I’m anti AIS. BUT......

[Anders]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Again you miss the point. Ais is there to let others know where you are. If everyone had your attitude AIS would be useless, you are needlessly compromising other peoples security too

If they can't see where I am without AIS they should not be out there specially since is seems only a minority actually has and use AIS.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Anders

If they can't see where I am without AIS they should not be out there specially since is seems only a minority actually has and use AIS.

That's a stupid attitude. In heavy rain, radar doesn't always work great. If there's land in the way, radar can't see past it, but AIS may. Plus, if they want to talk to you, AIS makes it much easier to do that, rather than hailing "radar blob off my port bow" if visibility is such that they can't see your boat clearly enough to read the name.



Basically, while eyes are the first line of defense, radar and AIS are both useful for providing information your eyes can't at times. And radar and AIS are additive, as depending on the situation, each can tell you things the other can't.

[donradcliffe]

Happy New Year Chotu. Hope anger management is one of your resolutions.

Here's the deal on AIS. Its WAY better than radar because

1. It has far higher range
2. It gives you the name of the other vessels
3. It is not affected by bad weather
4. It takes much less power.
5. It does not have false alarms like radar.

Here's what you are looking for in an AIS

1. Easy menus that give you the critical information you need on one screen when you select a vessel. NOT like the Garmin displays which give you the vessel's destination, size, speed and heading, range and bearing on one screen, and ONLY the closest point of approach and time to CPA on another screen. Not only that the frigging farmboys who program for Garmin make you go through another screen that says do you want AIS information?

2. An easy menu that gives you a list of targets ranked by your choice of who is closest or who has the closest CPA.

3. An easy menu to set alarm parameters for dangerous vessels. I want a TCPA of 40 minutes and a CPA of 2 miles, and Raymarine will give me a maximum of 24 minutes.

4. A audio alarm for dangerous vessels AND external alarm terminals that I can hook up to a siren or fire alarm bell that will take up the entire boat if the watchkeeper falls asleep. A display that shows dangerous vessels as flashing and red.

5. A easy way to tell what the position of the boats at CPA is. I want to know if I am going 0.5 miles ahead of a large ship or 0.5 miles behind, and what to do to increase the CPA. Most of the crap out there makes me guess by turning port or starboard or slowing down or speeding up and watching the effect on the CPA.

6. A stand alone unit which is not affected by dreaded instrument network problems.

There may be other units, but the Vesper stuff has been programmed by sailors for sailors, and is worth a premium.

As far as privacy, I shut off the transmitter in the Gulf of Aden, but leave it on everywhere else. I know that USCG and CBP are tracking me, and they don't need to pull me over for a "Safety Inspection" when they can see where I've been for the last 3 weeks. OTOH about 10 days ago off the coast of Mexico we saw two vessels near each other on AIS that both went dark for a few hours. If I was the USCG guess who I would pull over.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

There may be other units, but the Vesper stuff has been programmed by sailors for sailors, and is worth a premium.

I interface with OpenCPN that has good combined chart overlay of AIS and Radar, but for times when the display is off the Vesper stays on all the time.

[ShoreFun]

Originally Posted by Anders

No paranoia but I don't want my every move showing on marinetraffic and other sites for years to come.
No safety has been compromised. I'm perfectly capable of tracking other boats by eyeball or radar.

So I assume you dont have a cell phone? While the police might have limits the company can do what it wants with the info.

Are you aware that companies are also tracking your license plates? The repo companies have gps and cameras on all their trucks that report back to databases. I have also seen cars equipt with the cameras going through apartment complexes. In fact, you can pay the company to tell you what information they have on any plate. They give the info to police for free.

What I am getting out your thoughts are kinds of too late. It is likely they know you drove your car to a dock and they can see your cell phone pretty far out to sea. All this info is quite available if you pay for the service.

While it is nice thinking you can be not tracked, the truth is you are wasting your time. You are being tracked way more then you might imagine and if someone really wanted the info they can get it. It is too late.

The reality is the risks from you not having AIS are far greater then what privacy you falsely believe you have by not using it it.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

I interface with OpenCPN that has good combined chart overlay of AIS and Radar, but for times when the display is off the Vesper stays on all the time.

I’ve just had a good look at OpenCPN.

My judgement of it was ages ago when it first came out. It wasn’t ready for prime time. That, however, seems to have changed.

If i wanted to get AIS receiver data to it, live radar overlay data to it AND have it send steering info to my auto pilot, is that possible?

Or, are the autopilot algorithms in the dedicated units just way more advanced and specialized?

Also, what kind of network would I need to run between all the components? WiFi? Bluetooth radar?

If I wanted to hear audible alarms for anchor drag using openCPN, does anyone have a setup they like? One that keeps on making noise until you address the problem?

If I use this as the heart of my navigation system, is it robust enough to set it and forget it like you do with dedicated auto pilots?

Are there other useful plug-ins people would suggest for using it as the heart of the system?

What OS does it run best on without any crashes?

If it becomes the heart of my electronics, the display will always be on in my case.

