Both EPIRBS and PLBs send a signal to overhead satellites to set off an alarm at the Rescue Authority, in Australia that is AMSA. While these beacons have a proven track record in saving hundreds of people in emergency situations, they still suffer from some limitations. For example, EPIRBs can only send an “all out” Mayday message, with no possibility of indicating the level of emergency, nor can rescue authorities acknowledge or establish return communications. PLBs will only send a mayday and position to the rescue authorities, rather than to those closest to the incident, usually surrounding vessels, who are in a position to provide immediate assistance.

A variety of alternative beacons and Man Overboard devices have come on the market and I thought it would be interesting to highlight two new types which overcome some of those limitations.

Satellite Emergency Notification Devices (SENDs) use commercial satellite systems to trigger an alarm. With these devices, an alarm to the rescue authority can be accompanied with more specific details, as well as making information about the rescue activity available back to the vessel in peril. What’s more, wherever they are, boats can also be notified about on-shore emergencies, for example sick relatives. The DeLorme inReach device (pictured) features two-way messaging and allows a Smartphone to send messages via the satellite connection. Additionally, on demand or continuous tracking can be enabled on a SEND, making the boat’s position available on an associated website.
While the purchase price of EPIRBs and SENDS will be similar, there is a cost to the convenience provided by SENDs, they will require a monthly subscription. Many expect that over the next few years, SENDs will replace conventional EPIRBs, or at least provide an alternative. The required standardisation is being done and the Australian Marine Safety Authority has systems in place to manage emergencies triggered by SENDs.

AIS is becoming common on yachts, particularly on those which need to cross busy shipping lanes. While AIS was designed to provide information about the position of other vessels in surrounding waters, its use has expanded to navigational aids and now personal AIS beacons. The pictured McMurdo S10 attaches to a life vest and uses the alarm feature of the AIS system. When the unit is activated, an alarm will go off on any AIS receiver in the vicinity and the Beacon is tracked on a boat’s AIS display or chart plotter until recovered. The Smartfind S10 is waterproof to 60 meters, will transmit continuously for a minimum of 24 hours and has a 5 year battery storage life. It also features a flashing indicator light, giving a localised visual fix and assisting in attracting attention after nightfall.

These are welcome developments. Mind you, none of us would hope to use these devices “in anger”.

Further information:

Doug Ritter’s blog
DeLorme inReach
MacMurdo Smartfind

On Australia’s East Coast, many cruising yachts now are on their way South after “wintering” in North Queensland. Many will decide to bypass NSW ports and make a 3 or 4 day passage direct to their home port.

When night sailing, sleep deprivation can be a safety issue unless managed thoughtfully . I liked this article from gCaptain, which  provides some useful information on the way we sleep and some interesting hints to manage micro-sleeps.

How do _you_ stay awake?

Some even propose that a new generation of satellite communicators may obsolete  EPIRBs.  No doubt there will be much debate before that is accepted! So, if you’re interested in communications technology and safety gadgetry, join us at Track & SEND. By the way, SEND stands for Satellite Emergency Notification Device !

It prompted me to reflect on the rapid evolution of navigation instruments on our boats, from handheld GPS and PC based chart displays to dedicated chart plotters, smart phones and iPads.

When I started doing coastal passages on our first boat, it was a matter of purely visual navigation (I never mastered the skill of using a sextant). That was among the reasons why we didn’t venture far from our home port. The nineties saw the rise of the handheld GPS, which gave us accurate positions to plot on traditional charts and the confidence to do longer passages.

GPS units soon gained plotting and charting capabilities. On our boat, we started using software at the chart table, using a laptop which was connected to our handheld GPS. Last year, before our cruise to the Whitsundays, we installed an 8 inch colour chart plotter near the steering station and thought that was the “ultimate solution”. But is it?

In recent times, we have seen the release of a multitude of low cost charting “apps” for the iPhone and now the iPad. Taking advantage of their built-in GPS, it turns them into quite competent chart plotters. But to be frank, I’ve been a sceptic. The lack of weather proofing and, in the case of the iPad, poor daylight screen brightness limits all-round use in navigation. I much prefer my permanently installed chart plotter at the wheel. I can read it in sunlight, it keeps working when rain or salt water intervenes. It connects to the auto pilot.

