dAISy-catcher high-performance AIS receiver

The dAISy-catcher is a best-in-class, high-performance AIS receiver developed in collaboration with the AIS-catcher project. This AIS receiver is optimized for maximum message count and range, and is ideally suited for shore stations that seek to maximize coverage.

Overall performance of the dAISy-catcher is in a different league than our "old" dAISy receivers. Beta test sites reported 3-4x more vessels with the dAISy-catcher compared to the dAISy HAT. With a receiver sensitivity of better than -120 dBm at 20% PER, reception is typically only limited by the local RF environment. 

AIS (automatic identification system) is an automatic tracking system for ships. Ships broadcast their position and other information over VHF. The dAISy-catcher allows you to receive these transmissions, enabling real-time tracking of nearby vessels.

The dAISy-catcher outputs the AIS data as a stream of ASCII messages, which are encoded in a marine standard format known as NMEA AIVDM sentences. This format is understood by applications and devices like chart plotters, marine data aggregators, and can be processed by many opensource libraries.

The dAISy-catcher can be operated as a USB device, or as a Raspberry Pi HAT. We carry a matching enclosure for USB operation, and two kits for mounting on the Raspberry Pi.

The optional GPS add-on enables the dAISy-catcher to record high resolution timestamps for incoming AIS messages.

Also check the accessories section for other items like RF filters and RF adapters and cables.

Documentation for the dAISy-catcher is available here.

Specification

• High sensitivity SDR receiver architecture
• Continuously receives on two AIS channels
• Outputs AIS data in industry standard NMEA sentences (AIVDM)
• Supports all AIS frequencies (161.975 MHz, 162.025 MHz, 156.775 MHz, 156.825 MHz)
• Supports all AIS message types (1-28)
• Sensitivity better than -120 dBm @ 20% PER
• Female SMA connector for 50 Ohm VHF antenna (antenna not included)
• 115200 bps primary serial interface for AIS output and device configuration
• Secondary serial interface for optional GNSS add-on for precision timestamps
• 5 V power, 3.3 V logic
• Low power: 500mW power consumption
• Lightweight: 20 g (0.7 oz)
  

See documentation for detailed specification.

Warranty, shipping, etc.

We offer a 12 month warranty on the product (excluding physical or water damage). Please contact us if your AIS receiver prematurely fails or if you encounter any other technical issues.

We ship with US Postal Service First Class Mail, UPS and DHL Express. First Class Mail delivery is very reliable, however tracking is only available for a few countries. Please contact us if you have special shipping requirements.

Note: For international shipping, VAT and other import or handling fees may be applied by your local customs. These are the responsibility of the recipient. We will always declare the purchase price excl. shipping.

Fulfillment from within the EU
From past experience, we highly recommend to consider our EU resellers for customers in Germany, Portugal and Greece.