Good points Steve.... I've often said that it can't be too tough to build stuff like that. (I hate to think what the unit cost on a $600 iphone is, too)
That said, other than guys like Dennis, Rich and Fred who install the stuff, you don't see too many guys getting rich off marine electronics. ;-) Look at Raymarine, one of the biggest players in the market who went bankrupt. If they can't make it, then it doesn't bode well for the smaller guys, particularly those who tend to focus on the sailing market rather than the much larger powerboat market. Unfortunately, the price is what it is and we need to evaluate choices based on what's available. If I've got only $400 to spend - I'm going to buy AIS before lots of other things. Cheers Colin On 9/28/13, Steve Thomas <sthom...@sympatico.ca> wrote: > Colin, > I agree with everything you say in your post, but my complaint about > cost is not about value to the sailor. It is hard to > put a value on avoiding a collision at sea. If the only way to manufacture > an AIS receiver was with some sort of unobtanium that > resulted in an unavoidable cost of thousands of dollars per unit, they would > still be worth it to those who could pay for them. > My complaint is that an AIS receiver is a pretty simple device, based on > pre-existing technology, and the cost of manufacture > does not in my opinion justify the high prices being charged by some > vendors. In their simplest form, AIS receivers consist of a 1 > or 2 channel VHF receiver coupled with a modem to decode the sentences. True > the market is somewhat limited in volume but I still > think that boaters are getting gouged when they pay some of the prices being > asked. > > Steve Thomas > C&C27 MKIII > > -----Original Message----- > From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com]On Behalf Of Colin > Kilgour > Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 9:27 AM > To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com > Subject: Re: Stus-List AIS Transponder Info > > > Steve, > > Looks like a cool project - for those who have time and ability for > that kind of stuff. > > As for 'cost justifying' AIS, it really depends on the sailing you do. > If you're mostly sailing away from major shipping areas, an AIS > receiver can feel more like a gadget than a tool - and therefore hard > to justify. > > If you're sailing offshore or in shipping areas though, it's pretty > much the most cost effective safety tool you can have on the boat, > imo. You can get a receiver for about the same price as a fancy PFD > and you'll get a heluva lot more utility out of your AIS than your > Spinlock life vest. (Btw - not saying you shouldn't wear a life vest, > just that cheaper ones float just as well as expensive ones) > > (Disclosure: fwiw, I've done about 10,000 offshore miles with AIS > reception on board and it's been really helpful on many occasions) > > Cheers > Colin > > > On 9/28/13, Steve Thomas <sthom...@sympatico.ca> wrote: >> And now for something completely different: a kit that will convert a >> spare >> VHF radio into an AIS receiver that will work with >> your laptop and includes plotting software, all for under $100. Not >> exactly >> an off the shelf bullet proof solution, but it might >> be interesting to experiment with if the thought of using a soldering >> iron >> to install it doesn't leave you faint. I have not tried >> it, but for the price I am tempted. Most of the "black box" solutions for >> receive only are unjustifiably expensive for what they >> actually contain, imho. So far in this discussion, no one has mentioned >> the >> possibility of using a radio with AIS already built in >> by the manufacturer, which is another possible solution. Standard Horizon >> makes one, and there may be others. >> >> http://www.ebay.ca/itm/AIS-receiver-plotting-navigation-package-/261288551125?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cd602e2d5 >> >> Steve Thomas >> C&C27 MKIII >> >> >><SNIP> > > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > http://www.cncphotoalbum.com > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > -- Sent from my mobile device _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
