Colin,
I agree with everything you say in your post, but my complaint about
cost is not about value to the sailor. It is hard to
put a value on avoiding a collision at sea. If the only way to manufacture an
AIS receiver was with some sort of unobtanium that
resulted in an unavoidable cost of thousands of dollars per unit, they would
still be worth it to those who could pay for them.
My complaint is that an AIS receiver is a pretty simple device, based on
pre-existing technology, and the cost of manufacture
does not in my opinion justify the high prices being charged by some vendors.
In their simplest form, AIS receivers consist of a 1
or 2 channel VHF receiver coupled with a modem to decode the sentences. True
the market is somewhat limited in volume but I still
think that boaters are getting gouged when they pay some of the prices being
asked.
Steve Thomas
C&C27 MKIII
-----Original Message-----
From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com]On Behalf Of Colin
Kilgour
Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2013 9:27 AM
To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com
Subject: Re: Stus-List AIS Transponder Info
Steve,
Looks like a cool project - for those who have time and ability for
that kind of stuff.
As for 'cost justifying' AIS, it really depends on the sailing you do.
If you're mostly sailing away from major shipping areas, an AIS
receiver can feel more like a gadget than a tool - and therefore hard
to justify.
If you're sailing offshore or in shipping areas though, it's pretty
much the most cost effective safety tool you can have on the boat,
imo. You can get a receiver for about the same price as a fancy PFD
and you'll get a heluva lot more utility out of your AIS than your
Spinlock life vest. (Btw - not saying you shouldn't wear a life vest,
just that cheaper ones float just as well as expensive ones)
(Disclosure: fwiw, I've done about 10,000 offshore miles with AIS
reception on board and it's been really helpful on many occasions)
Cheers
Colin
On 9/28/13, Steve Thomas <sthom...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> And now for something completely different: a kit that will convert a spare
> VHF radio into an AIS receiver that will work with
> your laptop and includes plotting software, all for under $100. Not exactly
> an off the shelf bullet proof solution, but it might
> be interesting to experiment with if the thought of using a soldering iron
> to install it doesn't leave you faint. I have not tried
> it, but for the price I am tempted. Most of the "black box" solutions for
> receive only are unjustifiably expensive for what they
> actually contain, imho. So far in this discussion, no one has mentioned the
> possibility of using a radio with AIS already built in
> by the manufacturer, which is another possible solution. Standard Horizon
> makes one, and there may be others.
>
> http://www.ebay.ca/itm/AIS-receiver-plotting-navigation-package-/261288551125?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cd602e2d5
>
> Steve Thomas
> C&C27 MKIII
>
>
><SNIP>
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