Receive only AIS Vs full AIS

SJI Sailor":3nwa0oj6 said:
For one, fiberglass boats can have a very small radar profile, easy to miss, and radar is easily obscured by sea state or straight line obstacles. Another is that AIS shares more information such as speed, vessel class, name for hailing, etc. Between the two, radar is much more important though.
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I was not questioning the usefulness of AIS. I have it. Scroll back up the thread to see my post to which the “radar” reply was made.
 
Understood, Caspar! I assumed it was a rhetorical question but OTOH thought a straight face answer might be helpful to some 🙂 Good discussion!

@Curt great addition about group/buddy cruising. Have not done that but makes perfect sense.
 
We cruise the San Juan's primarily, and there are many points to be passed along the way, several with adjoining WSF terminals. As we approach, we can see the ferry around the corner with receive-only AIS, but the ferry can't see us unless we are transmitting, too. Same for crossing Rosario Strait in limited visibility. We like that the large vessels can see us at all times (if they're looking). It's an extra margin of safety. Oh, and we, too, like to see Restless in the slip on AIS when we're not there . . . although sometimes the "past track" shows that it took a stroll out into the fairway and back all by itself!
 
An honest question from a new boater.

On the surface there is clearly a safety benefit that others can observe you when you use transmit. But, is that benefit realized?

Stipulating the benefits in social situations (e.g. flotillas, rendezvous, buddy boating), what about commercial traffic?

Does the personnel on large vessels use the info? Or, do they assume/expect that the smaller vessel (you) “gets out of the way”? We are supposed to, but as mentioned, the smaller vessel may be disabled. And, in heavily travelled areas near shipping lanes, is your AIS transmission adding to clutter and thus possibly increasing danger?

I cannot see that I would ever rely on another vessel taking manual action (perhaps there is automated) to avoid colliding with me. But, there is much to learn. Thanks.


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Ditto what Smcavana said regarding watching for ferries around corners and them being able to do the same. I have been contacted at times by ferry captains asking our intended direction so they could plan accordingly or request an alternative route for us. Not required but it makes things easier.

Curt
 
Emerson":3tl6r4hk said:
An honest question from a new boater.

On the surface there is clearly a safety benefit that others can observe you when you use transmit. But, is that benefit realized?

Stipulating the benefits in social situations (e.g. flotillas, rendezvous, buddy boating), what about commercial traffic?

Does the personnel on large vessels use the info? Or, do they assume/expect that the smaller vessel (you) “gets out of the way”? We are supposed to, but as mentioned, the smaller vessel may be disabled. And, in heavily travelled areas near shipping lanes, is your AIS transmission adding to clutter and thus possibly increasing danger?

I cannot see that I would ever rely on another vessel taking manual action (perhaps there is automated) to avoid colliding with me. But, there is much to learn. Thanks.
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I would imagine this varies by specific vessel and captain, but the commercial captains I've spoken to do pay attention to AIS -- far more attention on the largest vessels than they do to radar or even visual.

Sometimes this comes into play for turns, especially if/when you're moving slowly or fishing. Maybe less applicable to powerboats, but I've been on a sailboat with AIS transmit when we were in light air and hailed by a large commercial vessel saying "I'm turning into port and you're going to have to get out of my way." That's when it's time to fire up the iron genoa.

Also, while the "action" may not be automatic, the collision alert frequently is -- and the liability for commercial vessels is too. Remember that the USCG requires commercial vessels to be fitted with AIS reception equipment, and Rule 7 requires that "Every vessel shall use all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions to determine if risk of collision exists."

Commercial vessels must be fitted with AIS and must be paying attention to it.
 
Emerson":1gghu8vf said:
An honest question from a new boater.

On the surface there is clearly a safety benefit that others can observe you when you use transmit. But, is that benefit realized?

Stipulating the benefits in social situations (e.g. flotillas, rendezvous, buddy boating), what about commercial traffic?

Does the personnel on large vessels use the info? Or, do they assume/expect that the smaller vessel (you) “gets out of the way”? We are supposed to, but as mentioned, the smaller vessel may be disabled. And, in heavily travelled areas near shipping lanes, is your AIS transmission adding to clutter and thus possibly increasing danger?

I cannot see that I would ever rely on another vessel taking manual action (perhaps there is automated) to avoid colliding with me. But, there is much to learn. Thanks.


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As I said in my former comment, there will be many different answers here. As a former pilot, while under instrument conditions everyone is required to have an operating transponder. Unless everyone is using AIS transmit then the safety is degraded and one is under a false sense of security. Will a large vessel seeing you be able to maneuver in time? If you had receive only you should have gotten out of the way. If your vessel was inoperative, then you should have announced that on your radio because with receive you saw the large vessel. As far as traveling with other vessels, you can set up a means of communication on DSC. I just like to keep things simple. See and avoid and between AIS receive and radar and 20 years of boating I have done alright.
 
Thanks everyone. I truly appreciate the wisdom and experience of the everyone here. My opinion is changed. Seems like an AIS transmitter is a worthwhile investment in my particular case. I will add it to my list.
 
For posterity. This is an old thread, but I am developing some opinions here.

