Thank You all, for the precious information put here. I had browsed
all of them and I am now impressed on the already many software and
equipment designed to support AIS in the leisure boat market.

At the begin my focus was only on the GpsMap276C NMEA interface with
the ICOM ICM-602 VHF/DSC radio for position report, but now I think
that AIS is the future, and the probably, would be the next wave of
electronics for small boats, since it is based on gps and is more
cheap and less hungry on 12V power than a traditional radar.

I was very impressed on the Freeware software SeaClear, wich already
has AIS support: I had just downloaded and installed it, but I
think it could be one of the best softwares I have tried, mainly in
the NMEA processing functions wich are exceeding and very good. The
SeaPro is fantastic, and I compare it only with MaxSea.

Thinking in small sailboats boats only, an integrated solution
using a VHF/DSC radio (similar of ICM602) having all AIS channels
frequency receiver allowing it to receive the AIS messages , talking
over NMEA In/Out with a Gps/Chart Plotter (similar to a GpsMap276C)
could be a more affordable solution and perhaps can be available not
so long in the future, I hope.

Thank You all again an best regards

Pascal Goncalves

"Pascal Goncalves" wrote in message
om...
Thank You all, for the precious information put here. I had browsed
all of them and I am now impressed on the already many software and
equipment designed to support AIS in the leisure boat market.

At the begin my focus was only on the GpsMap276C NMEA interface with
the ICOM ICM-602 VHF/DSC radio for position report, but now I think
that AIS is the future, and the probably, would be the next wave of
electronics for small boats, since it is based on gps and is more
cheap and less hungry on 12V power than a traditional radar.

I was very impressed on the Freeware software SeaClear, wich already
has AIS support: I had just downloaded and installed it, but I
think it could be one of the best softwares I have tried, mainly in
the NMEA processing functions wich are exceeding and very good. The
SeaPro is fantastic, and I compare it only with MaxSea.

Thinking in small sailboats boats only, an integrated solution
using a VHF/DSC radio (similar of ICM602) having all AIS channels
frequency receiver allowing it to receive the AIS messages , talking
over NMEA In/Out with a Gps/Chart Plotter (similar to a GpsMap276C)
could be a more affordable solution and perhaps can be available not
so long in the future, I hope.

Thank You all again an best regards

Pascal Goncalves

The need for radar and AIS or GPS are independent. There will never be any
such system that allows one to proceed without radar...that is if one wishes
to be reasonably safe. Such systems complement but do not replace each
other.

Jim Donohue

" The need for radar and AIS or GPS are independent. There will never be
any
such system that allows one to proceed without radar...that is if one
wishes to be reasonably safe. Such systems complement but do not replace
each other.

Jim Donohue

The vast majority of small craft do not carry radar, but do have vhf and
gps; so I can see that the addition of a cheap AIS receiver would complement
the system very well.

Crossing very busy shipping lanes, such as the English Channel, would be
much safer if AIS positions were displayed. It would not be infallible but a
considerable improvement.

Regards
Jeff

Jeff wrote:
The vast majority of small craft do not carry radar, but do have vhf
and gps; so I can see that the addition of a cheap AIS receiver would
complement the system very well.

Shipplotter works very well.
www.shipplotter.com

In article uizee.10841$fI.3803@fed1read05,
"Jim Donohue" wrote:

The need for radar and AIS or GPS are independent. There will never be any
such system that allows one to proceed without radar...that is if one wishes
to be reasonably safe. Such systems complement but do not replace each
other.

Jim Donohue

In this day and age of GPS, AIS, and modern Marine Electronics,
Radar is used to keep you from bumping into things that move around
and do not advertise themselves in any other electronic way. It isn't
used for position fixing like it was back 40 years ago, that is now done
with GPS, or Loran C. Radar tells you where the logs and other hazards
are, with one of those hazards being vessels that are operating with
Radar.

Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @

Bruce in Alaska wrote in news:bruceg-
:

Radar tells you where the logs and other hazards
are

Note to radar ops....

Radar doesn't see those 40 foot diameter by 20 foot wide wooden cable reels
floating around the Atlantic, like the one that floated by during
breakfast-in-the-cockpit. As it floated by I started trying to track it on
a Raymarine 2KW radar with the dome up 25' on a stern mast. NO-GO! Not a
single return from 100' away from the boat out to a mile....NADA.

