I’m anti AIS. BUT......

[Cheyne]

On our way home from the boat show">Annapolis Boat show I had a boat come up from behind that I could see his red light which was on top of his mast. For the longest time it looked like a red light on top of a tower on shore. Then we both popped up on AIS and I new for sure it was a boat. He pinged me to make sure I would hold course since he would be passing me and was wing on wing. It was nice that he could radio me by name.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by RigBig

Even if you don't have AIS but have DSC by virtue of a MMSI # programed into the vhf radio and if you are within the broadcast range of a receiving tower then big brother already knows where you are.

How, if you don’t send the mmsi

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Chotu

There is no place in the thread that I made any issue out of anything. I asked what transponder I could get, and if you know what a transponder is, that’s a transmitter that sends out your AIS position, then a bunch of idiots came in here to attack me.

Just like you. Based on NOTHING.

And if you must know, it’s people like you I don’t want to know where I am.

First my question was not intended as an attack but take it anyway you like.

I was just curious about why you do not want to transmit in an area where there seems to be almost zero risk of pirates or other crime against boaters, especially at sea. Or is your reticence to transmit your location based on a concern that some official agency will interfere with your life or cruising plans. Perhaps you are aware of something that I'm not but should be.

Perhaps you might understand the source of my curiosity when the thread is titled anti AIS. Further comments you made.

Post #1 "I don’t want to broadcast my information anywhere."

Post #31. " I don’t want to broadcast the name, location and heading of my boat"

But to address your question, I have found radar proximity alarms only partially useful, at least with my particular unit. Even fiddling with the settings I tend to get a lot of false alarms from wave tops unless I turn the sensitivity down so much that I would likely miss any smaller boats.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I want to be able to doze off and have an electronic means of helping with vessel proximity alerts.

To my understanding, radar and AIS are our only current way of doing this, right?

Originally Posted by Lodesman

If you're not planning on transmitting AIS all the time, you might consider a radar transponder instead. It will paint an enhanced target on the radar screens of the other vessels, like a racon buoy, and alert you that there's a vessel in radar range.

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp...118&id=2025506

I offered an alternative, but it didn't seem to generate any discussion. I was curious why it didn't rate consideration, because this is a method that I believe more reliably achieves your safety aims, while eliminating the need to broadcast all your information.

[rslifkin]

Thinking about it, I get the concern about broadcasting where I am all the time. But at the same time, I figure that pretty much anyone that would rely on AIS to find that also couldn't care less about where I am (outside of a boat navigation context) or is a friend or family that would be paying attention to our progress on a trip. If someone with any level of concern really wants to know where I am, I carry a cell phone, etc. so it's not like those with resources couldn't find me.

That said, the silent mode switch on an AIS transmitter wouldn't hurt to wire up. I can't think of many times I'd personally want to use it, but I'm sure there are some.



I can also say that once I add AIS and eventually radar to my boat, I'll be a heck of a lot more comfortable with running at night or in fog. Currently, I avoid fog like the plague and I'm picky about where and when I'm willing to run at night. There's just too much you can't see or hear in time in those situations, so having some electronic eyes to help out would be very nice.

[ArmySailor]

Originally Posted by Chotu

This is pretty good! Basically what I have in mind, except I am looking to transmit AIS data when conditions warrant it.



Foggy? Dark? Otherwise limited visibility? I’ll transmit. Then when it’s nice out and daytime with minimal cat naps going on, I’ll go dark on AIS for privacy.



Is there an AIS transponder that works in this fashion? That I can just turn off the transmission part sometimes yet keep the receiver operating?

You can just... Unplug the AIS. I've done it to test mine. I unplug the vhf and gps antenna attachments. It goes dark. I no longer show up on others AIS receiver ( I've confirmed this) and I disappear from marinetraffic website. The connections are right there on the box.

The 12v is hard wired, if I were slick I'd install a switch. But I have no need or desire to go AIS dark on transmission. Maybe unless sailing some parts of Indian ocean. One day.

[Mike Crothers]

If you don't have money for a full radar system you could use a radar detector. Make sure you can cover the different bands used by different radar systems. May not help much in fog but it will wake you up.

[carlosproa]

Originally Posted by Chotu

There is no place in the thread that I made any issue out of anything. I asked what transponder I could get, and if you know what a transponder is, that’s a transmitter that sends out your AIS position, then a bunch of idiots came in here to attack me.

