AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – WHAT IS AIS?

WHAT IS AIS: AIS IS AN AUTOMATED AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM FOR THE EXCHANGE OF

NAVIGATIONAL INFORMATION BETWEEN SUITABLY EQUIPPED SHIPS AND SHORE STATIONS USING
DISTINCT MESSAGES AND OPERATING AT THE UPPER END OF DUPLEX MARINE VHF CHANNELS
<A> 161.975 MHZ (87B) AND <B> 162.025 MHZ (88B).
• AIS MUST BE CAPABLE OF SENDING AND RECEIVING SHIP INFORMATION SUCH AS IDENTITY,
POSITION, COURSE, SPEED, SHIP PARTICULARS AND CARGO INFORMATION TO AND FROM
OTHER SHIPS, SUITABLY EQUIPPED AIRCRAFT AND SHORE STATIONS. IT MUST WORK :
• IN AN "AUTONOMOUS AND CONTINUOUS" MODE FOR OPERATION IN ALL AREAS.
• IN AN “ASSIGNED” MODE WHERE A COMPETENT AUTHORITY MAY SET THE
TRANSMISSION INTERVAL.
• IN A “POLLED” MODE WHERE TRANSMISSION OCCURS IN RESPONSE TO INTERROGATION
FROM A SHIP OR COMPETENT AUTHORITY.
• AS PER REGULATION 19 OF SOLAS CHAPTER V, AIS MUST BE FITTED ABOARD ALL SHIPS:
 OF 300 GROSS TONNAGE AND UPWARDS ENGAGED ON INTERNATIONAL VOYAGES.
 OF 500 GROSS TONNAGE AND UPWARDS ENGAGED IN DOMESTIC VOYAGES ONLY.
 ALL PASSENGER SHIPS IRRESPECTIVE OF SIZE
 THE REQUIREMENT BECAME EFFECTIVE FOR ALL SHIPS BY 31 DECEMBER 2004.
• IMO REQUIRES THE AIS TO BE IN OPERATION AT ALL TIMES, EXCEPT WHERE INTERNATIONAL
AGREEMENTS, RULES OR STANDARDS PROVIDE FOR THE PROTECTION OF NAVIGATIONAL
INFORMATION [EG IN PIRACY PRONE AREAS ETC].
• IMO DISCOURAGES PUBLISHING OF AIS DATA ON THE WORLD-WIDE WEB, OR ELSEWHERE.
2M/BR.EQP/AIS 1
 AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – PURPOSE?
PURPOSE OF AIS
• THE PURPOSE OF AIS IS TO HELP IDENTIFY VESSELS; ASSIST IN TARGET TRACKING; SIMPLIFY
INFORMATION EXCHANGE (E.G. REDUCE VERBAL MANDATORY SHIP REPORTING); AND
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO ASSIST SITUATION AWARENESS. FOR THIS, AIS MUST
OPERATE AS A TRACKING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR SHIPS AND VESSEL TRAFFIC
SERVICES (VTS):
o IN A SHIP-SHIP MODE FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE
o IN A SHIP-SHORE MODE AS A VTS TOOL FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND AS A MEANS
FOR LITTORAL [COASTAL] STATES TO OBTAIN INFORMATION REGARDING A SHIP AND HER
CARGO.
• AIS IS INTENDED TO ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA, THE SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY OF
NAVIGATION, PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND OPERATION OF VESSEL
TRAFFIC SERVICES (VTS).
• IT IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE TO OTHER SHIPS AND TO COMPETENT AUTHORITIES, OWN SHIPS
INFORMATION, AUTOMATICALLY AND WITH SUFFICIENT ACCURACY AND FREQUENCY, IN
ORDER TO FACILITATE ACCURATE TRACKING.
• IT MUST ENSURE MINIMUM INVOLVEMENT OF SHIP'S PERSONNEL IN TRANSMISSION OF THE
DATA THUS GIVING THE OOW AMPLE TIME TO CONCENTRATE ON NAVIGATIONAL SAFETY.

