Radio Check, Radio Check - AIS Check......

[DipperToo]

Following on from the many threads of the airwaves being congested (particularly on a nice weekend morning), suitable advice has been given to encourage the use of the NCI instead of the Coastguard for radio checks.
I see in YM that the poor souls at the NCI are now potentially going to be hounded for AIS checks as well.
I am sure that many, if not the majority of boats that have an AIS transponder are very likely to have a crew member with a smart phone as well. Surely a simple check with Vessel Finder or Marine Traffic will indicate if the AIS is transmitting correctly? It may also provide a reminder to those that have incorrectly programmed their vessel details - I remember having to avoid a 110 ft sailing yacht which on visual inspection must have been no more than 35ft!
The shore based receiving stations for AIS and likely to have similar coverage to the NCI VHF radio stations - but there may be 'dead spots' hence using a couple of the aforementioned apps will provide good coastal coverage.

 

[prv]

I remember having to avoid a 110 ft sailing yacht which on visual inspection must have been no more than 35ft!

I imagine it was exactly 33 feet

(33 metres = approximately 110 feet, and AIS units are generally programmed in metres.)

Pete

 

[KellysEye]

I radio checked using the radio and a handheld radio.

 

[[70521]]

I radio checked using the radio and a handheld radio.

What was the distance between the two devices?

 

[jwilson]

On a side-issue, my AIS receiver connected to two plotters seems to work very well: even with the boat ashore now upriver at Rustler's yard in Penryn it is showing ships underway at sea 10 -15 miles offshore. However many of the targets just show MMSI, speed (many zero) and CPA, but very often no names or other details. What are clearly leisure boats (from their marina/mooring location and zero speed) are the worst culprits.

There are not so many AIS-transmitting yachts here in Falmouth that it is a problem, but I can imagine a chartplotter screen being so cluttered with triangular targets in the Solent that the charting becomes unusable.

 

[[70521]]

On a side-issue, my AIS receiver connected to two plotters seems to work very well: even with the boat ashore now upriver at Rustler's yard in Penryn it is showing ships underway at sea 10 -15 miles offshore. However many of the targets just show MMSI, speed (many zero) and CPA, but very often no names or other details. What are clearly leisure boats (from their marina/mooring location and zero speed) are the worst culprits.

There are not so many AIS-transmitting yachts here in Falmouth that it is a problem, but I can imagine a chartplotter screen being so cluttered with triangular targets in the Solent that the charting becomes unusable.

Our AIS is down below, I have no plans to run the data up to the chart-plotter - I might look at it if I want to know the name of the "big ship" over there and where it is going, if I can't see other ships/yachts I really, really should not be at sea.

 

[Daverw]

It’s nice to know when the dozens of wind cats decide its time to come home from all directions at 30knts, can get a bit hairy as they don’t stick to ship / marked channels

Gets a bit like the wacky races

 

[doug748]

Following on from the many threads of the airwaves being congested (particularly on a nice weekend morning), suitable advice has been given to encourage the use of the NCI instead of the Coastguard for radio checks.
I see in YM that the poor souls at the NCI are now potentially going to be hounded for AIS checks as well.
I am sure that many, if not the majority of boats that have an AIS transponder are very likely to have a crew member with a smart phone as well. Surely a simple check with Vessel Finder or Marine Traffic will indicate if the AIS is transmitting correctly? ........

As long as my AIS transmission shows up on the plotter and I am happy with that. It lurks behind for a bit and then scampers to catch up, like Grandmothers Footsteps.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

I remember having to avoid a 110 ft sailing yacht which on visual inspection must have been no more than 35ft!

I'll raise you

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:3919685/mmsi:235093129/imo:0/vessel:SOIREE

Desination "PASS WITH SAFE DIST"

Anybody will think they want to be noticed. Bit of an abuse of the system IMO and you could see why ships may filter out class B if we're taking the micky.

