The XB-6000 Installation Guide has important information about wiring and antenna placement.

The install guide shows how to connect an optional switch to place the XB-6000 in Silent Mode. This mode allows your XB-6000 to function as a GPS and AIS receiver but will not transmit the vessel's position or other information. When desired, the settings will run in silent mode, for example, during critical times during races. Silent mode is controlled from the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility (see downloads section).

 XB-6000 Installation Guide

The GPS smoothing feature optimizes for vessels that do not exceed 45 knots. For faster ships, disable the smoothing feature so that GPS position is not lost when traveling over 48 knots.

To do this:

1. download the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility (see downloads section)
2. install it on a PC or Mac. 
3. Connect to the XB-6000 using the provided USB cable. 
4. Select the GPS tab and untick the Smoothing option.

Refer to the XB-6000 Installation Guide for details about the Status LED. In regular operation, the Status LED will be solid green. It will be solid orange and flashing orange during the first-minute startup period while acquiring a GPS fix.

Use the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility (see downloads section). Download and install it on a PC or Mac computer using this utility. Connect to the XB-6000 using the provided USB cable.

Select the Status tab to determine why the Status LED is not green. Verify that all status items are ticked. Use the Status tab to view the antenna VSWR and various statistics for each AIS channel.

The GPS tab is used to view the current satellite status and may help determine the best location for the GPS antenna.

The XB-6000 will not transmit until the vessel details are configured. The dealer may have already configured this information, following the below steps to confirm all information is correct. 

An assigned MMSI number is required for the vessel. Obtain an assigned MMSI, and contact the relevant authority. 

MMSI number cannot change it, and it is critical that it's entered correctly. If a change is required on the MMSI, contact an authorized dealer or Garmin Marine.

The vessel details may be configured and viewed using the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility (see downloads section). Download and install it on a PC or Mac computer to use the utility. Connect the XB-6000 to the computer using the provided USB cable.

Once connected, choose the "Configure Vessel Data" tab to display current details. Enter the MMSI and other information carefully since this information transmits to all vessels within range. Select the most appropriate vessel type and enter the location of the GPS antenna. Information about the GPS location is entered in either meters or feet. Measurements in feet convert to whole meters for transmission. As a result, not all measurements in feet can be represented.

View the Status and adjust the NMEA 2000 configuration for troubleshooting and advanced installations. To do this, download the vmAIS Configuration and Status Utility (see downloads section) and install it on the PC or Mac computer. Connect the XB-6000 to a computer using the provided USB cable.

Once connected, choose the "NMEA 2000" tab. This tab shows the current NMEA 2000 connection state. It will be green when the XB-6000 is connected to the bus and working correctly. If a detected problem on the bus, the status indicator will be orange. If the XB-6000 is not operating on the NMEA 2000 bus, the status indicator will be red.

Note: It is normal for the red and orange indicators to flicker back and forth every few seconds when there is no NMEA 2000 connection to the XB-6000.

From the NMEA 2000 tab, individual PGNs can be selected to receive and transmit. For example, if the system already has another source for the GPS data set, uncheck the output GPS data. You can also select the output rate for each PGN in milliseconds.

Note: GPS data is updated once per second or five times per second, depending on the configuration settings. Choosing to output the data more frequently repeats the same data until the next update.

PGN's 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

See: NMEA Translations for Watchmate Products

Any PC or MAC navigation software that accepts AIS and GPS data over a serial port. Use the USB port on the Vesper Marine® transponder for the serial connection.

Examples of navigation software supporting the XB-6000 are Rose Point Coastal Explorer, openCPN, and macENC. Expedition. MaxSea.

There are many other computer navigation software packages that work with AIS data. Check the manual for the software about its support for AIS and how to configure it.