I dont have a spare serial port on my computer. How do I hook up the AIS receiver to my computer?
You typically have two options. The first option is to use a USB to serial adaptor. Connect the serial end to the AIS receiver and the USB end to a spare USB port on your computer. Make sure you know which COM port has been assigned to the USB serial port and configure your software appropriately. Note that some cheaper serial to USB adaptors can be unreliable or cause system crashes. Test the adaptor thoroughly before deploying it on your boat. Milltech Marine has tested the Keyspan High Speed USB Serial Adapter recommends this solution. It can be ordered from our online store. This unit supports both the PC and the Mac. The other option you have with the Smart Radio AIS receivers, is to use the unit as a NMEA data stream consolidator. What does this mean? You can direct the GPS NMEA data stream into the input pin on the AIS receiver serial port and the unit will then combine the GPS sentences with the AIS sentences and output on the output pin of the serial port a combined data strea