But hold on… It’s not so long ago that I sailed with nothing but charts and a simple hand held GPS. My iPhone or iPad does much more than just plot my position, it gives me access to the latest weather, currents and other useful information such as marina websites and skipr.net . Some charting “apps” even include other relevant information, such as magazine articles and the ability to annotate a chart (so called UGC, User Generated Content). What is more, they’re economical, nay CHEAP, typically $19.95 for a charting app for a phone you already own! And you can’t make phone calls or send emails with a dedicated chart plotter, can you?

So what is the answer? Well, it depends… I still like my dedicated chart plotter. It always keeps me company at the wheel. “She Who Must Be Obeyed” never uses it to email the kids. I can read its display in the midday sun as well as properly dimmed at night. It does not mind getting wet and I can’t accidentally drop it at a crucial moment. You might even say “my life depends on it”.

On the other hand, I always have my iPhone at hand. It is my trusty companion. I use it on our own boat or when sailing with a friend, where I might be unfamiliar with its on-board system. It is much more than just a GPS, I wouldn’t be without it. But rely on it as the sole method of navigation? No, not for us. In the future? Maybe. We will see marine quality, Internet connected chart plotters with iPhone/iPad-like capabilities, but it’s hard to see them for the price of a phone or mass-market tablet like the iPad.

For the time being, the ultimate solution for me is to have a standalone chart plotter AND an iPhone /iPad on board.

Marius Coomans
skipper@skipr.net

1. Distance from base station
2. Effectiveness of the antenna
3. The connection between the antenna and the set.

Let’s have a look at each of these factors in turn.

Distance

Mobile phone reception is essentially “line of sight”. Because of the curvature of the earth, the higher we position our antenna, the longer the distance that we can maintain our connection. It is not surprising therefore that the best place to install our antenna on the top of the mast. The actual coverage achieved depends on both the height of the base station antenna and the height above the waterline of the antenna on our boat. You can see the effect of antenna height and distance on the diagram below.

For those who enjoy a bit of maths, you can actually calculate the theoretical achievable distance.
Distance To Horizon

Yacht A (10m mast) : 11 km (6 NM)
Yacht B (20m mast) : 16 km (8.6 NM)
Tower (100m)           : 36 km (19.3NM)

In the example above, you can see that the achievable distance between Yacht B and the Shore Tower is 16 + 36 = 52 kilometres.

Antenna effectiveness

The quality of an antenna is determined by a number of factors. Antennas are characterised by their “gain”, or efficiency. In effect this is achieved by focusing the antenna’s radiation pattern. A high gain antenna will have a narrow, focused pattern, while a unity gain model will be less so. Of course, a narrow radiation pattern is a disadvantage on a heeling yacht if the resulting “beam” ends up pointing into the sea or toward the heavens!

Antennas are tuned to particular frequency bands, so make sure you select an antenna suitable for the operating frequency. Telstra NextG service runs at 850 Mhz in most places, and therefore needs a matching antenna . Mount the antenna away from metal surfaces and other antennas. On our yacht, Te Moana, the broadband antenna is mounted on a bracket off the top of the mast in order to provide the required space.

Low loss interconnection

Another important aspect of the performance of your system is the quality of the cable connecting the set with the antenna. All cable will cause a signal loss, the longer the cable more critical this becomes. Combined with the need to install the antenna as high as possible, this presents a compromise. The longer the cable distance, the higher the transmission loss, however we want to mount the antenna as high as possble! So only use high quality, low loss coax cable to connect the antenna (the type that’s as thick as your thumb).

A low cost alternative

Of course a well placed antenna and proper high quality cable pre-supposes a fixed mobile broadband modem such as the Ericsson units. For a nifty, low cost, alternative use one of the tiny mobile hot-spot modem units now available (see last month’s article). Put it in a sock and hoist it up to the top of the mast. It will give you antenna height without any cable losses – it works a treat, but not recommended while underway…

Marius

Reference: A good article on Marine Antenna Fundamentals: http://www.boat-project.com/tutorials/vhfant.htm

Prepaid Mobile Broadband

Internet at sea has become an essential part of cruising. Some of us might like to get away from emails, but easily accessed weather information and the ability to keep in touch with friends and family sways most of us. On our boat, Te Moana,  we have a permanent Wireless Broadband installation, with which we’re very happy. However, not everyone is prepared to spend $1000+ or have a permanently installed system.

