Don't tell Robin

J

jonjo

Joined
27 May 2002
Messages
11,172
Visit site
Don\'t tell Robin

Confession: Maybe there is a future for radar alongside AIS.

Crossing Lyme Bay on Sunday night I encountered new offshore climatic conditions to me. The sea was flat, there was no moon, no wind and the precipitation varied from drizzle to hard rain. The problem, I was blinded by my own deck level navigation lights that created a 3D halo around me as light refracted through the rain drops.

At times I resorted to a single masthead white so I could develop an appreciation of what was going on around me. Radar would have been useful.
 
I heard that!

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif The ability to see is a wonderful asset!

However the usefulness of AIS alone versus (proper) Radar in the situation you described is worth some discussion. Crossing Lyme Bay say from Dartmouth to somewhere south of Portland Bill keeps you well inside the shipping lanes but there are some ships that call in off Brixham/Torbay to collect/drop off pilots, so big ship presence is not unusual, albeit not frequent.

There are however LOTS of fishing boats working Lyme Bay as well as quite a few recreational boats going to and fro. Many if not most of the fishing boats will not have AIS transmitters nor will any of the recreational boats. The fishing boats will be following their fishfinders and very unpredictable in their course and course alterations, the recreational boats will be going down the straight line track between waypoints on either side of the Bay, quite probably very close to your own waypoints and track. No prizes for guessing then that proper Radar is very useful then!

My view is still the same, AIS is a useful additional device but not as an alternative to Radar. I don't have AIS yet but may well add it to our Radar if for no other reason than I have a hole in a panel where an old GPS was that needs covering up, plus we already have a spare VHF aerial on our gantry. However as Mr Navman plotter has taken a vow of silence as far as Mr Nasa DSC VHF is concerned I have no reason to believe he may not sulk and refuse to talk to Mr Nasa AIS as well, making it a futile excersize!

In my view AIS comes into it's own only when in the areas that big ships operate and whilst we cross such areas many times every year, we nevertheless spend a lot more time in areas where non-AIS fitted vessels, not to mention hard bits of land, are more of a problem when the visibility vanishes. I also do not like running my laptop at sea as a routine, it uses too much power and doesn't like coffee let alone salt water so it gets put away safely and brought out for passage planning or WiFi internet use only.
 
Re: Titanic analogy

[ QUOTE ]
I don't have AIS yet but may well add it to our Radar if for no other reason than I have a hole in a panel

[/ QUOTE ]
You might recall the mid 90's when everyone was talking about the film Titanic. Whatever the artistic merit of the film, one had to go and see it if only to be able to quote a firsthand opinion. I think AIS is just as topical, if you want to strut your stuff on this forum you just gotta have it.
 
Re: Titanic analogy

[ QUOTE ]
I think AIS is just as topical, if you want to strut your stuff on this forum you just gotta have it.


[/ QUOTE ]

Are you saying I should own a Bavaria too to experience the keel problem? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

As I say AIS is a useful add-on and I may even buy one joking apart but it would still be the Radar screen I look at to avoid collisions, see all beats sees some.

Why do you not have Radar BTW?
 
Re: Techy tecky corner? Losing the will to live..

Just don't know how anyone would even think about setting off without AIS,GPS,VHF,WTF...The plot thickens;plotting all this and monitoring and scanning all that,microwave this,autopilot locked on that,interface all these to through nmea wotsits and laptop A-with essential slave backup laptop B, this and that software,download this update and workaround that hiccup, all surge protected by this and dioded by that,..voltmeter thingies this and amp usage thingies that.... .Can't leave much time for,er,sailing the boat surely when you hear a warning beep from one of the above?
Time for a pint of extremely non-digital, HSB for me!
 
Re: Techy tecky corner? Losing the will to live..

Dreadful quandary tomorrow. Should we sail west with the afternoon/evening tide and just listen to Friday's footie on radio, or watch it on TV on the berth and sail east on the late tide or the next one early Saturday morning. Saturday's more important match is OK 'cos either way we will be parked up somewhere we can fire up the TV even if not plugged in. Of course it might be better to watch it via Digital on the Freeview Box which means going East 'cos Poole is a bad area as too I believe is Portland if we go west. Later on is sorted as we have a selection of Sky Movies downloaded straight onto the lappie ready and waiting as well as a box of DVDs.

Now if the Radar could just be interfaced with the Freeview Box it would save carrying the TV and if we bought a Radar repeater screen for the cockpit we could even watch the lads from out at the wheel. It might work on the cockpit plotter of course, but the screen is a bit too small on that.
 
Just when you were talking so much sense ...

.....you had to go and spoil it.

Fully agree with your views on AIS and radar, always have done. then once again you have to tell us about the TV on the boat, which fills me with abject horror!

A TV on board a boat, is as acceptable to me as steak tartare would be to a vegetarian !
 
Re: Just when you were talking so much sense ...

[ QUOTE ]
Fully agree with your views on AIS and radar, always have done. then once again you have to tell us about the TV on the boat, which fills me with abject horror!

A TV on board a boat, is as acceptable to me as steak tartare would be to a vegetarian !

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps it is a sign of age, you know like having one foot of LOA for each year of age, but in my case our club doesn't have berths for boats that big! So we compensate by having a few of life's other luxuries, like a full drinks cabinet, plenty of ice for the gins and TV.

On the other hand it could be that I like to look at the weather charts on the TV and get the forecasts via Teletext, on the occasions the laptop cannot find a WiFi connection of course!

Seriously though, we have had some kind of TV on board for 25 years, although the original was a little Russian made 6" B&W set. In the dark ages it was nice when I lived on board during winter fit-out weekends, now it means I don't have to give up a weekend sailing when SWMBO wants to watch the Open Golf, though how we will manage the Ryder Cup (on Sky) this September I have no idea, we may have to go extra-terrestial!. Having it doesn't of course oblige us to watch it and in fact we rarely do, but again early and late season when it is dark early in the evenings it comes into it's own as we are not lovers of nights in a pub bar.

Of course the life of luxury we live would be totally out of character on some boats where spartanism still thrives, I think it may stem from overlong keels and is especially prevalent in Scandinavian waters. Can't think why it would have impregnated your boat though, I'm surprised you don't have TV and even a 2nd set in the master bedroom! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Re: Just when you were talking so much sense ...

Never say never is a saying I picked up from someone wiser than me. i wouldnt have a TV on board now but who knows?

Re AIS I use it on a daily basis and regullarilly (maybe once a week )come across a ship not transmitting AIS. They get a bollocking from any VTS station whos area they enter ,then promise to get it seen to in the next port of call.(maybe)
 
Re: Techy tecky corner? Losing the will to live..

[ QUOTE ]
'Scuse me. but this forum is a kick-bladder free zone.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was a treaty to which I did not willingly subscribe and indeed the real question is should my comments have been on PBO as there are serious practical maritime questions here to be resolved, not least what time I close the office tomorrow to catch the tide!

But since you raised the subject COME ON ENGLAND! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Re: back to skool

When are you old lags going to compile a glossary of acronyms for us new boys? I'm fazed just looking at your typescript, let alone trying to understand it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top