AIS do you turn it off

O C Diver · May 28, 2018

The other point worth noting, the government regulation is for transmitting, not receiving. On the units I have, you could select to turn off the receiving part if it bothers you that much in a congested area.

Ted

BandB · May 28, 2018

Beyond meeting the legal requirements, I've never found it to be an issue one way or the other. If I'm sitting at the marina, I'm sure not affected by whether it's on or off. If I'm cruising, I don't find myself impacted by whether those at the marina are on or off unless I'm looking for someone. It's not hard to tell the cluster of boats is at a marina.

We have also found it valuable when we encountered a boat having some problems. They said they were ok, so we went on ahead, but we kept an eye on them and kept ours on so they could tell where we were. A few hours later we were very pleased to see them at a marina and AIS enabled that.

Simi 60 · May 28, 2018

kapnd said:
Military vessels in our area are not always visible on AIS, maybe while on maneuvers .

Think they would learn by now

The Navy concluded that the Fitzgerald collision was avoidable. Specifically, she appears to have violated COLREGS in several ways:

- She was not operated at a safe speed appropriate to the number of other ships in the immediate vicinity.

- She failed to maneuver early as required with risk of collision present.

- She failed to notify other ships of danger and to take proper action in extremis.

- Watchstanders performing physical look out duties did so only on Fitzgerald's left (port) side, not on the right (starboard) side where the three ships were present with risk of collision.

In addition:

- Watch team members responsible for radar operations failed to properly tune and adjust radars to maintain an accurate picture of other ships in the area.

- Supervisors responsible for maintaining the navigation track and position of other ships
were unaware of existing traffic separation schemes and the expected flow of traffic, and did not utilize the Automated Identification System to gather information on nearby vessel traffic
https://www.maritime-executive.com/...-knots-through-traffic-without-ais#gs.1BJOYWw

Simi 60 · May 28, 2018

Rusty said:
We leave our AIS on all the time. I set up a free account on marinetraffic and added it to "my fleet". I get an email when the boat leaves or arrives at a port. A cheap theft alert.

And when the machines take over the world or the gubmt wants to spoil your fun they'll know where to find you :hide:

Bigsfish · May 28, 2018

My unit is on when my Garmin turns on, which means while running or at anchor. When tied to a dock the Garmin goes off and the AIS too. It’s easy, sorry if it bothers you. &#55357;&#56833;

SHASA III · Jun 4, 2018

When I installed my AIS xponder, I put it on a separate breaker in the panel and turned it off. However, after observing the 24/7 operation of several other stationary boats in and near my marina, plus we’ll over a hundred moored boats/ships in the ship canal, I just leave it on....it just doesn’t make any difference or solve a problem, and there is some comfort in periodically checking my boat when I’m away. My $0.02.

Auspicious · Jun 5, 2018

Scratching my head

I'm not clear why my own issue with leaving AIS on at the dock has not been raised. With an AIS alarm set at any useful distance boats with AIS running at the dock trigger the alarm and leave me pushing 'Acknowledge' over and over and over again. This makes AIS as a collision avoidance tool less capable.

This is a problem in waterways all over the world. Spa Creek in Annapolis. Hampton River in Hampton VA. Charleston River in Charleston SC. Port Everglades. Miami. Corpus Christi. Mobile Bay. Puget Sound. San Diego. Southhampton UK. Goteberg SWE. NY Harbor. Atlantic City NJ.

Wherever you are.

We just have to turn off the alarm which means we lose a tool. To use AIS we have to take our attention off the world around us and focus on the video game.

Leaving AIS on at the dock is rude.

twistedtree · Jun 5, 2018

Auspicious said:
I'm not clear why my own issue with leaving AIS on at the dock has not been raised. With an AIS alarm set at any useful distance boats with AIS running at the dock trigger the alarm and leave me pushing 'Acknowledge' over and over and over again. This makes AIS as a collision avoidance tool less capable.

This is a problem in waterways all over the world. Spa Creek in Annapolis. Hampton River in Hampton VA. Charleston River in Charleston SC. Port Everglades. Miami. Corpus Christi. Mobile Bay. Puget Sound. San Diego. Southhampton UK. Goteberg SWE. NY Harbor. Atlantic City NJ.

