Current AIS best buys?

[tonto]

Originally Posted by Copinsay

Hello All

Quite agree Gary - I must admit I'm amazed how unprepared (and unbothered) some folk are (of course not on here) when they go out. I can't relax and enjoy potentially dangerous activities if I'm not prepared.. Doing the practical RYA courses last winter really helped me to be now enjoying trips out now so much.

I think these days we are lucky with all the gadgets we can have to *supplement* good personal safety skills, and which just add to the enjoyment and interest of being out too.

Red thunder - Well I can readily recommend the TR-200 (especially at the price), although other units may be as good if not better - and some good prices on offer from people on here too.

Plus family and friends and maybe even your clients will like being able to see what you are doing on Marine Traffic Live Ships Map - AIS - Vessel Traffic and Positions in which you can also put contact details that can help with work etc like this: SKYLARK - Vessel's Details and Current Position - 0 - 235091893

Looks like a brilliant weekend for Ribbing coming up, up here.

Have a good and safe weekend to you all

Steve

Steve, I agree!

There are many good devices that all are aids to safety, and many of them are worthwhile and in most cases are worth the money. I do not advocate spending thousands on equipment (although it is easy to do so) but good basic kit will help, PLUS, the biggest part is having the training, and basic knowledge to keep yourself and your passengers safe.

If Ihad to choose between the training and gadgets, I would go with training every time, however the 2 compliment each other.

I have been involved in search and rescue, and picked up a few unlucky enough to have needed it, and I can assure you searching for a small craft in a bit of a sea is very hit and miss.
3 years ago I found 5 out of 6 chinese fisherman in a small 5M hard boat, (not rib, but similar size) after their larger vessel sank. It was a F4/5, and we found the bright orange boat, visually only, at a range of about 2 miles. Even then it was difficult to see. Sadly the last guy was never found. They had no VHF, flares, or AIS, and were just desperately hoping someone heard the distress call from their vessel, which had sank 12 hours before. They saw us well before we saw them, but they could not call to us for help.
At the same time there was Japanese coastgaurd and 2 helicopters searching as well.

It really brought home to me that it is really, really, important to have some kit, even if it is just basic flares, and VHF. Of course we cannot determine direction of a vhf signal, which is where an AIS would be perfect....

Anyway I dont need to convince you, as you already know this.....

Take care, and have fun,
Gary

[SteveHall]

To restart an old thread, anyone seen any AIS deals?

[ShinyShoe]

Receive or transmit?

[SteveHall]

Either really - I would love receive and transmit but the cost is quite a jump.

I am think of the Lowrance Link 8 and replace my current Icom M421 unit - but it looks like the m421 is bigger than the link 8.

[Pikey Dave]

We saw the new mcmurdo smartfind M10 at the boat show which was retailing for £410 which is a bargain for a class B transponder.


.....sh1t happens.......

[Searider]

There's a review in one of the Boating mags this month.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Searider

There's a review in one of the Boating mags this month.

How did it perform?


.....sh1t happens.......

[SteveHall]

I thought the smartfind 10 was a beacon - I will do some investigation thanks

[Searider]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

How did it perform?


.....sh1t happens.......

What I meant was there's a group test of about 10 different units.

I don't have the mag to hand at the moment.

[Searider]

November motorboat and yachting group test.

[ShinyShoe]

Unconvinced of the need for transmit, other than for social interest of where ur mates are etc. You have one of the most movable, versatile boats ever designed. Pretty much most boats with AIS will be less manouverable, so I'd just avoid them. But I can see rare uses in things like fog but would be concerned that I can only see big stuff like ships who at least should have a horn rather than a tidly yacht who should but hasnt .

There is a Chinese company who clearly make a bit of kit for one of the big players in commercial stuff and have cloned it. Its not CE marked. Tut Tut.

For receive only any risk from no CE would be yours for Tx I guess there would be a small risk you wipe out the whole frequency and prevent two big ships seeing each other and they have a ding...

Here's a thread elsewhere about them:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread...ight=AIS+China

[SteveHall]

I am yet to use my link 8 out on the water, but so far for the quality of the product and the ease of set-up it gets 10/10!

I also really like the speaker in the fist mic - when its windy and wet you can hold it upto your ear!

I just want to go somewhere really busy now and see how the HDS work when busy, as where I tested the unit there were only a few AIS targets around.

Oh and I need to see if it actually tx/rx routine VHF calls.

[mick]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Unconvinced of the need for transmit, other than for social interest of where ur mates are etc. You have one of the most movable, versatile boats ever designed. Pretty much most boats with AIS will be less manouverable, so I'd just avoid them. But I can see rare uses in things like fog but would be concerned that I can only see big stuff like ships who at least should have a horn rather than a tidly yacht who should but hasnt .

There is a Chinese company who clearly make a bit of kit for one of the big players in commercial stuff and have cloned it. Its not CE marked. Tut Tut.

For receive only any risk from no CE would be yours for Tx I guess there would be a small risk you wipe out the whole frequency and prevent two big ships seeing each other and they have a ding...

Here's a thread elsewhere about them:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread...ight=AIS+China

More chance of being seen on a plotter than a radar I would say

[biffer]

I've just fitted the standard horizon 2200e in my hardboat. Has built in gps with 100 plots and ais from one area

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by mick

More chance of being seen on a plotter than a radar I would say

Only if the other boat has AIS and hasn't filtered Class B out.

any 1 actually got data to support that?

[willk]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

...and hasn't filtered Class B out.

They can do that?

[ShinyShoe]

Originally Posted by willk

They can do that?

Yip... All Class A kit can filter plebs on Class B out. It is apparently common practice in big traffic areas like the Solent... Those little Class B boats clutter up the screen so they switch them off...

[mick]

So it's a bit pointless then

[willk]

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Yip... All Class A kit can filter plebs on Class B out. It is apparently common practice in big traffic areas like the Solent... Those little Class B boats clutter up the screen so they switch them off...

Sheesh! Of course someone remembers to switch them on again before they get to the foggy North Channel?

Tell me they do!?!

[ShinyShoe]

Correction, Class A kit itself doesn't filter its the plotter that does I think... ...its a bone of contention as the rules only need the AIS to show three boats on a text screen (dead useful!) that may not be filtering... But no one reads it. They plot the positions on radar or plotter. Kit like this

http://www.fugawi.com/web/products/f...ais_detail.htm

Let's you filter what's plotted.