This past week saw two press releases from Navico brand electronics producers, Simrad and B&G, announcing the first ever VHF radio with built in send and receive functionality. These new VHF radios are the perfect way to add AIS onboard your boat without dedicating more real estate to your electronics and will be particularly handy for those with smaller vessels who are looking for AIS functionality. 

These new VHF radios have the ability to send the AIS data to your chartplotter or other devices via NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000®. Further research, as observed in the comments section of the press release on Panbo.com show that the unit will have two VHF antenna ports and will require two VHF antennas or a VHF/AIS splitter. Priced at $1099 these new VHF/AIS transceiver radios will be available in June of 2019. Read the press release below for more information.

Simrad Press Release

Announcing the Simrad RS40-B, The First VHF Radio with AIS Transmit/Receive Capability

Egersund, Norway – Simrad Yachting – a leader in the design and manufacture of world-class marine navigation, autopilot, radar, communications and fishfinding systems – announced today the new Simrad® RS40-B, the first VHF marine radio with AIS transmit and receive capability. Featuring a sleek design with wireless handset capability, removable fist microphone, Class D DSC functionality, built-in GPS and a Class B AIS Transceiver, the Simrad RS40-B takes VHF marine performance to another level.

 The integrated Class B AIS transceiver in the RS40-B can receive position data from other vessels like the original RS40, but is the first VHF marine radio capable of sharing its position with nearby AIS-equipped vessels, improving collision avoidance in crowded waterways. Position data of other vessels is clearly viewable on the Simrad RS40-B screen or can be overlaid on top of a chart or radar through a compatible multifunction display over NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000®. 

 Scheduled to start shipping in June 2019, the Simrad RS40-B VHF radio is priced at $1,099. For more information on the RS40-B and accessories, or the entire line of Simrad marine electronics, please contact 800-324-1356 (toll-free) in the USA, 800-661-3983 (toll-free) in Canada, or visit www.simrad-yachting.com.

B & G Press Release

Announcing the B&G V60-B VHF Radio, the First VHF Radio with AIS Transmit/Receive Capability

Southampton, UK – B&G®, the world’s leading sailing navigation and instrument specialist, announced today the release of the first VHF radio with a fully integrated Class B AIS transceiver, the V60-B VHF radio. For the first time, a VHF radio can transmit your vessel’s position over AIS. The V60-B has a large screen, intuitive interface, built-in AIS Class B transceiver, a front-mountable design for easy installation and optional wireless handsets with inductive charging.

The AIS transceiver built into the V60-B can receive position data from other vessels like the original V60 but is also capable of sharing its position with nearby AIS-equipped vessels, improving situational awareness and collision avoidance. 

Position data of other vessels is clearly viewable on the V60-B screen and can be overlaid on top of a chart or radar through a compatible multifunction display over NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000®. 

The B&G V60-B radio is scheduled to start shipping in June 2019 and priced at $1,099. For more information on the V60-B radio or the full range of B&G sailing electronics and navigational products, visit www.bandg.com.