NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Live AIS tracking
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2019 Jan 23, 19:04 -0500
From: Brad Morris
Date: 2019 Jan 23, 19:04 -0500
I agree Frank. People will do the dumbest things.
Drive drunk.
Driving without a seat belt, no matter the quantity messages. Stupid, seat belts save lives.
Boating without a PFD. Again, a zillion messages. PFD's save lives, could even be your own.
Boating without any other required equipment for your class of vessel. Dumb.
Relying upon a cellular service to update an app or website on your phone, when out on the water, is a poor choice for several reasons. Not the least of which is loss of cellular network connectivity. Now, not only have you lost track of vessels you were tracking, you fail to obtain any other contacts. This isn't just loss of situational awareness. Unless the user notes that the data isn't changing and is quite old, the user of these apps is relying on outdated information. The user thinks he is safe. He is not!
I do think the app is interesting and I am happy Gary brought it up. In my opinion, it is not to be used out on the water. Your mileage may vary. Spin the wheel anyway you like.
Brad
Most of the folks here get it. We are minimizing bad outcomes. Heck, even considering CN as a back up to the on board electronic suite means you are thinking ahead. This is not a hard audience to convince. I hope the money they saved not getting an AIS Transponder is put towards something meaningful, like a contingency fund for a funeral.
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