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 2
 AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – BENEFITS
BENEFITS OF AIS
• AS A COLLISION AVOIDANCE AID, AIS IMPROVES THE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS OF THE
NAVIGATOR BY HELPING TO IDENTIFY SHIPS AND ASSIST IN TARGET TRACKING.
• AIS ASSISTS VTS IN TRACKING AND MONITORING VESSELS WITHIN THE VTS ZONE.
• AIS CAN REDUCE OR SIMPLIFY THE VERBAL EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION [AUTO-REPORTING
THROUGH POLLING].
• APPLICATION SPECIFIC MESSAGES [ASM] CAN BE USED TO PASS INFORMATION SUCH AS
BERTH/PILOT AVILABILITY, TIDAL INFORMATION ETC.
• AIS FITTED TO NAVAIDS [ATON’S] HELPS TO POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THEM AND MAY BE
INTERROGATED FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
• VIRTUAL ATON’S MAY REPLACE PHYSICAL NAVIGATION MARKS, REDUCING COST AND
MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENT.
• IT IS A USEFUL AID IN SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS. A PSEUDO-AIS MARKER MAY BE
USED TO INDICATE THE POSITION OF A DISTRESSED VESSEL.
• AIS “SARTS” CARRY THEIR OWN GPS AND CAN BROADCAST A DISTRESS VESSELS POSITION.
VESSELS ARE ALLOWED TO FIT AIS SARTS INSTEAD OF RADAR SARTS.

WHEN SHOULD AIS BE IN USE:

• AIS MUST ALWAYS BE ON WHEN UNDERWAY OR AT ANCHOR. IF SWITCHED OFF FOR SECURITY
REASONS, A LOG ENTRY MUST BE MADE STATING THE TIME AND REASON FOR SWITCHING
OFF/ON. IN PORT, AIS MUST BE OPERATED AS PER LOCAL REGULATIONS.
2M/BR.EQP/AIS 3
 AIS – MODES OF OPERATION/TECHNICAL INFORMATION
MODES OF OPERATION
• AIS IS DESIGNED TO OPERATE IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MODES:
o IN AN “AUTONOMOUS AND CONTINUOUS” SHIP-SHIP MODE FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AND AS A VTS TOOL FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
o IN AN “ASSIGNED” SHIP-SHORE MODE WHERE VTS MAY SET THE TRANSMISSION
INTERVAL/TIME SLOTS.
o IN A “POLLED OR CONTROLLED” MODE AS A MEANS FOR LITTORAL [COASTAL] STATES TO
OBTAIN INFORMATION REGARDING A SHIP AND HER CARGO.
161.975 MHz (87B)
o AS PSEUDO AIS - VIRTUAL TARGETS REPRESENTING NAVIGATION MARKS [BUOYS ETC]
WHERE THERE IS NO PHYSICAL MARK. [ALSO USEFUL IF A DISTRESS VESSEL HAS NO AIS].
o AS ATON’S [AIDS TO NAVIGATION].
162.025 MHzMOUNTED
(88B) ON PHYSICAL BUOYS ETC.
o AS AIS SART’S HAVING IT’S OWN GPS FOR POSITIONTotal 4500 Slots
FIXING.
o A LONG RANGE MODE [VIA SATELLITE] IS PROVIDED FOR POINT TO POINT
COMMUNICATION. ONCE SET UP BY THE SHIP, A SHORE STATION CAN POLL THE VESSEL.

TECHNICAL AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• FREQUENCY – AIS1 161.975 MHZ [87B], AIS2 162.025 MHZ [88B]. BANDWIDTH 12.5 OR 25 KHZ.
• DSC RECEIVER, INTERNAL/EXTERNAL EPFS, NMEA INPUTS/OUTPUTS FOR HEADING/ROT, LONG
RANGE INTERFACE VIA SATELLITE, PILOT PLUG/AUXILIARIES LIKE WIND, DEPTH ETC.

