Recent discussions here and over at Panbo have revealed some confusion about how at least one of the tender tracking systems (Rendez-vous) use AIS to display the tenders on a chartplotter.
When one hears “tender tracking using AIS”, one can be forgiven for assuming that the tenders will have AIS transponders installed. Obviously, that’s one way to track tenders; looking at current prices for the currently available tender tracking systems, AIS might even be cheaper! I’m kidding, of course: please don’t install AIS on your jet ski.
No, that’s not what Rendez-vous does. Instead, it uses a proprietary tender-mounted radio, which transmits GPS and other data to the master radio aboard your megayacht. This master radio provides AIS-like NMEA data to your AIS-ready chartplotter. Your chartplotter is the only one connected to the Rendez-vous master radio, so you’re the only one who can see your tenders.
See, THAT’S the clever part: Rendez-vous uses the AIS infrastructure in your chart chartplotter, effectively repurposing functions you already possess. Your chartplotter doesn’t need any fancy modifications. Heck, it doesn’t even know which targets come from your AIS receiver and which come from your Rendez-vous master radio. It displays them all.
We’ve been advocating for innovative “outside-the-box” uses for the AIS infrastructure for a while now. Rendez-vous is doing just that, but within the context of a private wireless network. Clever! What’ll they think of next?
