dAISy HAT - AIS Receiver for Raspberry Pi

Name: dAISy HAT - AIS Receiver for Raspberry Pi
SKU: 8253
Price: 75.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.59 (28 reviews)

(28 Reviews)

2-channel AIS Receiver for the Raspberry Pi

Designed by Wegmatt LLC in United States of America

dAISy HAT - AIS Receiver for Raspberry Pi 1

dAISy HAT - AIS Receiver for Raspberry Pi 2

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dAISy HAT - AIS Receiver for Raspberry Pi 7

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2020-06-01T00:27:51.228Z-HAT assembly options2.jpg

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2-channel AIS Receiver for the Raspberry Pi

AIS doesn't have to be expensive. With dAISy all you need to start tracking ships are a VHF antenna, a Raspberry Pi, and a clear view of the sea. The dAISy HAT is the perfect AIS receiver for your Ra…

Specification

True two channel receiver, continuously receiving on AIS channels A (161.975 MHz) and B (162.025 MHz)
Superior sensitivity compared to other low-cost AIS receivers
Low power, less than 200mW in receive mode (<40mA at 5V)
38400 baud serial output in industry standard NMEA format (AIVDM)
Communicates with Raspberry Pi via UART0 (serial0)
Works with Raspberry Pi 1 (A+/B+ only), 2, 3 and 4 (see note below), and Pi Zero
Shape and size compliant with Raspberry Pi HAT standard
Breakout pads for 2 independent TTL serial outputs, 3.3 and 5 volt rails, and Raspberry Pi I2C port
SMA antenna connector
SMA-to-BNC adapter and hex standoffs included

Note: On the Raspberry Pi 3 and 4, UART0 is occupied by the built-in Bluetooth radio. Bluetooth may not be available when using the dAISy HAT.

dAISy works great with OpenCPN and OpenPlotter

OpenCPN, an open source chart plotter and navigation software, can be used with receivers like dAISy to track ships on a map. Any software running on the Raspberry Pi that accepts AIS data from a serial input will work with dAISy.

Several of our customers built chart plotters based on Raspberry Pi, OpenCPN and dAISy. A detailed step-by-step recipe can be found here.

With Kplex the Raspberry Pi can be setup as a NMEA server that distributes AIS to other devices on your network, like for example via WiFi to a navigation app running on an iPad or Android tablet.

Disclaimer: WE DO NOT RECOMMEND to rely solely on dAISy for navigation and collision avoidance!

Reporting to MarineTraffic

The dAISy HAT is well suited to report nearby ship traffic to AIS tracking websites and services like MarineTraffic, FleetMon, AISHub, Pocket Mariner or MyShiptracking.

The easiest approach is to use dAISy with Kplex. Kplex is a NMEA-0183 Multiplexer which allows to feed the AIS data stream to multiple targets, including services like MarineTraffic and AISHub.

Advanced users of can use a few lines of Python or even basic Linux commands to directly submit the serial output of dAISy to AIS tracking services.

Breakout Pads

The dAISy HAT includes convenient breakout pads to access the AIS data stream. With a bit of soldering, advanced users can combine dAISy with a Bluetooth module to receive AIS on wireless devices, connect a data logger like SparkFun OpenLog, or any other device that can process serial data.

Serial 1 mirrors the serial data sent to the Raspberry Pi, running at 38400 baud. This output is always enabled.
Serial 2 is disabled by default and can be configured to input or output at a different rate (4800, 9600 and 38400 baud).
TX/RX voltage level is at 3.3V.
5V pads connect to the 5V rail of the Raspberry Pi, maximum load supported depends on the power supply
3V3 pads connect to dAISy's 3.3V rail, maximum load supported is about 150mA
I2C breakout pads are directly connected to the Raspberry Pi, making it easy to add sensors to your project

Standalone Operation

The dAISy HAT also works without a Raspberry Pi when powered through the broken out 5V or 3.3V pads. Use the serial breakout pads to connect it with a TTL serial-to-USB cable, Bluetooth module or other devices.

