AirNav Systems Forum

AirNav ShipTrax => AirNav ShipTrax Discussion => Topic started by: Johnn on June 21, 2010, 09:45:05 PM

Title: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: Johnn on June 21, 2010, 09:45:05 PM
Thank You
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 22, 2010, 07:55:29 AM
I'm still on the same beta release from September 2009 :(

The last I heard back in February was that Airnav are working on it almost 16 hrs/day.

(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1221/4723920032_9ec7bae948.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarbat/4723920032/sizes/o/)
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: Johnn on June 22, 2010, 11:08:00 AM
Wow, I really hope it pays off for them, It should be a success!
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: jannuh on June 26, 2010, 01:03:36 PM
Trueheading has a new AIS receiver, it works with various software:
http://www.trueheading.se/en/ais-rx-carbon

(serial and usb connection)
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: radarspotter10 on June 26, 2010, 01:53:13 PM
Trueheading has a new AIS receiver, it works with various software:
http://www.trueheading.se/en/ais-rx-carbon

(serial and usb connection)

hi jannuh.
Thanks for the post
Not bad  Starting at: 289.00 EUR, AIRNAV WAKEN UP..
from pat
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 26, 2010, 02:46:48 PM
Yes, there's a few AIS receivers with USB around the £230 mark, such as http://www.mesltd.co.uk/digital-yacht-ais200-receiver-with-usbnmea-p-12561.html

I guess the Airnav unit will have the advantage of offering Ethernet connection as well, but I do wonder if it will ever be released to market :(
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: Johnn on June 26, 2010, 05:35:25 PM
Are setting up one of these other AIS receivers hard? & what software would you use?, I preferebly want to buy a airnav ship box though...
Thanks
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 26, 2010, 09:09:50 PM
Are setting up one of these other AIS receivers hard? & what software would you use?, I preferebly want to buy a airnav ship box though...
Thanks

http://www.coaa.co.uk/shipplotter.htm works with most AIS receivers.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 29, 2010, 08:44:59 AM
Okay, I've waited long enough.  I'm going to buy a  Comar AIS-2-USB (http://www.waterware.co.uk/Products/138-ais-2-usb.aspx) receiver at £176.47 to use with the ShipTrax beta software.  Airnav have been "announcing" this product for over 2 years now, I can't wait any longer, unless Airnav can offer an actual release date?

And can anyone recommend a good antenna to use for AIS - I presume any decent VHF antenna will do?
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: AirNav Support on June 29, 2010, 08:50:35 AM
Sorry Tarbat to keep your waiting for so long.

We don't have a release date yet, apologies. We hope to have more details soon of a date in the next month or so.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 29, 2010, 09:02:54 AM
Okay Airnav, thanks for the honest reply.  I've just ordered the Comar AIS-2-USB, so will be interesting to see how it works with the ShipTrax software, compared to ShipPlotter.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: jannuh on June 29, 2010, 12:33:38 PM
And can anyone recommend a good antenna to use for AIS - I presume any decent VHF antenna will do?
As stated Tarbat, any antenna suitable for VHF will do the trick.
I my self use a combi antenna for HAM use, it's a 2mtr/70cm (144/430 mHz) antenna,
length abt. 2.40 meters.

But you really need just an antenna for 2 meter band ofcourse!

You can find find various self built projects on the internet, but in your area, with strong winds, you need a robust antenna.

Quality of coax cable is less critical then for 1090 mHz, but I wouldn't go for less then RG213
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 29, 2010, 04:01:22 PM
Thanks jannuh.   Looking at something like this - http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=352471
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: radarspotter10 on June 29, 2010, 04:27:01 PM
Thanks jannuh.   Looking at something like this - http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=352471

hi.
I use a Watson tri band, ham aerial, with shiplotter works very well,  but i would go for this one
http://www.moonraker.eu/Marine-Radio/Marine-Antennas/MARINE-300
same aerial cheaper price.
PS:
Reading between the lines looks like AirNav ShipTrax  is a no no,  maybe they think there's no market for it.?
from pat.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: Johnn on June 29, 2010, 05:49:24 PM
And can anyone recommend a good antenna to use for AIS - I presume any decent VHF antenna will do?
As stated Tarbat, any antenna suitable for VHF will do the trick.
I my self use a combi antenna for HAM use, it's a 2mtr/70cm (144/430 mHz) antenna,
length abt. 2.40 meters.

