AIS receive only or transmit too?

[Meriachee]

Vessels required are usually defined as commercial. That could probably be up for debate if you are a captained charter boat.

 

[Hello Below]

Recreational vessels are not required to have AIS, so they are not required to have them transmitting at all times.

I always equated recreational vessels to voluntary vessels regarding AIS. If this is correct then later in para 6 it states:
" Note, vessels equipped with AIS--either by mandatory carriage or voluntarily--must abide by the requirements set forth in 33 CFR 164.46 which state an AIS must be: properly installed, use an officially assigned MMSI, that its data be accessible from the primary operating position of the vessel, and, always be in effective operating condition; which entails the continuous operation of AIS and the accurate input (see USCG AIS Encoding Guide) and upkeep of all AIS data parameters."

 

[dlochner]

I always equated recreational vessels to voluntary vessels regarding AIS. If this is correct then later in para 6 it states:
" Note, vessels equipped with AIS--either by mandatory carriage or voluntarily--must abide by the requirements set forth in 33 CFR 164.46 which state an AIS must be: properly installed, use an officially assigned MMSI, that its data be accessible from the primary operating position of the vessel, and, always be in effective operating condition; which entails the continuous operation of AIS and the accurate input (see USCG AIS Encoding Guide) and upkeep of all AIS data parameters."

Damn fine print! The same requirement exists for VHF, if you have one it is supposed to be on. Probably one of the more frequently violated FCC/USCG rules.

Having nothing better to do on a snowy day, I dove down the rabbit hole and looked at 33 CFR 164.46 and no where in that link did I see a rule that voluntary vessels are required to have their AIS on and operating. That rule also cites a International Maritime Organization Resolution that defines "operational AIS" and in that document I could not find a reference to voluntary vessel requirements. This doesn't mean that there is not a specific rule requiring AIS operation on recreational vessels, just that I couldn't find one.

Nonetheless, in places with lots of commercial traffic or in restricted visibility, having an AIS on and transmitting is a good idea.

 

[Gunni]

My interpretation of Para 6 of this link is that if you have an AIS, it must always be keep in an operating condition (i.e. is serviceable) and continuously operating unless the safety or security of the vessel may be compromised.

As an exempt recreational vessel you are not required to keep the AIS in transmission. The rule you cite is for the commercial craft required to have AIS.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,
Serious questions: What benefit do you expect from broadcasting AIS information? Do you expect that a large ship will alter course because they see you are on a collision course? Do you expect that fishing boats (commercial and recreational) will follow the rules of the road regarding stand on and give way?

A few years ago I installed an AIS receiver. I do a fair amount of night sailing and there is regular ferry traffic near my home port. I wanted to be able to quickly determine the course, speed, CPA, etc of a ferry so I could easily stay out of the way. AIS worked great for that. Over the last few years I see more and more recreational boats broadcasting AIS information. Including a few IN THE HARBOR AND TIED TO THE DOCK. Every time I leave or return to the harbor my plotter would sound an alarm because of an impending collision. Eventually I gave up and turned off the alarms.

This past summer, in the waters outside Port Jefferson NY there were so many AIS targets that AIS is practically useless. All you see on the screen is a bunch of targets. I'm sure that most boaters, large ships included, just ignore them.
If I am sailing at night I will try to remember to turn the alarms back on. Otherwise the AIS information is, for the most part, useless.

If I find myself on a CBDR (constant bearing, decreasing range) with another vessel, I do not expect that the other vessel will either see me, know the rules, or follow the rules. I will monitor the situation, and if the other vessel does not make an early, clear, change in heading, I will alter course. Broadcasting AIS, IMHO, doesn't provide much benefit in this situation.

I do see how it would make communicating with other vessels easier - assuming they have a lookout and are monitoring the radio. Is this worth $400? Probably. How often will this be done? I imagine rarely. How much battery power does the transmitter require? Enough to shorten the engine off cruising time significantly?

Barry

 

[Hello Below]

Recreational vessels are not required to have AIS, so they are not required to have them transmitting at all times.

