There are a growing number of boaters that use an iPad or Android tablet for their navigation tasks and thus the iAISTX was designed specifically for their needs.

As a full function Class B AIS transponder with WiFi, it sends your boat position and identity data to other AIS equipped vessels. It also provides a wireless interface for mobile devices. This allows popular apps to display received data from other AIS equipped vessels. iAISTX creates a secure, password protected, local Wi-Fi network which allows AIS and GPS data to be sent to popular iOS and Android apps such as Navionics, iSailor, Weather4D, SailGrib, iNavX, TimeZero and more.

These apps offer a detailed overlay of local AIS targets all updated in real-time. Depending upon the app, you can click on a target and can see identity as well as collision avoidance data. This includes CPA (closest point of approach) and TCPA (time to closest point of approach). The tablet’s browser (Safari, Chrome, etc.) provides a simple, embedded web interface for one time programming of the boat’s identity and physical dimensions, required of all AIS transponders.

Silencing the transmission and setting up wireless parameters such as passwords can also be done via this web interface. Installation is simple – just connect power (12/24v), mount the supplied external GPS antenna and connect to a separate dedicated VHF antenna or to the boat’s existing VHF antenna using our SPL1500 or SPL2000 AIS-VHF antenna splitters. If you also want to get AIS data on to your MFD (chart plotter), then we recommend the iAISTX Plus which includes an additional NMEA 2000 interface.