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 4
 AIS – PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION

www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 5
 AIS – WHAT AIS CAN SEE
www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 6
AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – HOW AIS WORKS
 THE HEART OF THE SYSTEM IS A TRANSMISSION PROTOCOL CALLED SELF ORGANIZING TIME
DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS (SOTDMA). THIS PROTOCOL IS WHAT ALLOWS AIS TO BE
AUTONOMOUS AND CONTINUOUSLY OPERATIONAL. THIS IS A MODIFIED VERSION OF TDMA
[TIME DIVISION MULTIPLE ACCESS].
 IN TDMA A GIVEN FREQUENCY IS DIVIDED INTO TIME FRAMES AND EACH FRAME INTO TIME
SLOTS, EACH SLOT ALLOCATED BY A MASTER STATION TO ONE OF THE USERS.
 USERS TRANSMIT, IN RAPID SUCCESSION, ONE AFTER ANOTHER, ON THEIR OWN TIME SLOT.
 AIS USES STDMA OR SoTDMA – SELF-ORGANISED TDMA – USING VERY ACCURATE TIMING
METHODS, FREE SLOTS ARE TRACKED AND SELF-ASSIGNED. NO MASTER STATION INVOLVED.

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 7
AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – SoTDMA SYSTEM

THE AIS OF SHIP A SENDS A

POSITION REPORT IN ONE TIME
SLOT AND SIMULTANEOUSLY
RESERVES THE NEXT TIME SLOT.
SAME REPEATED BY ALL SHIPS.

161.975 MHz (87B)

162.025 MHz (88B)

Total 4500 Slots

www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 8
AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – HOW AIS WORKS
• EACH AIS SYSTEM CONSISTS OF A VHF TRANSMITTER, TWO VHF STDMA RECEIVERS, ONE VHF
DSC RECEIVER AND STANDARD MARINE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION LINKS FOR
CONNECTION TO OTHER DEVICES. AN INTEGRAL OR EXTERNAL GNSS [GPS/GLONASS ETC]
RECEIVER PROVIDES PRECISE POSITION INFORMATION AND ACCURATE TIMING SIGNALS.
• AIS MESSAGES MUST BE UPDATED EVERY FEW SECONDS SINCE THE DATA SOON BECOMES
REDUNDANT. PRECISE TIMING FROM GPS SIGNALS ALLOW SYNCHRONIZATION OF MULTIPLE
DATA STREAMS ON A SINGLE NARROW BAND CHANNEL USING THE SOTDMA PROTOCOL.
• EACH SHIP SENDS TO AND RECEIVES
161.975 MHzAIS MESSAGES FROM ALL OTHER SHIPS/AIS STATIONS IN
(87B)

VHF RANGE. THE AREA WITHIN THIS RANGE IS CALLED A CELL AND THE SHIP LIES IN THE
CENTRE OF THIS CELL. IF THE 162.025
AMOUNT OF AIS DATA BEGINS TO OVERLOAD THE SYSTEM, THE
MHz (88B)
SIZE OF THE CELL IS AUTOMATICALLY REDUCED BYTotal IGNORING WEAKER STATIONS THAT LIE
4500 Slots
FURTHER AWAY.
• IN SOTDMA EACH MINUTE OF TIME IS SPLIT INTO 2250 EQUAL TIME SLOTS OF 26.67
MILLISECONDS CONTAINING 256 BITS OF DATA. THUS BETWEEN THE A1 AND A2 AIS
FREQUENCIES THERE ARE 4500 TIME SLOTS. IMO PERFORMANCE STANDARD REQUIRES A
MINIMUM OF 2000 TIME SLOTS, HENCE A LARGE AMOUNT OF REDUNDANCY IS BUILT INTO
THE SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM CAN BE OVERLOADED TO 500% AND YET PROVIDE 100%
THROUGHPUT FOR SHIPS WITHIN 8 – 10 NM IN THE SHIP-SHIP MODE.

