AIS Noise

[JDCAVE]

We have just completed a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island, going up the east coast and down the west side. It has been a “Bucket List” trip of mine for years and it did not disappoint!

At times, there were no AIS targets at all. Sometimes only a few distant cruise ships or commercial vessels 30-50 nm away.

But coming into Victoria Harbour, my chart plotter lit up with AIS noise! It was very distracting coming into a city with so many targets, most of which were tied up. I had to stay within a narrow causeway, and the noise made it difficult to discern exactly where it was.

We use Coastal Explorer. It would be nice to be able to toggle off non-moving targets. I don’t believe that is an option.

For the most part, we turn our AIS off at the dock. It would be nice if others did as well.

Just a comment.

Jim

 

[O C Diver]

We have just completed a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island, going up the east coast and down the west side. It has been a “Bucket List” trip of mine for years and it did not disappoint!

At times, there were no AIS targets at all. Sometimes only a few distant cruise ships or commercial vessels 30-50 nm away.

But coming into Victoria Harbour, my chart plotter lit up with AIS noise! It was very distracting coming into a city with so many targets, most of which were tied up. I had to stay within a narrow causeway, and the noise made it difficult to discern exactly where it was.

We use Coastal Explorer. It would be nice to be able to toggle off non-moving targets. I don’t believe that is an option.

For the most part, we turn our AIS off at the dock. It would be nice if others did as well.

Just a comment.

Jim

Jim, not sure what transceiver you are using for AIS, but there are settings through a MFD that turn off or adjust features in the transceiver. For instance, you can turn off the collision alarm (audible) or adjust the guard zone distance. For me, there are times in reduced speed zones that a much smaller guard zone (500') is all that's needed. There are other times (such as Norfolk VA or New York city) that it's pointless to have the audible alarm on. In more congested areas, I focus on other vessel's projected courses as opposed to the vessel itself.



Ted

 

[rslifkin]

I'm not sure about Coastal Explorer, but on most modern MFDs I've seen, you can choose to hide targets beyond a certain distance or below a certain speed from view.

 

[O C Diver]

I'm not sure about Coastal Explorer, but on most modern MFDs I've seen, you can choose to hide targets beyond a certain distance or below a certain speed from view.

That information is sent from the MFD to the AIS transceiver. If you have multiple MFDs a change on one MFD is reflected through all MFDs.

Ted

 

[JDCAVE]

I have a Sitex Class B, and no, I don’t have an MFD. I just have a NUC and a computer screen, with Coastal Explorer and the Rosepoint Nemo Gateway integration of incoming GPS depth sounder and AIS information. I think if I could turn off any AIS target moving slower than 0.2 kn, that would be useful.

I can turn on my iPad with iNavx, which does not have the AIS integration. That’s an option.

Jim

 

[twistedtree]

I have a Sitex Class B, and no, I don’t have an MFD. I just have a NUC and a computer screen, with Coastal Explorer and the Rosepoint Nemo Gateway integration of incoming GPS depth sounder and AIS information. I think if I could turn off any AIS target moving slower than 0.2 kn, that would be useful.

I can turn on my iPad with iNavx, which does not have the AIS integration. That’s an option.

Jim

I think you can do that in CE. Check the settings for AIS.

 

[O C Diver]

I have a Sitex Class B, and no, I don’t have an MFD. I just have a NUC and a computer screen, with Coastal Explorer and the Rosepoint Nemo Gateway integration of incoming GPS depth sounder and AIS information. I think if I could turn off any AIS target moving slower than 0.2 kn, that would be useful.

I can turn on my iPad with iNavx, which does not have the AIS integration. That’s an option.

Jim

Jim,

Don't know if the audible alarm is in your Sitex or Coastal Explorer. If the audible alarm is in Coastal Explorer, you can adjust the distance or time to collision in Coastal Explore. It's in the configuration section under AIS near the bottom.

Ted

 

[bowball]

On my Furuno TZ3 I turn off the display of AIS targets when I get close to the harbour entrance since, as you mention, it is very distracting.

Someone mentioned some manufacturers offer the ability to display them only under certain circumstances like zero motion, which I don't know if Furuno has, but that would be nice.

 

[tpbrady]

JD,

You can only turn off non moving target on the list in the instrument pane on the right if you have an AIS window. The only other option in setting is to declare non moving targets as safe so they don’t flash red. I don’t know of any way to turn them off.

Tom

 

[ranger58sb]

Someone mentioned some manufacturers offer the ability to display them only under certain circumstances like zero motion, which I don't know if Furuno has, but that would be nice.

Furuno TZT3 has that; see Settings/AIS or similar.