How dAISy compares

With our open source work, we pioneered a new category of AIS receivers designed around the SiLabs EZRadioPro single chip radio IC. This architecture is instrumental for the very low price, small form factor and low power consumption. The trade-offs are longer acquisition time, lower sensitivity and less range than some traditional AIS receivers.

Field tests with conventional dual-channel AIS receivers showed, that under good conditions the dAISy HAT can be on par with some models (e.g. SmartRadio SR162) while still being outperformed by others (e.g. advanSEA RX-100). However dAISy clearly outperforms all sub-$100 receivers that we have tested so far (Quark-elec, MarineGadget).

Our observation is, that with a good antenna dAISy is well suited to monitor local ship traffic. If you need maximum performance and are willing to pay for it, go with a receiver from the established brands.

Warranty, shipping, etc.

The dAISy HAT is professionally manufactured in the USA. We offer a 12 month warranty on the product (excluding physical or water damage). Please contact us if dAISy prematurely fails or if you encounter any other technical issues.

We ship with USPS First Class or Priority Mail. International delivery is very reliable, however end-to-end tracking is only available for a few countries. Please contact us if you have special shipping requirements.

We also offer international shipping with DHL and UPS for US$30 to US$120 depending on your location. Please contact us for a quote if interested.

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 excluding shipping.

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Wegmatt LLC Shipping Policy:

We ship within 1-3 business days of receiving an order (usually closer to 1 day).

Please be sure that the address given to Tindie is accurate, and includes street name and number. Company name is only required if shipping to a commercial address. International orders require a valid phone number.

Domestic packages that go more than 1 week without a tracking update will be presumed lost in the mail and refunded or reshipped as buyer prefers. Any international packages can be delayed in customs without warning for 2 weeks or more.

With international orders, the local carrier may charge you additional fees for customs, tax and handling upon receipt of the package. These fees are your responsibility.

Our products are also available from local resellers in Europe and Asia-Pacific: https://wegmatt.com/wheretobuy.html

We can also ship with DHL or UPS. Please contact us for a quote.

Review Breakdown

Average Ratings

Product: (4.61)

Documentation: (4.43)

Shipping: (4.61)

Communication: (4.71)

Bob | March 13, 2021

Excellent transaction, great product quality. Arrived fast

Can’t wait to set it up at my new coastal qth. Arrived quickly and well packed. Waiting for Rpi to start build.

Alexander | March 2, 2021

Awesome to use with OpenCPN

I just tested this hat in the Gulf of Mexico with a cheap VHF antenna. It picked up lots of ships within my line of sight. It works flawlessly with OpenCPN and required no setup beyond enabling AIS in OpenCPN. I would highly recommend this to the budget conscious sailor who wants to have situational awareness in adverse conditions.

U | Sept. 29, 2020

Great concept and execution! We went on and bought 2 more.

The dAISy HAT had a lot of good documentation and projects on the web so we had it going receiving NMEA messages within 10 minutes of first boot. Works flawless with OpenCPN and Ship tracking sites!

Adrian the maker was also very accommodating when we had some application questions, he took the time to answer our questions and made good suggestions to further optimize our project.

With a little help from Tropospheric Ducting, we have received message from as far as 888NM away!

Since then we purchased another 2 dAISy2+ that had performed perfectly.

Response from Wegmatt LLC | Sept. 30, 2020

Thank you for writing this review! :)

To potential customers: Please note that the range of 888NM was observed under extreme atmospheric conditions that only occur in few regions of the world. Typical range of AIS receivers is 10-20NM.

Charles | April 13, 2020

95% perfect!

The dAISy hat itself is a great option to have. It went smoothly with no issues, though I do wish there were an option for an add-on case fan or shim option for plugging one in. I'm not sure if using a readily-available one would cause alignment issues with the designed case though. Otherwise, no complaints there.

