AIS Not Transmitting

[RProulx]

I have a Raymarine class A AIS 500 Transeiver. It is connected to a Raymarine E120 Chartplotter and a Raymarine VHF Radio. all components were installed by a Raymarine authorized installer. Since day one the AIS Transeiver received AIS signals but never transmitted the information from my vessel. It was checked out several times by the installer and even was on a land line with Raymarine technician when he checked out the unit. The icon on the chartplotter appears to show that the unit is working properly but my vessel is not visible. Any thoughts of what could be the problem?

Roland

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by RProulx

I have a Raymarine class A AIS 500 Transeiver. It is connected to a Raymarine E120 Chartplotter and a Raymarine VHF Radio. all components were installed by a Raymarine authorized installer. Since day one the AIS Transeiver received AIS signals but never transmitted the information from my vessel. It was checked out several times by the installer and even was on a land line with Raymarine technician when he checked out the unit. The icon on the chartplotter appears to show that the unit is working properly but my vessel is not visible. Any thoughts of what could be the problem?

Roland

How do you know it's not transmitting anything. The green light will confirm it is. You see nothing on the chartplotter. If you connect a laptop up to the serial port and run the software you can verify it's working. Have you contacted another AIS equipped boat to confirm it's really not working.

Note the AIS 500 is a class B transponder

Dave

[barnakiel]

How do you know it is not transmitting then?

b.

[h20man]

Originally Posted by RProulx

I have a Raymarine class A AIS 500 Transeiver. It is connected to a Raymarine E120 Chartplotter and a Raymarine VHF Radio. all components were installed by a Raymarine authorized installer. Since day one the AIS Transeiver received AIS signals but never transmitted the information from my vessel. It was checked out several times by the installer and even was on a land line with Raymarine technician when he checked out the unit. The icon on the chartplotter appears to show that the unit is working properly but my vessel is not visible. Any thoughts of what could be the problem?

Roland

another quick test is to see if you are currently located in a port that has an AIS receiver connected to one of the aggregators....

for example you can 'see' an almost live feed at marine traffic AIS
type in your vessel name, or choose your port... and .. amazingly you can see what your vessel has been up to if you are BROADCASTING AIS. The down side of this is that others can see this as well..

If you do not see yourself, then there usually is an option on the consumer AIS devices to disable broadcasting.... when you want to go into 'silent' mode...

Best.

[h20man]

If you do not see any transmission, it could be that your system is in silent mode. This is explained on page 19 of the proAIS User Guide Configuration Software Manual.

"Silent mode : Buttons to enter / exit silent mode. In Silent mode the transmitter is disabled and no position reports are
transmitted by the unit. Other AIS users will be unaware of your position in this mode so it should be used with caution and only where allowed by local regulations."

Best

[RProulx]

Yes I tried going on vesseltracker.com on my laptop computer. I can see vessels around me, tugs, tankers, etc. but not my vessel. I went into settings and switched silent mode of and back on again with no luck. I notice that the AIS Icon on the chartplotter is floshing green. I read in the manual that when it transmits the icon is suppose to turn blue but I don't recall seeing that happen. I will look for it the next time on the boat. I know also that it is suppose to transmit faster if you are moving rather than at anchor. Could the unit be defective, showing that it is working correctly by not actually transmitting.? I know it is a class B unit but it is still suppose to transmit a minimal amount of information isn't it?

Roland

[h20man]

Originally Posted by RProulx

Yes I tried going on vesseltracker.com on my laptop computer. I can see vessels around me, tugs, tankers, etc. but not my vessel. I went into settings and switched silent mode of and back on again with no luck. I notice that the AIS Icon on the chartplotter is floshing green. I read in the manual that when it transmits the icon is suppose to turn blue but I don't recall seeing that happen. I will look for it the next time on the boat. I know also that it is suppose to transmit faster if you are moving rather than at anchor. Could the unit be defective, showing that it is working correctly by not actually transmitting.? I know it is a class B unit but it is still suppose to transmit a minimal amount of information isn't it?

Roland

you could have a stuck switch. But, hey, you spent good money and had a professional install the unit, so tell them to get cracking....