-Chris

 

[soin2la]

I can turn on my iPad with iNavx, which does not have the AIS integration. That’s an option.

Then of course there is the ultimate option of just turning AIS off and navigating like mariners have been doing for centuries.

Victoria traffic lanes, as well as others, are well marked; a bit of time with the chart beforehand, identifying the ATONS and it isn’t that difficult.

How long have we had reliable AIS recreationally? 10 years? 15?

Prior to that it was second nature to use the large screens at eyelevel above the helm and to the sides.

 

[boomerang]

Then of course there is the ultimate option of just turning AIS off and navigating like mariners have been doing for centuries.

Victoria traffic lanes, as well as others, are well marked; a bit of time with the chart beforehand, identifying the ATONS and it isn’t that difficult.

How long have we had reliable AIS recreationally? 10 years? 15?

Prior to that it was second nature to use the large screens at eyelevel above the helm and to the sides.

I don't know about that...a busy harbour is when I want my AIS. To me, it's kind of counterproductive to turn off a safety feature like AIS. The problem is with the charting software not the SiTex.

 

[Northern Spy]

The problem is that people keep their AIS on while moored in their berth.

The system is meant to track and monitor vessel movement.

The requirement is to have the signal available 15 minutes prior to getting underway.

That said, I don't see a way of attenuating the AIS signal in CE, but you can do it in OpenCPN.

 

[JDCAVE]

I think you can do that in CE. Check the settings for AIS.

Thanks TT. I am looking at the AIS panel under settings and cannot see a toggle to stop the display of non moving targets.

Jim

 

[JDCAVE]

Then of course there is the ultimate option of just turning AIS off and navigating like mariners have been doing for centuries.

Victoria traffic lanes, as well as others, are well marked; a bit of time with the chart beforehand, identifying the ATONS and it isn’t that difficult.

How long have we had reliable AIS recreationally? 10 years? 15?

Prior to that it was second nature to use the large screens at eyelevel above the helm and to the sides.

I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize I am so stupid! guess I need to go back to school then!

 

[Hippocampus]

Don’t know your system well so apologies if this isn’t relevant. On some you can put AIS/radar on one screen and the chart on another or do that in a split screen.

I’m mostly interested in what’s behind me, then to the side, then in front for AIS during the day. Commonly will have one screen with the boat in the middle for the AIS/radar and another with it at the bottom third for the chart. Usually at different mag as well. At night put the boat in the middle for everything. Don’t find AIS troublesome at high mag and usually do that when I’m looking for something in particular. One of the advantages of touch screen MFDs is it’s easy to get a mag view of anywhere you want. Don’t know if you can do that.

 

[soin2la]

JDCAVE, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.

Somewhere on here I’ve read posts by a flight instructor (Baker maybe?) who spoke with angst about todays pilots, when confronted with a problem, automatically looking to a screen for answers. He lamented over the lack of ability to function without the computer and to act on instinct or intuition.

It’s like the young clerk who can’t make change.

 

[twistedtree]

Thanks TT. I am looking at the AIS panel under settings and cannot see a toggle to stop the display of non moving targets.

Jim

I think it's called "suppress stationary targets", but I guess I'm not sure exactly what that does. It may just keep them from alarming.

 

[JDCAVE]

JDCAVE, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.

Somewhere on here I’ve read posts by a flight instructor (Baker maybe?) who spoke with angst about todays pilots, when confronted with a problem, automatically looking to a screen for answers. He lamented over the lack of ability to function without the computer and to act on instinct or intuition.

It’s like the young clerk who can’t make change.

You did not hurt my feelings. You just pissed me off that’s all, insinuating I didn’t know how to read a chart or that I understood the aids to navigation.

 

[ranger58sb]

Someone mentioned some manufacturers offer the ability to display them only under certain circumstances like zero motion, which I don't know if Furuno has, but that would be nice.

Furuno TZT3 has that; see Settings/AIS or similar.

I may have been thinking about suppressing alarms, not the vessel icons on the TZT3 display.

I remember I turned off our alarms for stationary vessels.

I know I still intentionally do see vessel icons for stationary vessels... because I intentionally keep a chart and a radar segment zoomed in enough to be able to distinguish those.

Can't now remember if I had the option to suppress stationary vessel icons (since I didn't want to do that), but you might have another look at Settings/AIS and see if something suits you better.

-Chris

 

[sunchaser]

In the waters between Seattle and Nanaimo a stationary AIS target can become a ferry headed towards you in the blink of an eye.

Knowing where the ferries are is a key part of our cruising awareness. This includes the stationary as well as moving ferries.