A great "over your choice of libation" topic.
I claim that AIS could be included in the term defined as RADAR. You got it, you (coulda/woulda/shoulda ???) used it.
https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=Rule07

 

[Juice6576]

We got caught out in fog on Lake Michigan, and being able to be seen by others with the AIS helped us. On a side note, if you transit south to the gulf, AIS can be picked up by commercial vessels around river bends, that might otherwise block radar.

 

[dlochner]

This past summer, in the waters outside Port Jefferson NY there were so many AIS targets that AIS is practically useless. All you see on the screen is a bunch of targets. I'm sure that most boaters, large ships included, just ignore them.

I hear the same complaints from guys on the Chesapeake, too many targets and too many boats at the dock transmitting their position.

Serious questions: What benefit do you expect from broadcasting AIS information? Do you expect that a large ship will alter course because they see you are on a collision course? Do you expect that fishing boats (commercial and recreational) will follow the rules of the road regarding stand on and give way?

Don't think there is simple answer(s) to your questions. The general answer is that the more visible you are, the safer you are from collision. Part of the answer lies in the data that is transmitted on the AIS. It includes not only your position and speed, but also your MMSI and boat name. I would expect a larger vessel to contact me if the larger vessel had questions about my intentions or if the vessel was about to maneuver in a way that might be unexpected, such as altering its course. Last summer on the Hudson River, a barge hailed "the sailboat heading south" since we were the only boat near by I assumed he meant us. He simply wanted to know what our intentions were as he was overtaking us. If we had had AIS, the tug could have hailed us by name and we would have seen the tug coming before the hail.

In clear weather with good visibility, the value of broadcasting AIS in crowded areas is probably limited. However, when visibility declines due to weather, meandering channels on the ICW, or islands in Maine, letting the world know where you are is probably a good idea.

 

[jssailem]

Barry. I installed an AIS system in August of 2016. I can address each of your queries from personal experience.

• Serious questions: What benefit do you expect from broadcasting AIS information?

For those boats who are required or use AIS as a serious navigational tool, I expect they will see my signal and recognize my boat is on the water and that we may or may not be approaching each other.

• Do you expect that a large ship will alter course because they see you are on a collision course?

On a recent sail in the Puget Sound I had the opportunity to chat with a Ferry Boat Captain. We had crossed paths about 45 days earlier. At the time we were both running in fog with visibility at 1/4 mile. I knew that my plot crossed a ferry route. As I was approaching and crossing the route I was monitoring the departure end of the route and plotted the ferry's transit. I knew our CPA would be .25nm astern. With the ferry boat about 2 nm abeam I got a call on 16 "Hadley.. Hadley.. Hadley.." from the ferry captain. We talked. I gave him my course speed and intentions. I told him I observed his departure from Port Townsend and plotted his CPA would be .25nm astern SV Hadley. He acknowledged and said he was altering course 5 degrees to starboard to widen the CPA to .5nm. We passed never conflicting or seeing each other. AIS and maintaining my chart worked as expected.

• Do you expect that fishing boats (commercial and recreational) will follow the rules of the road regarding stand on and give way?

I do expect all boats to follow the rules. But I am not naive about it. I keep a watch out. Last May it was a good thing. A commercial fishing boat, traveling in excess of 20 mph came out of the fog (visibility maybe 75 yards) and struck my boat. I was keeping watch and saw lights in the fog. I turned my boat to avoid collision. The fishing boat was not keeping watch and when becoming aware of my boat turned towards me not away. I believe my watch and the quick action saved my boat and my life from certain catastrophic destruction.

The boat did not appear on AIS. There was no radar indication. There was no sound signal. The fishing boat captain ignored all of the rules of the road. I was lucky and fortunate to have my best friend @LeslieTroyer in his boat 20 yards to my port stern.

I used the AIS plot of the event to help with the timeline and as evidence of the events when preparing my report to the Coast Guard and the boat captain to arrange for payment of damages.

Perhaps AIS will function differently on the East Coast, but here in the busy Puget Sound I find it a valuable aid to safe boating.