Wherever you are.

We just have to turn off the alarm which means we lose a tool. To use AIS we have to take our attention off the world around us and focus on the video game.

Leaving AIS on at the dock is rude.

I think the issue is that you are miss-using the alarm. It is means for use in open water. On most AIS and/or display devices you can filter out targets that are not moving, or moving less that 0.5 kts or something like that. If you want a proximity alarm in a harbor, you should use that filter as well. Or just turn off the alarm when you are not in open water. Even if everyone with Class B complied with your request to turn their AIS off when not moving, you will still have the same problem with Class A devices which are required to be left on.

OldDan1943 · Jun 5, 2018

twistedtree said:
I think the issue is that you are miss-using the alarm. It is means for use in open water. On most AIS and/or display devices you can filter out targets that are not moving, or moving less that 0.5 kts or something like that. If you want a proximity alarm in a harbor, you should use that filter as well. Or just turn off the alarm when you are not in open water. Even if everyone with Class B complied with your request to turn their AIS off when not moving, you will still have the same problem with Class A devices which are required to be left on.

I sure would like them to leave the AIS on if they are anchored out at night.

South of Heaven · Jun 5, 2018

Guys, on a side note. Can someone search for me on their app of choice, vessel name Slow Lane.

For some reason I can find my myself on the ShipFinder app but then on other AIS apps I dont come up. Or vice versa. My name won't come up in the search function but if I zoom into my harbor it will. Lol

I have a new Em Trak class b transceiver and a dedicated antenna.

Bigsfish · Jun 5, 2018

Ausp stated “leaving AIS on at the dock is rude”. In my opinion if 80% of the useres leave it on can it really be considered rude?

I turn my off when tied to a dock but certainly don’t consider those who keep theirs on rude.

Hamrow · Jun 5, 2018

Slow Lane, I see you clearly in a marina near New Squantum south of Boston, i guess it works! (I looked at Vesselfinder.com)

As for leaving On, it doesnt bother us too much though I understand the argument. Good example is entering a marina unknown to you with a narrow slot in a high breakwater where you cannot see movement very well beyond the wall to see if its clear to enter.
i.e.: Port Sidney BC we noticed this recently. When looking at the chartplotter, you just see a few dozen green triangles that may or may not be moving. Imagine if only the moving guys would light up... but as you say perhaps we can do that with our own filtering.
One other issue besides the time slot is that it shares radio spectrum with VHF communications. AIS is very low duty cycle so not a real big deal but from a purist standpoint, spectrum usage does add up in crowded areas.

diver dave · Jun 5, 2018

For those radio types out there:

AIS VHF uses GMSK FM. Which all means the transmitter, when it is actually transmitting, uses a constant power output, with a frequency shift protocol to send data. If you are a receiver much closer to one transmitter that is going at the same time as another, farther away transmitter, the close one captures your receiver.

So, yes, a multitude of local AIS transmitters can effectively mask AIS transmitters some distance away. This is not seen as an issue for anti-collision. You will still pick up the closest users.

I don't know how the sat based AIS works, in comparison. But, obviously not a lot of docked ships out where there is no terrestrial AIS.

should also add: update rate is speed dependent. Slow, docked, anchored systems transmit every few minutes.

DDW · Jun 5, 2018

I remain surprised that people expect AIS to be their collision avoidance means of choice in the tight confines of a marina. Any target stationary in the marina will be displayed as such, on a modern receiver at least. The majority of pleasure boats moving in and out of a marina will not have an AIS transmitter, and will invisible. You should be traveling at dead slow pace so that you can stop in less than the distance you can see - that is required by the Colregs. Eye balls work best in these situations. If you are getting nuisance alarms, learn how to turn your alarm off, or adjust your filtering criteria.

ranger58sb · Jun 5, 2018

South of Heaven said:
Guys, on a side note. Can someone search for me on their app of choice, vessel name Slow Lane.

For some reason I can find my myself on the ShipFinder app but then on other AIS apps I dont come up. Or vice versa. My name won't come up in the search function but if I zoom into my harbor it will. Lol

I have a new Em Trak class b transceiver and a dedicated antenna.

