Displaying AIS information?

[PhilipF]

Wondering how other M/B users display - or are considering displaying AIS details?

The screen on our chartplotter display is only 11 cm's across, and I assume the majority on other users boats would not be much larger. Too small in my view for AIS, specially bearing in mind extra details need to be brought up in a text block.

I'm using my MacBook for the job, certainly a large enough screen. The main downside being the difficulty in viewing when there is strong light around. The charts are Admiralty Skipper, I am testing on Folio 45 at the moment. Obviously I have a complete set of paper charts for the areas I cruise the boat on. In any case, in switching on the chartplotter, a warning comes up to the effect that "this is no substitute for paper charts".

However, the 'Skipper' charts are supposed to be exact copies of the paper charts. One wonders if these were used with the GPS position displayed, could this be any more accurate than that as on the chartplotter? Each folio costs over £90, so I've not tried any detailed scale local charts. But for AIS, I'm really pleased with the way this system indicates positions. Interested to know if many others have a facility to display AIS - or are considering so doing?

Philip

 

[nonitoo]

I have the NorthStar 557 fitted with a NASA AIS engine giving AIS readouts and these are coloured according to the ship type.

Red- Passanger
Green- Tanker
Orange- Cargo

and some others I cannot remember at the moment.

The screen gives basic target info (Name Co/SPD CPA/TCPA) and the full target info is obtained by expanding the target.

Very handy here on the south coast - whether it would be as useful if you were in an area with little AIS traffic is a moot point.

If this continues to be as useful I may consider fitting a full class B transponder when the prices come down a bit.

Tom

 

[Hurricane]

I've done nearly 4000 nautical miles over the last 10 months.
Several posters on these forums have been on different stages with me.
JW is fitted with an "all singing - all dancing" Raymarine G series glass bridge system.
The one new bit of technology that stands out way ahead of everything else has been the way that AIS integrates into the system and how useful it is.
Even the cheapest of plotters on the market have implemented AIS.

Are you sure that the 11 inch screen is too small?
What make is it?

I dont think that AIS will be that unusable on that size of display.

 

[NorthUp]

I've.....

Are you sure that the 11 inch screen is too small?.

yer confusing inches with them new- fangled centithings.....

 

[nonitoo]

The screen on our chartplotter display is only 11 cm's across, and I assume the majority on other users boats would not be much larger. Too small in my view for AIS, specially bearing in mind extra details need to be brought up in a text block.

It's about the same size as mine, small but perfectly useable. As I said the basic info (name,co/spd,cpa/tcpa) appears in the bottom left corner and the full info in a new screen. The target will also alarm if it enters your preset alarm minima.

In use the basic is all that is required - the full would only be necessary if you were intending contacting the vessel (or if you want to know his next port and ETA !!)

Tom

 

[rickp]

I'm using my MacBook for the job, certainly a large enough screen. The main downside being the difficulty in viewing when there is strong light around. The charts are Admiralty Skipper, I am testing on Folio 45 at the moment. Obviously I have a complete set of paper charts for the areas I cruise the boat on. In any case, in switching on the chartplotter, a warning comes up to the effect that "this is no substitute for paper charts".

I'm using MacENC on my mac mini, along with the full UK charts from maptech (thanks to Hurricane for pointing me at them). I have 2 serial-to-bluetooth transmitters to feed both the instruments NMEA and the AIS data to my mac. It all works very well - and allows me to record the track which I can then put online, along with depth, speed and wind speed data (which is just for interest). We can sit in the saloon and passageplan on the TV (which gets the whole family involved).

At the helm, I use a Standard Horizon CP300i to display the AIS data, as my Simrad can't cope with it. I sometimes find it easier to pull the chart chip out of the CP300 to make the AIS ship icons easier to see - a shame that you can't make the CP300 emphasise them more....

 

[gjgm]

I ve AIS on C80-once I'd sorted out the in/outputs. Screen seems big enough for me. I m only looking to expand the detail on something thats heading my way, and that I cant see.But its excellent as an alarm device that something IS heading my way.
If there was a function I d like is a hot key to switch the thing off.. by the time I ve got down Southampton Water, its probably alarmed 50 times.And it would be nice if leisure users changed their transmit status at anchor, in the marina..

 

[PhilipF]

Interesting replies - thanks.

Perhaps I was wrong about the eleven centimetre screen being too small, it is a Simrad BTW. I do note however the other Mac user Rickp does indicate his chartplotter set up may not be perfect at displaying AIS details.

I was also interested in following the links he gave. Seems the Admiralty Skipper charts as supplied on a CD are far more expensive than the electronic charts pretty well all of us use on our boats. This link should give the coverage area: http://www.admiraltyleisure.co.uk/arcs_cov_uk.asp I paid over £90 for folio 45, and my understanding is that is the price charged for all the rest of the British folios, as I postulated in my OP is the massive extra detail, combined with the GPS position plotted worth it, very doubtful I reckon. In any case, no one here is indicating they use them.

Matter of interest: I am using a BU 353 GPS, this feeds into one of the USB ports on the laptop. For AIS input I am using the NASA '2' engine. Most important of all is the software to decipher and display all the info, this is provided by Windvector link here:
http://www.windvector.com/passageplus/overview.html I consider this really excellent software, and has the great advantage of being completely British!

 

[Hurricane]

I know that you and Rick are both committed to your Macs but if you could manage to join the rest of us in the world using our @rap Windows PC, there is an excellent package that I use all the time.

Its Memory Map - not the marine one that they sell with the charts but the walkers version - called Memory Map.

It too has AIS interfaces and the screen display is very fast.
I even scan my own charts in.
I've also integrated a Windows PC into the ships main electronics and can use the PC as a completely separate nav system - feeding onto the Raymarine displays.

It isnt that I particularly like Windows, its just that there is so much more coice on software that is available.