<Steve wrote: So, it is common to see vessels without their names for a while. Did they wait long enough?> This is a known but not publicly announced problem as near as I can tell with the Class A AIS units. The software needs to be updated to include the vessel types. There are, I believe 80 types of which only something like 20 are currently used. The unassigned ones, as they become assigned will need to be input to each users system via an upgrade as I understand it. This doesn't sound like the best situation but again this AIS system is a developing one, IMHO, even tho it is deployed and mandated on over 300 ton vessels and all passenger carrying vessels on international voyages. They had several hours to acquire our name....all our other data was there from the get go they said. Steve, do you have an AIS? If so what make? Cheers Dave & Nancy Swan Song Roughwater 58 Caribbean Cruise '07

I often see AIS targets on the Furuno come up at long range with only an MMSI number. No name. As the distance closes, the quality of the data exchange seems to improve (my theory) resulting in catching the less frequently broadcast messages. I think its just that parts of the message get garbled when the target is too far away. After having used AIS in the traffic lanes of LA, SF and the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and shooting the Admiralty Inlet going down into Puget sound today with lots of large, fast traffic, I swear by the system. It might still get crowded out there, and a bit tense when you can't see, but watching CPA's and the projected tracks on the screens is sure reassuring. Plus VTS traffic control sees us and when ships call in to enter/exit an area, we often hear our boat's name being mentioned in the traffic briefings. Nice to know everyone else knows we're out there. Too bad Naval and CG ships don't generally broadcast their position (although for understandable reasons). That lack has led to a tense moment or two in thick traffic when a big radar target doesn't have any AIS data. The big gripe is that smaller vessels don't have it. I'm hoping the marine model will follow the aviation one where transponders are pretty much required for everyone... eventually. John Marshall Nordhavn 5520 - Serendipity On Jun 1, 2007, at 5:58 PM, Dave Cooper wrote: > <Steve wrote: So, it is common to see vessels > without their names for a while. Did they wait long enough?> > > This is a known but not publicly announced problem as near as I can > tell > with the Class A AIS units. The software needs to be updated to > include the > vessel types. > > There are, I believe 80 types of which only something like 20 are > currently > used. The unassigned ones, as they become assigned will need to be > input to > each users system via an upgrade as I understand it. This doesn't > sound like > the best situation but again this AIS system is a developing one, > IMHO, even > tho it is deployed and mandated on over 300 ton vessels and all > passenger > carrying vessels on international voyages. > > They had several hours to acquire our name....all our other data > was there > from the get go they said. > > Steve, do you have an AIS? If so what make? > > Cheers > > Dave & Nancy > Swan Song > Roughwater 58 > Caribbean Cruise '07 > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.samurai.com/mailman/listinfo/passagemaking-under-power > > To unsubscribe send email to > passagemaking-under-power-request@lists.samurai.com with the word > UNSUBSCRIBE and nothing else in the subject or body of the message. > > Passagemaking Under Power and PUP are trademarks of Water World > Productions, formerly known as Trawler World Productions.