The case for the dASIy HAT does the job almost perfectly. The new Pi 4 case had no assembly instructions and the documentation online was for the older 3 instead, but it wasn't too hard to figure out. It goes together very similar to the 3 case, so not a big deal there. The only issue I had at all is that the mini HDMI cable supplied with my Pi 4 kit doesn't fully seat into the connector on the Pi board due to the thickness of the case wall, and small opening for the connector. This might be easily solved with another cable, or by enlarging the opening. Otherwise, everything else is great. Plenty of access for the card, as well as dual venting - top and bottom - for airflow. So far, extremely pleased with the ease of assembly and build quality!

Robert | Nov. 24, 2019

Works great! Right out of the box!

Connected to an extra 2m antenna I had lying around. I am using this to run AIS dispatcher to aishub.net.

Freek | Oct. 28, 2019

great and simple

Did not had the time to realy test it but did receive stuff
i did not receve the spacers ti showd in the pictures but those are cheap

Response from Wegmatt LLC | Oct. 29, 2019

I apologize about the missing spacers. They should have been in a separate small plastic bag inside the bubble bag. I will reach out by email.

Nanno | Aug. 31, 2019

OK, but due to customs delivery took several weeks

The product is OK works directly without problems with Openplotter OS. The sensitivity is not bad, but only average. The housing is very nice, although not even water resistant.

Shan | Aug. 13, 2019

This is the first and a satisfying shopping experie at tindl

It is the first time shopping on Tindle. Quick response and delivery. I will buy it again. Thank you.

Neil | July 26, 2019

Very happy, great range

I bought this hat to replace a somewhat unreliable RTL-SDR as an AIS station (on land).

It's been running continuously for 2 weeks now, and picks up about 20% more messages than the RTL with an outdoor VHF antenna.

Shipping to NZ was much more efficient than expected, it was quite a nice surprise when it arrived after just a few days.

Very happy with this product, especially for the price!

See what it's seeing at http://www.aishub.net/stations/2830

Ricardo | Feb. 6, 2019

Great product!

I'm really happy to have found dAISy HAT: I wanted to have a new hobby but was reluctant to pour hundreds of dollars into it, without even knowing whether it would work. The Raspberry Pi 3B + dAISy HAT combo (plus a 2nd hand antenna) is affordable and a provides a great way to enter the AIS world. There's only one glitch at the moment: even though I receive messages continuously, my feed to sites like AISHub halts sometimes. Restarting the Pi fixes the problem. For my purposes, this is not a big deal. Thanks for creating this product!

Response from Wegmatt LLC | Feb. 8, 2019

Thank you for the review! :)

To clarify for others reading: From my communication with Ricardo, it looks like the issue is with the software transmitting to AISHub, not the HAT itself.

Paul | Nov. 26, 2018

dAISy HAT - AIS Receiver for Raspberry Pi

Great product for tracking ships. Easily installed. Used it on a recent ocean cruise to track the ship I was on and those nearby.

Product issue: Wished that some of the serial pins were brought out from the daughter board. I want to connect some other devices and it looks like I'll be soldering.

Documentation issue: It told me to connect to /dev/serial0 when in fact it connected to /dev/TTYs0. (Latest Raspian Jessie on a new RPI 3)

Response from Wegmatt LLC | Nov. 26, 2018

Thank you for the review and your detailed feedback.

I don't populate the broken out serial interface (I2C, UART) to avoid conflicts with enclosures. A GPIO shim may be useful if you don't want to solder on the HAT. But as mentioned, soldering directly on the dAISy HAT won't void the warranty. I'm happy to see my customers experiment and hack. :-)

The UART situation on the Raspberry Pi 3 is a bit complicated. /dev/serial0 refers to the primary UART, which when using the shell script mentioned in the documentation, is an alias for /dev/ttyAMA0. /dev/ttyS0 is the mini-UART which may show timing issues depending on clock configuration of the RPi.
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/configuration/uart.md

Charles | Nov. 21, 2018

dAISy is easy to install, low cost, and works great

My purpose for dAISy Hat was to set up a feed for AISHUB, the open data AIS source. I used their dedicated distribution, rPiAIS, that contains all the software to receive, process, and monitor AIS data. The combination of this distribution and dAISy worked straight away, also thanks to the clear configuration documentation. The whole system was operational in less than a day and the performance is good. Shipping took more than two week, mainly due to Dutch customs.

