How Come

[jstevens]

Phiggins,
I don't know how far you've gotten in programming the AIS engine, but you might want to take a look at this link from the DigiBoat web site (SOB software). They modified the NASA engine to provide LED status lights. I'm sure they had lots of initial problems trying to talk to the box while it just sat there doing nothing, just a black box.
http://www.digiboat.com.au/NASA_DIY_LED.htm

John

[phiggins]

John. I was actually thinking of getting the SR-161 which seems to have LED lights already.

I notice they are now producing a CLASS B AIS transponders for recreational boats. Price isn't too bad, $1500:

http://www.sealinks.net/SL162BPage.htm

As for the programming, I have a program that will decipher all of the VDM messages, including the ones that are multi sentences but I am just using the sample files from Fugawi and NASA as input. I'm waiting for a NMEA multiplexer/combiner that I ordered before trying to send the AIS to ARPA translated messages to my Furuno radar.

Now trying to figure out how to do the programming to figure out the CPA (Closest Point of Approach). Ie: if you know the lat/long, SOG and COG for two boats, how do you predict how close they will come to one another?

Paul