JorgeinLondon
Well-Known Member
He's in the 8knot bit so strictly speaking sticking to the speed limit. Always seems like he isn't but maybe he is! Be interesting to see if he keeps it switched on past Teddington.
Looks like he turns it off once he goes through the lock at Teddington.
Is the Thames within radio range above Teddington, the system relies on people having Internet connected receivers being located nearby
And he is down at Kew (17:00hrs 4/9)
How does that work then? The system is world wide in the remotest spots. I thought it was SatNav based.
Maybe there has to be a radio link for the website to work...?
I thought it broadcast locally rather than constantly tracking via satellite.. Some of them plug into VHF radios but I assume that's so you can do a radio call to a ship directly via your AIS module.
It is.
No its not.
AIS is VHF radio based and therefore has the range of a VHF radio only.
The receiver has a GPS in it which tells the receiver its position.
It then transmits this on short range VHF so all vessels with a suitable VHF AIS receiver get the position (and velocity/course etc.) information of nearby vessels.
Some members of the public have bought VHF AIS receivers and can therefore see ships within their neighbourhood, they then send this over the internet to websites such as this so the information can be collated. However it relies purely on the local coverage of the public receivers.
Commercial satellite AIS receivers are starting to appear. These are low earth orbit satellites that can pick up the same VHF signals as they pass over the ships. This gives some deep ocean coverage but the satellite constellation is not complete and the information is only downlinked once the satellite comes into range of the earth station.