Boat Beacon AIS?

[Seagreen]

Has anyone actually used this app for iPhone and is it worth the £6.99 it costs to download?

http://itunes.apple.com/app/boat-bea...7039?ls=1&mt=8

[WilliamUK]

AIS works via VHF signals.
Since I'm pretty sure the iPhone doesn't have a VHF thingimabob in it, I can only imagine it works by the mobile data network. Not much help if you don't have a signal.

I have my doubts that the "be seen" claim is worth much at all... and I can't see the "see" part working anywhere you don't have a data signal.

If it was something I felt I needed, I'd save up for a proper AIS setup.

[prv]

Haven't followed the link, but I guess this is one of those apps that upload data into the Internet AIS-sharing system. Bear in mind that real AIS happens over radio, not the Internet.

Possibly of use if you want to let someone on shore know where you are in inshore waters. No use whatsoever for letting other vessels know where you are for collision purposes.

Pete

[WilliamUK]

Looks that way to me, Pete.

[Seagreen]

I have a perfectly good AIS receiver/plotter/vhf combo on board, but I was wondering if having a little portable back-up was worth it. Judging by the info, the gps enabled phone sends a signal to the web every minute, so it isn't real-time and only within 12 miles (or coverage) of the shore. So, it may seem to work like ais but isn't really. Just wondered if anyone had experience of it.

[prv]

Judging by the info, the gps enabled phone sends a signal to the web every minute, so it isn't real-time and only within 12 miles (or coverage) of the shore.

Those limitations are real, but not as significant as the most important one: nobody on the bridge of another vessel is getting their AIS data from the web aggregators. So even if you're showing up beautifully on the web sites, you're still invisible on the water.

Pete