AIS Receiver In Everett

[SEEG]

I just installed a new ACR AIS transponder/receiver on my boat in Everett. Fun little toy and I can tell what the ferries are doing on the Mulkiteo-Clinton run before I even leave the slip. The little green LED tells me I'm transmitting my data (boat name, location, MMSI #, etc) but I was wondering if anyone had installed a receiver so I could actually view my boat in the slip and see exactly what data I'm transmitting. I don't see any othe boats that are transmitting in the marina but someone must have a receive only unit. Thanks

[tolly28]

I have an AIS receiver, but it might not pick you up in Anacortes... If no one is close by, you could use www.marinetraffic.com .

<script type="text/javascript">
width=800; //the width of the embedded map in pixels or percentage
height=600; //the width of the embedded map in pixels or percentage
border=1; //the width of border around the map. Zero means no border
notation=false; //true or false to display or not the vessel icons and options at the left
latitude=N 47.9974; //the latitude of the center of the map in decimal degrees
longitude=W 122.2222; //the longitude of the center of the map in decimal degrees
zoom=14; //the zoom level of the map. Use values between 2 and 17
trackvessel=0; //the MMSI of the vessel to track, if within the range of the system
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/embed.js"></script>

Couldn't get the code to work to show Everett when the page loads... But you can drag the map over to Everett...

[Nehalennia]

I use this one
http://ais3.siitech.net/VTSLite/AView.aspx


Works very good
What's your MMSI? Is it on now? I only see "Port Gardner" on the screen in Everett.

[SomeSailor]

I just installed a new ACR AIS transponder/receiver on my boat in Everett. Fun little toy and I can tell what the ferries are doing on the Mulkiteo-Clinton run before I even leave the slip. The little green LED tells me I'm transmitting my data (boat name, location, MMSI #, etc) but I was wondering if anyone had installed a receiver so I could actually view my boat in the slip and see exactly what data I'm transmitting. I don't see any othe boats that are transmitting in the marina but someone must have a receive only unit. Thanks

Which model did you get. I've been wanting to buy one, but haven't seen any that would ship to the US yet (pending FCC approval).

Sounds like a fun toy.

[Nehalennia]

Which model did you get. I've been wanting to buy one, but haven't seen any that would ship to the US yet (pending FCC approval).

Sounds like a fun toy.
Mike here's one.

http://www.byownerelectronics.com/store/product.php?productid=73414&cat=0&page=1

[SomeSailor]

That's cool. I hadn't realized they finally got Class B approved through the FCC.

I'm guessing the price will begin to drop now for sure.

[Nehalennia]

That's cool. I hadn't realized they finally got Class B approved through the FCC.

I'm guessing the price will begin to drop now for sure.

Yeah, still kinda spendy, but Jim has good prices. I've bought most my stuff through him(BOEMarine) and as you've said they will begin to drop this spring my guess.

[Roel Jansen]

Not so expensive when you have a NorthStar or Navman chartplotter that's AIS ready! :)

[SomeSailor]

You're still paying $700 to simply relay GPS info via VHF radio to another boat. I'll make a prediction that you see AIS built into VHF radios within the year. AIS and DSC are the same technology.

Any chartplotter that will mark external targets will display AIS symbols.

NMEA 2000 has a PGN (Parameter Group Number) Category that's specifically set aside for AIS data.

I'm not sure how many are imterested in understanding the technical side of it, but here's a document that describes all the parameters that NMEA-2000 is capable of passing.

NMEA PGNs (http://www.nmea.org/pub/2000/NMEA2000PGNs.pdf)

[SEEG]

I have the ACR Nauticast B and use my Raymarine E 120's to display the AIS targets. It's been favorably reviewed on Panbo. SomeSailor is correct. I recall seeing, again on Panbo, that ICOM is considering a VHF/ AIS combo.

As far as the price, I paid around $820, the installers cost plus 20%. I've used the same installer for years and they are not cheap but they are good. Keep in mind they must be installed by a dealer or installer as they must enter and confirm your MMSI number. Some of the internet suppliers will input your MMSI and vessel data and ship the unit to you for install. However, if you screw up the MMSI number or vessel data you're screwed because you can only input the info once. No refunds. I haven't received the bill for the install but I suspect it won't be cheap.