Then I’d just need the AIS transmitter

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Anders

When I'm ashore I don't want my every step tracked and displayed on a web page. Why would I want that when I'm on the boat?
If I had a AIS transceiver the transmit would be off except when really needed or so far away from land based AIS that I could not be tracked anyway.

I've read the back-and-forths with you & others.


Do you really think anyone cares where you are?


Other than for safeties sake, which is what transmitting your AIS is...sheez.


Happy New Year

[Anders]

Originally Posted by ShoreFun

So I assume you dont have a cell phone? While the police might have limits the company can do what it wants with the info.

Are you aware that companies are also tracking your license plates? The repo companies have gps and cameras on all their trucks that report back to databases. I have also seen cars equipt with the cameras going through apartment complexes. In fact, you can pay the company to tell you what information they have on any plate. They give the info to police for free.

What I am getting out your thoughts are kinds of too late. It is likely they know you drove your car to a dock and they can see your cell phone pretty far out to sea. All this info is quite available if you pay for the service.

While it is nice thinking you can be not tracked, the truth is you are wasting your time. You are being tracked way more then you might imagine and if someone really wanted the info they can get it. It is too late.

The reality is the risks from you not having AIS are far greater then what privacy you falsely believe you have by not using it it.

I worked for 21 years in wireless communication and it's no secret to me that the police could track me when my phone is on but no cell phone provider will post my travels on a web page.

Is it only when you are on the boat that you are happy to be tracked on websites available to anyone or are you happy to be tracked at home as well?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Anders

I worked for 21 years in wireless communication and it's no secret to me that the police could track me when my phone is on but no cell phone provider will post my travels on a web page.

Is it only when you are on the boat that you are happy to be tracked on websites available to anyone or are you happy to be tracked at home as well?

Exactly this.

Huge difference between your location being accessible to law enforcement with a warrant and just publishing it for all the world to see.

I guess on the bright side, many folks here won’t need to invest in a Spot locator or EPIRB since your location will always be known at all times and any one of us can just search for your boat to find you any time we want.

[rslifkin]

In my mind, the ability for someone to grab an AIS location whenever the transmitter is in range of a shore side receiver that's uploading to Marinetraffic, etc. is not as big a deal as it sounds. Outside of people I actually know, most people don't have a correlation between my boat name and who I am in real life or anything else important. So while the info is there, it's not like they can do all that much with it.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

In my mind, the ability for someone to grab an AIS location whenever the transmitter is in range of a shore side receiver that's uploading to Marinetraffic, etc. is not as big a deal as it sounds. Outside of people I actually know, most people don't have a correlation between my boat name and who I am in real life or anything else important. So while the info is there, it's not like they can do all that much with it.

You know, that’s really it. MarineTraffic.

If they would outlaw that site and sites like it, I’d be very pro-transmit at all times. It’s a good safety aid. Hell, I’m going to transmit anyway a lot of the time just for safety reasons.

But I’m strongly opposed to putting my location information on websites for the general public to see.

They could get a better AIS adoption rate by outlawing people scraping this data and publishing it globally. It should be a LOCAL system. Used when you are “in scope” of other vessels you could potentially collide with.

Or to put it another way, it should be like Bluetooth. Working in a small area that it’s needed in.


Bouncing signals like that to shore and the internet? That’s how our INTERNET ACCESS should work.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I’ve just had a good look at OpenCPN.

My judgement of it was ages ago when it first came out. It wasn’t ready for prime time. That, however, seems to have changed.

Oh most definitely - YES

Originally Posted by Chotu

If i wanted to get AIS receiver data to it, live radar overlay data to it AND have it send steering info to my auto pilot, is that possible?

Yes. I personally would still use a dedicated AP and send the routes/WP's to it rather than have a PC control it. But you can if you want.

Originally Posted by Chotu

Or, are the autopilot algorithms in the dedicated units just way more advanced and specialized?

A dedicated AP has a lot more functions and IMO is more reliable as a independent system but using data from OpenCPN

Originally Posted by Chotu

Also, what kind of network would I need to run between all the components? WiFi? Bluetooth radar?

Radar typically needs to be wired RJ45 straight into the PC and has to be later B&G/Lowrance 3G/4G, (Garmin and others) type radars, not old style. Other systems can be hard wired, run over a network, wired or wifi.

Originally Posted by Chotu

If I wanted to hear audible alarms for anchor drag using openCPN, does anyone have a setup they like? One that keeps on making noise until you address the problem?

Yep.

Originally Posted by Chotu

If I use this as the heart of my navigation system, is it robust enough to set it and forget it like you do with dedicated auto pilots?

I have used it as my primary nav system for many years and 10's of thousands of sea miles without issue. My systems are all linked but can run independently. As I said before I have a main stream Raymarine AP that is driven by OpenCPN - I do not have a dedicated plotter.

Originally Posted by Chotu

Are there other useful plug-ins people would suggest for using it as the heart of the system?

Lots - Weather routing, Polar creation, Logbook, Watchdog and and and.

Originally Posted by Chotu

What OS does it run best on without any crashes?

