The dAISy Mini is a dual-channel AIS receiver with integrated low-noise amplifier (LNA). Thanks to its small size and low power consumption the dAISy Mini is ideally suited for embedded applications.

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

The dAISy Mini 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 traffic aggregators, and can be processed by many opensource libraries.

The dAISy Mini is designed to be integrated with microcontrollers, single board computers, and flight controllers.

All functions of the dAISy Mini are available on 0.1” headers. 5 V power supply, 3.3 V serial, and optionally I2C are also available on the 6-pin JST-GH connector with a pinout compatible with the Pixhawk telemetry port.

a matching USB adapter to connect the dAISy Mini to a PC for configuration and debugging is included in this set.

Documentation for the dAISy Mini is available here.

Specification

• Dual channel AIS receiver with two independent radios
• Continuously receives on two configurable 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 (1-27)
• Sensitivity of -113 dBm @ 20% PER with LNA enabled, -103 dBm with LNA disabled
• Female SMA connector for 50 Ohm VHF antenna (antenna not included)
• JST-GH connector compatible with TELEM interface of Ardupilot flight controllers
• 38400 bps primary serial interface for AIS output and device configuration
• 4800-38400 bps secondary serial interface configurable as NMEA input or AIS output
• I2C interface for AIS output
• Two I/O with configurable function (sleep mode, LNA on/off, AIS msg received, etc.)
• 5 V power, 3.3 V logic
• Low power: 70 mA w/ LNA enabled, 36 mA w/ LNA disabled, 0.4 mA sleep mode
• Lightweight: 7 g (0.25 oz)

See documentation for detailed specification.

Delivery and warranty

Our AIS receivers are professionally assembled in the USA shipped from The Netherlands by The Tracking Solution. We offer a 6 month warranty on the product (excluding physical or water damage). The dAISy Mini will be delivered without VHF-antenna.