AIS Do I Need It?

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Since you're an experienced pro, you probably started straight off with ARPA for collision avoidance, skipping the HBC technique which we are taught..............

Dunno about that, I was at sea for over 20 years before ARPA turned up, and some of the early ones were pretty horrible.

For the first 15 years or so in the ships I was on radar was never run offshore, all collision avoidance was down to just compass bearing and observation of aspect. The chinagraph pencil and reflection plotter were only used in fog.
One major British liner company only started fitting radar to their newbuilds ( let alone their old ships ) in about 1970 and I've sailed on a few with either no radar or a non functioning radar.
My first 4/0's job was on a 'large british liner' built in 1948 which had no bridgewing gyro repeaters.. just one on the monkey island.
Lets not talk about no gyro at all and just peloruses ( pelori?) on the bridge wings....

Maybe this is why I am comfortable with eyeball, shroud, and aspect....even in a seaway.

[El Pinguino]

Imagine this lot all running Class B.... would I be disabling Class B alarms? You betcha!

[monte]

Ping the hand bearing compass is mainly used when the other vessel is a blip on the horizon. At least several miles away. If you have to decide whether to take the bearing from bow, midship or stern it's probably too late, but if not you select the most prominent feature. Hbc is particularly useful at night when yo might just be able to make out some running lights and can't see rigging on board your own yacht. I hold the hbc over the ships compass light to illuminate the phosphors enough to read the bearing. If there's any doubt we note the bearings over 5-10 minute intervals.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by monte

I hold the hbc over the ships compass light to illuminate the phosphors enough to read the bearing. If there's any doubt we note the bearings over 5-10 minute intervals.

Just curious... What happens to magnetic compasses... when you place them together?

[JPA Cate]

Here in the southern hemisphere, none of our hockey puck style hbss work, due to dip. (See the other thread.) So we use the flux gate electronic hbc. Unlike El Pinguino, who clearly knows how to do it better than me, I just line up the two dots, point them at the ship (about amidships, I suppose), and push the button. My instrument records the bearing. Then I wait 5 min. sometimes 10. If it's the same, I need to change something. Or contact the ship and ask what suits him best. I know it's not Colregs exactly, but being "Dorothy, small and meek", it's how I prefer to operate. Jim's watches may be different. We have many cruising miles now, no collisions.

Ann

[Jon Eisberg]

Originally Posted by MYTraveler

Transducer location is part of Class A info.

Thanks, I wasn't aware of that... The info provided by my rather rudimentary Standard Horizon VHF receive only unit is far from being that complete, scrolling thru the list on each target I only get the basics... Vessel name most of the time, MMSI #, course & speed, range & bearing, CPA/TCPA, that's about it...

Damn, and to think of all the time and distance sailing I might have saved, and the vessels I might have been able to cross ahead of, instead, had I only known exactly where the transponder was placed aboard them...

;-)

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by zboss

I like that I can tap an AIS signal on my chart plotter and DSC to that boat.

Whose system are you doing this with? Chartplotter, AIS and VHF brands. And how it is interfaced. I have a B&G Zeus2, a Vesper 8000 and an Icom VHF and there is a call button that comes up when I tap the AIS target boat, but it doesn't work at all. Doesn't even try to log the call.

[onestepcsy37]

Good to read there are actually some sailors left who regularly use a handbearing compass. And great to read that some of them are big ship sailors.

Not saying I dont use or like electronics. Just saying its good to have and use some basic skills

[donradcliffe]

I use the HBC about once a year, on average. Usually when I'm not sure of my electronic charts. Electronic charting is so much easier and faster than taking cross-bearings. As far as colliding with other boats and ships goes, sighting across a stanchion or other fixed object on my boat works fine for me. For ships, a relatively stationary bearing will send me down to look at the AIS.

[exMaggieDrum]

I now have some time on the water with my new electronics: Furuno NavNet 3D chartplotter/radar integrated with a Vesper 8000 AIS transponder. It is a great setup. I love the projected travel lines of the AIS targets on my chartplotter, or radar alone, or with chartplotter/radar overlay. Not all boats have AIS transponders so a good lookout is still absolutely required but it is nice to have. Can you sail without it? Absolutely. I got it mostly for times when I do not want to run my chartplotter/radar (for power consumption) but would like some extra warning for vessels transmitting AIS (off shore). I am very happy with my Vesper and the Furuno combination.

[alctel]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

One thing I have never understood, is how rare it is to see a permanently installed horn on sailing vessels of the size most of us sail... Virtually every powerboat of any size can produce a horn signal at the push of a button. Yet I'd guess if we took a poll here as to how many of our boats are equipped to produce a proper fog signal for days on end, I'd bet very few hands would be raised... ;-) Even a box full of canned air horns and a stopwatch, ain't gonna cut it...

I have one as well, mounted under the radar dome on the mast. My VHF can automatically sound a blast every 2 minutes, I used it recently in thick fog. I'm the only person I know who has one.

It's LOUD too - when I first installed it I stood in front of the boat with the wireless handset in the marina to test it out - on activation it was far FAR louder than I thought, and I desperately fumbled to turn it off, swearing loudly - and managed to switch it into PA mode, meaning that several unfamily friendly words were broadcast across the entire area. Whoops.

As well as the foghorn, I also have an AIS transponder, radar and a reflector. Kinda paranoid about being run down.

I used my radar 'in anger' for the first time in the same fog bank that I had my horn going, and I was glad I'd tuned it and practised using it in fine weather. Had a major panic though when I picked up a contact coming straight at me FAST - turned out to be a seaplane going overhead!

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Jon Eisberg

Thanks, I wasn't aware of that... The info provided by my rather rudimentary Standard Horizon VHF receive only unit is far from being that complete, scrolling thru the list on each target I only get the basics... Vessel name most of the time, MMSI #, course & speed, range & bearing, CPA/TCPA, that's about it...

Damn, and to think of all the time and distance sailing I might have saved, and the vessels I might have been able to cross ahead of, instead, had I only known exactly where the transponder was placed aboard them...

;-)

Opnecpn can show ships actual size from ais data and you can see where the transponder is on the ship. Very cool

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by conachair

Opnecpn can show ships actual size from ais data and you can see where the transponder is on the ship. Very cool

Very cool indeed.... does it also show the length of a tug's unlit tow?

[FamilyVan]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Very cool indeed.... does it also show the length of a tug's unlit tow?

Not to mention frequently 30 second refresh rates. At 20 knots, 30 seconds represents about 1000 ft. Not exactly a precision instrument.

Sent from my XP7700 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

One thing we haven't talked about is AIS MOB beacons, after reading a couple of different times about somebody waking up and finding their life long partner missing from the boat, I decided I didn't want that happening to me, so I bought two of these things
Smartfind S20
They have a test mode, and trust me, the alarm that is set off in my Watchmate, will wake the dead. The CPA alarm is a horn noise and will get your attention, but the AIS MOB alert is that annoying two tone European siren sound, and is very much louder than the CPA alarm, if she fell off while I was down below, even asleep, I'd wake up, plus of course I get a GPS aided steer directly to her, so finding her at night isn't nearly the issue it would be without it.

I wasn't aware of the Smartfind MOB units. Looks like it could be a good item to have on board. I also just found a Spinlock AIS MOB1 that looks good too. The site I linked is the least expensive I've found so far.