Most simple is Windows, will also run on Linux distros and not so reliably IMO on Apple. There is also an Android app but with less connectivity.

Originally Posted by Chotu

If it becomes the heart of my electronics, the display will always be on in my case.

My system, 12v PC is run in background all the time but my multiple monitors 24" and 7" are often turned off, very bright and a waste of power, when not in use. My Vesper display and alarms run 24/7 even in port.

Originally Posted by Chotu

Then I’d just need the AIS transmitter

There are too many on the market to mention. I have a Digital Yacht but have also used Matsutec (budget end) and Comar.

Lots of help on the OpenCPN forum.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by Chotu

If I use this as the heart of my navigation system, is it robust enough to set it and forget it like you do with dedicated auto pilots?

I have a "robust", advanced, dedicated AP (Comnav P2). Still, I would never "set it and forget it".

AP has no idea what's out there (besides other boats, we have large logs in the water here in BC), and things always can go wrong.

[smj]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

Happy New Year Chotu. Hope anger management is one of your resolutions.

Here's the deal on AIS. Its WAY better than radar because

1. It has far higher range
2. It gives you the name of the other vessels
3. It is not affected by bad weather
4. It takes much less power.
5. It does not have false alarms like radar.

Here's what you are looking for in an AIS

1. Easy menus that give you the critical information you need on one screen when you select a vessel. NOT like the Garmin displays which give you the vessel's destination, size, speed and heading, range and bearing on one screen, and ONLY the closest point of approach and time to CPA on another screen. Not only that the frigging farmboys who program for Garmin make you go through another screen that says do you want AIS information?

2. An easy menu that gives you a list of targets ranked by your choice of who is closest or who has the closest CPA.

3. An easy menu to set alarm parameters for dangerous vessels. I want a TCPA of 40 minutes and a CPA of 2 miles, and Raymarine will give me a maximum of 24 minutes.

4. A audio alarm for dangerous vessels AND external alarm terminals that I can hook up to a siren or fire alarm bell that will take up the entire boat if the watchkeeper falls asleep. A display that shows dangerous vessels as flashing and red.

5. A easy way to tell what the position of the boats at CPA is. I want to know if I am going 0.5 miles ahead of a large ship or 0.5 miles behind, and what to do to increase the CPA. Most of the crap out there makes me guess by turning port or starboard or slowing down or speeding up and watching the effect on the CPA.

6. A stand alone unit which is not affected by dreaded instrument network problems.

There may be other units, but the Vesper stuff has been programmed by sailors for sailors, and is worth a premium.

As far as privacy, I shut off the transmitter in the Gulf of Aden, but leave it on everywhere else. I know that USCG and CBP are tracking me, and they don't need to pull me over for a "Safety Inspection" when they can see where I've been for the last 3 weeks. OTOH about 10 days ago off the coast of Mexico we saw two vessels near each other on AIS that both went dark for a few hours. If I was the USCG guess who I would pull over.

Seriously?
AIS shows the position of other vessels with AIS, otherwise you can’t see them. Radar can pick up a signal from most boats, I picked up a radar signal from 2 plastic kayaks, think they are carrying AIS?
If you get caught in the fog going up a channel or reduced visibility coming in an inlet will AIS show the position of the markers, jetties, land mass and most all boats in the area? Absolutely not.
I will give you this, radar won’t show me where my friends are anchored so if that’s a priority I guess AIS will win for you?

[Chotu]

Thank you. I have a dedicated Raymarine AP already. I was looking at getting a hydraulic pump for it. So i started to wonder.

I’ll keep it and have Open CPN feed it.

Great advice. Especially since I was thinking about running it on OSX.

If I go for a Windows system, it’ll be stand alone to avoid all the pitfalls of that OS. Maybe Linux would be good.

You said radar is typically done over rj-45. But also some do WiFi based LANs?

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Oh most definitely - YES



Yes. I personally would still use a dedicated AP and send the routes/WP's to it rather than have a PC control it. But you can if you want.



A dedicated AP has a lot more functions and IMO is more reliable as a independent system but using data from OpenCPN



Radar typically needs to be wired RJ45 straight into the PC and has to be later B&G/Lowrance 3G/4G, (Garmin and others) type radars, not old style. Other systems can be hard wired, run over a network, wired or wifi.



Yep.



I have used it as my primary nav system for many years and 10's of thousands of sea miles without issue. My systems are all linked but can run independently. As I said before I have a main stream Raymarine AP that is driven by OpenCPN - I do not have a dedicated plotter.



Lots - Weather routing, Polar creation, Logbook, Watchdog and and and.



Most simple is Windows, will also run on Linux distros and not so reliably IMO on Apple. There is also an Android app but with less connectivity.



My system, 12v PC is run in background all the time but my multiple monitors 24" and 7" are often turned off, very bright and a waste of power, when not in use. My Vesper display and alarms run 24/7 even in port.



There are too many on the market to mention. I have a Digital Yacht but have also used Matsutec (budget end) and Comar.

Lots of help on the OpenCPN forum.