FA-50 TX Timeout

[HBrew]

Hello - I have a FA-50 with fast blinking orange light (TX Timeout). I ran the GPS test from the web page and it said everything was ok. The device is running version 2.02:B14. I have checked with another sailing boat sailing with us and they say that our AIS signal appears intermittently and then disappears. I also seem to have reduced sensitivity to receive AIS signals (ships used to appear 20-25 miles away, now much closer). The connection from the antenna goes to a splitter that connects to the AIS and VHF. Until recently (I don’t know when this started) it has worked fine since 2018. My mast was removed earlier this year, so maybe something has been disturbed.
To complicate things, we just entered Indonesian waters and there are hundreds of fishing boat everywhere and we plan to go to Singapore where continuous AIS is mandatory. Any advice about how to diagnose and fix this problem and where to get help in Indonesia would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Hamish

 

[Johnny Electron]

AIS units can not use VHF antennas, it must use one cut for AIS. Splitters that share one antenna but two transmitters are never recommended. 1) One of the two will always lose out if both going to transmit at the same time 2) These add on devices are known to be high failure items.

 

[Sparky Wire]

If that is an normal VHF antenna being shared, I agree that doesn't work except for receive only AIS units. Too much reflected signal upon transmit.