There’s a moment every motorboat owner knows well: a DSC call is coming in on the VHF, an AIS target is closing on the plotter, and someone on deck needs to relay an order before you’re lined up for the marina entrance. Traditionally, these are three separate boxes and three separate interfaces, all competing for attention at once. That’s the kind of complexity that em-trak, a UK-based marine electronics specialist behind two decades of AIS and VHF/DSC innovation, built its newest flagship product to eliminate.
The em-trak X100 consolidates VHF/DSC radio, AIS Class B 5W transceiver, and wireless CONNECT-X control into a single rugged, waterproof unit. The X100 offers a new way of thinking about what’s mounted at the helm, with fewer components, less wiring, and one certified system doing what used to take three or four. No more managing separate boxes, redundant antenna runs, and the maintenance headaches that come with them.
As em-trak puts it: “The ocean doesn’t compromise and neither does the X100.”
Uptime isn’t negotiable
The demands on communication and safety equipment are the same whether you’re running a sportfisher, a flybridge cruiser, or a center console. Your gear has to work, every time, in whatever conditions the water throws at it.
That standard looks slightly different depending on what’s tied to the dock. If you’re logging long-range passages or fishing well beyond sight of land, your priorities might be range, target discrimination, and a legible helm display. If you’re navigating busy harbours or running in tight quarters with family and guests aboard, you’ll probably prioritize clarity and quick access, since you don’t have time to hunt through menus when a situation develops fast. The X100 was designed to serve both cases from the same unit, rather than asking owners to choose a system built primarily for one type of boat and adapt it to another.
The X100’s Class D VHF/DSC core is certified and built for continuous duty, offering up to 25W of VHF transmit power along with ClearWave digital audio processing that keeps transmissions clear even in high-noise environments like an engine room or a crowded cockpit. Quick-access channels make harbour manoeuvres simpler, while a loudhailer and intercom function keep docking communication clear without anyone needing to shout.
Layered on top of the radio core is a 5W AIS Class B transceiver for extended range, giving vessels stronger, more reliable target visibility than standard Class B units typically offer. CPA alerts support high-speed collision avoidance, flagging developing situations before they become urgent, and AIS-linked DSC calling means hailing another vessel by name, rather than by channel and guesswork, is built into the system.
There are significant practical benefits for retrofits in particular. Integrating VHF, DSC, and 5W AIS into one box (complete with a built-in, zero-loss antenna splitter) means fewer interfaces, less cable runs, and a cleaner helm than the multi-box setups most owners are used to living with.
Alerts for the whole crew, not just the helm
Where the X100 distinguishes itself most is in how it handles someone going overboard.
The system continuously monitors connected MOB devices. If someone goes overboard, the X100 triggers an alert immediately across every smartphone and smartwatch connected through CONNECT-X. Users get last-known location, bearing, and approximate distance in real time, meaning the response doesn’t depend on whoever happens to be standing at the helm when it happens.
On a boat with family and guests spread across the deck, flybridge, or cabin, an MOB alert confined to a single display is only as useful as someone’s proximity to it. Distributing the alert across every connected device turns a single point of awareness into a shared one. Everyone aboard with a phone or watch can be part of the response.
Shared awareness functions as an important extra safety layer whether you’re underway, at anchor, or just enjoying time on deck. MOB protection and instant alerts extend that reassurance beyond the helm, so everyone onboard is covered wherever they are on the vessel.
Wireless control away from the helm
Traditionally, communication systems have centred on whoever is standing at the helm. The X100 takes a different approach. By extending VHF, AIS awareness and MOB alerts to connected smartphones and smartwatches, communication moves with the crew rather than remaining fixed to a single location.
The CONNECT-X system is what ties the X100’s hardware into something everyone aboard actually interacts with. Through paired smartphones and smartwatches, it functions as a wireless command mic, letting you transmit and monitor without needing to be physically at the helm station.
CONNECT-X also puts a private intercom between the helm and the foredeck, so docking and anchoring don’t have to mean shouting over the engine or relying on hand signals to communicate close-quarters instructions.
That same connectivity extends AIS monitoring to those connected devices as well, so situational awareness isn’t limited to one physical location on the boat. It’s not always the person closest to the electronics panel who is best able to respond. Someone on the bow, in the cockpit, or below deck can maintain awareness of nearby traffic and incoming calls.
This is particularly valuable for flybridge operators, as it enables full command mic and AIS monitoring from the upper station without needing a second fixed unit or extra installation complexity. In busy shipping lanes, approaching harbour entrances, or navigating around larger vessels, unified awareness supports faster, more confident decision-making.
Engineered without compromise
Aside from headline features, the X100 is built around a list of capabilities that reflect em-trak’s engineering priorities:
- Integrated VHF/DSC and AIS Class B 5W in one certified unit
- CONNECT-X wireless control system
- Smartphone and smartwatch connectivity
- Integrated MOB alerts
- ClearWave digital audio processing
- NMEA 2000 / NMEA 0183 connectivity
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled
- Waterproof, marine-grade construction
- Integrated GPS receiver
- Zero-loss antenna splitter
The level of communication, AIS awareness, wireless control, and MOB protection built into the X100 would traditionally require several separate devices, several antenna runs, and considerably more installation complexity. The X100 folds all of it into one unit.
The X100 doesn’t ask operators to rethink how they use a VHF or an AIS unit. It simply lets you stop thinking about VHF, AIS, and wireless control as separate systems.
If you’re in the process of specifying new equipment or refitting an existing vessel, that consolidation means a simpler install and a cleaner helm. For everyone aboard, it shows up as a shared layer of awareness even when you step away from the helm.
Reliability and simplicity shouldn’t be at odds, especially when the water makes no exceptions.
The em-trak X100 is available now through authorized em-trak dealers worldwide.
Learn more at em-trak.com.
