Added to basket

Product name

Product code:
Ex. VAT
View basket Checkout
0

Product support: B400

em-trak dedicated customer support is available 24/7 globally to help you get the most from your em-trak product.

Installation

Installing your B400

The B400 USB cable (301-0097) is now discontinued and no longer available to purchase. If you want to connect B400 over USB please read the following FAQ

/hc/articles/28856168893085

However, if you already have the USB cable this article will still be relevant.

Please follow these steps to enable GNSS data output when using the USB cable:

  1. go to Home ->System settings ->Interfaces ->NMEA 0183 port 3
  2. change ‘GNSS output on this port’ to Yes
  3. go to Home ->System settings ->Interfaces ->GNSS output
  4. ‘NMEA 0183 port 3’ should now be listed as a port with GNSS output enabled
  5. Enable the required sentences by selecting ON

 

VHF Antenna: Connection to a suitable VHF antenna will be required for the AIS transceiver to receive and transmit. The A200 will require an VHF antenna (tuned to 162MHz) for optimum performance.

 

VHF Antenna Cable: Please check that the VHF antenna you intend to use has sufficient cable to reach between the VHF antenna and the AIS transceiver unit. If it is not enough you will need an extension cable. RG-58 or RG-8X can be used for short distances, however for longer runs we would recommend a low loss cable like RG-213. For reference the VHF antenna connector type on the AIS transceiver unit is SO 239 and is intended to mate with a PL 259 connector.

 

Power Cable: The AIS transceiver unit is supplied with a two metre long power and data cable. If you require longer cables to reach your power supply, please ensure the cable is capable of carrying currents of up to 6.0A peak on average. Means of connecting the cables together will also be required.

 

Data Interface Cables: An accessory cable is supplied with the product to provide connections to the NMEA0183 bi-directional data ports. The cable has a pre-moulded connector at one end which should be connected to the 18-way connector on the rear of the unit.

The B400 USB cable (301-0097) is now discontinued and no longer available to purchase. If you want to connect B400 over USB please read the following FAQ

/hc/articles/28856168893085

However, if you already have the USB cable this article will still be relevant.

The B400 USB cable (301-0097) connects to the 18-way connector on the back of the B400.

Please note that you won’t be able to connect the supplied 18-way cable once the USB cable is connected.

 

mceclip0.png

The installation of USB drivers for the B400 USB cable will be required and can be downloaded here – https://em-trak.sharefile.com/d-s1b436b3b828147eea40b130ac8b2805e

To connect the B400 over USB an isolated NMEA 0183 (RS422) – USB adaptor will need to be installed. For uni-directional communication the supplied 18-way data accessory cable can be used to connect the USB adaptor, however if bi-directional communication is required the fully populated 18-way data cable (301-0096) will also need to be purchased from em-trak.

Wiring information for each port is detailed in the B400 user manual and quick start guide. Other manufacturers may use different signal names, however the following general guidelines will apply when connecting the adaptor:

  • positive signals should be connected together
  • negative signals should be connected together
  • transmit signals should be connected to receive signals and
    vice versa

If you have any questions on connecting a USB adaptor please contact support@em-trak.com

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting your B400

If you’re having difficulty displaying AIS on your chart plotter, please follow the instructions below.

  1. Some old Chart plotters do not support AIS so you’ll need to confirm compatibility by checking the manual for reference to AIS and/or VDM.
  2. Check the receiving port can be configured to 38400 baud on the chart plotter. 
  3. Make sure it’s connected correctly by simply connecting the NMEA0183 Transmit wires on the B400(Blue/White is TX B – , White/Blue is TX A +) to the corresponding NMEA0183 Receive wires on your compatible Chart plotter device. You’ll need to connect the positive wires together and the negative wires together. For example:
    • TX A to RX A 
    • TX B to RX B

The user manual details which cables do what, but for your reference, please see below for a table explaining the connections on the B400.

 

If you need any further assistance, please contact us at support@em-trak.com and we’ll be glad to help.

The best way to confirm whether or not your B400 is transmitting information is to ask another AIS equipped vessel (within the near vicinity) if they can receive you. Relying on AIS websites to confirm if your vessel is transmitting will not always give a clear indication if this is the case as most websites do not show real-time AIS information.

 

You can also check the B400’s display to see if the “up arrow” indicator appears periodically. 

 

It is possible to conduct an AIS communication test with another AIS equipped vessel. This test sends an AIS message to another vessel and checks for a response. The AIS transceiver will display a list of vessels from which one can be selected for a communication test.
This feature can be selected from the ‘Home’ > ‘System settings’ > ‘Advanced’
> ‘Installation & AIS SART test’ menu.

Please ensure you have connected the supplied GPS antenna. Other GPS antennas may not be compatible so please contact support@em-trak.com if you are in doubt.