I have seen too many 'professionals' think that being a professional means they take your money and do not deliver acceptable service....

Best of luck with solving your problem.... I am looking forward to hearing how it is resolved....

[RProulx]

I read in the manual posted by H20man ghat the mmsi number must be correctly programmed into the ASI unit or else the unit will not transmit your vessel's position. However it will receive other vessel positions. This appears to be what is occurring. Possibly the installer put the wrong mmsi number in or made an error in some other setting or s stuck switch as the last person said. I plan on calling Raymarine to light a fire under this guy's ass to get him to correct the situation.

This AIS unit is on our harbor patrol boat. Many times we are operating at night approaching a commercial vessel or a Coast Guard vessel and we need to be identifiable for safety purposes.

Thanks to all who replied. I will respond when we find out what the problem is.

Roland

[r.furborough]

Originally Posted by RProulx

I read in the manual posted by H20man ghat the mmsi number must be correctly programmed into the ASI unit or else the unit will not transmit your vessel's position. However it will receive other vessel positions. This appears to be what is occurring. Possibly the installer put the wrong mmsi number in or made an error in some other setting or s stuck switch as the last person said. I plan on calling Raymarine to light a fire under this guy's ass to get him to correct the situation. Roland

Not really Raymarine's problem it was probably the dealer, I say that as it it could not have been programmed if an MMSI number was not available. Was an MMSI number discussed, do you have an MMSI number to program into the unit? If it was not discussed or not available you have your answer. It is not the dealers responsibility to obtain the MMSI, but it is to program the unit.

[h20man]

Originally Posted by r.furborough

Not really Raymarine's problem it was probably the dealer, I say that as it it could not have been programmed if an MMSI number was not available. Was an MMSI number discussed, do you have an MMSI number to program into the unit? If it was not discussed or not available you have your answer. It is not the dealers responsibility to obtain the MMSI, but it is to program the unit.

I would respectfully disagree. An installer dealer should be offering the support needed to put all this in working order. That is why they charge the markup..

I consider a professional to be not someone who just takes money, but provides a value added. I am paying for this persons experience and knowledge. Of course, if I were to know it all myself PRIOR to the install, then I would not need the professional.

There are many times that I have been paid to be the 'professional' and I had to insure that the client was aware of the finer points of the solution that I was tailoring for them.

Again @r.furborough, to emphasize, this is a (hopefully) respectful disagreement...

[SailFastTri]

Yes I agree with others that the MMSI was probably not programmed.

Also the Marinetraffic.com web site does not currently show class B AIS vessels in the Long Island Sound and NYC areas. You will not be seen on that site. You need to hail another vessel who you are receiving and ask them if they see you.

Also Roland, I think I know you from long ago. Will PM you.

[idpnd]

Originally Posted by RProulx

I read in the manual posted by H20man ghat the mmsi number must be correctly programmed into the ASI unit or else the unit will not transmit your vessel's position. However it will receive other vessel positions. This appears to be what is occurring.

That's what my AIS transciever did until I entered the vessel details.. Perhaps they weren't saved properly during config or so.. This can usually done on any laptop connected to the unit

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by idpnd

That's what my AIS transciever did until I entered the vessel details.. Perhaps they weren't saved properly during config or so.. This can usually done on any laptop connected to the unit

You can usually program *most* of the vessel details (name, callsign, dimensions), but the end-user can *not* program the MMSI. This capability is specifically reserved for the dealer, and uses tools not available to the customer. It's a regulations thing.

You should be able to query the transponder from the serial port or a programming port to see what has been programmed. But I agree that the dealer should be taking care of this.

I have access to AIS data with some coverage in Long Island Sound (www.aishub.net). If you know your MMSI I can search my records to see if you have shown up.

[barnakiel]

If that's the MMSI issue then I had the same on a Simrad (50) unit. We just entered the MMSI and that was it - it started transmitting.

No issue programming the number by the owner on Simrad. (But as far as I remember from the manual - any re-programming had to be done by the service).

b.

[barnakiel]

BTW some great Raymarine technicians there ...

b.