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 9
AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – HOW AIS WORKS
• AIS TRANSMISSIONS USE 9.6KB GMSK FM [GAUSSIAN MINIMUM SHIFT KEYING FREQUENCY
MODULATION] OVER 25 OR 12.5 KHZ SIMPLEX OR DUPLEX CHANNELS IN HALF-DUPLEX MODE
USING HDLC PACKET PROTOCOL [HI-LEVEL DATA LINK CONTROL].
• THOUGH ONLY ONE RADIO CHANNEL IS NECESSARY, USING TWO CHANNELS [A1 AND A2]
ALLOWS SHIFTING TO TIME SLOTS WITHOUT COMMUNICATION LOSS FROM OTHER SHIPS.
• AIS DATA TRANSMISSION/RECEPTION RATE IS 38,400 BAUDS. NMEA OUTPUT TO OTHER ON
BOARD DEVICES IS USUALLY THE LOWER 4800 BAUDS.
• WHEN A SHIP ACCESSES THE161.975
SYSTEM IT SEARCHES FOR AND ACQUIRES AN UNOCCUPIED
MHz (87B)
TIME SLOT. IT TRANSMITS ITS REPORT AND ALSO INDICATES THE NEXT LOCATION AND
TIMEOUT FOR THAT LOCATION. 162.025 MHz (88B)
• EACH STATION DETERMINES IT’S OWN TRANSMISSION TIME
Total 4500 SLOT BASED ON TRAFFIC
Slots
HISTORY AND KNOWLEDGE OF FUTURE ACTIONS BY OTHER STATIONS.
• IN ANY INTERVAL, SLOT SELECTION IS RANDOM AND TAGGED WITH A TIMEOUT OF 0 AND 1-7
FRAMES. 0 MEANS IT IS THE LAST FRAME IN THE SLOT AND 1-7 INDICATES THE NUMBER OF
FRAMES THAT ARE LEFT FOR TRANSMISSION.
• SYSTEM COVERAGE IS BY LINE OF SIGHT AND THUS DEPENDANT ON ANTENNA HEIGHT. IF
OBSTRUCTIONS LIKE LAND ARE NOT TOO HIGH, IT MAY ‘SEE’ BEYOND THE LAND. TYPICAL
RANGE AT SEA IS 20 NM. USING REPEATER STATIONS RANGE MAY BE EXTENDED.

www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 10
AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – MESSAGE TYPES
AIS MESSAGES
• STATIC DATA : IMO NUMBER, NAME/CALL SIGN, LENGTH/BEAM, TYPE OF SHIP, EPFS
ANTENNA LOCATION [DIST. FROM BOW/STERN, DIST. FROM C/L TO PORT OR STBD]
• DYNAMIC DATA : POSITION [WGS84 WITH ACCURACY/INTEGRITY INDICATION], UTC TIME,
COG, SOG, HDG, NAV.STATUS [UNDERWAY, ANCHORED ETC – MANUALLY SELECTED], ROT [IF
AVAILABLE], HEEL/PITCH/ROLL [OPTIONAL]. HDG AND ROT ARE USUALLY OBTAINED FROM
GYROCOMPASS.
• VOYAGE DATA : MANUALLY INPUT
161.975 + PASSWORD PROTECTED. DRAFT, HAZ CARGO,
MHz (87B)

DESTINATION AND ETA [AT MASTER’S DISCRETION], ROUTE WAYPOINTS [OPTIONAL].

UNLOCODES TO BE USED FOR162.025
DESTINATION.
MHz (88B)
• SAFETY RELATED : SHORT MESSAGES, FIXED OR FREETotalFORMAT
4500 TEXT,
Slots ADDRESSED TO SPECIFIC
STATION OR ALL STATIONS. NOT MEANT FOR COMMERCIAL/PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS.