But you really need just an antenna for 2 meter band ofcourse!

You can find find various self built projects on the internet, but in your area, with strong winds, you need a robust antenna.

Quality of coax cable is less critical then for 1090 mHz, but I wouldn't go for less then RG213

Hi Jannuh
Please could you tell me what software you use for your setup, is it ship plotter? and what type of range do you get from the antenna you use please?
I take it you are near the coastline?
Thank you
John
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 30, 2010, 11:04:12 AM
Are setting up one of these other AIS receivers hard? & what software would you use?

Dead easy.  Just received my Comar AIS-2-USB from Waterware (http://www.waterware.co.uk/Products/138-ais-2-usb.aspx) (excellent service).  For testing I've connected my discone antenna to it, and then just plugged the supplied USB lead in - drivers installed automatically.

Setting up in ShipPlotter just involved selecting the appropriate serial port (COM8) in I/O settings, and accepting the default baud rate of 38400.

Setting up in ShipTrax beta was just as easy.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 30, 2010, 11:53:40 AM
I've now hit a major problem with using the Comar AIS-2-USB device.   With it plugged in and working the number of aircraft I'm seeing on my Radarbox drops to almost nothing.

Unplug either the antenna (discone) or the USB lead from the Comar receiver, and the Radarbox works properly again, plug both the leads back in and I lose reception on the Radarbox.

Any ideas how to fix this, or does this indicate a fault with my Radarbox?
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 30, 2010, 04:46:55 PM
When my marine antenna arrives, I'm going to try a few experiments to try to eliminate the interference.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: AirNav Development on June 30, 2010, 09:19:54 PM
The message about the forum which is being supported by our competitors has been removed.

We will not allow any promotion of such a forum here - for the records and as last proof that that forum is totally connected with our competitors, they've recently (last week) denied/blocked a RadarBox paid advertisement despite having a webpage asking for advertisers there. They block AirNav RadarBox, ban RadarBox users, ask for passport and personal information and daily promote our competitors product so one can conclude what that forum administrators hidden games are.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: viking9 on June 30, 2010, 09:46:17 PM
I'm not advertising anything nor sniping at AirNav. I was helping Tarbat with a technical problem, just as he has helped me and many others in the past.  

Edited - Abusive post to Moderators
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on June 30, 2010, 09:49:45 PM
I was helping Tarbat with a technical problem, just as he has helped me and many others in the past.

And your help was much appreciated - thanks.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: jannuh on July 01, 2010, 08:32:46 AM
Please could you tell me what software you use for your setup, is it ship plotter? and what type of range do you get from the antenna you use please?
I take it you are near the coastline?
Indeed using Shipplotter, but also AISDecoder from Neal Arundale (a free text only ais decoder, has all ais details)

Range here is 10-15 nm receiving inland shipping.
Live in S.E. Netherlands, about 170 km from the coast.

My AIS page at www.middenlimburg.net
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on July 01, 2010, 11:57:08 AM
I'm at my wits end trying to solve this interference problem between my Comar AIS-2-USB and Radarbox.  Latest attempt is to locate the AIS box in the loft on a 5m USB lead, connected to an antenna in the loft, but I still get interference.  Clip-on ferrite rings on the USB lead and antenna lead have not helped, and MSG count in Radarbox drops from 70+ down to 3-4 Msgs/Sec when I connect the AIS box.  Looks like I might have wasted £200+ on an AIS box that I can't use alongside my Radarbox :(

So, a question to Airnav.   Has the ShipTrax hardware been tested alongside a Radarbox, and can you confirm that there is NO interference between the two boxes.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: viking9 on July 01, 2010, 12:46:28 PM
Tarbat,

Sorry to learn you are still having probs. Have you tried grounding the enclosure of the AIS?

