overuse of AIS

[David Mathis]

AIS is a great tool to enhance safety but it's so overused that it is becoming "The boy that cried wolf". Enter a harbor and we get constant alarms from boats tied to a dock and from those heading to and from the fuel dock. We head to a beach to anchor for a swim. Before dropping the hook, we have to clear several alarms set off because we came too close to other vessels. How close? It's a beach area with maybe 50 - 100 boats with several anchored within shouting distance. Of course we're close, it's a crowded area. As with most new toys, the owner's like to play with them. However, AIS has no place in a crowded harbor or anchorage. Turn it on in bad weather, at night, or other times when nav lights are appropriate, not during bright daylight in the harbor, beach areas, or other crowded sections.

[a64pilot]

How about turning your’s off?
My alarms are adjustable

[Pete17C]

Can you turn off your receiver when you don't want alarms?

[ranger58sb]

Our alarms are adjustable for distance of target, speed of target, etc.

-Chris

[StuM]

Originally Posted by David Mathis

. We head to a beach to anchor for a swim. Before dropping the hook, we have to clear several alarms set off because we came too close to other vessels.

Wouldn't it be simpler to turn your AIS off in that situation?


If you are clearing the alarms and leaving yours on, you are part of the problem.

[s/v Jedi]

Agree with the others, this is user error. Filter out moored/anchored boats or shut it off if that is too much to be bothered with. My AIS is on when anchored so that you see me in front of me on your screen as well as my anchor light in the real world

[El Pinguino]

The OP should turn his off.....simples.... and so should all the other boats in the marina that are just sitting. Its either a look at me, look at me issue or they just don't know where the on/off switch is.....

Remote area, dark or fog, different matter.......

[belizesailor]

The challenge I find is in really high traffic areas during reduced visibility. I was in NYC recently with fog setting in. Loads of traffic, loads of alarms, and poor vis. We reduced the guard distance as much as possible and silenced audible alarms.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

The challenge I find is in really high traffic areas during reduced visibility. I was in NYC recently with fog setting in. Loads of traffic, loads of alarms, and poor vis. We reduced the guard distance as much as possible and silenced audible alarms.

On a recent passage I noticed the settings that Carnival Cruises uses: TCPA <=30min and CPA <=1.5nm
We played chicken with them

[Tillsbury]

Check your system. On the Vesper I can simply click (from the phone or ipad chartplotter) to select "anchor", "harbour", "coastal", "offshore". The settings for each of these situations are configurable. When you go in to a harbour, set it to "harbour". Once anchored, set it to "anchor" (and you would be in the same app to be turning on the anchor alarm as you drop it anyway). I've never had to "clear several alarms off".

My AIS is on at all times when the boat is under command, as is the AIS of most boats (and all commercial boats) in my local harbour. If you're getting annoying alarms then it's your setup not others that's at fault.

If you just "turn AIS off" then you're removing all the advantages that AIS gives you (and others). Remember that your AIS never transmits an alarm -- it just transmits your position. If others want to have their systems set to warn then when they come near you, that's up to them.

[CatNewBee]

On some boats the AIS shows moored with a red circle, no idea how to set this on my Raymarine AIS transceiver...

My AIS is always on, so I can look it up in marine traffic even when I am not on board and can be sure it is not cruising without me.