A nifty alternative is Telstra’s pre-paid Mobile Broadband [1] with a “Mobile WiFi Hot Spot” modem, supporting up to 5 devices, which only costs $129. It supports an external antenna for extended coverage (or in remote locations you could hoist the unit itself up the mast). I like the 12 month prepaid plan (10GB for $150), which avoids monthly charges when we’re not away sailing and allows high usage when we are. The WiFi connectivity means internet access anywhere on the boat, while the modem can be placed in a convenient, out of the way spot.

Low Cost AIS

AIS is quickly becoming increasingly common on cruising boats. One night recently, on our way North near Port Stephens, a bulk carrier came up behind us, going along at 17 knots, apparently on course to run right over the top of us. Because of AIS, we knew the ship’s course, speed and call sign. A quick call on channel 16 verified that they had indeed seen us and asked us to simply maintain our course, passing on our starboard side. The system not only provided for our safety, but also for our peace of mind.

Competition in the AIS market and new technology is driving the price of AIS down. SRT [2], a UK manufacturer which provides “white label” AIS products which are re-badged by many marine suppliers just launched a whole new range of AIS receivers and transceivers. Early indications are that the price of AIS equipment is set to halve! West Marine in the US now sells the Em-Trak two channel AIS receiver for $190 [3]. Don’t leave home without one.

By the way, another interesting interesting application of AIS is as a Man Overboard  transceiver [4]. The compact AIS unit attaches to a PFD similar to a personal EPIRB.  Any boat nearby with an AIS receiver can therefore accurately determine (and track!) the location of the MOB.

Economical Satellite Messaging and Tracking

We’ve been spoilt in Australia with an excellent mobile phone network. But there are always places without coverage, particularly for the more adventurous among us. Satellite phones are expensive for intermittent, long term use like coastal cruising. The inReach Satellite Communicator by DeLorme [5] takes a different “tack”. It uses a recent development to use what is, in effect, text messaging via Satellite. The nifty communicator (expected price in the US $250) allows you to use your normal mobile phone to send (and receive!) text messages via Satellite. It can also be used to automatically send your position to a website like Skipr.net [6], so friends and family know where you are.

While it is not for sale yet (expected by October this year), it looks to be a much more practical unit that the currently available Spot Messenger, which operates one way only. With the ability to send and receive messages, track your yacht at preset intervals and its support for two way alarms (think of being able to be reached in a family emergency), the DeLorme unit looks hard to beat. Industry rumours suggest that there will be similar units from other manufacturers and cruising sailors will be the winners!

All in all, we’re looking at some useful technology coming within reach of our “every day” cruising boats rather than just being of interest to “geeks” or accessible only by the elite. Most of us appreciate the primitive, technology free approach afforded by sailing, but we now also have economical ways to keep in touch with the world around us.

And I also know what I’m asking for on Fathers Day…

Links:

[1] Telstra Wireless Broadband [link]

[2] SRT AIS products [link]

[3] Em-Trak AIS receiver [link]

[4] MOB AIS transponder [link]

[5] Delorme inReach Communicator [link]

[6] Track your boat on skipr.net  [link]

This month, we’ll take a look at skipr.net [1], a Website which some friends and I especially built for cruising sailors, their friends and family.

Skipr was originally conceived on a cruise to Hobart (on Belage, the yacht of CCCA member Peter Style) in 2006. A friend had helped me build a Google map which showed the boat’s position. Having Internet access on board made it practical to build a Web based service which let others know where you were and what was happening along the way.

Today, it has matured into a popular service for cruising sailors who like to keep in touch with family and friends. I’m keen to “fold” that experience back into the Coastal Cruising Club. For those who haven’t used it, here is a quick overview of how you can have your boat displayed on the site:

1. Register you boat [2]- it’s free, no strings.  Just go to the registration page, enter your name, boat name, a password and an email address (so you can recover your password when you forget).
2. Report a position – log in and enter the Lat and Long and an optional comment into a simple web form and presto, you now have a page where friends and family can find your boat.
3. Extras – In the Control Panel, you can add a photo and description of your boat and set some preferences such as whether you’d like to have Facebook comments on your page.

