Synchronised Lights?

[pyrojames]

A test case for synchronised navigation light is apparently under way on the Swale at the moment. All the bouys on the Swale now flash at the same time so the channel is easier to follow and more distinct against the back ground. (Lloyds List this morning).

Anybody been out to play?

 

[snowleopard]

In our local long-term roadworks the lights on the cones flash sequentially. It's quite a good way of making it easy to follow the cone slalom. I can't see any connecting wires so there must be some sort of wireless mechanism.

 

[savageseadog]

I'd noticed and thought about that too. It's not for no reason that my wife thinks I'm the most boring man in the universe.

I assume however that the lights are wirelessly linked by radio as there would be too much interference if you tried to do it by detecting the flash of an adjacent light. Each light could be set to master or slave with an adjustable time delay, perhaps by specifying the number of the light in the row.

 

[Pye_End]

think it is GPS based. Hasn't started yet 23rd Feb.

NOTICE TO MARINERS
No.3/08 C2
---------------
EAST COAST OF ENGLAND
------------------------------------
THAMES ESTUARY
--------------------------
APPROACHES TO THE SWALE
------------------------------------------

Date : On or about 23rd February, 2008.

Further to the trial of synchronised LED buoy lights in the Swale as advertised in Trinity House Notice to Mariners 63/07 dated 17th December, 2007, in this phase of the trial Trinity House and Medway Ports are to alter the light characters of the following buoys.


1. Station : Columbine Lighted Buoy

Position : Latitude 51 deg 24'.263N., Longitude 01 deg 01'.348E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.G.5 seconds.



2. Station : Whitstable Street Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 24'.000N., Longitude 01 deg 01'.540E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.R.5 seconds.



3. Station : Swale 1 Lighted Buoy.

Amendment : New station to be established.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 24'.068N., Longitude 01 deg 00'.690E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.G.5 seconds.



4. Station : Swale 2 Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 23'.840N., Longitude 01 deg 00'.860E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.R.5 seconds.





5. Station : Columbine Spit Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 23'.863N., Longitude 01 deg 00'.028E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.G.5 seconds.



6. Station : Swale 4 Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 23'.680N., Longitude 01 deg 00'.185E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.R.5 seconds.



7. Station : Swale 5 Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 23'.530N., Longitude 00 deg 59'.125E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.G.5 seconds.



8. Station : Swale 6 Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 23'.340N., Longitude 00 deg 59'.360E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.R.5 seconds.



9. Station : Ham Gat Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 23'.083N., Longitude 00 deg 58'.318E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.G.5 seconds.



10. Station : Pollard Spit Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 22'.983N., Longitude 00 deg 58'.568E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.R.5 seconds.



11. Station : Swale 7 Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 22'.183N., Longitude 00 deg 57'.236E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.G.5 seconds.

12. Station : Swale 8 Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 22'.100N., Longitude 00 deg 57'.400E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.R.5 seconds.



13. Station : Sand End Lighted Buoy (Medway)

Position : Latitude 51 deg 21'.430N., Longitude 00 deg 55'.900E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.G.5 seconds.



14. Station : S. Oaze Lighted Buoy.

Position : Latitude 51 deg 21'.341N., Longitude 00 deg 56'.014E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.R.5 seconds.



15. Station : Receptive Point Lighted Buoy (Medway)

Position : Latitude 51 deg 20'.862N., Longitude 00 deg 54'.410E.

Amendment : Light character to be altered to Fl.G.5 seconds.


All positions quoted in WGS 84 Datum.

The buoy lights are to flash in synchronised port and starboard lateral pairs, and sequentially from seaward inwards, as follows:-

o Columbine & Whitstable Street
o Swale 1 & Swale 2
o Columbine Spit and Swale 4
o Swale 5 and Swale 6
o Ham Gat & Pollard Spit
o Swale 7 and Swale 8
o Sand End & S. Oaze



The light character breakdown for the Columbine & Whitstable Street Buoys will be

Flash ; 1.0 second
Eclipse : 4.0 seconds
--------------------------------
Total : 5.0 seconds
--------------------------------

The remaining buoys will have a light character breakdown of

Flash : 0.3 seconds
Eclipse : 4.7 seconds
--------------------------------
Total : 5.0 seconds
---------------------

 

[geoid96]

I agree that in good visibility it would make the lights easier to distinguish from shore lights in the background the the channel easier to follow. However, if in poor visibility you can only see a single Fl.G.5 sec., which one is it?

 

[Mudhook]

Some of the buoys in the Orwell were doing this last year; certainly the pair just off Pin Mill. It had me wondering until I worked out that it must be done by GPS. I must admit I rather liked the old random effect of looking down a long reach with several buoys.

Regards, Mudhook

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
However, if in poor visibility you can only see a single Fl.G.5 sec., which one is it?

[/ QUOTE ] As far as I can see these are the buoys making the approach channel to the eastern end of the Swale, not those within the river itself. Perhaps it does not matter greatly which one it is, you just keep plodding on until you reach the buoys in the river.