With a price tag of around £160/0, the Lenovo Mii X 2 is a full featured Windows 8.1 tablet (not a cut down RT version) and it might be one of the best buys for a boater. As its operating system is regular Windows 8.1, standard marine PC software runs as it would on a notebook or dedicated PC but you get the benefit of portability, a built in GPS and all the other features this amazing device offers. The new Windows operating system has had a hard time in the mainstream consumer press but actually, once mastered (we’re all old hands at XP! it brings alot of extra features. I guess it’s like any learning curve, but once cracked it’s very stable and easy to use. Key features for the tablet are: Bright 1280 x 800 pixel 8″ display (can be portrait or landscape orientated – good for sailing N- S or E- W!) Built in GPS, Blue Tooth 4, Wi Fi ( You can use a Bluetooth mouse rather than touch screen if you prefer) 32 GB internal storage Intel Z3740 processor Mini USB port for external devices (our USB- NMEA adaptor and USB AIS products are now plug and play with an OTG USB cable) Long life battery – we were navigating for a good day’s sailing and with a standard USB connection you can easily recharge from anywhere We bought a Mii X to test our Smarter Track software on a mobie platform. Smarter Track is a sophisticated, Navionic’s based PC chart plotter system which offers real time navigation, NMEA interfaces, tracking, waypoints, routes, weather overlays, AIS and much more. It costs £250/9 and has a unique feature in that you can copy Navionic’s charts on cartridge format to the PC’s hard drive and licence them to Smarter Track at no extra charge. That means you can use the same Navionic’s cartridge in your Simrad, Lowrance, Raymarine etc plotter to save on duplicated cartography costs. Setup was pretty straightforward but not without a few headaches if you want to use.
The Automatic Identification System ( AIS) is an automatic tracking system used on ships and by vessel traffic services ( VTS) for identifying and locating vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships and AIS Base stations. AIS information supplements marine radar, which continues to be the primary method of collision avoidance for water transport. A marine traffic coordinator using AIS and radar to manage vessel traffic. An AIS-equipped system on board a ship presents the bearing and distance of nearby vessels in a radar-like display format. A graphical display of AIS data on board a ship. Information provided by AIS equipment, such as unique identification, position, course, and speed, can be displayed on a screen or an ECDIS. AIS is intended to assist a vessel's watchstanding officers and allow maritime authorities to track and monitor vessel movements. AIS integrates a standardized VHF transceiver with a positioning system such as a LORAN- C or GPS receiver, with other electronic navigation sensors, such as a gyrocompass or rate of turn indicator. Vessels fitted with AIS transceivers and transponders can be tracked by AIS base stations located along coast lines or, when out of range of terrestrial networks, through a growing number of satellites are fitted with special AIS receivers. The International Maritime Organization's International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea requires AIS to be fitted aboard international voyaging ships with gross tonnage ( GT) of 300 or more tons, and all passenger ships regardless of size.[1] It is estimated that more than 40,000 ships currently carry AIS class A equipment.[citation needed] In 2007, the new Class B AIS standard was introduced which enabled a new generation of low-cost AIS transceivers. This has triggered multiple additional national mandates from Singapore, China, Turkey, and North America.
1 Sailabout Posted 02 November :06 AM 2 crashtestdummy Posted 02 November :09 PM Yes, only way to go. To me it defeats the purpose of having a Plb if it doesn't transmit back to the boat or with ais boats. is great for finding the body. Would be hours before a rescue chopper arrived 3 Presuming Ed Posted 02 November :47 PM Does anybody make one? I.e. a proper 406 MHz PLB combined with an AIS MOB beacon? I'm aware that I could be falling into a trap of literalness to me a PLB is a 406 MHz, satellite based rescue beacon, while an AIS MOB beacon uses the AIS system on VHF. AFAIAA, Mc Murdo still do two types of device: the PLB the Kannad the AIS MOB beacons: ACR do PLBs: 1122(including this one that includes an Iridium tracker but they make neither a stand alone AIS device, nor a combined AIS MOB & PLB Ocean Signal do 2 separate devices. AFAIAA, from talking to the Ocean Signal guys at the Southampton boat show last year, the IMO/ SOLAS haven't finalized specs for a combined device, and (again, according to Ocean Signal given how long it took them to sort out PLB specs, we shouldn't be holding our breath. 4 Sailabout Posted 02 November :03 PM not really interested in a 406 plb if you can get one with ais as its for pleasure craft use so SOLAS not an issue might buy a Mc Murdo and test it out. Its your own boat that needs to know where you are not the coroner 5 seaker Posted 02 November :15 PM There is a waterproof radio with AIS. It was designed for diving so you could contact you dive boat if you got away from it on the surface.
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