|
|
01-01-2017, 16:44
|
#1
|
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: St. Petersburg FL
Boat: Morgan, center cockpit sloop, 44 - Enough
Posts: 123
|
Class B AIS waste of money
I'm hoping to prompt some discussion on what a total waste of money purchasing and installing a class B transponder on your please craft is.
If your objective is is "be seen by commercial traffic", forget it! I personally have been summoned to the bridge to SPECIFICALLY check Furuno/ECDIS radar settings and ensure that "except class B" is ON, meaning exclude them. For proof see
http://gcaptain.com/class-filtering-targets-ships/
Mark Fay,
Merchant Marine Credential Jr. Engineer, QMED, AS-E / MSC ET
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 16:48
|
#2
|
Long Range Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Australian living on "Sea Life" currently in England.
Boat: Beneteau 393 "Sea Life"
Posts: 12,822
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
Yes you are right.
Total waste of money.
Especially when ignorant illegal ships officers turn the damn thing off.
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 16:54
|
#3
|
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bellingham
Boat: Outbound 44
Posts: 9,319
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
What nonsense. AIS is very high on the bang for the buck electronics on a cruising boat. If a commercial ship needs to or decides to declutter a screen to make their display more readable, that's their choice. It doesn't negate all the other times that an AIS signal is a good value.
__________________
Paul
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 17:12
|
#4
|
Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Port Moresby,Papua New Guinea
Boat: FP Belize Maestro 43 and OPBs
Posts: 12,888
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
Quote:
Originally Posted by SV Enough
I'm hoping to prompt some discussion on what a total waste of money purchasing and installing a class B transponder on your please craft is.
If your objective is is "be seen by commercial traffic", forget it! I personally have been summoned to the bridge to SPECIFICALLY check Furuno/ECDIS radar settings and ensure that "except class B" is ON, meaning exclude them. For proof see
Class B AIS - Filtering Of Targets By Ships – gCaptain
Mark Fay,
Merchant Marine Credential Jr. Engineer, QMED, AS-E / MSC ET
|
Absolute FUD!.
From your link, this:
" While Class B data can, and sometimes should, be suppressed in port it is important technology that will help us avoid boats which venture offshore. Therefore deactivating the display of Class-B targets on your ECDIS and RADAR is an action that should be logged and a note should be placed in your passage plan (or penciled next to the sea buoy on the chart) to remind all watchstanders to reactivate the setting once you have set out for sea."
I don't rely on a ship using AIS in a harbour/port area to see me. I make damned sure that I don't cause any trouble for the ships regardless of whether they see me or not. And even receive only AIS is fine for that in a harbour.
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 17:21
|
#5
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,663
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
I've had numerous ships on the high seas confirm that they are seeing my Class-B transponder. Some of these have initiated the VHF conversation, just because they were interested in what a sailboat was doing 1000 miles from land.
So, perhaps some ships disable their AIS Class-B reception, but in my unscientific survey most don't.
__________________
Paul Elliott, S/V VALIS - Pacific Seacraft 44 #16 - Friday Harbor, WA
www.sailvalis.com
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 17:31
|
#6
|
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2007
Boat: Mahe 36, Helia 44 Evo, MY 37
Posts: 5,731
|
Class B AIS waste of money
Class B AIS is as good as you make it.
If ships do not want to see you in a harbor, so be it.
It's the LAW OF TONNAGE. Stay out of their way or pay the price.
.
.
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 17:40
|
#7
|
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Portugal/Med
Boat: Comet 41s
Posts: 6,140
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
Quote:
Originally Posted by SV Enough
I'm hoping to prompt some discussion on what a total waste of money purchasing and installing a class B transponder on your please craft is.
If your objective is is "be seen by commercial traffic", forget it! I personally have been summoned to the bridge to SPECIFICALLY check Furuno/ECDIS radar settings and ensure that "except class B" is ON, meaning exclude them. For proof see
Class B AIS - Filtering Of Targets By Ships – gCaptain
Mark Fay,
Merchant Marine Credential Jr. Engineer, QMED, AS-E / MSC ET
|
What I have heard is that ships only turn AIS B of in some zones with high intensity traffic where the many AIS B targets can be very confusing.
It was on one of those zones that the Captain disconnected the AIS B targets?
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 18:05
|
#8
|
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Australia
Boat: Catalina 470
Posts: 4,578
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
My experience is that many ships haven't seen me until I radio them. But, I definitely don't think they are a waste of money, they are right up there on my must have list.
Sent from my vivo Y35 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 18:11
|
#10
|
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Australia
Boat: Catalina 470
Posts: 4,578
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
The thing with a ais is there's no downside that I can see, how can knowing exactly where ships are in relation to your own vessel or they ( once notified) knowing exactly where you are be a bad thing?
Sent from my vivo Y35 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 18:14
|
#11
|
Moderator
Join Date: May 2008
Location: cruising SW Pacific
Boat: Jon Sayer 1-off 46 ft fract rig sloop strip plank in W Red Cedar
Posts: 21,135
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
In waters crowded with pleasure boats using class B AIS, one can hardly blame the ship for turning off the B alarms. I usually do that myself when in such places!
But so far I've not seen that ships have filtered me out at sea. I've spoken to a couple who were not altering course at great distance, just to be sure. They have all said that they were tracking us and would alter course as required. There may not be 100% compliance with allowing class B alarms at sea, but then there isn't 100% compliance with the requirement for competent watchkeepers on the bridge (as Jessica Watson found out).
Waste of money? Ridiculous, IMO.
Jim
__________________
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II, lying Port Cygnet Tasmania once again.
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 19:31
|
#12
|
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Back in Montt.
Boat: Westerly Sealord
Posts: 8,178
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
OK, hands up everybody who has followed the trail that led from Gcaptain to Panbo and then all the way down to Dr Norris... Panbo: The Marine Electronics Hub: Class B AIS filtering, the word from Dr. Norris
The desire of 'big ship' bridge teams to disable Class B AIS would possibly not be so great if WAFIs turned off their AIS when it was not needed... eg.. when alongside ( see pic ) and when just out for a Sunday sail around the harbour.
As the good Doctor says .. ' It should not be forgotten that the bridge windows form the most widely used navigational aid. '
Another small note... I have spent some time in the not too distant past in the Auckland area where all the fast ferries run Class B as do quite large ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 19:42
|
#13
|
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Back in Montt.
Boat: Westerly Sealord
Posts: 8,178
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
Speaking of which...
Hello peoples....... you really do not need to be running AIS in Sydney Harbour on a sunny afternoon.....!!
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 19:47
|
#14
|
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Florida, Daytona
Boat: Cabo Rico 38
Posts: 236
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
...And, even if they MIGHT filter my signal out, I still see them - If you don't expect them to be looking out for you, you wont get surprised...
|
|
|
01-01-2017, 21:40
|
#15
|
Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: puget sound washington
Boat: 1968 Islander bahama 24 hull 182, 1963 columbia 29 defender. hull # 60
Posts: 12,113
|
Re: Class B AIS waste of money
In some parts of the world they are actually required on foreign pleasure craft.
__________________
Non illigitamus carborundum
|
|
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Rate This Thread |
Linear Mode
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Advertise Here
Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vendor Spotlight |
|
|
|