Vesper Marine’s new AIS WatchMate 850 offers a compact stand-alone unit with an easy to read display, simple to use button-driven menus, a built-in GPS antenna, a best-in-class AIS receiver and a powerful Class B AIS transponder. The unit transmits and receives on both AIS frequencies simultaneously, and features include the ability to send a mayday message over AIS, fleet functionality for quick identification and tracking of groups of vessels or friends, and an easy to access silent mode allowing boaters to suspend transmission of their current position when looking for privacy or protecting fishing hot spots. The SP160 waterproof splitter uses standard VHF coaxial connections, provides an AM/FM connection, works in both 12- and 24-volt environments and eliminates the need for a second VHF antenna. WatchMate 850, $1,100; SP160, $250. www.vespermarine.com
