Canadian Yachting December 2017 - 38

Rules of the AIS Road
AIS is designed to operate autonomously and
continuously, thus it's imperative that it be properly
set-up. Careful consideration should be taken in its
installation (e.g., to ensure that it's near the vessel's
conning position), and to the potential of electronic
interference from other radios or other onboard
electrical equipment. Irrespective of whether you run
a Class A or Class B AIS transmitter on your boat, it
must properly identify itself with its official MMSI
number, which is issued by the FCC or Industry
Canada. Users must always maintain their AIS
equipment in "effective operating condition" (read:
capable of proper continuous operation), and learn
how re-initialize it (read: know your system password
[Class A AIS users only] and the antenna location
parameters). Required users must turn-on their AIS
transponders 15 minutes before unmooring, and to keep
it turned-on while they are underway or at anchor,
unless this action would compromise the vessel's safety
or security. Class A AIS users should ensure accurate
upkeep of all AIS voyage-related data fields
(e.g., navigation status, static draft and destination),
and to always use English for AIS text messaging.

Waterway Listening Session 2014" (available on YouTube), the
"U.S. vision for e-Navigation is to establish a framework that
enables the transfer of data between and among ships and shore
facilities, and that integrates and transforms that data in decision and action information." This vision includes synthetic and
virtual AtoNs, as well as Application Specific Messages (ASMs),
which can be broadcast over AIS in order to cordon-off specific
zones (e.g. whale-exclusion zones or to protect maritime traffic
from recently sunken vessels), shift shipping channels, or augment its Broadcast Notice to Mariners; moving forward, the
USCG and NOAA plan to use AIS to share their Physical
Oceanographic Real-Time System information (e.g. real-time
weather observations and geospatial data) with mariners.
"AIS is currently the only tool to transfer digital data onto
your electronic-nautical chart " said Jorge Arroyo, a USCG program analyst who has been instrumental in writing AIS regulations and standards, referring to the Application Specific
Messages (ASMs) that the USCG can broadcast via AIS. "The
ASM is the envelope. Within the envelope [the USCG] is free
to transmit all the other navigation-specific information that we
wish... It's our way of providing digital navigational data directly
to the vessel."
Additionally, Vesper Marine, a New Zealand-based manufacturer of Wi-Fi enabled Class B transponders, recently
announced their WatchMate Asset Protection service, which
allows companies (e.g., oil or gas firms) to add virtual AIS beacons to sensitive static installations (i.e., an oil rig or underwater
power lines), so as to help ensure that maritime traffic does not
accidentally collide with these objects. The WatchMate Asset
Protection service also provides 24/7 asset monitoring, threat
detection, and the ability to automatically send AIS text messages to targets of interest warning of the navigational hazard(s).

38

Canadian Yachting

Standard Horizon GX2200
Matrix AIS/GPS
In the July/August Marine
Electronics Journal, the
Standard Horizon GX2200
Matrix AIS/GPS was recognized
as one of the Top 128 products.
They said, "The GX2200 Matrix
AIS/GPS features an integrated
66 channel WAAS GPS antenna, so there's no need to hassle
with wiring the radio to a GPS
for DSC or AIS. Out-of-the-box and ready to go, it acquires
GPS position, AIS and AIS SART targets. One antenna input is
all that's needed to receive AIS targets from both class A and
class B transponders. It's a VHF radio that solves a whole
range of needs, perfect for recreational boaters. Having a VHF
with DSC and integrated AIS/GPS provides real piece of mind
in high traffic areas.
www.standardhorizon.com

Given the amount of germane navigational information that
an AIS unit can provide, adopting this technology is a no-brainer
for all cruisers, especially as more manufacturers enter the market and prices drop. While it's tempting to reach for an inexpensive Class B receive-only unit, some cruising rallies and offshore
races now require that entrants carry AIS transponders, making
this a strong consideration. Moreover, the amount of added protection that an AIS transponder offers is well worth the additional monies, especially for shorthanded or singlehanded cruisers.
While the "Big Four" manufacturers (B&G, Furuno,
Garmin and Raymarine) have offered Class A and Class B AIS
units for years, other important players in this market include
Vesper Marine, which makes a variety of AIS-related products
and Standard Horizon, who have been embedding AIS technology into their fixed-mount VHFs (N.B, B&G, Garmin,
Icom and Raymarine also build AIS-enabled VHFs). More
recently, players such as ACR Electronics, McMurdo and
NKE have entered the AIS market with a range of innovative
AIS products that offer users options and (equipment depending) networking flexibility. *

AIS Manufacturers
ACR Electronics, Inc., www.acrartex.com
B&G, www.bandg.com
Digital Yacht, www.digitalyacht.co.uk
Em-Trak, www.em-trak
Furuno, www.furunousa.com
Garmin, www.garmin.com
Icom, www.icomamerica.com
McMurdo, www.mcmurdomarine.com
NKE Marine Electronics,
www.nke-marine-electronics.com
Raymarine, www.raymarine.com
Standard Horizon, www.standardhorizon.com
SI-TEX, www.si-tex.com
Vesper Marine Ltd., www.vespermarine.com.

DECEMBER 2017
http://www.standardhorizon.com http://www.acrartex.com http://www.bandg.com http://www.digitalyacht.co.uk http://www.em-trak.com http://www.furunousa.com http://www.garmin.com http://www.icomamerica.com http://www.mcmurdomarine.com http://www.nke-marine-electronics.com http://www.raymarine.com http://www.standardhorizon.com http://www.si-tex.com http://www.vespermarine.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting December 2017
