ditchcrawler
Well-Known Member
+1 for the Standard Horizon feeding a Vesper Watchmate.Both ist class bits of kit.
What AIS have you got?
- Thread starter FullCircle
- Start date
Georgio
Well-Known Member
+1 for Vespa Watchmate, although mine is a transponder so has it's own GPS internally but it shares the AIS data with the Chart plotter.
yoda
Well-Known Member
Snap
CPD
Well-Known Member
Digital yacht feeding SH180 and also separate NASA. The buggers won't get me ..................
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
I bought the 'Easy' a two or three (might even have been four!) years ago now, and was happy with a bit of wire as an antenna, 'strung around the boat', I could pick up ships at four or five miles, which was all I was really interested in, as I thought I didn't much care about anything I couldn't see!
This year, as I was going to venture off across Biscay, I got round to putting my spare vhf aerial up the top of the mizzen, belt and bracers and all that. As it would only be used for VHF if the one up the main failed, I connected the AIS to it.
I can now pick up ships at 50nM! Not much use you might think, but having a look around at 30nM to check if anything big was heading my way before I shut my eyes for an hour, and to see fishing boats plodding a set pattern, sometimes toward me then turning a reciprocal course gave me a lot of peace of mind across Biscay. In the four days the crossing took, once out into deep water, I didn't actually sight a single boat.
It would appear that AIS has now become quite popular with French and Spanish fishing boats, not just the big ones.
This year, as I was going to venture off across Biscay, I got round to putting my spare vhf aerial up the top of the mizzen, belt and bracers and all that. As it would only be used for VHF if the one up the main failed, I connected the AIS to it.
I can now pick up ships at 50nM! Not much use you might think, but having a look around at 30nM to check if anything big was heading my way before I shut my eyes for an hour, and to see fishing boats plodding a set pattern, sometimes toward me then turning a reciprocal course gave me a lot of peace of mind across Biscay. In the four days the crossing took, once out into deep water, I didn't actually sight a single boat.
It would appear that AIS has now become quite popular with French and Spanish fishing boats, not just the big ones.
Mike k
Well-Known Member
just had fitted Simrad A150- the desire started when a grain tanker looked to be coming my way and I really wanted to know the name to make radio contact.
As for the unit iI will now better this weekend when it will be tested at sea but seems ok in the marina.
As for the unit iI will now better this weekend when it will be tested at sea but seems ok in the marina.
KevinT1
Well-Known Member
ICOM MXA-5000 linked into Open CPN on a laptop - but only because my old Raymarine RL70 is too slow and won't show anything above 4800 baud .
Will be trying it out for the first time this weekend cross channel to Guernsey
Will be trying it out for the first time this weekend cross channel to Guernsey
Boathook
Well-Known Member
I don't - yet.
Searush
Well-Known Member
Eggzackerly.
KenMcCulloch
Well-Known Member
pyrojames
Well-Known Member
Icom linking to Icom VHF
Suttle
Well-Known Member
None - yet. Will probably get NASA AIS engine when I do.
xeitosaphil
Well-Known Member
Digital yacht AIS receiver into a SH CP 700i plotter , SH plotter linked to SH GX1500E VHF, Garmin 152 linked to Yeoman plotter for back up.
Bru
Well-Known Member
Well I do use the Marinetraffic app as a means of obtaining info to verify what we've seen by the Mk.1 eyeball but I wouldn't rely on it for collision avoidance
I've also started using the iAIS app to send position info to Marinetraffic for the entertainment of family and friends who like to keep up with what we're up to but that info won't. as I'm sure we're all aware by now, show up on AIS receivers aboard vessels
I sort've regret not pushing the boat out when I bought the new VHF last year and going for the SH with the built in AIS, although the unit we did buy is much more compact and a better fit in the space
joha
Well-Known Member
Vesper 850 watchmate. Very good bit of kit.
j
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benw
Well-Known Member
Garmin300 just installed second hand unit very successfully to link in with 200i VhF, 5012 CP and HD radar all nmea 2000 and Garmin.
wilkinsonsails
Well-Known Member
We have fitted the Advansea transponder to Paddy Mac ,Combined GPS and VHF ariel ,gives about 10 miles mounted on deck.
.Orion we have the Comar mounted at 8 ft above deck and that's about 30 miles .So the higher the better ,and the combined Ariels are a great simple fit option.
Conversations with various vessels on the transatlantic trip ,revealed that we were visible to them a good 10 to 20 miles,that's with the ariel on the cabin top..
Cindy
.Orion we have the Comar mounted at 8 ft above deck and that's about 30 miles .So the higher the better ,and the combined Ariels are a great simple fit option.
Conversations with various vessels on the transatlantic trip ,revealed that we were visible to them a good 10 to 20 miles,that's with the ariel on the cabin top..
Cindy
Iliade
Well-Known Member
+1
(had NASA but PITA having a laptop in cockpit!)
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
If you think the App is anywhere near real time, think again!
Bru
Well-Known Member
Well actually in our experience of using it at sea in coastal waters over the last three years it is very near real time for the most part, within a minute or two at any rate which for our purposes is adequate
Proper analysis of the information, as with any source of data, has to take into account the age and reliabilty and Marinetraffic tells you how many minutes old the data from a vessel is. As I said, I would not rely upon it for collision avoidance but as a supplementary source of information about vessels identified by other means (in our case the Mk.1 eyeball) it is useful provided you are aware of the limitations.
The iAIS position sending app, on the other hand, is basically a "toy" with little practical purpose ... although that said it does allow our shore contact to have a pretty good idea of exactly where we've got to and what speed and course we were on at the last update. That information could be life saving in the hands of the emergency services if we failed to report in as safely arrived*
So whilst, of course, the apps are not a substitute for a genuine AIS receiver, don't dismiss them as totally useless
* On any passage beyond local sailing my brother is apprised of our passage plan before departure including the time beyond which we should be considered overdue and we send him a text to say we've safely arrived when we have. Safely arrived that is. Having installed and set up the iAIS app this year, he now knows we've safely arrived before I even send him the text! Several friends also enjoy watching our progress on marinetraffic.com which just goes to show what a sad bunch of friends we've got!!!
