Ben Ellison over at Panbo takes issue with my recent article on AIS.
Here’s what I have to say to Ben:
“I don’t care what you say about me, just make sure you spell the URLs right!” 
Seriously, though, I respect Ben and his opinion. I love AIS, and I like carrying Class B. In another year or two, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Class B “transmit” functionality actually generated some kind of value or utility for me. I haven’t observed any so far. As Ben says, “Besides, we’re in transition.”
Exactly.
I stand by my comments TODAY, based on my experience cruising up and down the Salish Sea this summer. VERY FEW yacht are carrying Class A or Class B units, and they are the only ones in a position to make use of the data I’m currently broadcasting.
But I think that Ben and I are on the same side, when it comes right down to it. If I can convince some boaters to install AIS receivers, by luring them in with promises that it can be cheap and easy (it can!), the benefits they enjoy from having the AIS data available will convince some of them to go ahead and install Class B units down the road.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
When everyone has and transmits and AIS signal, the system will be rendered useless. There will be TMI.
Ben’s points are well-taken. Not only can AIS be had for even cheaper than the “on the cheap” you relate, your conclusion that “the fact is that nobody really cares where my boat is” is not only pretty dumb, but a non sequitur. Just because boaters may not be enabled to receive your AIS info does not mean that they don’t care where your boat is.
And some people don’t want other people to know where they are! Look at the fishermen, I would think that they want to keep their spots just that, theirs.
Although I think Richard has hit the nail on the head. Just think if every boat you see on the water was transmitting their location? The poor plotters would be completely full of targets and you couldn’t read anything else. And on a go fast boat 30 seconds ago could be 1/2 to 1 mile away from the last reported position.
While I boat on a small inland lake (30K acres) just north of Dallas there are actually thousands of boats here, I just can’t imagine all of them with AIS and transmitting locations. Its bad enough with radar that looks like it has measles during the summer weekends. If there were actually text and icons associated with each on of those it would be way to much TMI.
I fully support Chris’s opinion.
It is ridiculous everobody to transmit or at least for non-solas vessels (class B AIS) sistem can be improved by adding different channels of 87B and 88B (classA).
Time is going fast so as the electronics brains.
He must have a thing (competitive spirit?) against other bloggers