It’s in the nature of cruising that boats spend much of their time alongside or on a mooring. So it’s good to know who is on the move. The front page show the 30 boats which most recently logged a report, similarly, the “Currently Cruising” page shows anyone on the system who has reported their position in the past 30 days and highlights those who have done so in the past 7 days. It’s a wonderful surprise to find a friend at a distant anchorage or in the next bay along.

And for those with iPhones and similar “smart phones”, we made it even easier. After registering your boat on the main website, just enter skipr.net/m into your phone’s browser [3] and you’re ready to let the world know where you are. It uses the phone’s built-in GPS to report your position and displays the other boats who have reported recently. We hope to soon even have a menu item to find nearby CCCA members who have joined up.

We’re creating a CCCA page [4] on the main Skipr site, where you will be able to find club members who have reported in over the past  30 days. You don’t have to wait until you go for a long cruise either, why not log your position when you’re at anchor on a weekend and let your friends know where you are or where the fishing is great! Come on, get on Skipr’s CCCA page!

References:

• [1] The Skipr website - http://skipr.net
• [2] Skipr Help page - http://skipr.net/about/how-to/
• [3] Skipr for Smart Phones like the iPhone - http://skipr.net/m/
• [4] Where is that CCCA Yacht? – http://skipr.net/where-is/CCCA/

Happy Browsing,

Marius Coomans
skipper@skipr.net

I have recently been giving presentations about the use of the Internet at sea as well as Cruise Communications generally. Here are some of the questions which came up after those talks.

Q: Where should I install my Mobile Broadband Antenna?

A: It’s hard to be specific without more information about a particular boat, but three principles are important:

• Transmission and reception is limited by ‘line of sight’, so install your antenna as high as practical.
• Have it away from interfering elements. Keep it away from other antennas such as the VHF antenna (30 cm or more if possible). Don’t install it in close proximity to other metal structure (atop the mast, not next to it)
• Install the antenna as close to the transceiver as possible, in other words, close to the mobile phone, USB dongle or Fixed Wireless Terminal (such as an Ericsson W35) you are using.
  You’ll note that there is a conflict between (1) and (3), so use low loss cable (the cable that is as thick as your thumb) for permanent installations. The “rules” for antennas are similar to VHF antennas. There is a particularly good article about antennas at boat-project.com [1]

Q: Where can I expect mobile internet reception along the East Coast of Australia and where not?
A: Australia is particularly well served by Telstra’s network. With a simple dongle style broadband modem, you will get Internet access along much of the coast of NSW and much of Queensland, with the exception of Shoalwater Bay and when blocked by Islands. As a rule of thumb, you can say that if you can see the mainland, you should have internet access and mobile phone reception. Telstra have a useful coverage map on their website [2]

Q: I have a mobile phone with Optus and I’m going to the Whitsundays this winter. What should I do?
A: Unfortunately, you’ll only have patchy coverage with Optus. Your choices are:

• Switch to Telstra permanently, which might attract a penalty of you have to break a contract.
• Get a prepaid plan and SIM with Telstra for the duration of your cruise. But first check that your phone is compatible with Telstra’s 850 MHz NextG network, otherwise you will still only have coverage in major centres. For the duration of your cruise, redirect your Optus calls to the Telstra number.

Q: I’ve been thinking about fitting AIS to my boat, but just found this website, marinetraffic.com which displays shipping along the East Coast. Should I bother getting the AIS unit?
A: While marinetraffic.com [3] is an interesting website to check on shipping, it is not suitable for navigation and not a substitute for having an AIS unit on board. The website relies on volunteer “observation stations” without continuous coverage of our coast and occasional long latency (the delay between transmission by the ship and display on the web page). So by all means, use it for interest, but don’t rely on it while at sea.

References:

• [1] VHF Marine Antenna Fundamentals – http://www.boat-project.com/tutorials/vhfant.htm
• [2] Telstra NextG coverage – http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/coverage/maps.cfm
• [3] Marine Traffic – http://marinetraffic.com

Happy Browsing,

Marius Coomans
skipper@skipr.net