Guest Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Just about to push the button to get me one of these gizmos.....and then thought I'd just check it out with you guys first. Do you reckon this is any good? Better options? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =442653316 Link to post Share on other sites
Jon 360 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Have also thought that this could he the go. Where are you looking and what's the damage? Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Have also thought that this could he the go.Where are you looking and what's the damage? sorry.....have now edited my original post to include the link! Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Probably ok but I think old tech. Some of the newer devices have better connections like those that you stick into the computer on the side is it usb? I think you may be able to get one at a better price also. Around the $100 mark. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Cheers bbay. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Just found this link for anyone interested....Danaide? THIS looks like the go.....and cheap! http://www.aisonvhf.com/index.html Link to post Share on other sites
rigger 47 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 How often do you will you check the display? Are you happy to put up with large numbers of false alarms? What range will you pick up vessels? The reason I ask is that if you have the alarm settings choked down to prevent noise you may miss a vessel. I suggest you research just what class A & B AIS unit do - how often they update, why they update. AIS is a good tool but you need to know the limitations and ask why and how it would assist you. An AIS receiver is not going to alert other vessels you are there, but you need to pay attention to it otherwise it is either worthless or could lull you into a false sense of safety. Remember AIS on commercial ships can be switched off and it can have position errors (Have seen +10nm error, and 0.3nm is reasonably common). If I was sailing on the NZ coast I would not bother just yet. Hopefully the cost of Class B unit will come down and be a better option than a simple receiver Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 If I was sailing on the NZ coast I would not bother just yet. For the sake of $100???? Really??? Do you get a lot of false alarms? Why? I had rather thought that I would use it at night (as an extra set of eyes) with alarm set for, say, 5 miles away. Would you expect many false alarms to wake you from your beauty sleep? Link to post Share on other sites
grant 40 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Hopefully the cost of Class B unit will come down and be a better option than a simple receiver the class B are starting to come down, these seems to be a good stand alone unit. http://www.discount-marine.co.nz/shop/i ... ts_id=5059 About 5 years ago a much less user friendly unit would have set you back around $5k. Hopefully the next few years will see better stuff at lower prices. As to whether its a good thing to buy, that really depends on what you want it for. Unless you are doing a lot of night passages, longer trips short handed or bluewater I don't think there is a huge benefit, outside of those situations you should be able to see the big stuff that you can pick up on AIS, saying that, its a cool toy to have Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,239 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 AIS is a great tool. Get a transponder! Then you can see the ships, and they can see you. I have used AIS over the last two years on our cruise, and it has never been in error, and provided great info. We have had a ship call us by name from 50 miles! It is a ARC class b. It interfaces via NMEA to a plotter or PC (PC for us, 1 screen inside, one in cockpit). Normal range is about 4 miles. They are not expensive now for what they give you - about $700 NZD will get you a transponder. Link to post Share on other sites
rigger 47 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 If I was sailing on the NZ coast I would not bother just yet. For the sake of $100???? Really??? Do you get a lot of false alarms? Why? I had rather thought that I would use it at night (as an extra set of eyes) with alarm set for, say, 5 miles away. Would you expect many false alarms to wake you from your beauty sleep? The reason I say just yet is I would rather have a transponder than a receiver - prices are coming down. Also considering that on my last yacht I had a magnetic compass, paper charts and small handheld GPS that could not take an input it would have cost alot more than $100 to fit an AIS unit. Depending upon how much traffic is around and how you set the alarms you can get a number of momentary alarms as AIS data changes. normally you can set the alarm limits with a CPA and TCPA If the alarms are waking me from my beauty sleep I am in serious trouble as I do not sleep when on watch. With regard to errors - there is a ship called Asian Lily - I was onboard her the other week - her AIS unit has errors, the day I was on her it was approx 2cables. Out on the water it is hard to tell if there is an error, when monitoring vessels with the help of eyes and radar you tend to pick the errors up. YES AIS is a great tool but it is not free from errors and some people start to rely on it and fail to notice vessels without it. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 AIS is a great tool. Get a transponder!........... They are not expensive now for what they give you - about $700 NZD will get you a transponder. Cool! Where from? Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Here's a link that may help anyone interested in researching these devices...http://www.milltechmarine.com/Top-Products_c_24.html Personally I like the Vesper Marine Transponder. Having a dedicated screen is a big advantage as they don't use a lot of power such as a computer may so can be left on. I have a cruiser friend who says" better than radar". Link to post Share on other sites