On Marinetraffic.com I see a "Slow Lane" in roughly the middle of the bay south of Boston, says "out of range" and last reported position was 5/30 at 22:13:29 and underway at 1.2 kts.

Their nearest receive/relay station is named "Ferguson Light" (station ID 3194) just east of Hull, at the north end of that peninsula that runs northeastward. Suggests you're either too distant or your signal is blocked at that receive station.

Dockwa has a station in Cambridge (Station ID 49) but it's marked "low coverage."

-Chris

South of Heaven · Jun 5, 2018

Thanks gentlemen.

Fletcher500 · Jun 5, 2018

South of Heaven said:
Guys, on a side note. Can someone search for me on their app of choice, vessel name Slow Lane.

For some reason I can find my myself on the ShipFinder app but then on other AIS apps I dont come up. Or vice versa. My name won't come up in the search function but if I zoom into my harbor it will. Lol

I have a new Em Trak class b transceiver and a dedicated antenna.

Marine traffic shows a SL off Quincy Bay a few days ago. But nothing current, or boat details in the read out.

twistedtree · Jun 5, 2018

Hamrow said:
Slow Lane, I see you clearly in a marina near New Squantum south of Boston, i guess it works! (I looked at Vesselfinder.com)

As for leaving On, it doesnt bother us too much though I understand the argument. Good example is entering a marina unknown to you with a narrow slot in a high breakwater where you cannot see movement very well beyond the wall to see if its clear to enter.
i.e.: Port Sidney BC we noticed this recently. When looking at the chartplotter, you just see a few dozen green triangles that may or may not be moving. Imagine if only the moving guys would light up... but as you say perhaps we can do that with our own filtering.
One other issue besides the time slot is that it shares radio spectrum with VHF communications. AIS is very low duty cycle so not a real big deal but from a purist standpoint, spectrum usage does add up in crowded areas.

What display are you looking at to see this? I have never seen one that doesn't distinguish between stationary and underway vessels such that it's immediately clear what's moving and what's not.

Hamrow · Jun 6, 2018

twistedtree said:
What display are you looking at to see this? I have never seen one that doesn't distinguish between stationary and underway vessels such that it's immediately clear what's moving and what's not.

Just looking at the chart plotter, Garmin 5000-series. but if you've played with AIS, we've all seen places like big marinas or shipping channels where things can get filled with targets. I grabbed an example thats a bit severe from Singapore to make the point.

So of course there can be filtering but the point is there are areas where less clutter would be helpful.

BandB · Jun 6, 2018

Hamrow said:
Just looking at the chart plotter, Garmin 5000-series. but if you've played with AIS, we've all seen places like big marinas or shipping channels where things can get filled with targets. I grabbed an example thats a bit severe from Singapore to make the point.
View attachment 77133
So of course there can be filtering but the point is there are areas where less clutter would be helpful.

But you're not going to try using AIS to navigate an area like that. It's like using speed control in your car in midtown Manhattan.

MYTraveler · Jun 6, 2018

BandB said:
But you're not going to try using AIS to navigate an area like that. It's like using speed control in your car in midtown Manhattan.

Perfect analogy.

twistedtree · Jun 6, 2018

Hamrow said:
Just looking at the chart plotter, Garmin 5000-series. but if you've played with AIS, we've all seen places like big marinas or shipping channels where things can get filled with targets. I grabbed an example thats a bit severe from Singapore to make the point.
View attachment 77133
So of course there can be filtering but the point is there are areas where less clutter would be helpful.

So on a Garmin chart plotter, it doesn't show different icons for stationary vs moving AIS targets? Perhaps you need to turn on heading vectors for targets? Also, does it highlight "dangerous" targets? "Dangerous" is typically adjustable based on CPA and target speed.

DDW · Jun 6, 2018

BandB said:
But you're not going to try using AIS to navigate an area like that. It's like using speed control in your car in midtown Manhattan.

You are certainly not going to use it with it zoomed out to cover a 30 mile radius. Even in Singapore, zoomed to a useful level, it isn't that cluttered. If, zoomed to a useful level, it IS that cluttered, then be thankful that everyone has them on - your gonna need it.

AIS do you turn it off

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