AIS do you turn it off
- Thread starter Capecodder
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Comodave
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Unfortunately too many people leave them on while tied up at the dock. You get so many hits that you can tend to ignore them. I wired mine in with the MFD so when I dock and shutdown the AIS goes off.
dhays
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ksanders
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Mine, and most I’ve seen are on all the time.
Having it on does not create a problem, and can even provide a ownerr with a remote indication that all is well on his boat while he is away.
Having it on does not create a problem, and can even provide a ownerr with a remote indication that all is well on his boat while he is away.
OP
OP
Capecodder
Senior Member
Not with private ownership.
Comodave
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Commercial vessels and over 65’ have to have it. It is really awesome though and I would not go without it again. Crossing Lake Ontario the rain was coming down so hard the radar was in a white out. Saw a ship on AIS that was on a collision course with us. About that time the ship called us by name and told us that they were changing course to pass astern of us. Wonderful.
dhays
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I disagree that leaving them on doesn’t necessarily create a problem. Having active AIS signals from boats that are not currently in operation can clutter up the AIS display in busy harbors reducing its effectiveness at its intended purpose, to help with collision avoidance.
Comodave
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+++1
Fletcher500
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AIS signals on boats not in transit don't bother me much because they are in the marinas next to other boats that are not moving. Every marina in my area has about 5 boats per marina who keep their AIS on.
Agree, AIS is a nice tool. The ability to click on a boat when offshore to find out if its a 200 footer or a 20 footer can be helpful in the dark.
New boat is getting an 8 ft. AIS whip that should be up by next week.
Agree, AIS is a nice tool. The ability to click on a boat when offshore to find out if its a 200 footer or a 20 footer can be helpful in the dark.
New boat is getting an 8 ft. AIS whip that should be up by next week.
O C Diver
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I turn mine off at the dock, but leave it on at anchor, in the mooring field. Or tied between dolfins before a lock. Have seen some bone head moves at night by other boaters. If I'm not tied to a dock, the AIS and anchor light are left on at night.
Ted
Ted
IRENE
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Another consideration for those that leave their AIS powered up while secured to shore...
AIS transmits in available "time slots". There is a pecking order for those slots. By securing your unit unless you are underway or anchored, you are allowing those navigating to use the time slots for the intended safety purposes.
Thanks to those who secure their units.
Best Wishes
AIS transmits in available "time slots". There is a pecking order for those slots. By securing your unit unless you are underway or anchored, you are allowing those navigating to use the time slots for the intended safety purposes.
Thanks to those who secure their units.
Best Wishes
MYTraveler
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Are "time slots scare"? If not, does it matter? I leave mine on all the time.
AIS is useless in the harbor. Too many people leave them on. Great idea like DSC but implementation and lack of control limits practical usage.
dhays
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That was my understanding as well. As the system gets overloaded, signals further out get dropped out. I think there is also a priority system for some class A systems. As they reach the limit of the number of targets they can track, they drop the class B signals. That doesn’t affect me as I don’t have a transponder, yet.
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I bet what you're seeing on the Marinetraffic app is not a true AIS but the pseudo-AIS one can activate using marinetraffic or boatbeacon apps on a phone or tablet and an MMSI. I use this on my boat but do not have a real AIS.
Occasionally, when I drive home from the marina, I forget to turn off the boat beacon on my tablet and it looks like FlyWright is cruising down the highway.
Occasionally, when I drive home from the marina, I forget to turn off the boat beacon on my tablet and it looks like FlyWright is cruising down the highway.
O C Diver
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I don't think that's quite accurate. The busiest AIS port I've been is Norfolk, VA. The Navy leaves all their AIS units on when tied to the docks. There are maybe a hundred AIS units on within 5 miles and and several hundred units within my reception range as all the commercial ships, tugs, etc leave their units on whether tied to the dock or not. While I do have to turn my guard zone off, the accuracy of moving ships in the shipping channel doesn't seem to be effected.
Ted
ranger58sb
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I like AIS, and use it often to understand and sometimes communicate with commercial or other traffic...
But there are so many boats without it that it hasn't become our main collision avoidance tool around here.
FWIW, our installer piggy-backed ours on the MFD circuit in a way that leaves the AIS transmitter always on... unless I rummage around to trip the breaker on that circuit. Don't completely remember why they did that, IIRC something about anchoring... but the result is that ours is usually on, even when we're in the slip.
-Chris
OldDan1943
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That owner can track his boat as it moves up the interstate. If the boat is stolen, he will be able to track it and reclaim his boat.
ksanders
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I suppose we are not always going to agree
It’s pretty easy on my system to tell the boats that are underway. They are the ones not connected to the dock. My harbor in the summer is also a very busy place. With the close quarters and all the boats I do not even look at my chart plotter with it’s AIS overlay. I just use my eyes. Things change too quickly in the confines of a working harbor for me to pay attention to my screens.
We use AIS when out of the habor. It gives us direction, bearing, and that all important future track line. It sees things my radar won’t pick up, and in general adds another data source to use. One of the best features is that it provides a vessle name, so that if I need to call another vessel (say one on a conflicting course) I can do that easily.
