Tidewaiter2
New member
Yes, we even took a photo of one in Danmark last summer, our plotter showed it going up a main road East of Svendborg at about 60mph:smile-new::smile-new::smile-new::smile-new:
Class B AIS
- Thread starter richardbrennan
- Start date
Yes, we even took a photo of one in Danmark last summer, our plotter showed it going up a main road East of Svendborg at about 60mph:smile-new::smile-new::smile-new::smile-new:
Tidewaiter2
New member
"Fay's Fantasy" has been transmitting continuously for at least the last four years from Port Solent. Never, ever seen it move from there!
Nothing ever leaves there, it's the expensive equivalent of the romantic view of the ' Sargasso Sea' in the days of sail, trapped ships covered in weed
Oh, and the strange creatures wailing in the night, esp at weekends, like in that short story " the Boats of the Glen-Carrig" By William Hope Hodgson 1907.
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Paul_DY
New member
There was a discussion of this on the Ships forum (http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?260110-AIS-Question), and the regulations (AFAIR) state that a class A installation has to be properly certified; you can't just buy the kit and fit it. The opinion on the forum (from big ship people) was also that a fluxgate compass wouldn't cut the mustard; it would need a gyro.
One reason for the slow rate of adoption of new technology by shipping is the requirement for equipment and installations to be certficated by class societies etc.; this is costly and slow, so it takes a long time for new technology to make it onto bridges, and of course, only those already supplying bridge equipment are going to carry out the certification. It isn't just the inertia caused by unwillingness to spend money
If you are a vessel that is legally mandated to fit a Class A transponder i.e. >300 tons or carrying 12 passengers or more then the Class A installation and interfacing must also meet the relevent specifications. However, there is no legal reason that I am aware of for someone not to fit a Class A transponder on a non-mandated vessel i.e. a yacht. For a Blue Water yacht the 12.5W transmit power is an advantage as your transmissions will be seen over much longer distances and you will never be filtered out by the bug ships. Even for a larger, fast power boat regularly doing 25 knots or more the faster update rate of Class A, transmit every 2-3 seconds rather than every 30 seconds, may also be desirable.
We have sold a number of our CLA1000 transponders to pleasure craft and as long as they are installed by an experienced NMEA approved dealer, then I can see no problem with this. Our HSC100 fluxgate compass can be configured to provide the necessary heading and rate of turn data that a Class A transmits, some of the bridge equipment alarms need to be turned off and a suitable VHF antenna (3dB) or Class A compatible splitter needs to be used, which all adds to the overall cost (roughly £2000+VAT) but it is a viable and legal option for larger pleasure boats.
LadyInBed
Well-known member
Maybe they don't want to be distracted in busy areas with constant AIS alarms
Cardo
Active member
Turn off the alarms?
johnphilip
Well-known member
We could solve the problem with self discipline.
Even Volvo stopped making cars that go around with their lights on all day.
We live in an age of information overload. I would expect any responsible ships officer to manage that traffic and stop useless AIS B distracting from his concentration. If we were more responsible and used AIS transmitters only at night, in fog or in a shipping lane the ships could see and process this more relevant input to their navigation.
Even Volvo stopped making cars that go around with their lights on all day.
GHA
Well-known member
That doesn't make much sense, how will targets outside the shipping lanes distract ships inside the lanes?
Outside the solent it really isn't an issue, I'm glad for every single target which pops up on an ais screen, it's one more piece of accurate information which can be used to base decisions on.
Interesting discussion here from many big ship boys, most of them seem to like being able to see you, with a few specific high traffic areas like the solent.
http://www.gcaptain.com/forum/professional-mariner-forum/12345-ais-small-vessles.html
And..
http://www.panbo.com/archives/2010/12/class_b_ais_filtering_the_word_from_dr_norris.html
JumbleDuck
Well-known member
They did? When did that happen? Even if it is true, they'll have to reintroduce them ...
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/daytime-running-lights.html
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
My VW UP! certainly has the lights on permanently - sidelights (or equivalent), but they're on!
mjcoon
Well-known member
BrianH
Active member
Both countries I drive a lot in, Switzerland and Italy, have mandatory laws for permanent lights. Switzerland everywhere, Italy only for non-urban areas but as that can subjectively interpreted, it is best to always keep them on.
My MB is programmed to have them on as soon as the ignition is turned.