Hi guys
My flights back to Oz are booked and I'm gearing up for my 2nd season sailing. I'll be doing much the same route as last year (Brisbane-Whitsundays) but with different stops. The big difference this year is that I'll be doing much of it single-handed. So with this in mind there are several changes I'm making to Nautilus.

I need an AIS transponder, any tips on models? I have a Raymarine GPS/Plotter system so I'm thinking maybe to keep it all the same brand might be good?

Thanks
>Vernon

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/AIS-transponder/

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/AIS-again/


www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/AIS-Options/

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Radar-ais/

I think the last web page above
and from what I recall this unit below was first choice I may be wrong but it has a few extra feature
www2.vespermarine.com/xb8000-ais-transponder

all depends if you just want to receive =A or send and receive =B

Thanks HG, I'll have a look through those links

As I wrote in my post I'm after a "transponder" unit which sends and receives.

>V

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Dexport said..
Thanks HG, I'll have a look through those links

As I wrote in my post I'm after a "transponder" unit which sends and receives.

>V

Ever think about direct from China?

www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=AS_20160319224758&SearchText=ais+receiver

Probably only handy if night sailing. If day hoping, may not need to complicate your electrics. ...just a thought.

Hi Bluemoon

You're right, last year I was just day hopping and it was fine with out AIS or Radar. This year though I will be doing some longer legs, also planning on New Caledonia in 2017 so will need something anyway so better to get it now.

Does anyone have the GME transponder unit?

www.whitworths.com.au/


www.chsmith.com.au/Electronics/Communications/AIS.html

did sydney to hamilton last year and loved ais for first time, boats travelling or anchored, possible collision course and times with or without alteration, biggest bonus going past ports with showing which boats were on anchor and which werent, eliminated 75% boats that needed CLOSE attention!!

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Dexport said...
Hi Bluemoon

You're right, last year I was just day hopping and it was fine with out AIS or Radar. This year though I will be doing some longer legs, also planning on New Caledonia in 2017 so will need something anyway so better to get it now.

Does anyone have the GME transponder unit?

Yes I do.
I have it hooked up to a vespermarine watchmate which I already had with just a receiver.
If I didnt already have the watchmate I would have bought the whole transponder package that Vespermarine do. So there is my advice

I'll get one when the whales are fitted with transponders! Ships I can look for and avoid, but last time I did a lot of winter sailing off the NSW coast I was shocked by the number of close calls we had with whales. They kept me alert enough to make sure no big black ships crept in un-noticed!

I'm inclined to agree with Chris 249.

We hava an AIS receiver that keeps us aware of whats around us. Good watchkeeping does the rest.

Same problem with the whales. We stoped counting at 40 last winter on a 130nm section of the Queensland coast.

I think full AIS is great but am happy just to have a receiver. I have enough automated systems to lull me into a false sense of security as it is.

I think for shorthanded or single handed sailing you need something to keep your mind busy as you generally have no one to converse with. To much automation tends to lead us to rely on it to much. Besides, I quite like checking the horizon, it reminds me of why I am out there.

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Auscruisers said..
I'm inclined to agree with Chris 249.

We hava an AIS receiver that keeps us aware of whats around us. Good watchkeeping does the rest.

Same problem with the whales. We stoped counting at 40 last winter on a 130nm section of the Queensland coast.

I think full AIS is great but am happy just to have a receiver. I have enough automated systems to lull me into a false sense of security as it is.

I think for shorthanded or single handed sailing you need something to keep your mind busy as you generally have no one to converse with. To much automation tends to lead us to rely on it to much. Besides, I quite like checking the horizon, it reminds me of why I am out there.

Agree with Chris and Auscruisers. Bringing a race boat back from Southport a few years ago we had 30-40 pods, not whales but pods, in 12 hours off Byron. There would be more now.
Add them to the fishing boats and pleasure boats that don't have or use AIS and AIS is only getting a percentage of the hazards out there.
AIS is a useful aid but it needs to be used appropriately. Sailing coastal with AIS on and without a watchkeeper is seriously unwise.
Outside the continental shelf is another matter. There are so few hazards out there you are lucky to see another vessel between Sydney and Lord Howe, let alone have to avoid it.
Having said that I intend adding AIS as an aid to the watchkeeper AFTER he/she has seen the vessel.

