Your feedback on AIS would be greatly appreciated

[bartvast]

Fellow sailors & boaters,

I am on a mission to develop a new type of marine class B AIS transponder ... and I would greatly appreciate your help to make it happen!

My vision is to create an affordable, portable AIS transponder that integrates all essential functions (from battery pack, GNSS and Wifi, to VHF transmitter & antenna) into one rugged, simple, plug-and-play device.

But before I continue prototyping (and its formal certification), I need to ensure that I am heading in the right direction. And that's where the experienced sailing & boating community come in!

I greatly value your insights and experiences, which is why I would like to ask kindly asking for your input through an online survey.

Rest assured, this is a call for input and has no commercial motive. (There is no end product yet ;-) I am merely seeking input & feedback from fellow maritime enthusiasts.)

So, if you're up for it – and you can spare a few minutes – please fill out this anonymous survey, which can be accessed HERE.

(If the link is not work properly, you can past-copy the following link in your browser: Survey: Smart AIS® )

If you know any other sailors & boaters who would be like to share their thoughts and experiences, please do spread the word (and link ;-) It’s greatly appreciated.

Thank’s in advance!

Best,
Bart

 

[dlochner]

Interesting idea. How do you get around the MMSI requirement? All AIS must have a MMSI programed into it which is specific to one boat. At least here in the US, AIS transponders can not be reprogramed by the user. If the MMSI needs to change, for example the device is moved to another boat, it must be sent back to a certified technician to change the number. That requirement would eliminate the US as a potential market.

 

[dLj]

I started the survey - it's asking questions that just don't sound right to me - from the preamble above in any case. I won't finish your survey.

From the above - no idea what a "portable" AIS could be. An AIS unit stays on a boat and identifies that boat.

My BS flag is waving high....

dj

 

[dlochner]

I started the survey - it's asking questions that just don't sound right to me - from the preamble above in any case. I won't finish your survey.

From the above - no idea what a "portable" AIS could be. An AIS unit stays on a boat and identifies that boat.

My BS flag is waving high....

dj

I'm not sure if it is BS or if they just don't understand the marine market and regulations. On the surface having a portable AIS transponder seems like a good idea. However, as think more about it, the idea starts to fall flat. AIS becomes most valuable at night, in poor visibility conditions, and in or near shipping lanes. Those are not conditions that charterers normally encounter. And then there are the programming considerations and MMSI requirement.

 

[dLj]

I'm not sure if it is BS or if they just don't understand the marine market and regulations. On the surface having a portable AIS transponder seems like a good idea. However, as think more about it, the idea starts to fall flat. AIS becomes most valuable at night, in poor visibility conditions, and in or near shipping lanes. Those are not conditions that charterers normally encounter. And then there are the programming considerations and MMSI requirement.

Did you try the survey? First red flag were lots of socioeconomic data and the statement it's anonymous - but you must give them an email address... Didn't jive for me....

dj

 

[dlochner]

Did you try the survey? First red flag were lots of socioeconomic data and the statement it's anonymous - but you must give them an email address... Didn't jive for me....

dj

I used a little used email address I have. An income data request is pretty standard for marketing surveys.

 

[Davidasailor26]

I'm not sure if it is BS or if they just don't understand the marine market and regulations. On the surface having a portable AIS transponder seems like a good idea. However, as think more about it, the idea starts to fall flat. AIS becomes most valuable at night, in poor visibility conditions, and in or near shipping lanes. Those are not conditions that charterers normally encounter. And then there are the programming considerations and MMSI requirement.

I agree. A portable AIS receiver could work without the MMSI limitations, but receive-only misses a big part of the market segment. I crewed on a boat doing the DelMarVa last year and if I could’ve brought a portable AIS along it would’ve been handy, but only having receive isn’t ideal.

 

[Davidasailor26]

Did you try the survey? First red flag were lots of socioeconomic data and the statement it's anonymous - but you must give them an email address... Didn't jive for me....

dj

It didn’t prompt me for email, but I’m always logged into Google so it may have just had my account that way. It’s a Google form and from what I’ve seen before Google uses email/account info just to make sure the same person doesn’t submit multiple responses.

