Mersey View

AIS Receiver offer

Photo of AIS receiver

I have an AIS receiver consisting of:

  • A NASA AIS receiver with 12 volt mains power supply.
  • Serial cable. The receiver plugs into your computer's serial port (9 pin).
  • A 91cm "Super Rod" telescopic whip aerial with 5mtr cable and BNC plug.

This equipement is available for free loan either for a short trial period or, if you'll agree to send me AIS data, more permanently.


Try before you buy

Perhaps you are interesting in AIS and shipping, but you are unsure about how everything works. You don't know what the reception is like in your area or whether the cost/difficulty is worth it? I will send you the AIS receiver for you to try for 21 days (which is the same length as the free ShipPlotter trial period). After that time, either return the receiver, or if you are still interested consider the data swap below.

What you will need:

  • A computer with a serial port and some software to decode NMEA (AIVDM).
That's it. Plug everything in, download the free trial of ShipPlotter and see what ships you can find. You may want to experiment with aerial placement or see if you can put one outside.


Data swap

For the free loan of an AIS receiver, you send me your local AIS data.

As I discuss in my FAQ, the only way I can extend the area covered on my website is by swapping data with other AIS receivers, so I am making this offer. I will help you, if you help me.

What you will need:

  • A pentium level PC capable of running ShipPlotter.
  • A registered copy of ShipPlotter which will cost you Euro €25.
  • An internet connection.

People visit my website 24 hours a day so I would prefer if you could provide data all day long. This would probably mean dedicating an old PC to sit in a corner and send a few Kbytes every minute or so.

So long as you continue to send me data, you can keep the receiver. There is no contract or requirements so I won't mind if you need the computer for a few hours every evening or if you want to switch it off for a holiday, but if you don't want to or won't be able to send any more data, then all I ask is that you send back the AIS receiver so someone else can give it a try.


FAQ

What will it cost me?
Hopefully just a bit of your spare time and return postage once you are finished. If you want to share data you will need to register ShipPlotter which will cost you Euro €25.

Once you have finished with the receiver, I ask that you return it to me or post it on for someone else to try.

Do I have to use ShipPlotter?
If you just want to check reception in your area then there are many programs that will decode the NMEA strings that the AIS receiver outputs. However, I haven't used these programs so I won't be able to help you with them. However, if you want to send me AIS data, you will need a registered copy of ShipPlotter.
What specification of computer do I need?
I've run ShipPlotter on a 400MHz PC, but the receiver does all the work so a 200MHz pentium should be fine. If you want to go mobile with your receiver, then there is even a version of ShipPlotter for the Pocket PC (iPaq).
What happens if the receiver is stolen, broken or blows up my computer?
There will wailing and gnashing of teeth!

I'm not a company nor professional organization, just an enthusiast running a website from home. I will try my best, but I can't cover everything with insurance or indemnity cover.


Interested?

There has been quite a bit of interest in this offer which has meant that I've committed all of my AIS units. I am hoping to get some more in the next few months.

If you are still interested or have any questions, email me at ian(at)aisliverpool.org.uk giving your name, approximate location and whether you want to send me data or just try the receiver for a few days.

While I would like to help everyone, I'm really doing this to improve my AIS coverage, so the offer is limited to the UK and Ireland with an emphasise on those around the Irish Sea.