On the loop, AIS send is mostly OK. There are two situations where I wish I had it. The first is when I am talking to a riverboat captain (with AIS I can hail by name) even when he's around the bend. Sometimes he says he can't see me by AIS. We only have one overnight crossing, and saw no one all night so it didn't really matter then. We don't run at night on the river because of the dead heads.

Also, AIS transmit makes it easier for someone to set up a slow pass. Though, these days, most people really just don't bother, at least in Florida.

I do think there's too much AIS noise, and that smaller boats like mine can do without. My vote is for AIS send only, though it's a close call.
 
Oh Well":3m34qfow said:
Call me a safety freak. My Ranger 27 OB came with an AIS 300 (send only since discontinued as I understand). Thought it was send and receive. Had it changed out. Yes good to see others coming at you but better they can also see you. Simple to change the range if gets too annoying.

Oh Well!!
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Can you tell me what brand / model you replaced the factory item with? Was it a plug for plug swap, or was there additional wiring?

TIA
 
Well, I have been aboard my new boat and of course my plans are going to have to change a bit. The Garmin radio I was thinking of swapping out to get receive only AIS has been changed to a ICOM radio that actually might have receive AIS in it, will have to check the exact model number next time I’m onboard her (assuming it ever stops snowing in Portland).

Now I have to figure out if I can easily and cheaply add transmit AIS. I probably will leave it in factory default configuration for now. The ICOM radio does seem to have some unique features (WiFi link to phone for intercom and radio use) so whatever solution I pick will likely keep the stock radio

Ed Clark
Old Bold Diver
C-288 hull #9
 
Nwdiver":vynjdi0i said:
Well, I have been aboard my new boat and of course my plans are going to have to change a bit. The Garmin radio I was thinking of swapping out to get receive only AIS has been changed to a ICOM radio that actually might have receive AIS in it, will have to check the exact model number next time I’m onboard her (assuming it ever stops snowing in Portland).

Now I have to figure out if I can easily and cheaply add transmit AIS. I probably will leave it in factory default configuration for now. The ICOM radio does seem to have some unique features (WiFi link to phone for intercom and radio use) so whatever solution I pick will likely keep the stock radio

Ed Clark
Old Bold Diver
C-288 hull #9
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We have a 2022 R-29CB with an iCOM IC-M510 radio and it has AIS receive. There was some trouble with the configuration of baud rates to get the AIS targets over to MFDs. If you have the same model and cannot see AIS targets, you may want to check the BAUD rate configurations of both, the radio and the MFDs. Adding transmit means adding a device that is rather large and intended for "on dash" use if you want to stick with iCOM. Garmin 800 or Vesper devices should integrate nicely though.
 
I think I do have the IC-M510, am thinking of adding the vesper due to the monitoring features. Does vesper allow internet through its cellular modem? That would be really nice, but I haven’t seen that feature advertised.

Have you used the phone WiFi link with IC-M510, I curious what you think of it, useful or gimmicky
 
In the San Juan's and Gulf Islands we share the waters with numerous large vessels and often in areas with limited visibility such as Rosario Strait, the Lopez Ferry dock, Friday Harbor, the channels between Shaw and Orcas, to name just a few. I like the increased chances that the big guys will know I'm there.
 
In the San Juans I have also used AIS when it was foggy as a great adjunct to radar. One time it let me hail another vessel by name to ask about the conditions they were coming from — I was in 1/4 mile visibility but they said it was clear 2 miles ahead. Very reassuring! I’m happy to broadcast AIS so others can have similar benefits when needed.
 
YukonRon":1013ozb0 said:
I am also considering upgrading my AIS 300 to get transmit and receive.
I ran across this article; an interesting read for those considering Vesper:
https://panbo.com/garmin-shrinks-vesper-product-line-will-only-cortex-remain/
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AIS transmit is useful for all the reasons mentioned here and elsewhere. However, the reason I upgraded was consideration for others I was traveling with. They could not see me! I know how I felt when I was with a boating buddy that I could not see on AIS! Suddenly I realized I was “that guy” who others couldn’t see. We don’t always follow within visual range! I upgraded the next season. Haven’t looked back it worth it for all the reasons. Safety and companionship!

I do not have the Vesper unit (I have the Garmin AIS 800) but know others who do. It sounds like a great product with additional features! Either way I recommend the AIS Transmit in consideration of others!

Curt
 
I absolutely agree on the usefulness of transmitting AIS, and have been leaning toward the Garmin 800. The only thing that's been holding me back is recovering from the big financial hit of the big lithium/electrical/solar upgrade.
To me, the biggest take-away from the article I posted is that Garmin may hopefully adopt some of the Vesper features into its next product; and maybe its not the right time to hurry into buying the 800 or the Vesper, for a while.
 
It’s a tricky situation for Garmin. They obviously bought Vesper for the IP and the Cortex. The aging product is discontinued due to parts availability. I deal with this daily in my similar, but unrelated electronics business. When a few key components go obsolete, it’s better to just start over.

My guess is that Garmin is taking a clean sheet approach to a new AIS unit leveraging the vesper techniques and having better/tighter Garmin integration.


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