If you have got a DSC capable VHF Radio or you are thinking of getting one you will want to know more about the latest WatchMate firmware release. WatchMate Firmware V5.04 is now available and it includes DSC calling capability allowing you to connect to a DSC compatible VHF radio.
Using the DSC function from your WatchMate allows you to initiate an “individual station call” to vessels that are displayed on your WatchMate screen. This feature makes it easy to message nearby boats, requesting them to switch to a specific channel for a VHF call.
As with all Vesper Marine firmware upgrades this release is free; you can request this new firmware as an upgrade here. It’s available for the WatchMate 850, 750 or the 670. Sorry it won’t be made available for the older WatchMate 650.
As can be seen in the screen shot to the right using the DSC feature is very easy. Use the arrow buttons to scroll up/down to the desired channel. The last used working channel is remembered and becomes the default for subsequent calls. Use the “Call” button to place the call or “Cancel” to return to the target display without calling.
To date we have verified this feature works with several ICOM radios and we expect this feature will also work well with other brands of DSC enabled VHF radios that accepts the NMEA-0183 DSC sentence. We are interested in learning which other VHF radios support this capability. If you have tried this feature and found it to work, please tell us by contacting support@vespermarine.com or visit the support section of our website www.vespermarine.com.
If you want to learn more about the other benefits you get with DSC enabled radios your might like to review;
Lately we have fielded various questions about antenna selection and installation for AIS so we thought it might be useful to post a blog on the subject as a quick reference.
AIS signals can be received on most standard marine antenna operating on VHF frequency 156 to 163 MHz.
A single VHF antenna can be used with the antenna being shared using a VHF/AIS Splitter with one tail going to the VHF radio and the other to the AIS device. An example of a VHF/AIS antenna splitter can be seen here.The second option is to install a specially tuned AIS antenna as a standalone aerial dedicated to your AIS transponder or receiver.
Antenna Installation Tips: 
- Mount as high as possible, ideally 2-3m (6-10 ft) above the water
- Don’t mount in radar beam
- Should not be collocated with any other antenna
- Ideal mounting separation between antenna is 3 m (9.85 ft)
- It should be an omni directional marine band VHF antenna
- Don’t mount in the shadow of structures, masts etc
- When using an antenna splitter ensure it is an active AIS Splitter to protect the device that is not transmitting
For more general information on AIS technologies visit our "What is AIS" page here.
Over the past few months we have answered a lot of questions about whether the WatchMate 850 Transponder can be mounted below deck without the need for the external GPS antenna.
The answer is, it depends!.... It depends on what it is being mounted under.
If you have anything metallic above the WatchMate you are unlikely to pick up a strong GPS signal using its internal antenna but if your boat has a fiberglass or wooden cabin you are likely to pick up sufficient GPS signal for the unit to work.
The key is to ensure your GPS antenna, internal or external, has an unobstructed view of the sky. In some cases we have heard of metallic sail booms interfering with GPS signals so it’s worth putting a little thought and testing into this issue before drilling holes and running cables.
To be safe our recommendation is to use the external antenna if you are mounting a WatchMate 850 Transponder below deck to ensure you get an optimal signal as the external GPS antenna will amplify GPS signal.
As an example of GPS mounting, when Mike and Gay stopped in to Auckland on their south pacific travels in their yacht Expeditus (A 36.5ft (11.1m) cutter rigged yacht) they decided they would make their life a little easier and install a WatchMate 850 Transponder.
Although Mike found he could get a reasonable GPS signal when the WatchMate was installed below deck without the external GPS antenna he took the advice of Will at Nav Station and also installed an external antenna. As you can see from the images below this could be nicely tucked away up under his wooden cabin top without needing to drill any external holes. With the VHF/AIS Antenna Splitter also installed nicely behind the fuse board the WatchMate is now neatly flush mounted in a visible location. For extra volume from the WatchMate alarms Mike also installed an external alarm to make it that much easier to hear from up on deck.
You might also find our Installation Questions on our FAQ page useful.
Great news for those customers who have been waiting for us to release our French language version of WatchMate’s. The French language option is now available for the three WatchMate products (Transponder 850, Receiver 750 and Display 670).
We began shipping the new version in May. To check if your device has the French language option turn it on and press the Menu button, select Setup then select Preferences, select Choose Your Language and if your device has the option you will see French as an option.
If you don’t have this option the latest firmware is available to download free on our website at www.vespermarine.com/firmware-upgrades. Once you have got the latest firmware installed you will be able to follow the steps above to change your language to French.
Enjoy... or in French....profiter
Since we released our new VHF/AIS antenna splitter back in November last year we have fielded a steady flow of questions from customers on what the best option is, stand alone antenna or use a splitter and a single antenna. Of the many customers who purchase a WatchMate 850 Transponder about half of these also purchase a splitter so if that’s an indication the splitter option is definitely popular.
Doug Miller of Milltech Marine, one of our US based dealers, provides a very good blog entry on his site about this very subject. Take a look here for what your best options are when choosing an antenna splitter.