 

[rotrax]

I imagine it was exactly 33 feet

(33 metres = approximately 110 feet, and AIS units are generally programmed in metres.)

Pete

Anyone on here seen the AIS description of the cruise liner " Independence of the Seas ".

We picked it up when returning from Alderney 2 seasons ago.

Its stated length is .19 of a Nautical Mile! That is almost 388 metres. 1272 feet!

Pretty big................................

 

[mattonthesea]

Anyone on here seen the AIS description of the cruise liner " Independence of the Seas ".

We picked it up when returning from Alderney 2 seasons ago.

Its stated length is .19 of a Nautical Mile! That is almost 388 metres. 1272 feet!

Pretty big................................

She moored up the other side of the dock wall from us in A Coruna. That close I would have believed she was the length of Oxford St! The quay side was certainly as crowded as Xmas shopping.

 

[Blue Sunray]

I'll raise you

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:3919685/mmsi:235093129/imo:0/vessel:SOIREE

Desination "PASS WITH SAFE DIST"

Anybody will think they want to be noticed. Bit of an abuse of the system IMO and you could see why ships may filter out class B if we're taking the micky.

This is parked further up the Hamble, 811m × 32m aparently.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ai...:UNCLE_BOB/_:5f947e28430a9cdb798cf0be743fa60d

 

[tudorsailor]

Our AIS is down below, I have no plans to run the data up to the chart-plotter - I might look at it if I want to know the name of the "big ship" over there and where it is going, if I can't see other ships/yachts I really, really should not be at sea.

You may not feel the need to use the AIS where you sail, but around the Greek islands its a real boon. Their ferries approach at 25 -30kn . One minute they are in the distance and then they are upon you. Sometimes there are more than one seemingly converging on your bit of sea. It can be difficult to judge by eye that they are going to miss you, since they may only miss by 50m. Seeing them on the AIS and noting that the CPA has changed ever to slightly from less than 10m to maybe 100m is reassuring. In addition, noting their name means one can call up quickly on the VHF to ask their intentions

So maybe you should not be quite so dismissive?

TudorSailor

 

[snowbird30ds]

Does anyone know how long it takes a new ais transponder to get picked up by the likes of vessel finder and how far inland they can reach, the reason I ask is that I have just aquired a matsutec one and have set it up in my garage to check before fitting (never sure of cheap tech), trouble is I'm 100 mile inland, did I read somewhere that sattelites are also used for ais? Am I just weeing into the wind? Answers on a £20 note to.......

 

[Daverw]

Your unlikely to get any signal to internet based AIS, don’t forget AIS is line of site. We don’t get picked up on our mooring but class A do as they have more output power.

 

[tudorsailor]

You can search Marine Traffic for a list of receiving stations. It gives their location and also their coverage

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/da...ed&country_in|in|United Kingdom|country_in=GB

There is only one in London but it has quite a big range https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/stations/609

TudorSailor

 

[RichardS]

Whether your Class B signal is received by an internet relay is so fickle, certainly in Croatia, even when one is on the boat, that it's going to be a total lottery whether a signal is received away from the coast.

Richard

 

[tudorsailor]

Whether your Class B signal is received by an internet relay is so fickle, certainly in Croatia, even when one is on the boat, that it's going to be a total lottery whether a signal is received away from the coast.

Richard

Are you aware that you can use Marine Traffic's app called Oncourse to supplement the AIS from your boat. Essentially it uses your phone's position to inform Marine Traffic of your position via the internet

https://help.marinetraffic.com/hc/e...How-can-I-report-my-positions-using-OnCourse-

TudorSailor

 

[wully1]

The narrow entrance to Loch Sunart always had a ’plug’ AIS plots as there is zero reception in the Loch..

This might have changed as the nice folk at the great wee marina were thinking of installing a base station as part of their ongoing improvements.

 

[snowbird30ds]

Looks like the wind has been well and truly wee'd into then, I will have to get someone from one of the local marinas to see if they can see it.