent mode is set to silent, and when I set them to Transmit, the setting is not saved. I tried upgrading the software with an SD card, even though it was running the latest software version, just to reboot it. However, when I inserted the SD card, I did not get the expected, nor any, LED lights. Rarely, it will transmit, but mostly it’s running Silent, as evidenced by the i70s indicating Silent in the top left corner. I’ve confirmed we aren’t transmitting in marinetraffic.com as well. As I was writing this, it just started transmitting again, and now the i70s have silent mode set as Transmit. What could be causing this?

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Labratdeb,

The reported issue may occur if the AIS650 has been interfaced to the system via both NMEA 0183 and SeaTalkng. Given the equipment listed, the AIS650 should only be interfaced to the system via SeaTalkng. With regard to Silent Mode, this mode may be configured via the i70S MFID or via the MFD. When the setting is changed on one of these devices, it should be repeated on each of the system's MFDs and i70/i70S MFIDs. Next, the AIS650 will not transmit (will appear silent) if it is unable to acquire a GPS position FIX or has lost the position FIX. Care should be taken to ensure that the AIS650's GPS antenna has been positioned where it will have an unobstructed view of the skies overhead. If so, and the problem persists, then the AIS650's Status LED should be examined. If it is amber, then it hasn't acquired or has lost its GPS position FIX. If it is green, then it should be transmitting (recommend checking with a nearby vessel equipped with an AIS receiver (MarineTraffic.com is not a particularly reliable tool for this purpose ... particularly in not located near a receiver). If the AIS650's status LED is green and other nearby AIS equipped vessels are unable to receive your system's transmissions, then it would be recommended that the AIS650 be sent to Raymarine’s Product Repair Center to be bench checked / serviced.