Boat beacon. Any good?

[CalicoJack]

A friend of mine has recommended to me that I use the App Boat Beacon on my iPad. It claims that I can register my boat on the site, which will give me AIS coverage and at the same time show me on the screen so that others can see me. It sounds too good to be true. Is it?

 

[prv]

It will only show you on Internet-based AIS sites and apps, not on real AIS as used at sea. So fine for friends at home to see where you are (as long as you're within mobile phone range) but no good for collision avoidance.

Pete

 

[elton]

No one using a real AIS will see you.

 

[woozy-UK]

i like to run it all the time on my phone.

info on the app

http://www.panbo.com/archives/2012/05/boat_beacon_marinetraffic_mais_yipee_or_yike_.html

 

[[70521]]

Lets hope all those big ships are using the Internet and you are within mobile phone range of the shore. The big boys won't see you else.

All it is good for is letting family know where you are.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

They likely won't see your class B transponder either, but that's another story. It's handy for seeing ships and comparing with your visual/RADAR image. Not to be trusted but with the inherrent errors on AIS display on yachts it's not much worse than the 'real' thing.

 

[MoodySabre]

You can set up groups with friends who are using it so you can track each other.

 

[goelectric]

Yachting Monthly had a good story to tell about it.

http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/news/533817/skipper-lost-in-fog-picked-up-ship-on-phone-app

 

[ditchcrawler]

I have checked Boat Beacon against my AIS receiver system (Standard Horizon linked to Vesper) and there was no difference in the AIS signals received.Obviously it only works when you have a good phone signal.It does have some good points in that you can bring up a picture of the ship sending the AIS signal.

 

[BlueChip]

I have been using it as an add-on to SeaNav on my 3G iPad this season along the South West Coast.

Where there is a phone signal it works well and the SeaNav plotting software is ok. The charts for the region of interest can be downloaded using wifi before departure so saving data, I tend to only use it for a quick look when close inshore or I see a ship in a possible close quarters situation as the iPad is so quick to start up.

I also have an ais receiver and PC navigation software, but only use that on offshore passages.

Downside to Boat Beacon as others have said is that if there is no phone coverage then its not worth having. Coverage is just too patchy in the SW at the moment for this to be taken as a serious tool.

 

[goelectric]

I am the author of Boat Beacon and SeaNav and just wanted to correct a couple of points. SeaNav UK charts do not expire after 1 year - you can still continue using them and SeaNav for as long as you like.

You also get free chart updates every 1/4 for the first year. After that if you want chart updates then the UKHO charge an annual renewal fee to get chart data updates and we pass that on as an In App Purchase option.

Our live global AIS coverage is amongst the best in the industry but we are always looking to improve it. Especially in my home waters. We have set up several new AIS station around the UK in the last month, including the Firth of Clyde, Isle of Wight and Falmouth - you can see the Falmouth live coverage here

http://boatbeaconapp.com/kml/dataview.php?port=5324

We are actively looking for someone to host a station for us at Plymouth and replace our station at Weymouth (current incumbent moving in-land). We will fund the cost of the equipment and aerial if anyone is interested in volunteering to host one and has a good view of the sea.

Best regards
Steve

 

[[70521]]

Hi Steve,

Can you confirm that the app both transmits and recives a signal. I'd be interested in how this works at deck level and the strenght of the signal.

Thanks

 

[goelectric]

Hi Camelia,

Boat Beacon uses the mobile internet to both receive and send AIS data. Our servers receive AIS signals from many VHF AIS Shore stations around the UK and relay it in real time over the internet to Boat Beacon. If you enable AIS sharing in Boat Beacon we share your real time location and boat details data with other Boat Beacon users. If you you have an MMSI number we also share this to other internet AIS services like Marine Traffic - so your boat can will also appear on the Marine Traffic site and apps. Please note though, as others have pointed out, you will not appear on other VHF AIS systems using Boat Beacon.

Hope that answers your question?

Best regards
Steve

 

[GHA]

I have checked Boat Beacon against my AIS receiver system (Standard Horizon linked to Vesper) and there was no difference in the AIS signals received.Obviously it only works when you have a good phone signal.It does have some good points in that you can bring up a picture of the ship sending the AIS signal.

I've had both real ais and the Web data on the same screen with Opencpn, there was up to a mile difference in positions. The Web data really isn't suitable for any kind collision avoidance at sea.

 

[goelectric]

Hi GHA,

Yes, the web view data you see on Marine Traffic web and other AIS apps etc. is typically delayed by a minute or more. However the majority of Boat Beacon's AIS data is from real time live feeds - typically less than a second delay between the AIS VHF transmission from the ship and it being available via our servers to the app. You can take a look at this for yourself for instance in the Solent and around the Isle of Wight using our free iPhone Boat Watch app. Launch the app, pan to the solent, tap on a boat to get its details and see how long ago its transmission was received. The High Speed Ferries between Portsmouth and Fishbourne (e.g. St Clare) transmit very frequently when travelling at speed and on a data refresh you will see that the data is typically only seconds old. If you are interested there is a blog entry showing a test we did in the Solent here - http://pocketmariner.com/pocketmariner-at-the-southampton-boat-show/

 

[Tex]

I tried to use the system this summer during a cruise in West of Scotland and could not get it to work.
Perhaps not good coverage in that region.

 

[[70521]]

Hope that answers your question?

Hi Steve,

It does, I was hopeful that you had cracked the challenge of sending AIS signals from a smartphone.

Camelia

 

[prv]

I was hopeful that you had cracked the challenge of sending AIS signals from a smartphone.

Not until someone manufacturers a phone with a VHF radio transmitter in it!

Pete

 

[elton]

Hi Steve,

It does, I was hopeful that you had cracked the challenge of sending AIS signals from a smartphone.

Camelia

It's impossible.