"Børge Wedel Müller" wrote in news:4392f876$0
:

Could you "kick-start" me on the subject?


Look at the Google cache for the posts.

The sooner AIS is in all boats that can't turn quickly and must be in a
channel, the better.

This idea isn't "new". Ham radio operators have been using a GPS to VHF
or HF link called APRS, which is a much simpler protocol, for many years.

It was invented by Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, at the US Naval Academy to track
lost midshipmen in the Academy's small boats.
http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/aprs.html

http://www.aprs.net/
http://www.findu.com/ Let's you watch APRS from the internet
http://www.winaprs.org/

But, of course, this would be too cheap to put in a boat, no matter how
well it works. We have to have some outrageously-expensive, proprietary
system controlled by some patent holders, which really slows
implementation and leaves most small boaters unable to afford the
technology.

The AIS companies have live portals on the net to sell their wares:
http://www.aislive.com/AISLivePortal/
http://www.sealinks.net/World.htm
http://www.tsr-as.dk/ais.html even one in Denmark!
http://www.uais.org/LiveAIS.htm
http://www.dublinport.ie/
http://www.panbo.com/yae/archives/001018.html of course like charts,
we'll try to sell it to you.
http://www.lrfairplay.com/services/i...dvertising.htm
You'll need to have spam on the webpage, of course.

Just the ability to see around-the-bend in the river is worth having at
least an AIS receiver aboard. But, he won't see YOU unless you get a
full transponder.

Small boats at sea have always been at risk because, even with their
radar reflectors, they are such a tiny target, so low to the sea clutter,
most ships cannot see them, especially in close to the ship where the
ship's radar shoots right over the top of their masts when it's needed
most. AIS transponding completely solves this problem. The ship has a
constant view of your position, course, speed, who you are, what you are
for the lookouts (if there are any), even if your small boat is in the
bottom of the troughs. It's an amazing leap forward in safety-at-sea,
but will make small boats even MORE dangerous as the ships' watches rely
more and more on the new AIS display in front of the helmsman. Unless
you conform and buy a transponder, with him staring at his computer
screen for a lookout, he'll drive right over you.