Fusion 0 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 If you are just wanting coastal AIS information SF Free (Ship Finder) is an iPhone ap that gives you all the AIS data on a chart. I used it yesterday as the Cruiseship Celebrity Century was leaving Auckland as I was coming down from Tiri. Its destination was Tauranga easy. Link to post Share on other sites
Grinna 2 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 The Vesper units are supposed to be pretty smart in terms of identifying potential collisions and closest points of contact and that kind of stuff and it has the advantage of low power draw and is independent of other systems like chart plotters (in case of failure). Having said that, we've got a Raymarine AIS receiver (albeit not operational at the moment) and I'm not in a huge hurry to replace it with a transponder or stand alone unit like the Vesper. I am keen to get it working again ... suspect it has something to do with the wire that's hanging loose out of the unit. Link to post Share on other sites
Jon 360 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Ok Rigger, two handed round nz. What would you recommend ? Last time I looked they were 5k+ which didnt stack up but at under 1k they are worth considering ? Link to post Share on other sites
NevP 0 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 If you are just wanting coastal AIS information SF Free (Ship Finder) is an iPhone ap that gives you all the AIS data on a chart. I used it yesterday as the Cruiseship Celebrity Century was leaving Auckland as I was coming down from Tiri. Its destination was Tauranga easy. I personally wouldn't use this for anything more than a bit of fun/interest. These services are very reliant on the coverage of the receivers (often provided by interested volunteers) being used to provide the info. There is a similar service (http://www.marinetraffic.com) and as can be seen from the 2 screen shots I have just taken they both provide different (and incomplete?) coverage. You're also relying on the mobile network coverage for your iPhone as well. Shipfinder appears to have coverage for Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington only. Marine Traffic goes a bit further afield and appears to also cover New Plymouth, Napier, Cook Strait, Picton, Nelson, Christchurch & Dunedin. Nothing much for the rest of the coast line if you were trying to use it for any coastal passages. Link to post Share on other sites
w44vi 17 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 I have found them brilliant for tight areas like the entry to tory channel, all vessels are suppose to call 15 minutes before entering/leaving but for some reason we don't always hear the call, if the other vessel is small it is still safe to enter if its one of the cook strait ferry's, I figure wood gives way to 20,000 tons of steel ! Link to post Share on other sites
NevP 0 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Good point on the ferries in Tory Channel. Any extra info is a good thing (as long as the user is aware of the limitations). Link to post Share on other sites
Island Time 1,239 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Ok here you go an icom ma-500-tr normaly us $ 899 at west marine ,blazer in sing have them for sing $640... Rigger, sorry but not seeing ships without AIS is not an error/fault with the system.... I've just arrived in singapore. Had over 300 vessels on the AIS within 3 miles yesterday - yes, many anchored, but still qute a few moving. My PC app (Nobeltec) lets me filter down to those who are a threat only. Much less stress with AIS. The Singapore rules change this year. ALL power driven vessels require AIS!! That is what it says on the noticeboard at the One 15 Marina where I am at the moment. No mention of say dingys with outboards???? AIS does "see around corners" which is good, but it is only VHF - it will not see around a mountain. It is not "better than radar" as not every vessel has it yet - the radar shows you what IS THERE, not WHAT IS THERE AND HAS AN AIS TRANSPONDER. I use it all the time at sea, and yes, the PC is on all the time. Radar when we can't see far as well. Digital radar, AIS and PC draw about 5.7 amps. We sometimes switch off the outside PC screen, to save power (about .8amp) as you can see the laptop screen from the cockpit seats, just not clearly from the helm. The Autopilot can draw more..... IMO an AIS receiver is not worth the difference - get a Transponder. Many of the bluewater cruisers we have met have either recently ditched their receivers for transponders, or are about to. Matt Link to post Share on other sites
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