[Public-List] AIS

[gregr at nethere.com]

I have Standard Horizon's Matrix AIS+ receiver and it is a great tool for
single-handing offshore. The one issue I've had was with the menu system. I
was returning to San Diego harbor and suddenly had several targets setting
off the system. I couldn't get down into the right menu to disable the
alarm before it would bump me back to the main screen. I finally said screw
it and turned off the radio.

The best way I can describe the upside is that it makes contacts civilized.
It let me know there were boats out there before I could see them and I
could call them using their name. No more "Hey big boat two miles west of
San Clemente, do you see me off your port bow?" Now it's "Disney Wonder
this is Ayla, do you see me off your port bow?" No confusion and they tend
to answer since you are calling them by name.

I haven't used the cell phone apps so my concerns are based on the Matrix.
That said, I'd be concerned that the phone apps will have a very narrow
band of usefulness. Too close to the harbor and you'll have so many targets
that it's constantly going off. Too far offshore and it'll lose the internet
connection that feeds it the data from other vessels.

Greg

 1329857108.0