www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 11
 AIS – TYPES/CLASSES OF AIS
CLASSES OF AIS
• THERE ARE TWO MAIN CLASSES OF AIS. CLASS-A [REGULATED VESSELS] AND CLASS-B [NON-
REGULATED VESSELS]. NON-REGULATED VESSELS INCLUDE PLEASURE CRAFT, FV’S ETC.
• CLASS A SYSTEMS USE “SELF ORGANISED” SOTDMA WHICH GIVES THEM PRIORITY AND
EFFECTIVELY GUARANTEES A TIME SLOT. TX POWER 12.5W, RANGE 20-25 NM.
• CLASS B SYSTEMS USE “CARRIER SENSE” CSTDMA WHERE THEY SENSE IF A TIME SLOT IS
EMPTY AND QUICKLY GRAB IT, COLLISIONS OF TIME SLOTS CAN OCCUR AND CLASS B
TRANSMISSIONS ARE NOT GUARANTEED.
161.975 MHz (87B)TX POWER 2W, RANGE 7-8 NM.
• HOW OFTEN A VESSEL MUST TRANSMIT ITS INFORMATION IS BASED ON ITS SPEED, WHETHER
IT IS MANOEUVRING/UNDERWAY/MOORED AND THE CLASS OF AIS.
162.025 MHz (88B)
• BASE STATIONS – TX/RX USING SOTDMA. COMPLEX, CAN
Total CONTROL
4500 Slots THE AIS SYSTEM. CAN
POLL MOBILE STATIONS FOR STATUS REPORTS.
• ATON [AIDS TO NAV] – USES FATDMA [FIXED ACCESS TDMA]. AS BUOYS AND MAY BE ALSO
DESIGNED TO COLLECT AND TRANSMIT DATA RELATED TO SEA AND WEATHER CONDITIONS AS
WELL AS RELAY AIS MESSAGES TO EXTEND NETWORK COVERAGE.
• AIS SART - EMERGENCY DISTRESS BEACON - OPERATES USING PRE-ANNOUNCE TIME-
DIVISION MULTIPLE-ACCESS (PATDMA), ALSO CALLED "MODIFIED SOTDMA". RANDOMLY
SELECTS A SLOT TO TRANSMIT. SENDS A BURST OF EIGHT MESSAGES PER MINUTE TO
MAXIMIZE THE PROBABILITY OF SUCCESSFUL TRANSMISSION. POWER 1W, TX RANGE MAX
FIVE MILES USING A SPECIAL MESSAGE FORMAT RECOGNISED BY OTHER AIS DEVICES.
www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 12
 AIS – REPORTING INTERVALS
CLASS A - Ships Status Reporting Interval
At Anchor 3 mins
0-14 knots 12 sec
0-14 knots and changing course 4 sec
14-23 knots 6 sec
14-23 knots and changing course 2 sec
>23 knots 3 sec
>23 knots and changing course 2 sec
161.975 MHz (87B)
Static Information 6 min

CLASS B – Ships Status 162.025 MHz (88B) Reporting Interval

SoG <2 knots and at anchor Total 4500 Slots 3 min
SoG >2 knots 30 sec
Static Information 6 min
Class A – Regulated Vessels - SOTDMA protocol. Underway 2 - 12 sec interval, At Anchor 3 mins
interval, Static/Supplemental Data 6 mins interval. 12.5 watt transmitter.
Class B – Non-Regulated Vessels - CSTDMA protocol which interweaves with Class A transmissions
– Underway >2kts 30 sec interval, At Anchor 3 mins, Static/Supplemental Data 6 min interval. 2
watt transmitter.
www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf
www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 13
AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – DISPLAYED DATA

161.975 MHz (87B)

162.025 MHz (88B)

Total 4500 Slots

http://digitalyacht.co.uk/files/Non%20Idiots%20Guide%20to%20AIS%20for%20the%20BMEA.pdf
www.nmea.org/Assets/nmea%20collision%20avoidance%20through%20ais.pdf

