Can anyone see me - AIS - Portimao

[greeny]

Please don't jump all over me and tell me I shouldn't be doing this. It's only for testing my new matsutec AIS before I fit it.
I've got it set up in my house with the antennae at the third floor and am trying to see if I am transmitting ok. Tried several times today but nothing showing on the usual ais websites. Lots of boats in the river are showing so the system is picking up in the area. I can't see why I am not being seen as I am right next to the river with clear view of the whole river and other stations/boats nearby are on the screen consistently.
On the off chance anyone is onboard locally with an AIS receiver can you have a quick look to see if I'm showing please and let me know. Boat name Janet and will show up on land on the Ferragudo side of the river to the north of the village.

 

[Daverw]

You may be out of range of the internet based receivers, do the boats on the river show up on them or just on your own?

 

[Mistroma]

I thought I' make a suggestion in case you can't find anyone in the area.

Did you just look at the area around Portimao? Sometimes the web-sites don't show a new boat at anchor very quickly. Worth searching via your MMSI and checking historical records to see if they've recorded something. Not guaranteed to make any difference but worth a try. How long did you leave your AIS switched on?

Of course it's not guaranteed web-sites will see you at all. Best of luck finding someone in the area who spots your request and does have AIS.

You could try to find out where the AIS data comes from and take your AIS close to that point. I think with marinetraffic you pick a target an open up data popup which lists the station providing the signal. I think you can click on the station to see where it is and also get lat.long. It might become obvious that you are hidden behind something or right next to the station (and should be visible).

 

[greeny]

You may be out of range of the internet based receivers, do the boats on the river show up on them or just on your own?

The local boats show up on both the internet systems and on my unit. Just going to look where the local receiving station is and see if I can see any reason why it can't see me.

 

[greeny]

I thought I' make a suggestion in case you can't find anyone in the area.

Did you just look at the area around Portimao? Sometimes the web-sites don't show a new boat at anchor very quickly. Worth searching via your MMSI and checking historical records to see if they've recorded something. Not guaranteed to make any difference but worth a try. How long did you leave your AIS switched on?

Of course it's not guaranteed web-sites will see you at all. Best of luck finding someone in the area who spots your request and does have AIS.

You could try to find out where the AIS data comes from and take your AIS close to that point. I think with marinetraffic you pick a target an open up data popup which lists the station providing the signal. I think you can click on the station to see where it is and also get lat.long. It might become obvious that you are hidden behind something or right next to the station (and should be visible).

Thanks for the suggestion, it looks like the receiving station is about 10 klm away inland so there may be hills in the way between them and me. However I would still expect the station to see me if they can receive from the boats in the river which are less than 1km from me. Maybe I just need to wait longer for it to register but the internet systems are showing updates on the other boats in the riverat between 3 mins and 20 mins. I'll give it a bit more time.

 

[greeny]

Looks like there may be a problem with the transmit side of the unit. Have been trying all morning with varying antennae positions and checking all the settings on the unit and still no joy. Looks like I'll have to take it to the boat and do a temporary install there in the marina. Then go door knocking at some of the other boats that are showing up on the systems. I've never seen the transmit light flash on the screen so I'm suspicious that all is not well with it. Any ideas would be welcome in case I'm missing something.

 

[Yngmar]

We're at Albufeira. Won't see you through the cliffs, but if you fancy a daysail over here I'm happy to tell you if it works. We have a Matsutec unit as well and it works fine. Marinetraffic.com etc. coverage is very poor in this area, few receiving stations and cliffs and hilly landscape.

 

[RichardS]

Looks like there may be a problem with the transmit side of the unit. Have been trying all morning with varying antennae positions and checking all the settings on the unit and still no joy. Looks like I'll have to take it to the boat and do a temporary install there in the marina. Then go door knocking at some of the other boats that are showing up on the systems. I've never seen the transmit light flash on the screen so I'm suspicious that all is not well with it. Any ideas would be welcome in case I'm missing something.

An obvious point but you have entered your MMSI number etc as it won't transmit without.

Richard

 

[greeny]

We're at Albufeira. Won't see you through the cliffs, but if you fancy a daysail over here I'm happy to tell you if it works. We have a Matsutec unit as well and it works fine. Marinetraffic.com etc. coverage is very poor in this area, few receiving stations and cliffs and hilly landscape.

Thanks Yngmar, boat's not set up to sail at the mo, battened down for the winter couple of months. If all else fails though I'll maybe have a trip down on engine later in the week. It looks like my receiving station would be up near Silves which is a good distance away. What puzzles me is that the other boats in the marina/river are being picked up by that station and I'm not. Why would they have the receiver so far inland?? Seems wrong to me when we're relying on vhf to communicate.

 

[greeny]

Thanks Richard, that was the first mistake I made yesterday but I entered the info after I read the manual yesterday and it seems to have made no difference. I'm only using my emergency vhf antennae to transmit though, and maybe it's just not good enough

 

[BrianH]

It looks like my receiving station would be up near Silves which is a good distance away. What puzzles me is that the other boats in the marina/river are being picked up by that station and I'm not. Why would they have the receiver so far inland?? Seems wrong to me when we're relying on vhf to communicate.

Many receiver sites are voluntary amateurs, so little choice really, they are happy to get contributors anywhere. Sometimes a free receiver is offered to prime sites in areas that are not covered but not everyone wants a 24/7 commitment to be on-line.

.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Is that you waving , wearing a striped top If so YES I can see you .

 

[greeny]

Is that you waving , wearing a striped top If so YES I can see you .

Cor! you've got good eyesite.

 

[RichardS]

Cor! you've got good eyesite.

But please take off that beret and the string of onions. It's not a good look.

Richard

 

[greeny]

Anyway, good news. It seems that the Matsutec is working ok. Left it transmitting at the house and went to the boat. Asked around and found a gentleman with a receiver which he switched on for me. There I was - MMSI number visible but no other data but I'm not too worried about that as I assume the data will get filled in some time later especially as the house isn't travelling and moving at the moment. Then went to own boat and rigged up a length of wire into my old receiver and lowered the threshhold signal values and there I was. Brilliant. Didn't think the old receiver and wire antenna would have seen me but it did. Should have done that earlier. Still not on any of the web based systems - just shows how they can be way out on information.
Thanks to all who helped along the way.
Greeny

 

[Martin_J]

You don't say which Matsutec transponder it is.. First things I'd check are that it is locking onto a GPS position.. Does your setup screen show GPS lock?

I will assume you have set TX mode on..

Finally.. I've not set up Matsutec transponders, but all the other ones I've done have checked VSWR on the VHF antenna with the very first Transmission. If too bad (i.e. above 2.0) then the unit gives up trying and remains like that until it has been powered off and on (with a better VHF antenna connection).

As to appearing on Marinetraffic - As others have said - sometimes you are searchable by MMSI 24 hours before you are searchable by name. Even when you have found yourself on Marinetraffic and see the boat name in your details... it's still often not searchable by name until many hours later.

 

[Martin_J]

I replied too late.. Worth double checking antenna connection once moved though, in case you have a dodgy connection.

As to MMSI appearing but not name. That will appear in later transmissions.. You'd probably have to spend longer with your neighbour and wait a while at their receiver..