6. When must AIS be in operation?
Note that you do leave it on when anchored.
We leave ours on while docking and until all settled in. Then when we start to prepare to undock, we turn it on. So typically 30 minutes or so before we actually leave.
I don't think it hurts greatly if boats that are docked have their AIS on, but it does create more boats to observe, some of which don't really need to be observed. It's like saying "look at me" when you aren't doing anything meriting being looked at.
Per 33 CFR 164.46(d), vessels required to have AIS must operate it in U.S. navigable waters (as defined in 33 CFR 2.36) at all times that the vessel is navigating (underway or at anchor) and at least 15 minutes prior to unmooring. Should continual operation of AIS compromise the safety or security of the vessel or where a security incident is imminent, the AIS may be switched off. This action and the reason for taking it must be reported to the nearest U.S. Captain of the Port or Vessel Traffic Center and recorded in the ship's logbook. The AIS should return to continuous operation as soon as the source of danger has been mitigated. Note, vessels equipped with AIS--either by mandatory carriage or voluntarily--must abide by the requirements set forth in 33 CFR 164.46 which state an AIS must be: properly installed, use an officially assigned MMSI, that its data be accessible from the primary operating position of the vessel, and, always be in effective operating condition; which entails the continuous operation of AIS and the accurate input (see USCG AIS Encoding Guide) and upkeep of all AIS data parameters. Although Coast Guard AIS authority (46 USC 70114) does not extend beyond U.S. navigable waters or to all voluntary users, mariners are reminded that Navigation Rule 7 requires that every vessel use all available means to determine risk of collision. AIS is one of the most effective means currently available, particularly when coupled with radar and sight, to not only determine the risk of, but, also mitigate collisions. Thus the Coast Guard exhorts all AIS users to maintain their AIS in effective operation, at all times.
Note that you do leave it on when anchored.
We leave ours on while docking and until all settled in. Then when we start to prepare to undock, we turn it on. So typically 30 minutes or so before we actually leave.
I don't think it hurts greatly if boats that are docked have their AIS on, but it does create more boats to observe, some of which don't really need to be observed. It's like saying "look at me" when you aren't doing anything meriting being looked at.
Alaskan Sea-Duction
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Our AIS is on 24/7.......
kapnd
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Military vessels in our area are not always visible on AIS, maybe while on maneuvers or patrol?
Seems it would be quite a security issue for a warship to be identifiable/locatable to ALL inquiring minds...
As for leaving it on at the dock, I find it to be extremely discourteous to a vessel under way, who may already be struggling with conditions, to clutter up the screen.
I don’t believe that it is the intention of the system to mark boats not under way unless anchored or adrift in a shipping channel, or some other potentially dangerous situation that would deem it as being prudent.
Seems it would be quite a security issue for a warship to be identifiable/locatable to ALL inquiring minds...
As for leaving it on at the dock, I find it to be extremely discourteous to a vessel under way, who may already be struggling with conditions, to clutter up the screen.
I don’t believe that it is the intention of the system to mark boats not under way unless anchored or adrift in a shipping channel, or some other potentially dangerous situation that would deem it as being prudent.
twistedtree
Guru
When moored the transmit interval is 6 minutes, I think. It's simply not an issue. Class A is meant to be turned on all the time. That's why there are status indicators for underway vs moored and anchored. There is no on/off switch. If you want to shut it off, you need to kill the breaker.
If you find the icons for stationary boats to be distracting, then perhaps turn on some of the filtering for min speed, min distance, and min CPA. Also consider that the icons are different for stationary vs underway vessels, so it's not hard to tell which ones to watch.. And if your display doesn't have the filters, have a word with your display vendor. That's where the filtering should be done, and it should be done responsibly i.e. in a way that doesn't increase risk of collision, i.e. don't filter Class B because you somehow think it's ok to have a collision with them vs a Class A carrying vessel.
ranger58sb
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Yep, knew that. I found my notes; installer said it was easier (in our boat) to wire it so that it's always on when the MFD breaker is on in order to (help us) remember to meet the "at anchor" requirement. And that way, we could easily trip the breaker if we want while in the slip.
I just don't bother to break the circuit, given it can act as a kind of "Lo-Jack" system.
-Chris
Wayfarer
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I guess I don't understand why people don't like them left on. Is it just that it clutters up your AIS display?
I've only used AIS in commercial applications, and since it's tied in with the chart plotter, I almost never look at the AIS itself. all the information I need is on the electronic chart, so clutter isn't an issue.
We leave ours on all the time.
I've only used AIS in commercial applications, and since it's tied in with the chart plotter, I almost never look at the AIS itself. all the information I need is on the electronic chart, so clutter isn't an issue.
We leave ours on all the time.
I've been in marinas with many active AIS targets (like 40 or 50) and never found it to be a problem. I'm with twistedtree on this one - change the filtering on your receiver if it is distracting to you. If you are finding AIS to be valuable for collision avoidance in a marina, you should probably throttle back.....