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 14
AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – DISPLAYED DATA
AIS Nav Broadcasts
• Lat/Long (both Classes)
• SOG/COG (both Classes)
• Position Accuracy (both Classes)
• Time Stamp (both Classes)
• MMSI Number (both Classes)
• True Heading (A requirement - B only if available)
• Rate of Turn (class A only) 161.975 MHz (87B)
• Navigation Status (class A only) AIS Supplemental Broadcasts
• DSC receiver fitted Y/N? (Class BMHz
162.025 only)
(88B)
• MMSI (both Classes)
• Name/Call Sign
Total 4500 (both Classes)
Slots
• Type of Ship/Cargo (both Classes)
• Dimensions of Ship (both Classes)
• Location of Reference Point (both Classes)
• IMO Number (class A only)
• Type of Position Fixing Device (class A only)
• Draught of Ship (class A only)
• Destination (class A only)
• ETA at Destination (class A only)
• Vendor ID (class B only)
2M/BR.EQP/AIS 15
 AIS – LIMITATIONS/ADVANTAGES
LIMITATIONS OF AIS
• AIS RANGE IS LIMITED TO THAT OF VHF [LINE OF SIGHT], NORMALLY ABOUT 20-30NM.
• THE RECEIVING STATION IS UNABLE TO VERIFY THE ACCURACY AND VALIDITY OF DATA
TRANSMITTED BY AIS.
• AIS IS NOT YET RECOMMENDED AS AN ANTI-COLLISION AID. IT MAY BE USED IN
CONJUNCTION WITH OTHER RECOGNISED COLLISION AVOIDANCE AIDS SUCH AS RADAR/ARPA
ETC. BUT IS NOT MEANT AS A REPLACEMENT FOR THE SAME.
• IT IS NOT INTENDED TO IMPACT THE COMPOSITION OF THE NAVIGATIONAL WATCH.
161.975 MHz (87B)
• AIS AND RADAR TARGET POSITIONS MAY DIFFER SLIGHTLY DUE TO ERRORS IN GPS POSITION.

ADVANTAGES OF AIS 162.025 MHz (88B)

Total 4500 Slots
• TARGET IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING MAY BE BETTER THAN RADAR/ARPA AS CLUTTER,
TARGET SWAP, TARGET DISCRIMINATION PROBLEMS DO NOT AFFECT THE SYSTEM.
• AUTOMATIC TRACKING AND IDENTIFICATION OF TARGETS HELPS IMPROVE SITUATIONAL
AWARENESS.
• REDUCES THE REQUIREMENT FOR MANUAL POSITION REPORTING.
• INTERFACES WITH ARPA AND ECDIS AND AND ASSISTS IN NAVIGATIONAL DECISION MAKING.

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 16
 AIS – SOLE ANTI-COLLISION AID?/PILOT PLUG
WHY AIS CANNOT BE USED AS THE SOLE ANTI-COLLISION AID
• OTHER SHIPS, SPECIALLY PLEASURE CRAFT, FV’S, WARSHIPS AND SOME VTS STATIONS MAY
NOT BE FITTED WITH AIS.
• OTHER VESSELS MAY SWITCH OFF THEIR AIS UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES [EG. IN PIRACY
PRONE AREAS].
• USER INPUT TO OTHER SHIPS AIS MAY BE IN ERROR OR NOT UPDATED. INPUT DATA LIKE
HDG/SPEED/ROT MAY BE MISSING OR IN ERROR. TEMPORARY OR COMPLETE FAILURE OF
OTHER VESSELS EPFS MAY RESULT INMHz
161.975 DR(87B)
POSITION BEING TRANSMITTED.
• POORLY CONFIGURED OR INCORRECTLY CALIBRATED SENSORS WILL CAUSE WRONG
INFORMATION TO BE TRANSMITTED, DANGEROUSLY
162.025 MHz (88B) CONFUSING THE RECEIVING VESSEL.
• IF NO SENSOR IS INSTALLED OR THE SENSORTotal 4500
FAILS Slots
ALTOGETHER, THE AIS WILL
AUTOMATICALLY TRANSMIT ‘NOT AVAILABLE’ DATA VALUE. HOWEVER THE BUILT IN
INTEGRITY CHECK CANNOT VALIDATE THE ACCURACY OF DATA PROCESSED BY THE AIS.

