Milltech Marine News

July 2020
Vesper announces important bulletin for AIS products
Vesper Marine has published an important technical bulletin regarding an essential update required for their AIS transponders. See the bulletin here .

June 2020
Can't decide which AIS transponder to buy?
Check out our blog article "How to Choose an AIS Transponder" here.

February 2020
Download our AIS presentation from the Seattle Boat Show.
Milltech Marine presented a seminar at the Seattle Boat Show titled "Getting the Most from your AIS System". If you would like to download a copy of the presentation, click here.

June 2019
Having antenna issues? Check out our latest blog article.
Getting the VHF antenna connected to your AIS system is probably the most important factor for good AIS performance. Check out our guide here for our top ten antenna tips.

November 2018
US Coast Guard marine safety alert regarding LED lighting interference
Have you experienced AIS or VHF reception issues and have LED lights onboard? Be sure to read this US Coast Guard advisory to learn more.

October 2018
TIMEZERO TZ iBoat + Vesper XB8000 + FURUNO 1st Watch Wireless Radar: A new mobile solution for charting, AIS and radar
Check out our blog article to see how you can combine AIS, marine navigation, charting and radar using the TZ iBoat app.

April 2018
U.S. Coast Guard Takes Aim at AIS Transponder Errors
Improperly programmed AIS transponders are becoming are real safety issue and the USCG is cracking down. See our blog article here for more information.

December 2017
New AIS product range added to Milltech Marine online store!
Milltech Marine is now a dealer for em-trak AIS products. Check out our range of new products here.

July 2017
The latest AIS transponder technology is now available!
We are proud to announce the availability of the AMEC WideLink B600 Class B SOTDMA AIS Transponder - one of the first transponders built based on the newest AIS standard. This transponder features 5-watt transmit power for greater range as well as SOTDMA technology for better management of transmissions. Check out the product page for more information.

January 2015
US Coast Guard announces new rules for AIS
On January 30 2015, the US Coast Guard published their long-anticipated new rules for AIS which go into effect on March 2 2015. For more information, see our resource page here.

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If placed by 11:00AM PST, Monday through Friday, most orders ship same-day (excluding domestic Class B AIS which must be programmed before shipping).

We Ship Internationally
Use our online Shopping Cart to make sure your location is served and to check shipping options and costs. For more information, click here. Please call or email with any questions.

Home > AIS Transponders > Class B AIS Transponders

Class B AIS Transponders

Class B AIS Transponders are mainly used by recreational vessels and smaller commercial vessels.

Information transmitted by Class B transponders can be "seen" by all AIS receiving equipment. Class B transponders also receive all Class A and Class B AIS transmissions.

All of our Class B transponders are built to high quality, commercial standards and mainly differ in the options available for connecting to other devices.

There are two types of Class B AIS Transponders:

Class B CSTDMA 2-watt: These transponders are the traditional Class B units, have a transmit range of 5-7 miles and use the carrier sense system for getting a transmission slot.

Class B SOTDMA 5-watt: This is a new type of Class B transponder. These units transmit with 5 watts of power and typical transmit 10-15 miles. These use the same self-organized slot management system as the commercial Class A transponders.

For more information on the different classes of AIS transponders, visit the US Coast Guard page here.

Also be sure to check out our AIS Transponder Comparison Guide.

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