William | July 10, 2018

I used the dAISy HAT to build a OpenPlotter

I found the HAT to be well documented my only wish was that the i2c and 2nd serial had their pins pre soldered (I hate soldering small things)

But everything went smoothly for my project and I will probably be building another OpenPlotter for a mate.

ps. along with i2c and 2nd Serial, why not also add the 2x10 male pins on top of the HAT so that users can stack HATs on top of the current HAT.

Neil | April 11, 2018

Great receiver at an amazing price

The dAISy Hat is an easy to use AIS receiver with great range. For the cost of the dAISy Hat and Raspberry Pi you can duplicate networked AIS receivers that cost $400+ with the same range. The developer is awesome when it comes to communication and support for the project. There is a lot of documentation Online making it easy to up even if you have never worked with Raspberry Pi before.

Jose | April 9, 2018

Very good. OK

My experience has been good with Tindie.
The attention, exquisite, good service and very good product.
The only thing that must be taken into account is the OpenCPN version, since from 3.2.0, it is more complicated to configure ports and plugins.

Paul | Jan. 27, 2018

Excellent product and service.

I use the dAISY hat on a raspberry pi 3 with openCPN. I was pleased with the setup and got very prompt help from Adrian when I had a problem. (My own fault).
Delivery was good, my only complaint is the extra £18 I had to pay UK customs for the importation.

Jose | Oct. 25, 2017

Lots of features for an very reasonable price

I am a marine roboticist and we have used this board to build portable AIS receivers (powerbank + raspberry pi 0 w) that we can bring with us on small vessels / vans to help us monitoring traffic around autonomous underwater vehicles.
The board has lots of features like monitoring RSSI, message filtering, baud rate selection, etc via simple user interface. You can see here a picture of the system we're using together with custom-made antenna: https://photos.app.goo.gl/k2eig6DBFqPIKgxJ2

Andreas | Oct. 23, 2017

A fantastic little device. Worked straight away.

Every now and then I get really surprised by technology and what we have achieved in the last few years. Not only miniaturization but also signal noise ratio and sensitivity have improved dramatically. I recommend this device to everyone with an interest in AIS, especially if you are a sailor!
TA

Alan | Oct. 1, 2017

dAISy HAT working well

I have been using the dAISy HAT on a RPi 3 out on the Chesapeake over the past few weekends. It is working very well, consistently acquiring tracks on commercial traffic outside 16NM on a 50’ mast and our existing VHF antenna. The instructions were great and it was easy to set-up on the Pi, and works well with OpenCPN. Fantastic product!

Andrew | Sept. 3, 2017

Great two channel receiver, stand-alone or try a dAISy Pi

I've deployed my third dAISy, two HAT's and one USB. The performace is pretty damn good, it often exceeds the performance of my Digital Yacht AISNet receiver. I have two sites 50m apart streaming data into marinetraffic.com both use similar Pacific Aerials antenna and feedline.
You can compare:

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/details/stations/341 (Digital Yacht Rx)
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/details/stations/2532 (dAISy HAT Rx)

I'm using a HLK-RM04 to directly port dAISy HAT's 3.3v TTL to marinetraffic.com

My dAISy USB with RS-422 kit is mounted atop a 95m mast, solar and lithium battery powered with data output via a 20mW 433MHz link. The dAISy's been running over a year now and shows stable sensitivity.

Andrew (VK4VAG)

J.M. | Aug. 18, 2017

Install was easy, Works with opencpn in one go.

