Standard Horizon Matrix 2150 VHF radio with AIS reciever.

[s/v Faith]

Many who have been around here for some time will remember my concern about the potential for government to impose mandatory AIS (transmitting) requirements on recreational boaters.

I still have these concerns and will be surprised if we do not see this move some time in the future.

That said, this idea of the "small boats, long distance" small boat presents a number of problems for the single handed Sailor, or short crewed passage off shore.

There is a ship out there... you can see it.  Is it coming to you?  Yes, of course we can all read the lights.. but only the most naive would say that you can easily tell on a consistent basis.... especially while tired.   Add in fog, rain, or even a difficult sea state and the issue of avoiding ships becomes a real threat.

Card receivers are a 'part' of the solution... as is radar... AIS would not replace either of these but I believe that AIS is a better solution (albeit compromise).   Standard Horizon has made it relatively painless to add this to our nav suite... and the cost is a fraction of an amp more then the VHF radio this unit replaces.

I shopped for some time and settled on the Standard Horizon Matrix GX-2150.

There was another model I considered, the MatrixGX-2100.... it can be found on clearance for as much as $100 less then the MSRP of the 2150.  They both do the same things, but the 2150 does it with only one NEMA chanel.  You have to hook up 3 wires (NEMA in, NEMA out, and NEMA ground) and you have the connection.... the 2100 required 6 and would not leave a free channel for a basic plotter like my Garmin 540s....   Here is a link to a document that better describes the differences.

The MSRP on this unit is $399... but it is commonly sold for around $350.  I bought mine from West Marine and used a price match from AncorExpress.com and paid $329.



The radio fits just above the nav station where my old VHF was.  I can easily operate it from the cockpit and the location is somewhat shielded from the weather.  Of course the radio is waterproof, but my experience is that they tend to fade to yellow or tan if exposed to sunlight.

The connection to my Garmin 540s took me less then 5 minutes.  I turned on the radio and the plotter and immediately had the GPS status and position displayed on the radio screen.  The DSC will not work as I do not have an MMSI number, nor do I intend to obtain one.  I think the position information being displayed on the screen is nice, it would speed the transmission in case of emergency.

Initially the GX2150 found 3 AIS targets within 15 miles of me (2 docked tugs, and one ship).   The targets were displayed on the radio, and I was easily able to obtain course and speed... the controls are VERY user friendly.  I have not had to read the manual other then to make the wiring connections to the NEMA 0183.

Standard Horizon has an excellent history of customer support, so I dialed their 1-800 number and had a tech on the phone in less then 60 seconds.     It turns out that while I had set the NEMA transfer rate to 'high' on my plotter, I also needed to do so on the radio.  Once the tech told me how to do this I immediately had the targets displayed on my plotter (small ship icon, with running lights to show direction).

I believe that the Matrix GX2150 draws approximately 300ma more then my older VHF... a quite reasonable drain.  With the plotter and the radio on, I saw an actual draw of 1.2a...  .3 of that draw come from the sounder and knotometer that are on the same circuit with the plotter... so plotter/VHF/AIS info for less then an amp.

I did a radio check, and had a clear reply.  I have not changed my antenna, and it and the cable have been up since at least 2003.  

I think I will be very happy with this unit, and will provide updates as I have more experience with it.

[Cruiser2B]

Thank you for the review. I too have considered this radio. I was wondering what the difference was between 2100 and 2150, thank for that too. I will probably pick one up in the spring.

[jpfx]

I have the 2100. I think the difference is with connection protocols and possibly some ais options. Although marketing wouldn't say it, I think the 2150 might be a 'bug fix'.

[s/v Faith]

I have the 2100. I think the difference is with connection protocols and possibly some ais options. Although marketing wouldn't say it, I think the 2150 might be a 'bug fix'.

Did you click on the link?  There were folks who had to buy multiplexers with the 2100 because they needed a NEMA output for something else (like radar, or autohelm) and the 2100 required 2 NEMA ports.  AIS wants a xfer rate of 38,400 (IIRC) and most NEMA DSC functions want something slower like 4800.  SH came up with the 2150 to support both functions on the same connection (I suspect they just programed the DSC to work at high speed, since the AIS standard is fixed).

