Connecting an AIS Antenna
To transmit and receive signals, you must connect an external AIS antenna (not included) to the Garmin AIS™ 800 device.
For the best performance, you should use an AIS-specific antenna or a VHF antenna that is well-tuned at the AIS end of the band (VSWR 2:1 or less at 162MHz).
The device has an internal antenna splitter that allows sharing the same antenna with a VHF radio. When sharing the antenna, you cannot receive AIS updates while transmitting on the VHF radio.
- Mount the antenna (not included) according to the installation instructions provided with the antenna.
- Connect the antenna cable to the VHF ANT port.
- Optionally, connect a VHF interconnect cable (sold separately, part number 010-12824-01) to the VHF RADIO port on the Garmin AIS 800 device and to the antenna port on a VHF radio to share the antenna with the VHF radio.