 

[WayneH]

I wired my AIS into the VHF breaker. So when the radio is off, so is the AIS. Plus I unscrewed the antenna cable from the splitter and have it hanging on the VHF mic cord to remind me to connect it back up. Why? Too many thunderstorms while I am too far away from the boat.

 

[jssailem]

I am too far away from the boat.

I am over 250 Miles from my boat. There are no easy ways to know if your boat is still afloat. Turn on the AIS and if it is still transmitting you know water has not risen to a point that it has shorted out the system.
It is not online you know there is some sort of issue that needs attention.

 

[Sumner]

I am over 250 Miles from my boat. There are no easy ways to know if your boat is still afloat. Turn on the AIS and if it is still transmitting you know water has not risen to a point that it has shorted out the system.
It is not online you know there is some sort of issue that needs attention.

There are a number of devices on the market that will monitor systems on your boat and will send an alert to your phone. Just one...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0081URKJ...t=&hvlocphy=9012277&hvtargid=pla-312270904703

Sumner
============================================================================
1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac...
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada, Florida, Bahamas

 

[jssailem]

Your correct @Sumner there are other options. These need to have a sensor, a transmitter, and a Communication method.
The sensor and transmitter are a onetime cost. The communication method would entail some form of monthly cost.
My AIS single purchase permits me to have the resource while cruising and while in Port to know that AIS is functioning at no additional cost.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi]

I have a DigitalYacht DAIS and put it on while cruising between Kentucky Lake and SWFlorida in 2013-14. I wanted to be able to use the AIS on my IPad and IPhone since my older Raymarine chartplotter would not repeat AIS. I only wanted transmit as I thought that was the way to go. I have radar also, and between the two thought I had what I wanted and didn’t care to have other people knowing where I was. On the return up the Tenn-Tom and the Tennessee River, about 650 SM with several foggy days and running sometimes at night to get to an anchorage, I wished I had transmit too. On the way back, the locks had installed AIS and it would have been nice that they could see me well in advance of my getting there and have the lock ready to go. I was a great supplement to my radar as I could see rows around bends well in advance of passing and could plan where anted to make the pass. With radar only, I wouldn’t see them until they were in visual range and on the meandering loops, this is very managemagbel without any of these tools, but much more easily accomplished knowing in advance where the other guy is and when you are likely to meet. My last day cruising, my chartplotter went on the blink which took out my radar since I had no way to see it. I made better time going downstream than I had anticipated and decided to stop at an anchorage farther long than the marina I had originally planned to top at. Just before I arrived at the anchorage, the bottom dropped out of the clouds, visibility went to nothing, and without my radar, it would have been a tight squeeze to get into this little bay. We decided to go another 2 hours to another now anchorage and now it was dark, but I know this section of the river well, so was not concerned. The rain continued hard and I used my IPad and IPhone with INavX and AIS to talk to and clear two tows going in the opposite direction than me. I had my strong GoLight, but was glad to have AIS and wished I had the transmit capability so the tows could see us. My old Raymarine stuff just keeps going and I am on the 17th season with it now and when it dies I will upgrade all and get a transmit AIS. I like the ability to turn it off. We also think it would be helpful on the Tenn-Tom at anchor to let the tows know where we are. Even though we are well lit and out of the way, it will give my wife some peace of mind.

 

[Hello Below]

I am over 250 Miles from my boat. There are no easy ways to know if your boat is still afloat. Turn on the AIS and if it is still transmitting you know water has not risen to a point that it has shorted out the system.
It is not online you know there is some sort of issue that needs attention.

Easy but not cheap. Wooo. Pretty much covers everything no matter how far you are away. Regardless that it is priced in Canadian dollars, you would real have to love your boat to gift her this system.
http://brnkl.io/product/brnkl/

 

[jssailem]

@Hello Below I'll file that in my "Future Big Boat Sailing Toys" folder. It contains images and links to boats and supporting equipment that could be acquired with the Big Lottery Win money after the tax man carves out his share. Who knows it could happen.