Aids to navigation such as AIS, chart plotters, GPS receivers, radar and depth sounders are what they are, aids to navigation, not substitutes.

If there is nobody on watch, the ship is in peril. End of story.

You will see from HG's links, we have the Vesper xb8000. It's linked to an older Raymarine c120. Works a treat. There is a new firmware update for the vesper that includes anchor watch and a brilliant MOB function, so that if you have a personal AIS and go over, the AIS alarm will sound. We are installing an external alarm to the unit in the cabin so it will wake anyone below if the guy on watch goes overboard. The MOB position will display on the plotter as well as the iPad watch mate App. How good is that?

even if solo, I believe a personal AIS is something well worth considering.

We are soon heading off up the WA coast to the Abrolhos, my essential kit for night watches is: life jacket (crewsaver), tether, tether cutter, PLB, PAIS.

Thanks, thats all good info. I have a good anchor watch on my chart plotter and the MOB alarm won't really help me if there is no-one on the boat to turn it around. I'll be staying aboard. I'll get a personal Epirb with GPS though.
Even if the AIS doesn't detect whales and small fishing boats it does still help warn against bigger and faster boats than me. Was thinking if I wanted to heave-to for an hour or two sleep then an alarm going off telling me a vessel is approaching might be handy.
I saw/passed many a whale last year too, some very close. We actually hit one 2 years ago in a 28ft race boat in Moreton Bay, no damage to the boat, not sure about the whale. If I'm just clicking along at night with a reef in and 4kts then I don't think I have much to fear by hitting a whale.

Thanks MB

I've seen some people say that attached to a mast head antenna they see vessels out to 100NM away. Even at half that distance it is a serious aid and gives you ample time to plan. It seems like AIS is getting cheaper and better all the time and in future years more and more boats will have it. In Singapore its compulsory. So I think as I'm planning to go further and further away I might as well get it and get used to it right away.

I actually think having just an AIS receiver is sort of selfish. To save a couple of hundred dollars so you can see others but they can't see you. The more that would have a transponder the safer the seas would be.
My two cents

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Dexport said..
I actually think having just an AIS receiver is sort of selfish. To save a couple of hundred dollars so you can see others but they can't see you. The more that would have a transponder the safer the seas would be.
My two cents

I agree Dexport - my 2 cents.
regards,
allan

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Datawiz said..

Dexport said..
I actually think having just an AIS receiver is sort of selfish. To save a couple of hundred dollars so you can see others but they can't see you. The more that would have a transponder the safer the seas would be.
My two cents

I agree Dexport - my 2 cents.
regards,
allan

I agree as well, The more eyes the better.

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Jode5 said..

Datawiz said..

Dexport said..
I actually think having just an AIS receiver is sort of selfish. To save a couple of hundred dollars so you can see others but they can't see you. The more that would have a transponder the safer the seas would be.
My two cents

I agree Dexport - my 2 cents.
regards,
allan

I agree as well, The more eyes the better.

Difference was more than a "couple of hundred dollars' when I brought my AIS receiver

I have a Spanish friend that sailed to OZ solo from Spain and back, he claims he sleeps through the day and does his watches through the night reason being ships and other boats will see him during the day and most are awake during the day apart from him! :)

I'm the Australian dealer for Em-trak AIS gear. As I'm sure most people haven't heard of Em-trak before I'll give you a quick run down.

Em-trak is the retail arm of the company in the UK who designs and manufactures the OEM circuit boards and AIS engines for brands like, GME, Raymarine, Digital Yacht to name a few. As such the Em-trak gear has identical internals and performance with some additional features in some cases.

If you think you should really buy Raymarine so it matches your existing gear, there really is no point as the Em-trak B100 is identical in features and operation, just packaged in a different enclosure. Plus its about half the price of the Raymarine unit.

Take for example the GME AIST120 Class B transceiver, the Em-trak B100 Class B Transceiver (http://www.picosense.com.au/products/ais/152-class-b-ais-b100)
has included a high quality 50 channel GPS antenna and SD card data logging for trip recording. Additionally, all Em-trak equipment has a 3 year warranty.

Check out www.picosense.com.au for a full range of Em-trak hardware. We have:
Class A transceivers
Class B transceivers
Class B receivers
Search and Rescue Transponders

Cheers
Justin