As for not showing up on the internet sites, I'm not surprised. Class A (commercial devices) transmit at something like 12 watts compared to 2 watts for Class B (pleasure craft) units. I could be wrong about the exact numbers but I believe The Class A devices are several times more powerful. I can pick up a couple of tugs at The Port of Everett but they don't show on the internet sites. Perhaps they transmit at a lower power when stationary.

I learned after the install that I could have used my redundant Furuno GPS antenna to input the GPS signal rather than ACR's antenna and saved the cost of that installation. The ACR does come with a stainless steel whip antenna but I purchased a nice 4 foot Digital AIS antenna. Some of the new Class B units even come with a built in splitter but I prefer a dedicated antenna.

MMSI # is 338085742, courtesy of Boat US.

[SomeSailor]

DSC started out with many of the same restrictions, but a lot of people are afraid of terrorists using AIS to impersonate security vessels or others in an attack.

Cool technology though.

[SEEG]

I answered my own question. A site that has particularly good AIS coverage of Puget Sound can be found here:http://www.shinemicro.com/Logon.asp?success=True

It's free and requires only a email address, password and first name. Everett can be found in the Puget Sound overview and also through their beta version of Google Earth. My boat is the Northern most boat shown in either format. The ferry runs and traffic lanes are clearly shown.

I'm apparently broadcasting at least my MMSI #(338085742). I seem to be oriented 90 degrees off but I assume that's because the vessel is at rest and the heading sensor is not operating. In any event, if your are interested in this sort of thing check out the Shinemicro site. It's head and shoulders above the rest I've seen.

[SomeSailor]

The GPS doesn't keep a heading fix long after sitting still. It uses relative motion to determine bearing. It's much more accurate than a compass, but only works if you're moving.

[Nehalennia]

Dan
I see you there. Very cool. That is a good site too.

[Nehalennia]

here's another AIS viewer that is pretty good
http://marinetraffic.com/ais/

[Timflan]

I've had Class B AIS installed since October, IIRC (Yup, it looks like my first "underway" report over at Navagear was published on October 29, 2008).

Anyway, I'm really pleased with it so far. The Shine Micro unit (Local manufacturer! Relatively inexpensive!) functions great. As one of the smallest AIS-equipped vessels in Puget Sound (Can anyone come in shorter than 22 feet?), it's almost ridiculous for me to be BROADCASTING AIS, but I've gotta test the technology, right?

By the way, while SomeSailor says "AIS and DSC are the same technology", that's not exactly true. But he is right that AIS isn't much more than a VHF radio connected to a GPS, like DSC. It will come down in price. Remember when handheld GPS units were $1500? Man, I really wanted me one of them cool Magellan units...

[SomeSailor]

By the way, while SomeSailor says "AIS and DSC are the same technology", that's not exactly true.

I was refering to the cost. My money says you'll be seeing VHF radios with AIS receivers in them in the near future.

Many people were (are) fundamentally opposed to AIS even being available to recreational boaters for fear of the system becoming clogged with useless data.

I predict you'll see AIS receivers in VHF radios in the near term. DSC and AIS are EXACTLY the same technology (from an electronics point of view). It's just how the frequencies are encoded, and what they're encoded with.

Matter of fact... here's a combo by ICOM already available for sale in Europe:

http://www.icomuk.co.uk/images/icom/fieldsetField/235/AIS%20screen%20MONTAGE%20WEB.gif (http://www.icomuk.co.uk/categoryRender.asp?categoryID=3508&cCID=7384)

[Timflan]

DSC and AIS are EXACTLY the same technology (from an electronics point of view). It's just how the frequencies are encoded, and what they're encoded with.

Oh, OK, I'll go along with that. It's a GPS and a VHF radio broadcasting some digital data. Without the qualification, though, the original statement was a little misleading.

The next few years will be interesting. But it'll take a little while for the Class B "problem" (if such a thing comes to exist) to manifest itself. Puget Sound was positively infested with pleasurecraft this weekend; I didn't see another one with Class B AIS.

[SomeSailor]

Didn't mean to be misleading. I understanding full well how both DSC and AIS work. With either you're just encoding a VHF signal with digital position. It's only a matter of time before radio manufacturers see the market and get the idea past the FCC.