Garmin AIS 800 Transmit Issues-Flashing Status LED's

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Anchors Aweigh

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Feb 1, 2018
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Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Non-Fluid Motion Model
(Sold) 2020 R-29 CB
Vessel Name
(Sold) 2017 R-25 SC
Installed the Garmin AIS 800 on my 2020 R-29 CB in Feb 2021 with good operating results until last week.  It appears the AIS 800 has stopped transmitting for periods of time....I'm getting a series of repeating LED status lights illuminated on the unit. 

I've pulled the unit's fuse to reset the device and again I end up with the repeating series of status LED's. ( As a side note, whenever I update the Garmin software for the chartplotter and associated instruments I have to reset the AIS 800 by pulling the fuse in order for it to restore to normal operation)

Using the Marine Traffic app to check when the unit last transmitted it currently shows the following:

Where is the ship?
Pleasure Craft PUFFIN is currently located at USWC - US West Coast at position 47° 55' 21.0" N, 122° 41' 15.4" W as reported by MarineTraffic Terrestrial Automatic Identification System on 05-04-2023 01:55 am MyT (UTC -7) (17 hours, 37 minutes ago)

So it appears the AIS 800 has not transmitted for 17+ hours.

Earlier this week it showed 3+ days, so it appears that the unit is transmitting at some intervals. The boat is moored in the Port Ludlow Marina where I've always been able to receive and transmit AIS signals, No changes have been made  to the electronics on the boat. The Garmin AIS 800 uses an antenna splitter so I have the standard Ranger Tug supplied VHF antenna in place. All antenna connections seem solid.

Any thoughts on taking next steps to troubleshoot the AIS?

Marc Doyle
2020 R-29 CB / Puffin
Port Ludlow, WA

 MMSI # 368138720
 
Part of the answer would depend on what the actual LED sequence/colors are that your unit is displaying.

The real way to get to the bottom of what's going on would be to connect a laptop to the units USB port and using the AIS800 configurator software view the following:
Diagnostic page to see if the unit has a GPS error, high VSWR, or other fault.
Message log to see active messages received and transmitted

If it won't connect to the laptop at all then the software update may have failed and bricked the unit (happens all too often) sometimes firmware can be revived via a special Garmin update tool.
 
How often has this happened? I have had this happen just once, and restarting it solved the issue.

It is also conceivable that the problem is not with your unit broadcasting but with the mostly land-based AIS reception network not picking up or otherwise relaying the data. If I understand correctly, AIS apps rely on land-based antennas picking up the signals and sharing them. On vessels they are instead received directly point-to-point on the water. OTOH in the PNW area there seems to be excellent coverage for the receivers.
 
I just installed an AIS800 last month and on my last cruise, I ran into the exact same problem. Given my device is brand new, I've already started a support ticket with Garmin.

Mine stopped broadcasting for 36 hours, during this time, I restarted multiple times. In terms of LED lights, the green power light remained solid. The green RX light would flicker. The red error light would come on for minutes/hours at a time, and then off for minutes/hours at a time. I did connect a computer to the debug port but I didn't see anything pop up, but I could see it communicating correctly as all the other boats with AIS in the area were showing up on the receiving tab on my laptop.

On my trip back, the device randomly started working again, and it's been a week and I still see it on Marine Traffic.

The response I got from Garmin is as follows
If this equipment was installed by a Garmin Certified Installer within the last 2 years, it would be best to have the equipment and installation gone over and tested by a Garmin Certified Installer. If this is not your scenario or this is a self install and you would like to troubleshoot this, we can assist you with an exchange if the troubleshooting does not resolve the issue.

The behavior you are describing is consistent with the AIS 800 not receiving adequate power. A few things can cause this, so I have this FAQ for you to go over:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=2 ... ce%20Power
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=R ... ce%20Power
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=b ... textPage=2

Questions we have for you to exchange if the troubleshooting doesn't work:
Is the factory provided power cable extended to run it to the battery, and if so what gage of wire is being used, and how long is the power cable extensions?
Have you tried powering it off of a different battery without a power cable extension?
When you take a volt meter to the power cable and test it just before it plugs in to the AIS 800, what voltage are you getting on the meter?
Is the red light when it is on blinking and if so how fast?
What is the serial number on the AIS 800?
Click to expand...
 
As a follow-up to my original posting of May 4th it appears the AIS 800 device is working properly as of yesterday (May 11th) with consistent transmitting and no repeating LED status light warnings on the unit. The normal green power status light and green flashing TX status light are both illuminated.

In talking with other boaters in the Puget Sound area as well with marine electronic techs I've heard about other operational issues with both AIS device and VHF device transmissions recently that may be a localized occurrence. A neighbor boater in our Port Ludlow Marina with a Garmin AIS 800 unit also experienced similar issues as I originally discussed.

I'll monitor my AIS 800 device more closely over the next few days to see how it operates going forward.

Marc Doyle
2020 R-29 CB / Puffin
Port Ludlow, WA
 
My AIS 800 has also been inoperative in the transmission mode for periods during the winter and spring months. Marc's Ranger Tug Puffin is just down the dock from my Ranger tug. Port Ludlow Washington is located Southwest of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station where the electronic warfare Growlers are stationed. I believe that somehow spurious electronic signals from Whidbey Island are affecting the Transmission mode of the Garmin AIS 800 and also from reports, Standard Horizon 2400 radios.
 
As a follow-up to my post, Garmin replaced my AIS800 unit under warranty, and I haven't had any issues. I'm getting consistent and proper tracking.

Something to note as well with the AIS800, is in default configuration SAT-AIS is not enabled, and you need to use the Garmin AIS app and USB cable to turn it on.
 
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