 

[JBP-PA]

Erm, there already are portable standalone AIS. If you have a AIS PLB, you have one. They are also available to mark fish traps.

10nm 5W Marine AIS Fishing Net Position Meter Locator High Precision Locating 15 | eBay

Communication Range: Approx. 10nm (Nautical Miles). Feature: 1. Item Type: AIS Fishing Net. RF Power: 5W. Red light on: Enter the AIS signal transmission state. Power On: Rotate the power switch to the ON position, turn off the traffic indicator for 2 seconds, and enter the normal working state.

www.ebay.com

 

[shemandr]

My Credit Card information was just stolen. I'm not in any mood for digital adventures. I think they also got my email, address, phone# and Lord knows what else. It'a a very uncomfortable feeling knowing that someone has information about you and you don't know what they have!

 

[dLj]

It didn’t prompt me for email, but I’m always logged into Google so it may have just had my account that way. It’s a Google form and from what I’ve seen before Google uses email/account info just to make sure the same person doesn’t submit multiple responses.

That's possible - it was asking for my Google email. Not one I usually use.

I still didn't like the questions being asked. Looked a whole lot more like a marketing survey aimed at way more than the intro question was aiming at. I'm not going to do the survey given what the premise is and the questions asked in that survey.

So if the OP wishes to ask subject specific questions here, I'll answer them but I'm not going back to the survey linked....

dj

 

[Tally Ho]

Do the site moderators check references for posts like this?

I would hope so….

Let us know when you get around to reading this.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[Dave]

Do the site moderators check references for posts like this?

I would hope so….

Let us know when you get around to reading this.

Thanks,

Greg

All new members are vetted for characteristics of spammers and hackers. While I'd like to believe the system is 100% effective, we all know that no system is perfect. I vetted the OP and the characteristics that would block his registration were not present. (And, no we will not disclose our methods.)

As a rule we do not edit or remove content unless it is clearly spam or violates the few rules we have regarding posting in the forums. The number one reason we remove posts is selling in the forums. We have ad space for that. Number two reason is duplicate posting, either the same post in one thread or the same thread posted in two different forums. In the latter case we'll either merge the two threads or delete one of the threads. The moderators use their judgement to decide which thread to remove or merge.

The strength of SBO lies with its members and their efforts to encourage members to adhere to community norms, which are pretty straight forward, don't be a jerk and when there is disagreement act with civility. When there is incorrect information being posted, it is perfectly acceptable to identify the misinformation so long as it is done with some respect and done civilly. The manner in which @dLj presented his concerns about this thread is a good example. Disagreement is fine, so long as it does not degenerate into another example of Goodwin's Law.

Speaking of disagreements and Goodwin's Law, I have been accused of shutting down threads instead of letting them die a natural death. I have done that a handful of times. The reason is simple, after moderating online forums since the days of the Wild West on AOL in the late 80s and early 90s I've learned to spot the signs of deteriorating exchanges. When I do see this I will lock the thread to stop the exchange. I'd rather do that than wait around until things get really bad making it necessary to delete posts and suspend members.

To answer Greg's question, we don't do a lot of research on who is posting what, even in cases like this. The member posted a survey, it is clearly a marketing survey, and it is relevant to sailing, like any survey you get it is up to you how you respond. Now if he comes back with a special offer to purchase one of his devices, that post will be gone as soon as one of the moderator's sees it or when someone reports it.

To the Irish and wannabe Irish, Happy St. Patrick's Day.

 

[Tally Ho]

Dave,

I understand. And it would be hard to check every potential spammer.

I didn’t know if you or the staff knew this person ahead of time.

i filled out the survey, out of curiosity more than anything else.


SBO does a great job moderating and running the site.

When Irish eyes are smiling,
Tis like a morn in spring.
With a lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing
When Irish hearts are happy
All the world is bright and gay
When Irish eyes are smiling
Sure, they steal your heart away.

Greg

 

[Dave]

SBO does a great job moderating and running the site.

Thank you. It's an easy job because the members make it so.