I have purchased this product and it needs an aerial, can anyone advice what type I need for it

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Any VHF Marine band (152 - 162 Mhz) aerial will work. You may need to look for an aerial that has the matching SMA connector or just purchase a BNC to SMA adaptor.  AIS reception is specifically162.025 MHz & 161.975 MHz and you can purchase (more expensive of course) an antenna tuned for these frequencies; remember also that VHF is essentially line-of-sight so unless you are on the coast or high up you won't get very much.  The ShipXplorer website is confusing as it says “Works on any device.” And “enables the reception of AIS messages and data directly onto devices such as a Raspberry Pi or Laptop”; annoyingly “or laptop” doesn’t mean Windows. It’s Pi (Debian/Linux) or nothing. I use Shipplotter software via a Comar AIS receiver and feed ShipXplorer.

ASIN	B09Y61CM12
Best Sellers Rank	#559 in USB Computer Network Adapters
Brand	ShipXplorer
Built-In Media	USB AIS Receiver
Color	Blue
Compatible Devices	Desktop, Laptop
Customer Reviews	3.1 3.1 out of 5 stars (52)
Data Link Protocol	USB
Data Transfer Rate	480 Megabits Per Second
EU Spare Part Availability Duration	2 Years
Hardware Interface	USB 2.0
Item Weight	23 Grams
Manufacturer	ShipXplorer
Minimum Required Operating System Version	Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa, Windows 10
UPC	895758001283
Warranty Description	1 Year

AIS Dongle

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