THE PILOT PLUG:

PILOTS AND MASTERS CARRYING THEIR OWN PORTABLE NAVIGATIONAL EQUIPMENT CAN
CONNECT TO SHIPBORNE AIS EQUIPMENT AND DISPLAY THE TARGETS RECEIVED BY AIS. GPS
POSITION INFORMATION MAY ALSO BE TAKEN FROM THE AIS OR FROM A SEPARATE GPS
RECEIVER.

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 17
 AIS – PRECAUTIONS
• AIS IS A VALUABLE NAVAID BUT ITS USEFULNESS IS UNDERMINED BY THE BROADCAST OF
INACCURATE, IMPROPER OR OUTDATED DATA. AIS IS REQUIRED TO BE MAINTAINED IN
EFFECTIVE OPERATING CONDITION AND FAILURE TO DO SO MAY SUBJECT THE VESSEL TO
FINES.
• STATIC DATA SHOULD BE CORRECTLY [MANUALLY] INPUT AT INSTALLATION & PASSWORD
PROTECTED AGAINST ACCIDENTAL CHANGE. SAVE THE PASSWORD FOR FUTURE UPDATE.
• VESSEL NAME SHOULD NOT INCLUDE PREFIXES LIKE M.V. ETC. DO NOT ABBREVIATE NAMES.
MMSI, IMO NUMBER, CALL SIGN ETC SHOULD BE AS PER OFFICIAL RADIO STATION LICENSE.
• DYNAMIC DATA SHOULD BE PROVIDED VIA PROPERLY INSTALLED/CALIBRATED EXTERNAL
SENSORS THAT ARE ACCURATE AND CONTINUOUSLY OPERATIONAL.
• VOYAGE RELATED DATA SHOULD BE UPDATED AS SOON AS ANY CHANGE OCCURS : NAV
STATUS [UNDERWAY, AT ANCHOR, MOORED ETC], VESSEL TYPE [AS PER DROP DOWN TABLE],
DIMENSIONS IN METRES [NOT FEET], STATIC DRAFT [ACTUAL OR MAX DRAFT],
ETA’S/DEPARTURE TIMES IN UTC [NOT LOCAL TIME], UNLOCODES FOR DESTINATION
• SAFETY RELATED MESSAGES : SHOULD BE IN ENGLISH, BE SHORT, CONCISE AND ONLY
CONTAIN PERTINENT NAVIGATION SAFETY RELATED INFORMATION. ONLY INTERNATIONALLY
ACCEPTABLE ABBREVIATIONS SHOULD BE USED.
• DISTRESS / URGENCY [MAYDAY AND PAN PAN] MESSAGES MAY BE SENT VIA AIS BUT SHOULD
NOT BE RELIED UPON AS THE PRIMARY MEANS FOR SUCH COMMUNICATION.
• TEST MESSAGES SHOULD CLEARLY INDICATE TEST MODE AND WHETHER REPLY IS REQUESTED.
2M/BR.EQP/AIS 18
 AIS – APPLICATION SPECIFIC MESSAGES
AIS messages 6, 8, 25, and 26 provide "Application Specific Messages" (ASM), that allow
"competent authorities" to define additional AIS message sub-types. There are addressed (ABM)
and broadcast (BBM) variants of the message. Eg. St.Lawrence Seaway lock related messages,
Panama Canal rain/wind messages etc.
02Jun10

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 19
AIS – COMPARISON OF CLASS A AND CLASS B AIS

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 20
 AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM - INSTALLATION
A very important difference about VHF
antennas The AIS frequencies are on the
high end of the VHF-FM band (@ 162
mhz). Because of this, the standard
marine VHF antennas are not
manufactured for optimum performance
at those frequencies. Use the proper
antenna for best performance. 161.975 MHz (87B)

162.025 MHz (88B)

Total 4500 Slots

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 21
AIS – AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM – STATIC DATA INPUT
As the final check of the system,
make sure that you have entered
all the Static information
correctly.

Confirm with another

vessel or shore station
that they can receive
your vessel’s info
correctly and that you
are seeing others as
well before you leave
the vessel.

2M/BR.EQP/AIS 22