[jpfx]

no, but now that I have I think it's other devices that don't have dual ports that are problematic. that plus the 2100 is stuck at 38400 baud (which again is only problem if other devices are fixed rate.

The interconnection of devices from different manufacturers will always be a minefield.

It's a nice radio though, loud and clear. I was picking up Charleston (120M) & Savannah (even further) port traffic from Columbia during December (signal must've been bouncing around the troposphere).

What's your resistance to having an MMSI? privacy? doesn't this provide useful information for your would be savior if you're in distress?

I have a metz manta antenna to run up the pole when I take it down next. They seem to be highly recommended.

[Cruiser2B]

I bought the GX2100 today, i know its old and has a replacement, but for $219 new i decided to go ahead and get it. i dont have a chartplotter or plan on having one so this should do. Can someone tell me what I have to do now to get the AIS to work, just a GPS input? I have an older Garmin 120. Any help is appreciated!

Thank you,

www.svsalacia.blogspot.com

[w00dy]

Our boat came with the 2100. I haven't gotten around to deciphering the wiring scheme, but it is somehow hooked into our radar/chartplotter thingy, which has a nicer interface. Still, the radio itself will do everything from displaying the contacts, their information, sounding proximity alarms, and digital selective calling. It is comforting knowing that there is less risk of a collision with commercial traffic, though all the alarms are kept off when we are in port because of the numerous contacts. What I like most about AIS is that I no longer have to come up with creative descriptions when hailing unknown vessels. I called out to a commercial tug by name the other day and he told me that he was startled because he couldn't see anyone around him for miles. Pretty cool that this little radio allows me to see all the information, location, heading, etc of other boats.

It's ironic then that I abhor the thought that others might have access to my information in this way. I know my radio is a "recieve only" unit, but I would chuck any unit over the side if I didn't have control over what was being broadcast about my movements. It's bad enough that all my internet activity and cell phone location signals are logged and tracked. To me, the boat is about getting away from all that, so I will fight hard against the government that wants to make these things mandatory, for my own "safety". Still, as long as I can switch off the "send" feature at will, AIS could help make passagemaking that much safer.

I don't have enough experience sailing around the world to know how vital this equipment is. Of course, it has always been the mariners prerogative to keep a proper lookout, but singlehanded sailors have always weighed the risks and closed their eyes if they felt safe enough. Are there too many boats on the water to be doing this anymore? I don't know. Depends on where you sail, I suppose. The increase of international trade means that there are that many more ships to beware of. AIS can help, but there are still all the smaller fishing and recreational vessels which have not "come online". As the participants in AIS grows, so will the value of the network.

The trend of using technology to make sailing safer will still have the unintended consequences of diminishing the allure of the frontier. GPS, EPIRB, AIS, SATPHONES, etc are all extremely helpful devices, but in maintaining the safety net, the tether to society remains unbroken and the essence of cruising, of losing oneself, is harder to achieve. Also there is the dangerous temptation to ignore the world around you and reduce your experience to a series of LCD screen readouts of windspeed, depth, GPS location, Radar targets, etc. Is this taking sailing one step closer to becoming just another Iphone app. which will furl the sails, raise the anchor, and steer the course for you?

All of us who wish to preserve the ancient skills have one foot in the old world and one in the modern. We each find our own balance. I will continue to use AIS and the GPS and all the electricky stuff, and enjoy it. I hope that I can find the discipline to push myself to doing things the hard way once and awhile, because someday I might just have to.

[CharlieJ]

Understand your view Jim, and I agree. I think an AIS receiver would be very helpful in certain places, such as crossing the channel offshore Galveston  (HAIRY at 2300!!) But I don't want a transmitter- for one thing, don't have the capacity to power one.

Can tell you one thing- your AIS receiver should be VERY quiet between Tarpon Springs, and somewhere on the Florida panhandle-Carrabelle, Apalachicola-(DON'T try that one at night) Or Panama City- ain't no big shipping in there!!!

[w00dy]

This was our AIS display as we passed Boliver roads toward Freeport. Hairy indeed.

[CharlieJ]

Hey James- sent you an email earlier, hopefully to the new (correct address)

Email me back and I'll get you the phone number of my friends there.