Any Oct 2009 Update Please?

[jannuh]

Hmmmm on the screenshot.
I'm a Shipplotter user since several years, can use my own maps.
That's necessary as I'm spotting inland shipping, I'm not interested in a thin blue line for a river, want to see what's going on there etc.

If you need to buy hardware with the Airnav ship software, that would be a minus point; have a SR161 (single channel) and a SR162 AIS receiver(dual channel).
Besides that it's very easy to receive AIS with a radioscanner with discriminator built in, for those who don't want to spent much money; 2nd hand radio scanner for abt. 30 euro's overhere, add with 10 euro for the discriminator output.

GL with the beta testing!
jannuh

[tarbat]

I'm a Shipplotter user since several years, can use my own maps.

Yes - you can use your own chart images, and calibrate them to use in ShipTrax.  You can also use the built-in satellite image download, just like in Radarbox.  Here's an example:

[GlynH]

As always that's a great screenshot Chris although I was more interested to see the green Hardware Connected button...;^)

Kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[tarbat]

As always that's a great screenshot Chris although I was more interested to see the green Hardware Connected button...;^)

Virtual hardware.  I've written a VB program that takes ship positions from another source, and generates simulated AIS messages on a com port.  Feed that into paired virtual serial ports, and it simulates the hardware being connected.

[pjm]

I was more interested to see the green Hardware Connected button...;^

I picked that up too, I thought tarbat was keeping a little secret:)
Now he's explained it though

[Pinza]

This project looks very promising!

Last month I had the pleasure of being on board Fred Olsen's "Black Prince" farewell cruise around the UK and Ireland. Liverpool - Belfast - Scrabster - Chatham - St Peter's Port (missed due to sea conditions...) - Falmouth - Dublin - Liverpool.

I took my Samsung NC10 netbook along - loaded with Maptech's marine charts (in BSB format).

Plugged in my Garmin E-trex GPSr (via virtual serial to USB converter).

This set-up worked really well - centering the relevant chart on the position of the ship in real time along with an icon of the ship.

Only downsides were:

1) To receive a GPS fix, obviously I had to be on deck. In daylight hours the screen was hard to see.

2) My technology became 'too' popular! ie I couldn't walk around the ship without being asked "Where are we now?"!!!!

3) I had no AIS data to plot onto my charts.

I got around problem 3 by taking my 'Three' mobile internet dongle with me and connecting to www.marinetraffic.com/ais

This worked well in Liverpool, Belfast, Chatham and Falmouth. However, didn't dare connect whilst at sea in case I got connected to a 'foreign' network and being charged extortionate data prices via the ship's satellite connection!

As a new, and very happy, RadarBox owner, I am very interested in the ShipTrax project - especially having seen Tarbat's screenshots.

Number of questions:

1) Will the final hardware come with included antenna and be able to be powered by USB (as per ANRB)? Toyed with idea of buying an AIS set-up prior to my recent cruise - but was put off by extra cost and hassle of additional power supply and antenna.

2) Will there be on option to connect a GPS receiver to receive a current fix?

3) How detailed are the included maps? Can I use my existing charts etc?

Love my new RadarBox setup - so can see a lot of sense in going down the ShipTrax route (if the price is right!)

Only difference is that Rugby in central England is a great place to live for over-flights and about as far away from the sea as you can get ;)

[jannuh]

Only difference is that Rugby in central England is a great place to live for over-flights and about as far away from the sea as you can get ;)

Living in Rugby you need an extraordinary antenna to get some results with AIS..  ;-)

When you wanna pick up live AIS in a harbour or any coastal region any VHF high band antenna will do the job, it may be a mobile antenna for Ham band (145 mHz) or mobile scanner antenna.

GL with the shipspotting!

[VK2GEL]

1) Will the final hardware come with included antenna and be able to be powered by USB (as per ANRB)? Toyed with idea of buying an AIS set-up prior to my recent cruise - but was put off by extra cost and hassle of additional power supply and antenna.

If your laptop USB ports can supply an extra approximately 90mA, you can power a 9 volt AIS receiver with a 5 volt - 9 volt converter from a USB port, like this:

http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=kc5391&CATID=25&form=CAT&SUBCATID=821

A 17" length of coat hanger wire will do as an antenna.

[Pinza]

Only difference is that Rugby in central England is a great place to live for over-flights and about as far away from the sea as you can get ;)

Living in Rugby you need an extraordinary antenna to get some results with AIS..  ;-)

[/quote]

Yes, fully appreciate that Rugby is a rubbish place for ship-spotting - was just wondering how the network option would work - along with a 'dongle' for either my next cruise or staying with my parents who live nearer the coast!

Cheers
Chris

[Pinza]

1) Will the final hardware come with included antenna and be able to be powered by USB (as per ANRB)? Toyed with idea of buying an AIS set-up prior to my recent cruise - but was put off by extra cost and hassle of additional power supply and antenna.

If your laptop USB ports can supply an extra approximately 90mA, you can power a 9 volt AIS receiver with a 5 volt - 9 volt converter from a USB port, like this:

http://jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=kc5391&CATID=25&form=CAT&SUBCATID=821

A 17" length of coat hanger wire will do as an antenna.

Thanks for that VK2GEL - but will wait to see what AirNav can offer me - I'm looking for an integrated solution before I commit:

ie What I'm looking for is network connectivity (essential as I'm so far from the sea) and an AIS receiver that is USB powered and has an included antenna as neat as my ANRB one...

[jannuh]

Awaiting the AirNav solution you could buy Shipplotter (software) and buy a 2nd hand scanner with discriminator output (some HAM or Electronic Shop in yr area can fix the discriminator output)

[Pinza]

Awaiting the AirNav solution you could buy Shipplotter (software) and buy a 2nd hand scanner with discriminator output (some HAM or Electronic Shop in yr area can fix the discriminator output)

Thanks Jannuh - think I may go down that route.

I already have a registered (but unused) version of ShipPlotter. A second hand scanner would 'kill two birds with one stone' as I could use it for listening in to the airtraffic I'm watching on my new RadarBox.

Need to do some research on suitable scanner for both Marine and Air Band use - preferably one that already has a discriminator output.

[tarbat]

Need to do some research on suitable scanner for both Marine and Air Band use - preferably one that already has a discriminator output.

A good resource is at http://www.discriminator.nl/

Good luck.  My attempts at enabling a disciminator output on my old Yupiteru MVT5000 failed miserably.

And if you've already got a registered copy of ShipPlotter, you might be able to use the VB program I've developed that can feed ships from ShipPlotter into ShipTrax.  All my beta testing is currently using this.

[jannuh]

A good resource is at http://www.discriminator.nl/
Good luck.  My attempts at enabling a disciminator output on my old Yupiteru MVT5000 failed miserably.

That's why I mentioned the Ham/Local Electronic Shop
knowing myself  ;-)