Anyone use AIS system?

[joakimhansson]

http://www.siitech.net/VTSLite/AView.aspx

[Brian]

Yes, and it's brilliant!

[JABS]

Have a look at this:

http://www.ais-live.co.uk/AIS%20Live/aissolent.html

[joakimhansson]

Anyone have it on a RIB.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by joakimhansson

Anyone have it on a RIB.

Brian does. See post #2 in this thread.

[Brian]

Yes.
And it is still brilliant!

[Richard B]

Brian,
I'm now slightly intrigued.....

I took your offer to "crawl all over" the new RIB at he weekend at face value, and didn't spot any hint of an AIS receiver... does is interface with the Raymarine gear?

[Brian]

Richard
The AIS is a receive only unit that is fitted "out of the way".
It interfaces with the Raymarine plotter.
You see black triangles on your plotter representing ships transmitting AIS information (they are significantly diferent to other displayed items) and you then hover your cursor over the target and it displays basic info.
You can then press a softkey marked "Display full AIS info" and the whole caboodle comes up as an overlay. Depending on what they are transmitting (and it does depend on what they want to show) you see:
name of vessel
ports leaving and destination
cargo
speed and direction
tonnage
etc etc
AIS is received via a second arial so it depends how far you can reach with that arial.
The receive-only unit is remarkably cheap. Well worth the extra.

[Jon Brooks]

I have AIS fitte.

We have a full class b tarnsponder fitted to the boat. We use the AIT250 from MES. In our ickle office we have the Easy AIS and Easy Split from Echo Pilot.

We use the system for two main reasons:-

1, so the we can see and be seen by all the commercial vessels when we are out and around the Goodwin Sands or anywhere.

2, anyone in the office can see where the boat is and or track it at anytime ( we are normally never out of AIS range of the office.

Both are interfaced into a plotter both Standard Horizon. Have to say works really well and on the back of it a good number of locals have now and or are fitting it.

I know there is all this "big brother" stuff but IMHO its a great add on safety feature and getting cheaper all the time.

Cheers

[rdash]

Yup. Simrad AIS50. I seldom leave the Solent/IOW area and have a healthy distrust of some of the convenience flagged box carriers. Pity is that one doesn't know if there is anyone on the bridge looking at their own display!
It's a good bit of kit marred by a screen that is too small for my ageing eyes and is sometimes not quite bright enough. If there's anything better next year I will fit it on next boat.