Just like you. Based on NOTHING.

And if you must know, it’s people like you I don’t want to know where I am.

I read you brother. My wife side of the family is very private and I have learn over the years to respect that and not over-read anything into it. You are probably a private person and want to control your electronic footprint, nothing else to infer here.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Time2Go

If you decide to only receive
and as you have stated
your VHF has AIS, Do this
But a YAKER from Yakerbit
connect positive , negative, one wire from the
VHF ( on my SH 2400 it’s the blue)
and presto you can see AIS on most
WiFi enabled tablets ( mine an Ipad running
both TZIboat and INavX)

Just to correct this:

The company is Yakbitz.
They have several, low-priced, products, including the "TwinYakker"
http://yakbitz.com/TwinYakker.aspx

The TwinYakker takes in (up to) two NMEA0183 data streams and broadcasts by wifi.

I have one broadcasting my AIS (from Vesper Watchmate 850) and my wind/depth/STW.

Works very well. Not expensive. Reliable company.

[leandroflaherty]

Another thing to consider for AIS, more than once, I have seen fishing vessels spoof their AIS location.. so do keep watch regardless..

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Chotu

This is pretty good! Basically what I have in mind, except I am looking to transmit AIS data when conditions warrant it.

Foggy? Dark? Otherwise limited visibility? I’ll transmit. Then when it’s nice out and daytime with minimal cat naps going on, I’ll go dark on AIS for privacy.

Is there an AIS transponder that works in this fashion? That I can just turn off the transmission part sometimes yet keep the receiver operating?

I generally don't transmit AIS except when in high traffic areas.

The solution to control your transmit and receive independently is simple. The Standard Horizon line like GX2200 is a VHF radio capable of receiving AIS on the same antenna and setting (very loud!) alarms for CPA. Then get a separate AIS Class B transmitter - mine is the Amec Camino 108. When I don't feel like transmitting, I just switch off the Camino and I'm dark, but can receive AIS from the big guys, if they transmit. Very good practice in some parts of the world.

Keep your AIS enabled VHF on. Nobody can track you if you don't transmit.

[goboatingnow]

Almost every transmit ais has a silent mode where you can receive only

[goboatingnow]

Why would you buy a ais VHF AND a classB transponder ,when the AMEC has a silent mode switch ! That's turns off the transmitter what the point of the VHF equipped ais as well !!!

[HeywoodJ]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Why would you buy a ais VHF AND a classB transponder ,when the AMEC has a silent mode switch ! That's turns off the transmitter what the point of the VHF equipped ais as well !!!

Redundancy for at least the receive function.

Halve the power usage if you also maintain a radio watch, turn off the AIS and have only the VHF handling both functions if you want receive only mode. Some of us still count ever Wh.

As an older member of this forum I completely understand Chotu's questions and concerns around privacy. I long ago decided that the benefits outweighed the other side in this instance, but it is not a clear thing to me.

One benefit of leaving the transmitter on even in good weather it that your track is likely to be recorded somewhere (which is where privacy concern enters), this can be very helpful to someone if the SHTF a little later, knowing course and speed for the preceding period might make the difference.

And I'm the opposite of some posters, where I see benefit is in uncrowded waters. Places where the other guy might not be keeping a good watch because they don't expect to see anyone. Those are the ones I want woken up by their CPA alarms. In crowded waters most boats (or at least the ones that concern/worry me) have some sort of watch.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by HeywoodJ

Redundancy for at least the receive function.

Halve the power usage if you also maintain a radio watch, turn off the AIS and have only the VHF handling both functions if you want receive only mode. Some of us still count ever Wh.

As an older member of this forum I completely understand Chotu's questions and concerns around privacy. I long ago decided that the benefits outweighed the other side in this instance, but it is not a clear thing to me.

One benefit of leaving the transmitter on even in good weather it that your track is likely to be recorded somewhere (which is where privacy concern enters), this can be very helpful to someone if the SHTF a little later, knowing course and speed for the preceding period might make the difference.

And I'm the opposite of some posters, where I see benefit is in uncrowded waters. Places where the other guy might not be keeping a good watch because they don't expect to see anyone. Those are the ones I want woken up by their CPA alarms. In crowded waters most boats (or at least the ones that concern/worry me) have some sort of watch.

I don't quite the privacy thing ! I mean youre in a boat with a big name and a number on the side , someone can look through a binoculars !!