AIS on inland waters in UK

[Momac]

Looking at one of the AIS websites I can see the location of boats on inland waters in France.
But in the UK the boats shown transmitting AIS extend only a little way inland from the coast. I know with certainty there are boats transmitting AIS but they are not shown on the websites.
Where do the websites obtain their data ? Is it obtained from the coastguard and ports authorities?
If so the missing inland boats are presumably due to the absence of any interest on the part of the EA and the C&RT in anything more sophisticated than a mobile phone?

 

[MapisM]

I believe that the coverage depends on where the terrestrial receiving stations are, most being along the coasts.
In fact, in those websites, you also don't see anything in the middle of the oceans, where obviously there's some traffic at any point in time.

But for the records, if you are asking because you would be interested to track a friend of yours cruising inland waters (or be tracked by someone else while cruising inland yourself), there's an easy alternative: if you download the app of one of those AIS website, after registering the boat, as long as you keep the app running, with the GPS and data connection active, the boat is reported in that AIS website wherever she is (as long as within mobile coverage).

 

[mlines]

The web based AIS service rides on the back of volunteers who install a receiver at home and then feed the information into the websites. You can do this if you want by applying for a receiver - http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/p/expand-coverage

I guess they do not see a need for inland UK and no-one has volunteered to spend 500 Euros on setting up a station

 

[mlines]

Also I would guess that if fitted people turn it off as the collision alarms go off all the time. In electronic terms a river is a collision waiting to happen as you are passing within a few feet of each other. Mine sounds continuously when passing Bray Marina for example as I think the lowest resolution is 500metres.

 

[Momac]

Thanks for the comments.
I would have to agree its not so common on inland waters but there are few AIS users and growing in number. It does have a use to see what’s coming around the bends.

I have not so long ago fitted AIS – not really for inland use but for our occasional trips to sea.

 

[SteveSarabande]

So why does it show up for french waterways?

 

[Alpha22]

Because someone has set up a receiver and is passing the information to website providers. Paris is a hotspot and most commercial boats use AIS in the centre of Paris so It has some value from an web users perspective.

As useful as AIS is on a river, passing the information to the internet can only have curiosity as its reason. It would be a huge technical challenge to get enough coverage as you would need a massive network of receiving stations.... Low power VHF is killed dead by trees, annoyingly these seem to proliferate close to rivers. You would need a receiver every half a mile on some overgrown wiggly bits of river... never going to happen.

 

[mlines]

Hmm, I wonder if a cheap SDR receiver would do it?

 

[mlines]

And to answer my own question....yes
http://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-tutorial-cheap-ais-ship-tracking/

Looks like a winter evening project, to cover the Thames area around Reading

 

[MapisM]

As useful as AIS is on a river

Mmm... But is it, anyway?
I understand the wish to know what's coming around the bends, but who on his right mind would trust that anything afloat has an AIS transponder?
...let alone in inland waters!

 

[Alpha22]

Mmm... But is it, anyway?
I understand the wish to know what's coming around the bends, but who on his right mind would trust that anything afloat has an AIS transponder?
...let alone in inland waters!

I was on a tourist river boat last summer on the Seine in Paris and all the commercial boats had AIS transponders.... I guess it was a regulation that they had them fitted... possibly above a certain tonnage??? We only play on rivers in the UK, on the continent they have massive freight carrying operations and some vessels are significantly large compared to the size of the rivers..... I can see AIS adding value to the other nav aids available.

 

[Hurricane]

And to answer my own question....yes
http://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl-sdr-tutorial-cheap-ais-ship-tracking/

Looks like a winter evening project, to cover the Thames area around Reading

Tried it - got it to work but not very well.
Certainly couldn't use it seriously.
I'd like to be proved wrong though.

 

[Hurricane]

Mmm... But is it, anyway?
I understand the wish to know what's coming around the bends, but who on his right mind would trust that anything afloat has an AIS transponder?
...let alone in inland waters!

Actually, the most use that AIS has ever been to me was our first entry into CF - late one evening.
We followed one of the ferries in and I couldn't understand why it stopped just outside the harbour entrance.
When I looked down at my AIS, I could see instantly why - there was another ferry (completely obscured by the first) on its way out.
Remember, this was an unfamiliar port at the time so the extra AIS information was very welcome.

 

[MapisM]

Yup M, far from denying that AIS can be useful.
But in my (actually limited, back in the days when I was based in the N Adriatic) experience of river cruising, just a very tiny share of the boats I used to come across could have possibly been AIS equipped - if any at all! Based on that, I'm not sure I would even bother looking at an AIS screen, while cruising in rivers...
...also because the OP was interested in website coverage, which on one hand implies that he doesn't have an AIS receiver onboard (otherwise he wouldn't need to check the websites), and otoh the AIS positions on websites is not updated fast enough to be of practical use for collision avoidance anyway!

PS: ops, only just noticed that MG said he did fit AIS, so I suppose he was checking the website just to see in advance whether it could be useful inland...
Regardless, I'd expect smallish/non-AIS boats to be the majority anyway!

 

[yesod]

In fact, in those websites, you also don't see anything in the middle of the oceans, where obviously there's some traffic at any point in time.

they can receive ais via satellite too, but you have to pay to see the data as its not as cheap to gather...

 

[MapisM]

Aha, I wasn't aware of that.
But how many AIS transponders can handle sat transmission? That's big ship stuff, I suppose...?

 

[yesod]

nope, the sats are receiving normal vhf ais transmissions. the 'clever' is being able to pull out the transmissions given a slot can be used in the same time in multiple places within 'hearing' of the satellite (but not each other of course). clever stuff, and worth checking out their images showing where ships commonly are...

 

[MapisM]

Wow. Every day is a school day...

 

[yesod]

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/p/satellite-ais

edit: this is better: http://www.orbcomm.com/PDF/datasheet/Satellite-AIS.pdf

 

[Dill et Bound]

The French do operate ATIS as do most of Europe on inland waterways.
Which is not the same as UK AIS and is I believe illegal in UK waters.
You can get info on it on the Offcom website under ATIS.
And also the French Waterways Regulations.