The guy on another site says he used 20 ferrite rings!

How about antenna spacing?

Tom
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on July 01, 2010, 01:05:39 PM
Thanks Tom.

Have you tried grounding the enclosure of the AIS?
Not sure how I would go about doing that - any suggestions.

The guy on another site says he used 20 ferrite rings!
I'd have to get into Inverness to buy some more, so that's an expensive option (80 mile round trip).  Also MW0CWF on the other forum found that ferrite rings had no effect, so I'm reluctant to spend more money on this "experiment".

How about antenna spacing?
Currently 7m apart.

I think I'm resigned to having either ships OR aircraft, but not both at the same time.   Just hope Airnav's ShipTrax hardware doesn't have the same problem!!
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: Lou on July 02, 2010, 11:33:33 PM
NASA Marine do a very reasonable little unit called the AIS Engine 3 it retails at £109 I`ve been using the AIS Engine 2 for sometime now and find it excellent
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: Lou on July 02, 2010, 11:37:28 PM
By the way it works fine with my RB running, I use two screens widescreen for RB and other things, and a Medion 4/3 for shipplotting
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: air7677 on July 03, 2010, 10:48:52 AM
hello everyone.
working great here too
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on July 03, 2010, 12:34:21 PM
Quick update.  I moved the Comar receiver out of the loft and back into the office, with a short USB lead that has ferrites on both ends.  Then put a clip-on ferrite ring around the antenna lead, and positioned as far away from the Radarbox as possible, and it now seems to have minimal affect on Radarbox reception :)

I also received the marine band antenna yesterday from Maplins, but I've had to return it because it didn't included the 5m lead and BNC convertor :(

So, still running on my discone, and I'm getting approx. 15 miles range even on that.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on July 05, 2010, 09:25:07 AM
If Airnav are still developing ShipTrax, then they could learn something from other free software like SeaPro3000 on the best format for charts.

(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4762907961_a7706dca04.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tarbat/4762907961/sizes/o/)
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: AirNav Support on July 05, 2010, 10:34:04 AM
ShipTrax is being developed and the final hardware has been finalised and we will be starting final development of the software and testing soon.

If you have any ideas that you want in the software, last chance to send them now. Also please refrain on posting items for other companies selling AIS recievers.

Once again we apologise for the delay and hope to have some more news soon.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: Johnn on July 06, 2010, 08:41:59 PM
Will Shiptrax be able to track a local coastguard helicopter, because I think our local heli broadcasts AIS??
Thanks in advance
John
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: tarbat on July 06, 2010, 08:46:35 PM
Will Shiptrax be able to track a local coastguard helicopter, because I think our local heli broadcasts AIS??

The current beta version doesn't decode SAR messages, so no, SAR helicopters don't appear in ShipTrax yet.  Hopefully Airnav will fix this before release - it's one item on my list of beta feedback to them.  ShipPlotter does decode SAR messages.

Also see http://www.airnavsystems.com/forum/index.php?topic=2075.msg17132#msg17132
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: air7677 on July 07, 2010, 08:43:20 PM
Will Shiptrax be able to track a local coastguard helicopter, because I think our local heli broadcasts AIS??

The current beta version doesn't decode SAR messages, so no, SAR helicopters don't appear in ShipTrax yet.  Hopefully Airnav will fix this before release - it's one item on my list of beta feedback to them.  ShipPlotter does decode SAR messages.

Also see http://www.airnavsystems.com/forum/index.php?topic=2075.msg17132#msg17132

i agree ShipPlotter is a very good program and Shiptrax must include  SAR messages.
Title: Re: Any further update on Shiptrax please?
Post by: jannuh on July 08, 2010, 02:57:53 PM
SAR AIS on Shipplotter, S.E.Netherlands:
http://83.161.210.231/middenlimburg/downloads/audio-video/sar-ais_omg-uden171109.wmv