The GPS antenna should be mounted high with a clear view of the sky, although ideally not on top pf a mast as the pitch and roll may affect the transmitted position. It needs to be out of the direct path of RADAR or satellite communication antennas, and as far away as practical from transmitting antennas that may interfere with the signal.

Depending on your software version a VSWR alarm/reduced coverage alert will get triggered when the VHF antenna is not performing optimally. A good VSWR is typically 3:1 or less. VSWR can be caused by a faulty or loose connection at the connectors, cable, or the VHF antenna itself.

It can also be caused when a VHF antenna is mounted parallel to a metal surface, or when in close proximity to an obstruction or another transmitting antenna.

It may also be possible that your VHF antenna is unsuitable for AIS. AIS operates around at frequencies around 162MHz, so if your VHF antenna isn’t tuned accordingly it will not receive or transmit as far as it could do.

AIS tracking sites get their data from AIS receivers that are installed along coastlines as well as satellites. Satellites receive a very low percentage (<2%) of transmissions from standard AIS transceivers and have many blind spots. Therefore tracking sites do not provide full coverage, at times their reception range is variable, may drop out entirely and their data refresh rate cycles and latencies can be very slow.

The best way to check your AIS is working correctly is to ask a nearby vessel with AIS if they can see you.

Configuration Software

B400 configuration software

Drivers

B400 drivers

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the B400

Non-AP mode(Client)

To get the B400 transmitting in Non-AP mode(Client);

  • Connect the B400 to the WiFi network
  • Then connect the laptop or device you want to be streaming the NMEA data also to the same WiFi Network
  • Finally either using Hyper Terminal or AIS application such as Navionics etc, connect to the IP address that’s been assigned by the WiFi access point you connected to. In the example below 192.168.43.100 via DHCP being enable.

​

Alternatively you can change the DHCP option to disable and use the IP address that you’ve set initially. 

You should now have AIS data streaming from the AIS unit to your device. 


 

 


AP mode(server)

To get the AIS transmitting in AP mode(server);

  • ​​Change the WPA-2 password to what you want.
  • Make sure protocol is set to TCP and DHCP is enabled
  • Change the IP address and Port number if needed or leave the default in place
  • Go to your connecting device, like phone, iPad, laptop etc and you should see the AIS’s SSID listed.  In my example – Class A AIS 0039
  • Connect to the SSID with the password you changed in the first step.
  • Finally either using Hyper Terminal or AIS application, connect to the IP address. In the example below 192.168.50.1 with Port number 49200.
  • You should now have AIS data streaming from the AIS unit to your device. 



 


 

 

 

There are two options for activating Silent Mode;

  1. Apply a voltage of between 2V and 30V to the SILENT P (Pin 7) and SILENT N (Pin 6) terminals of the 14 way connector. You will need to order an accessory cable for this. More details can be found in the B400 user Manual Page 32
  2. Alternatively go to Menu ->System Settings ->System Information ->Enable features

enter SILENT
go to Menu ->System Settings ->Advanced ->Radio & Long range settings

There should now be a ‘Silent mode’ menu where you can enable/disable transmit. 

 

To remove the feature 

go to Menu ->System Settings ->System Information ->Enable features

enter SILENT

 

B400_ARTERMIS_NMEA2000_PGN.jpg

Holding both the context/option and left arrow buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds on the Home screen will reset the language to English

Press and Hold the Rotary Controller for 3 seconds. You will hear a camera noise. The screenshot is saved to the SD Card.

C-MAP MAX. The B400 comes with a worldwide base chart, for detailed charts these can be purchased from C-MAP directly.

 

mceclip0.png

Product change notification

B400 product change notifications

This is a notification that the A200 / B400 USB cable (301-0097) is now discontinued and no longer available for purchase. Please see the attached PCN document for more information on this change.

If you want to connect to the B400 over USB please see the following FAQ –

/hc/articles/28856168893085

An issue has been recently highlighted where Impaired radio: CH1 inoperative, CH2 inoperative & DSC inoperative alerts may appear on the B400 screen. In some events, this may stop the unit from transmitting. A software update is available to resolve this, and the link to this is contained within this product change notification.

All deliveries from em-trak will have this update installed.


Modem: 130200.02.05.00


PCN 64 can be downloaded here – https://em-trak.sharefile.com/public/share/web-sd4fab892d9974acb93ef2d33e6d93a8c

 

If any support is required with this please contact support@em-trak.com

User manuals and guides

B400 user manuals and guides

The English B400 user manual can be downloaded below. 

The Dutch B400 user manual can be downloaded below.

Please download the French B400 manual below.

 Please download the German B400 manual below.

Please download the Spanish B400 manual below.

The GPS100 can be pole-mounted or surface-mounted. Full instructions are provided in the attached installation guide.

Certification

B400 certifications

The B400 RED Declaration of Conformity can be downloaded below.

Further support