Received the Daisyhat just today. Took about 5 minutes to install. Nothing complicated.
Bought it just for fun and maybe start a low power receiving station. But as I live about 5 km from sea reception is a worry. I have a PC setup with an Airspy and receive lots of ships in our harbour Scheveningen (25+) and a few from Rotterdam Harbour. On the raspberry now just 4 objects, two offshore stations (Racon bouy and platform) and two onshore stations (base station Scheveningen and coast guard Den Helder about 103 km?), but in between no ships. Think I need to upgrade my antenna for a Raspberry daisyhat system or move closer to the sea.

Response from Wegmatt LLC | Aug. 18, 2017

Thank you for your review.
With a suitable VHF antenna, 5 km over built-up but flat terrain should be doable. I will reach out through email for further discussion.
PS: Likely, the distant targets you received were repeated by your local base station.

Lyle | Aug. 14, 2017

Bought another two

Says it all really - I'm happy. Happy enough to buy another two.
Perfect solution for AIS Base Station development - low power consumption, no wire spaghetti in the box. Tested against a commercial AIS receiver and seems to have performed equally in a low signal environment.
About to try it with Sleepy Pi to manage power in a solar/battery environment. If success then will deploy in the wilderness on its own.....

John | Aug. 10, 2017

Good Value

This works great with or without a Raspberry Pi and I currently have mine mounted with a NEO-8N GPS module with the output going to an RS-422 converter and sent to my chartplotter as well as to a Bluetooth module. I can receive traffic about 7 miles up and down steam on the Upper Mississippi which gives me plenty of warning a barge is coming so I can plan my fishing accordingly. My Lowrance finder gives me all the relevant info on the tug pushing the barges including distance, speed and estimated time to when it will pass by my boat. It also works with my Windows tablet running OpenCPN.

The product arrived in 48 hrs and any questions were answered almost immediately and I had it up and running in no time with no problems at all

Yves | May 30, 2017

Excellent!

Installed the dAISy HAT on Raspberry Pi 3. The RPi is configured as a wireless server using Kplex.
Receiving data on iNavX, OpenCPN, MaxSea TZ app.
International shipping to France worked great.

Andy | April 23, 2017

Excellent product

Worked great out of the box with my Openplotter 11.2 implementation on a Raspberry PI3. Highly recommended!

Holger | Dec. 2, 2016

Everything works fine and like described

This ist what I'm searching for a long time to use RasPi as a navigation computer or a AIS station to feed web services with position information. I tried a lot of AIS USB devices - but all of them where unstable. One of the biggest problems: the power consumption.
Now it works stable with the standard RasPi power supply.
The documentation is work in progress - but this was announced. The support via eMail from wegmatt is great and fast.

Martin | Nov. 23, 2016

International Shipping is sometimes Challenging

The product is good , maybe it could be extended by additional offers like the antenna or some pictures about the different connections. Documentation was mentioned that it is still under development. So will be better in the future, but for a Maker should it not be a hurdle. The Communication with tracking number for the shipping is good out of Tindie - the parcel services could improve !

Shipping ( Packaging and wrapping was good and content is well prepared for customs ) is a bit of a challenge : You could track the goods very well on the US side until it reaches your own country. Then it hangs in customs "forever" without any notice. The next message from US could be wrong ( it is in my case ) and you need to use the tracking number for your local official parcel service ( which is in Germany "Post" !)
Good is, the product will not be destroyed as it has all needed signs (CE) etc. You just need a lot of patience: 3 days shipping inside US, 3 weeks customs , 1 day in country shipping - the customs is the big dark hole.

Now I am looking forward to my next sail trip to us the AIS Receiver !

Response from Wegmatt LLC | Nov. 23, 2016

Thank you for your review.

Unfortunately I haven't found a way yet to expedite processing by German customs. Most other European countries manage to process packages within a week.

The only workaround seems to be to use DHL or other courier services, which I can quote when requested. But this typically incurs much higher shipping cost (~ $40-50) plus potentially additional service charges on delivery.

Martin | Nov. 23, 2016