AIS...Worth it?

[Sailor John]

Hello,
I have been contemplating installing an AIS transponder. I wondered first though, if anyone had one and thought it was worth the modest investment? It certainly seems to me to have a few benefits. However, given that it's installation is optional, isn't radar a more effective way of identifying and avoiding vessels both large and small?
I have been looking hard at a transponder made by Quark. It is reasonably priced and has WI-Fi which I would want to use with my iPad based Navionics.
Appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks,

SJ

[krush]

If you play around big ships, it's a good safety feature to have.

[oscarvan]

So the big guys can call you and stop the mess before it starts? Yep.

[Photolomy]

If you are choosing between radar or an AIS transponder, I would get radar first. It will be more useful in more situations you will actually encounter, like rain, or darkness. I come across very few recreational craft that have transponders (I have an AIS receiver). That being said, if you are getting a new VHF radio and you have a recent chart plotter, I would get one with AIS receiving capability, since they are not that much more (~$100) and you can connect it to your chart plotter. That way you can see commercial traffic.

[Freestyle]

Once you have operated in shipping areas with AIS, you will wonder about the other boats who are not.

I was a deck officer on an aircraft carrier for several years before the advent of AIS. The skill and effort it took to track shipping contacts with limited accuracy is reduced to seconds with AIS. Then you still have to figure out what those dots on the radar without AIS plan to do. At least with AIS, you and the professionals are on the same team in that effort.

Bruce

Freestyle
1986 62 CPMY (54MY with ext)
Tampa

[Dan Mapes]

Radar should be acquired before AIS IMHO. If you can get radar with AIS that would seem best as it presents a single point at which to observe traffic. I've been out of the tech for ten years now but so much is happening that enables combining inputs onto one screen. Our unit was able to display the plotter and radar data on the same screen and that tech was years old 10 years ago.
I saw a Furuno box that was about 3K for radar with AIS coming in at an additional 1.3K. Seems kind of steep but again, it's all in one place and that means scanning gauges and etc. gets easier. Especially in rough water.
I think I'd go for radar making sure it had optional inputs for AIS, plotter etc.. Combined would be best.

[Pascal]

As others have mentioned radar is far more important than AIS as not all boats have it.

Like everything else, it depends on how you use the boat. In heavy traffic areas, in fog or limited visibility it helps ID relevant traffic and showing their heading and speed

That said there are two radar functions which is find very important, perhaps more than ais. The ability to see past echo tracks and being able to track targets. These vary from radar to radar. For instance on the older furuno Navnet, the echo track would display the tracks of very return and you could set their lengths in minutes. This would show you how fast a boat is moving and it s current heading. You get the big picture in one look at the screen.

Some units, like the NavNet3D let you click on an echo within 30” it tracks it with speed, heading and CPA as if it was an AIS transmitter. Very useful at night or fog with boats that don’t have AIS

I think knowing how to use the most of your radar is more important than AIS.

[rsmith]

Having had more than my share of being boarded and searched over the years I don’t want any more government surveillance than they already have. I’ve been fishing at night offshore for most of my life. I’ve got eyeballs and radar and always have someone on watch.

[Pascal]

Actually I think AIS helps reduce boardings or inquiries. In the past running a boat without AIS between the Bahamas and SoFl I would often be called on 16 by USCG cutters patrolling the straight. They d ask the name of the boat, doc nr, etc. in the last few years with AIS, I don’t think I ve been called since they can see most of the info and verify it in their computers.


Another point I forgot to mention is that yes AIS is nice since you am be hailed or hail using the the vessel name. But without AIS... if somebody calls... “motoryacht near xxN yyW 20 miles west of Bimini” it works pretty well too

[Cricket]

I have found AIS to be very helpful as an additional tool and highly recommend having the transponder type so others can see you.

What I am unable to understand is why receive only AIS is allowed, for me it should be you have to give to get.

Scott, unfortunately the government is watching anyway, every way, everywhere ......