The radar was working because I could see a bouy about 3 miles away....

Wooden boxes and reels sent to sea on ships need to have FOIL stapled to
them as a safety measure. There was no cable on the reel...just the wooden
reel.

I shudder to think what would have happened if we'd hit that damned thing
the night before in pitch black at 8 knots pitching in the waves.....

JK escreveu:
Jeff wrote:
The vast majority of small craft do not carry radar, but do have
vhf
and gps; so I can see that the addition of a cheap AIS receiver
would
complement the system very well.

Shipplotter works very well.
www.shipplotter.com


I agree with you 100%. After reading the several information about AIS,
including the already available hardware (cheap AIS receivers) and
softwares (including several very cheap and/or free) I am thinking that
the recently introduced DSC function of the newest Garmin marine gps
models like the Map276C/Map3006/Map3010 will be or are already totally
obsoleted, because AIS is and will be the standard, as it is many more
times usefull. I hope Garmin wakeup fast to change that obsolete DSC
function in a more advanced and usefull AIS function, in these gps
models.

" I agree with you 100%. After reading the several information about AIS,
including the already available hardware (cheap AIS receivers) and
softwares (including several very cheap and/or free) I am thinking that
the recently introduced DSC function of the newest Garmin marine gps
models like the Map276C/Map3006/Map3010 will be or are already totally
obsoleted, because AIS is and will be the standard, as it is many more
times usefull. I hope Garmin wakeup fast to change that obsolete DSC
function in a more advanced and usefull AIS function, in these gps
models.


DSC will not be obsolete, it performs a completely different function to
AIS; that of alerting other stations of DISTRESS and calling specific
stations. Routine position reports are not sent by DSC, its name, Digital
selective Calling really says it all.

As far as being obsolete on gps receivers; would you not like the position
of a vessel in distress shown on your electronic chart?

Adding the position of vessels transmitting AIS positions would be a huge
advantage, but really you need both functions.

I doubt if AIS will ever replace DSC for calling distress working, those
functions are not included in the protocol, and the channel occupancy can be
too high for reliable distress working; not to mention that DSC is used not
only on VHF, but MF and HF as well.


Regards
Jeff

On Wed, 11 May 2005 08:40:34 +0100, "Jeff" wrote:

I doubt if AIS will ever replace DSC for calling distress working, those
functions are not included in the protocol, and the channel occupancy can be
too high for reliable distress working

It's a pity though - to have distress transmissions included in AIS would be
very useful would only require another message number to be added (although
it would mean a hell of a lot of firmware upgrades around the world!)

Is channel occupancy really that much of a problem? I've been looking at data
from around some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and there still
seems to be plenty of capacity.

Dave

The email address used for sending these postings is not valid.
All replies to the group please.

Ok Jeff,
I agree that the distress function of the RADIO using DSC is important,
but for this, any gps can send the position of my boat to the radio, so
that the mayday buttom works. I was saying that the polling function of
the radio, for position report on my gpsmap276c is much less usefull
than a AIS function. The position report can tell me the position of
others boat only when ruested by the polling function, so I must know
the mssi code of the boat; I think this can be usefull to a flotilla
cruising or maybe to fishing boats, or a race comitee. To have the
position of a mayday boat in the gps ploter is not so usefull, because
it is rare fact, and a sailboat or any leisure boat has little to do an
a mayday function, contrary to ships or CG duties. The AIS main value
from a sailboat perspective is Colision avoidance, and in this regard,
a AIS transponder with a AIS receiver would be better, but a AIS
receiver only would be vey usefull .

Concluding, I think that the ideal solution would be a VHF/DSC/AIS
ready radio, wich could receive the AIS signal of all ships for
colision avoidance using litlle 12 V charge, but in a danger situation,
I could activate the transmit function to send automactic to all ships
my position (uses more 12V). The AIS NMEA message received could be
send to my Gps/Ploter wich would plots the ships position etc, like
others softwares does (ShipPloting, SeaClear, MaxSea, SeaPro etc), and
providing other important information like CPA/TCPA etc.

Regards

Pascal