The WatchMate Vision Installation Guide has important information about wiring and antenna placement, getting started with the WatchMate Vision, and more detailed information about operating the WatchMate Vision within the various sections below.

Touch the screen for a moment. The Vesper Marine logo appears, and after about a minute, the WatchMate Vision will be up and running. Select Power Off from the Settings Menu to shut it off—a confirmation dialog box displays.

Hint: The WatchMate Vision has a GPS Backup Power feature. Do not disconnect or switch the power supply to the WatchMate Vision to speed the time-to-first fix. If turned off at the power supply, it may take longer for the built-in GPS to acquire satellite data and a position fix. When switching the WatchMate Vision off using the Menu option, it will maintain the GPS almanac data as long as the power supply is maintained.

A tiny amount of power is used to maintain the GPS data, so it should not significantly affect the battery. However, to completely turn off the WatchMate Vision, such as disconnecting or switching off the power supply when storing the vessel for an extended time.

The WatchMate Vision has a resistive touchscreen. This technology allows it to be used with wet fingers or gloves but requires physically touching the screen. Due to the resistive touchscreen, the WatchMate Vision requires a bit heavier touch than a mobile device.

Use the screen area on the right to slide out the menu system. Slide a finger along the off-screen area to scroll and flick the menu and select any menu item by touching it on the screen.

The GPS smoothing feature is optimized for vessels that do not exceed 45 knots. Disable the smoothing feature as it's possible to lose the GPS position when traveling more than 48 knots.

The WatchMate Vision will not transmit the vessel details until configured. The dealer may have already configured this information, and this procedure can be used to verify that the data is correct.

Configuring requires an MMSI number for the vessel. Contact the relevant authority to obtain an MMSI number.

The MMSI number cannot be changed by the end-user. To change the MMSI, contact an authorized Garmin dealer.

The vessel details may be configured or viewed directly on the WatchMate Vision or using the Vesper Marine WatchMate App for iPhone and iPad or Android phones and tablets. The vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility (see downloads section) can also be used for this purpose. Download and install it on the PC, Mac, or Ubuntu computer to use the utility. Connect to the WatchMate Vision via USB or WiFi.

Choose AIS Settings and edit My Vessel Details from the Vision Settings Menu. Enter the MMSI and other details carefully; this information transmits to all vessels within range. Select the most appropriate vessel type and enter the location of the GPS antenna. Enter the location of the GPS antenna in meters or feet. Measurements in feet are converted to full meters for transmission. As a result, not all measurements in feet can be represented.

The WatchMate Vision transponder is already configured as an Access Point; this is the most common way to use the WatchMate Vision, and allows up to five other devices to connect via WiFi. A separate WiFi router is not needed.

The default network name (SSID) is VesperXB-[Serial Number]. Select this name from the WiFi connection screen on the other devices. The default password is printed in the owner's manual.

To change the SSID or password by using the WiFi Settings on the WatchMate Vision or by using the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility on a PC, Mac, or Ubuntu computer. Vesper Marine recommends changing the password. Use the WiFi Settings dialog, accessed from the Settings Menu, by downloading the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility (see downloads section) and installing it on the PC Mac or Ubuntu computer. Use the USB cable included with the WatchMate Vision transponder to connect to the computer. Some versions of Microsoft Windows have the driver pre-installed. If on a Mac, the driver is downloadable.

Select the WiFi Settings from the Settings menu to change the SSID and enter the new password.

Using an existing WiFi router requires configuration on the WatchMate Vision to connect to it rather than creating a network. An existing WiFi router allows a single network connection for all devices without switching networks to access the WatchMate Vision transponder. It also provides more extensive networks than the five devices supported by the WatchMate Vision in its Access Point configuration.

To configure the WatchMate Vision to join an existing network, use the WiFi Settings dialog accessed from the Settings Menu. Alternatively, the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility on a PC, Mac, or Ubuntu computer can be used. To do this, download the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility (see downloads section) and install it on the PC, Mac, or Ubuntu computer. Use the USB cable included with the WatchMate Vision transponder to connect to the computer. Some versions of Microsoft Windows have the driver pre-installed, but if not, or using a Mac, download the driver. 

On the Vision, from the settings menu, select WiFi Settings. Turn off Create a Wireless Network. It will take a few seconds for the WatchMate Vision to reconfigure itself and display a list of networks within range.

Select the network to join by clicking on the name. Enter the network password, if required. The WatchMate Vision transponder supports WPA and WPA2 personal (PSK) WiFi security.

The default is to use DHCP, which allows the WiFi router to choose the address for the WatchMate Vision. While convenient, the address can change if the WatchMate Vision transponder is powered off. To assign the WatchMate Vision a static IP address, untick the "Use DHCP" option and enter the IP address to be used. It must be an IP address in the correct range the router has available for use as a static IP. See the manual for the WiFi router for details regarding static IP usage and the proper address to enter.

The WatchMate Vision will now connect to the network. When done, the selected network appears in the list with a blue tick next to it. If using DHCP, enter the IP address that the router assigned to the WatchMate Vision. Click on the grey arrow next to the network name to see the router's IP address. The IP address is used to connect to the WatchMate Vision from other devices on the network.

Getting started with iNavX needs to be installed from the App Store to download free charts or create an account to configure additional charts with the Vesper Marine transponder. 

This video goes through the steps to connect iNavX to a WatchMate Vision2 AIS Transponder over WiFi. Once connected, the Vesper Marine transponder will supply the GPS position to iNavX, and AIS targets are overlaid on the iNavX charts.

PGNs Received:

127250 Vessel Heading

128259 Speed

128267 Water Depth

128275 Distance Log

130306 Wind

130310 Water Temperature

130311 Water Temperature

130312 Water Temperature

130316 Water Temperature

129283 Cross Track Error

192284 Navigation Data

129285 Route/WP Information

PGN's Sent:

129025 Position

129026 COG & SOG

129029 GNSS Positions

129540 GNSS Satellites

129038 AIS Class A Position

129039 AIS Class B Position

129040 AIS Class A Extended Position

129041 AIS Aids to Navigation Report

129794 AIS Class A Static Voyage

129798 AIS SAR Aircraft Position

129801 AIS Addressed Safety

129802 AIS Safety Related Broadcast

129809 AIS Class B "CS" Static, Part A

129810 AIS Class B "CS" Static, Part B

129283 Cross Track Error

192284 Navigation Data

129285 Route/WP Information

 NMEA Translations

In addition to the Vesper Marine WatchMate for iPhone and iPad and the Vesper Marine WatchMate for Android, a growing set of third-party mobile apps for the phone and tablet support Vesper Marine transponders with WiFi. 

PC or MAC navigation software that accepts AIS and GPS data over a serial port or a TCP connection will work. For a serial connection, use the USB port on the Vesper Marine transponder. For TCP, use WiFi.

Examples of navigation software that supports the WatchMate Vision2 over both USB and WiFi are Rose Point Coastal Explorer, openCPN, and macENC.

There are two options for using navigation software that doesn't support TCP connections. The easiest is to use the USB port on the Vesper Marine transponder. When the USB drivers are installed (downloaded from above) and then plugged into the transponder, the driver creates a "virtual com port" on the computer. It will assign it a name like COM9. Then configure the software to use that port at 38,400 baud.

Another option is to use WiFi to connect the computer to the Vesper Marine transponder. Then use software to create a "virtual com port" on the computer from the TCP connection. The free HW Group VSP3 Software works well for this purpose.