Trojan Boat Forum

prowlersfish wrote:He is talking to me . I can pick up a lot of wifi at a hi rise condo too. But still impressive now can you pick it up miles a way ???

I'll post my results when I'm in the Bahamas this winter

ready123 wrote:

prowlersfish wrote:He is talking to me . I can pick up a lot of wifi at a hi rise condo too. But still impressive now can you pick it up miles a way ???

I'll post my results when I'm in the Bahamas this winter

That would be cruel , then again I may have to see for myself

What site are you using for that AIS info.

I have just not seen one yet that does not have a disclaimer that info could be delayed.

Also... ok I am cheap as they come but this deal about going through extremes to pull in open wireless systems may be pushing it just a bit. People open up their access and "spy" on free loaders... you can watch every bit of the freeloader activity as well as exploit vulnerabilities. You think you are logging on - actually you are being logged on to.

Its a darn shame Virgin did away with their unlimited data plan. That was a deal using a MyFi set up. Still is not that bad of a deal for times away from the slip.

Other than that... sounds interesting. Our sailboating brothers kind of are cutting edge on navigation alternatives - due to limited room and power resources. I have found a good deal of info from some of their forums.

Alternatives are only going to get better. Every newer cell phone and iPad has the ability to transmit location, speed and direction but for privacy reasons - that aint happening right now. There will be apps that will take advantage of this ability in the near future I am sure.

Thanks for the forward thinking and discussion.

DollarBill: You are right about the"freeloader" issue but keep in mind that anyone who has an "open" wireless network is basically asking freeloaders to hop onto them. What does it take to secure your network - 10 minutes? Actually, deep down in my black heart, I really never planned on using people's personal unsecured networks for my system. My intention was, and still is, to access the public networks that were designed to be open to everyone. Within 1/4 mile of my boat, there are at least 5 open public networks including Lincoln Harbor Yacht club, Starbucks, Lincoln Harbor Office Complex and the Sheraton Hotel. Those are really my intended targets. If a private net comes up on my screen as the strongest signal and the owner has not spent all of 10 minutes to secure it then....oh well. The real test for us with the antenna kits is to get out on the open water, throw out the hook and then see what we are pulling in. Can't wait.

You said it may be real time or close to..

Thanks

dollarbill wrote:Realtime AIS availability would be available through Digital Yacht iAIS out of the UK. Not sure if the Standard Horizon AIS receiver VHF is NMEA capable. - but that would be an entry level AIS.

It does NEMA, my AIS info is from Standard Horizon Matrix AIS GX2100 VHF linked to a chart plotter via NEMA signals. It is AIS receive only will not send your position info.
As the smaller vessel I am happy to have CPA alarm capability.... I wouldn't expect the larger vessel to do much with my AIS info.
What I like is it shows the info on the VHF screen as well, nice to have on the remote handset below when away from the larger display on the plotter at helm.
Manual is here:
http://www.standardhorizon.com/download ... cation/pdf

Yes I did. but I was thinking real time internet access without thinking about the AIS position delays. Bad wording on my part.

My motivation is to be able to reach the intentionally open wifi sites from further away... like an anchorage some distance from a marina or Starbucks

In many cruising areas these are available... especially the Bahamas.

risctaker wrote:Yes I did. but I was thinking real time internet access without thinking about the AIS position delays. Bad wording on my part.

So when you lose internet you lose AIS ? what about the charts ?

The charts are all preloaded in to the system already and will only be replaced as new (free) ones are available from NOAA. The free AIS and/or National weather feeds from the internet are the only items that would be lost when out of range of the "net" for serious long-range cruising a dedicated AIS receiver is the way to go. The free NOAA charts are available in either raster or vector formats. Once loaded into the system and managed by the free chart plotter software I am using, the charts scroll like any other dedicated chartplotter from Furuno, Garmin or Raymarine, except the cost is nada. Attaching a NMEA or USB_based GPS antenna adds that functionality to the same software, so you have a moving heads-up position display as you move.

Like I said, I am on a inland lake and AIS is not that big for me - unless they require it for bass boats traveling at 70 mph at night. Until then...

http://www.gpsnavx.com/inavx/help/siitech.htm

See if that helps you - that may offer you real time - maybe.. I just ran across it.

I wish I was close to the coast to see if my iAIS app from Digital Yacht works on my iPad. The app looks pretty cool and includes a plotter. But alas... I do not have any boats or ships with 300 miles using AIS..

Anybody out there using this app?