Sailtron R/T 80![]() It's not too difficult to make the almost antique marine VHF Sailtron RT80 and the identical Sealine MC5500 suited for the recepton of AIS by adding a discriminator output.
Sailtron RT80
The VHF transceiver uses a conventional discriminator, consisting of a ceramic resonator and two diodes. Usually, the performance of this type of discriminator is less than that of a receiver with a more modern receiver IC. In spite of that, for the R/T 80, the results were quite acceptable. The unfiltered audio can be found on the cathode of diode CR162. This diode can be found right next to the ceramic resonator. ![]() ![]() The cathode of CR162 contains the unfiltered audio
The connection to CR162
Follow the next steps to make the discriminator output:
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Of course, it is also possible to use a longer cord and use a 3.5 mm plug to connect the signal directly with your PC's line or microphone input. The discriminator output: a 'pig tail' with a female cinch plug
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