AIS app for mobile devices, any experiences?

[MapisM]

I see, thanks.
Am I right in understanding that this app doesn't show the vessels directly on the map?
Boat Beacon seems to do that, and it's a handy feature...

 

[elton]

No boat with a proper AIS will see you. ie the vast majority of vessels only using true AIS.

 

[scubaman]

It shows the vessel in marinetraffic.com the same way other vessels are seen. You can add details of you boat and intended destination, ETA, etc.

I used it to show my progress to other forum members when I did the delivery. It worked well for the purpose.

Link to the post I did back then http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?315228-The-final-leg-of-the-delivery

 

[scubaman]

M, you can check how it looks from marinetraffic.com and do a search on "AIDA" (mmsi 912300021). I turned the app on (slightly against the rules ).

 

[MapisM]

No boat with a proper AIS will see you. ie the vast majority of vessels only using true AIS.

Yeah, yeah. That's perfectly understood, and nobody said the contrary, in fact.
The app which is being discussed has NOTHING to see with collision avoidance.

Geez, I'm sort of scared by how many people seem to put an extreme confidence on "true AIS".
I feel obliged to remember that there's plenty of things afloat which do not broadcast any AIS signal at all, and there are folks aboard most of them.
I would never trust anything else than eyeball for collision avoidance. And when it can't work due to fog, heavy rain, etc., radar is the next best thing by far.
Whoever think that AIS (and/or thermal cameras) is better, either are sellers of the thing, or are unable to use a radar properly, imho.

 

[MapisM]

M, you can check how it looks from marinetraffic.com and do a search on "AIDA" (mmsi 912300021).

Understood, thanks. LOL, funny to see a boat in the middle of city roads...
Anyway, I would think that the Boat Beacon app might be slightly easier/quicker, showing directly the map positioning...?

The delivery report was very nice indeed, btw. For some reason, I missed it at that time...

 

[scubaman]

Ok. I'll turn it off now.

I haven't looked at the Boat Beacon yet. I'll have a closer look.

 

[Hurricane]

Nothing to do with this app but I thought this photo might be interesting.
I took it of our navigation display during our recent crossing to Mallorca a couple of weeks ago.
I'm now using OpenCPN chart plotter instead of my old software solution.
It is only a backup/planning aid to the ship's Raymarine system but it works very well.
OpenCPN has come a long way in the last 18 months and is really very good now.

This display shows the AIS feed directly off the ship's AIS receiver.
Notice how well the CPA feature works

The two blue blobs and the orange line show where the two vessels (us and the target) will be at the CPA.
Note how well the graphics have been implemented and how badly these fishing boats have set their AIS transponders!!!

 

[single]

It shows the vessel in marinetraffic.com the same way other vessels are seen. You can add details of you boat and intended destination, ETA, etc.

I used it to show my progress to other forum members when I did the delivery. It worked well for the purpose.

Link to the post I did back then http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?315228-The-final-leg-of-the-delivery

Mine isn't showing on marinetraffic.com. Have i got something wrong.Also the web address they give to track position isn't working either.

Just reading info and some say you need a mmsi and others say you don't? What if i put in any 9 digits? Why else can't i view it on marinetraffic.com?

 

[[70521]]

Great for letting people ashore know where you are ... c^arp as a navigation aid.

 

[MapisM]

Just reading info and some say you need a mmsi and others say you don't? What if i put in any 9 digits? Why else can't i view it on marinetraffic.com?

Not only I did put a valid MMSI number, but I also registered on the website.
I'm not 100% sure that this was REQUIRED for broacasting the boat position, but that's what I did, and it worked nicely.
There's some delay though, it takes a few minutes after the app confirms you that it started (green button).
Oh, and you also get a confirmation email to the mailbox which you used for the registration, each time you start the app.

 

[scubaman]

Mine isn't showing on marinetraffic.com. Have i got something wrong.Also the web address they give to track position isn't working either.

Just reading info and some say you need a mmsi and others say you don't? What if i put in any 9 digits? Why else can't i view it on marinetraffic.com?

As MapisM said, after registering and turning the app on you should receive a confirmation email saying that the tracking is active. Did you receive this? I didn't have a valid mmsi so i just used the one the system generated for me. I don't recall there being any other hoops to jump through.