Page 52: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 2004)

AIS Buyer's Guide

As expected, the recent mandate for an accelerated implementation of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) onboard ships and boats has rattled the marine manufacturer's proverbial Hornet Nest. Following are some recent product developments from some of the industry's leading companies.

S.G. Brown

A compact Automatic Identification

System (AIS) has been added to the range of S.G. Brown marine equipment.

The fully type-approved unit is self-con- tained and touted as the most compact

AIS unit on the market. The complete

AIS unit measures 6.5-in. wide, 7.4-in. deep and 3.4-in. high. When required the S G Brown/L3 Communications AIS unit can be supplied with any additional parts needed to make the unit fully com- pliant with ship operations in the U.S.. the St Lawrence Seaway and Panama

Canal.

Simrad

Simrad offers the Type Approved

Simrad AI70. AIS broadcasts core infor- mation over VHF channels. Simrad's

AI70 also utilizes GPS and its Russian equivalent GLONASS for positioning information and is also equipped to han- dle the forthcoming European Global

Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS).

The Simrad AI70 is based on the

Kongsberg Seatex AIS 100 system, which is already well proven in the off- shore markets.

L-3

The L-3 AIS is a single box design with integral MKD. Its overall dimen- sions are 7.3 x 6.4 x 3.3 in. (18.4 x 16.2 x 8.2 cm). This single box includes a

DSC controller, a pair of SOTDMA controllers, internal GPS, and integral

MKD. Offered with an optional integrat- ed DGPS card and additional DGPS beacon receiver, the L-3 AIS provides

DGPS positional information in the event of failure of the ship's primary

DGPS system.

Saab TransponderTech

The Saab R4 AIS Vessel Transponder is the fourth generation of Saab AIS.

The R4 AIS Class A Transponder

System is type-approved by BSH with wheelmark, and complies with all inter- national standards for AIS ship systems.

Saab TransponderTech was given type approval by BSH in Germany on their 4th generation of AIS, fulfilling the international standards and require- ments. Saab TransponderTech has to date sold more than 3.000 IMO compat- ible ship transponders.

Marine Data Systems

Marine Data Systems (MDS) was the first to be granted product approval by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S.. for it AIMS MIV

Automatic Identification System (AIS).

Prior to this. MDS has complied with all the AIS specifications and was awarded (Class A) Type Approval by BSH in

Germany.

Nauticast

In preparation for the AIS push in 2004, Nauticast enjoyed a busy Autumn 2003, showing its AIS system to the

European market at Europort. and the

Asian market at Kormarine. In October the company announced that it had been acquired by the U.K.-based Chelton

Ltd., a member of the Cobham pic

Group. Nauticast will be managed by

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based ACR

Electronics, Inc., a member of the

Chelton Group of Companies. The X-

Pack DS was developed and designed by Nauticast and is manufactured exclu- sively by Siemens Austria. Nauticast considered the standards of associations such as the IMO, IALA, ITU. IHO. and

IEC as minimal requirements for the X-

Pack DS product development and decided to go beyond these standard requirements and develop their product further by designing it to anticipate not only today's, but also tomorrow's requirements.

SAM Electronics

SAM Electronics' European

Wheelmark-accredited Debeg 3400

UAIS has also now been type-approved for GPS operation by the German

Maritime & Hydrographic Agency (BSH). enabling it to be connected to all standard navigation equipment for pro- vision of 12-channel Differential GPS data — at no additional cost.

Kongsberg

The Kongsberg Seatex AIS 100 is positioned as a technical solution that enables the identification of other ves- sels and navaids fitted with the VHF based AIS technology. This can be either on a stand-alone display or on the ship's electronic chart and radar. The Seatex

AIS 100 transponder is compact, designed to be easy to operate. The man-machine interface is provided using a Minimum Keyboard and

Display (MKD) unit used for input of data to the transponder, displaying posi- tion information and reading and writing text messages.

JRC

The USCG and the FCC have awarded

JRC's AIS system, the "JHS-180" Type

Approval. Previously awarded Type

Approvals by EU Wheelmark MED.

UK. Japan and Industry Canada, this completes the Approval process for

JRC's AIS system, making it available worldwide for most vessels complying with this new IMO requirement. JRC's

JHS-180 is compliant with International

Marine Organization (IMO) standards:

IMO MSC Res.74 (69) Annex 3, ITU-R

M. 1371-1. IEC61993-2, IEC60945 and others. The JRC JHS-180 AIS system allows for interface capabilities to

Radar. ECDIS. ECS and VDR systems and future expansions. Equipped with a built-in automatic self-diagnostic func- tion and various interfaces, this system will prove to be a favorite for the ship owner.

Furuno

Furuno offers the FA 100 AIS. one of the first to be type accepted by the BSH,

USCG and FCC. It satisfies all interna- tional and U.S. requirements. The

FA 100 is capable of exchanging naviga- tion and ship data between your ship and other ships or coastal stations. It will send and receive static and dynamic data such as Maritime Mobile Service

Identity. IMO number (where available), call sign and name, length and beam, type of ship, range and bearing, course and speed over ground, heading, rate of turn, hazardous cargo type and more. It will also receive voyage-related data and short safety related messages.

Sailor

Sailor UAIS 1900 is an integrated sys- tem with a 12-channel GPS and built-in

VHF. To format the system so that it is operational, only a display system, such as the new KDU1905, a VHF antenna, a

GPS antenna and power are needed.

The new Keyboard Display Unit

KDU1905 has a graphical display and the targets are either presented graphi- cally or listed alphanumerically. The

KDU1905 has large buttons and comes with a large 40 x 24 lines backlit display.

L;3

Skanti

The SKANTI UAIS 2100 introduced in January 2003, is fully functional by just connecting it to a display system, a

VHF and a GPS antenna and power. Its main features include: Wheelmark approval, built in 12-channel GPS and

VHF, compact design, flexible installa- tion with just a few external connec- tions, and water-resistance to IP66.

Obstek

Safe Port from Observation

Technologies is an integrated vessel traffic information system (VTIS) that combines radar, transponder, AIS and

GPS inputs to create a composite dis- play of port activity on NOAA charts on a computer monitor.

FREE INFORMATION

To receive information on the products men- tioned in this report, simply check the appro- priate number on the Reader Service

Card, found on page 56, of this edition.

Furuno 47

Japan Radio 46

Kongsberg 50

L-3 41

Marine Data Systems 44

Nauticast 43

Obstek 51

Saab TransponderTech 42

Sailor 48

SAM Electronics 45

SG Brown 40

Simrad 39

Skanti 4 52 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News