The new Simrad AI50, launched at the Southampton Boat Show, is hailed by the manufacturer as a groundbreaking safety and navigation system for yachts.
It is said to be the first and only Class B AIS transceiver with fully integrated colour LCD designed and priced for the leisure market.
“The Simrad AI50 has ushered in a new era of safety and security for smaller craft sailing in busy waters,” says the company.
So far, the use of AIS for recreational boats has been mainly confined to receiving data from commercial vessels, which are required to install expensive and power-hungry Class A AIS.
The Simrad AI50 receives this information and also transmits data, enabling all AIS vessels in the area to know exactly where you are at all times.
“Radar blind spots, poor conditions and the sheer amount of traffic in some of the UK's waters mean that smaller craft can go unseen by larger ships. This can result in tragedy,” said George Pollard, general manager of Navico UK -imrad's parent company.
“The AI50 transmits position and course data, which can make you completely visible to all AIS equipped vessels, but as it's a Class B system it is simple to install and operate, and priced for leisure users.”
Paul McKenziue of Simrad explained that where Class A (commercial) AIS transmits at 12.5W, the class B transceiver transmits at 2.5W, giving it a shorter range, and less power drain.
Class B transmission range, via a VHF aerial, is limited by line of sight - typically two miles. This is enough to give other vessels information about your position, course and speed, but not so much that screens will become over-crowded with “targets.”
But he added that the large number of likely targets, as more and more yachts fitted AIS transceivers, is a good reason for having a separate screen, rather than overlaying AIS data on multifunction displays and chart-plotters, where it could obscure vital chart detail or radar information
“The screen starts getting a bit cluttered,” he said.
The A-150 is supplied with a world background chart, not a navigation chart. It shows the outline of the coast, and it is easy to zoom in and out and correlate the position of other vessels with the yacht's position.
“You are not transmitting continuously,” he explained. This limits the power drain of the instrument.
The Simrad AI50 displays and transmits information, including: Boat name and MMSI, type of boat, Closest Point of Approach and time to CPA, course, speed, heading and rate of turn. It has a daylight viewable colour screen and straightforward interface for simple operation. Range rings enable the setting of alarms to warn of impending danger.
Though improved safety and security are the primary reasons to own an AIS transceiver, this system also caters for the social side of boating. A Buddy Tracking setting enables users to enter the MMSI numbers of friends and regular contacts, and be alerted when they come into range.
This could also be called “enemy tracking” when used to track the opposition in offshore races, for example. Or you could put in the MMSI numbers of fast ferries or other commercial vessels you need to keep an eye out for in your regular cruising area. It has all kinds of possible applications.
Connected to the NMEA 2000 based SimNet marine network, the Simrad AI50 becomes an integral part of a boat's navigation and communication systems. If you have a SimNet equipped DSC radio connected to the AI50, you can just move the cursor over the target you wish to contact, press DSC and the AI50 will initiate a routine DSC call automatically using the MMSI of the selected boat.
The Simrad AI50 is available now, with an RRP of £795 ex VAT or £934.13 inc. VAT. It is delivered with its own GPS antenna, but requires a separate VHF antenna, ideally at the masthead.
