OCC Forums

OCC Fleet

https://forum.oceancruisingclub.org/Topic2499.aspx

By Amarylla - 22 Oct 2015

Hi Simon,

I 've completed your form but as I don 't have AIS, I guess Daq Attack won 't show up automatically.
She is laid up in Folleux on the River Vilaine in W Brittany.
Incidently, Polynya [Chris Elliot] is there too.

Cheers

David
By simoncurrin - 23 Oct 2015

David,
There are at least 5 alternative methods to enable position reporting for your vessel. These are listed below:

[ul]
[li]AIS transponder this is automatic and does not require a marintraffic.com account[/li]
[li]mAIS: Android or iOS self-reporting app[/li]
[li]E-mails with positions ' reports[/li]
[li]Satellite or 3G/GSM locator devices[/li]

In order to use any of these you will first need to open your own account on www.marinetraffic.com but don 't worry this is free! Once you have your boat and MMSI registered you will be able to report your position by either email or using the free app called mAIS available from app store. Both are very easy to use. I don 't need to describe how to use the app but I will post below instructions as to how to send a position report by email.

How to email a position report to the OCC Map
1. Register your boat on the OCC Fleet
2. Open an marinetraffic.com account and thereport@marinetraffic.comn register you boat and MMSI. Ideally upload a photo too.
3. Email your boats position to report@marinetraffic.com but you MUST use the following format:

MMSI=235027206
LAT=56.21915
LON=-5.548925
SPEED=0.1
COURSE=236
TIMESTAMP=2015-06-15 08:31

Latitude and Longitude should be in decimal degrees. Negative values for South or West coordinates. Speed in knots. Timestamp in UTC
By David.Tyler - 23 Oct 2015

Simon,
I 've registered for a free account with marinetraffic.com but I can 't see where I need to go to add my vessel name and MMSI.
By simoncurrin - 23 Oct 2015

David,
From memory you have an iPad on board so your best bet is to download the mAIS app from the the App Store and enter your boat details on that. You can then use that to post your position.

David please note the map display is not stable at the moment in that the map sometimes (unpredictably) displays an unfiltered view and I have a query logged with their help desk. Hopefully we will have this solved soon but in the meantime please be patient. If you have any clue as to why it is getting intermittently screwed up then any help welcome.
Simon
By simoncurrin - 26 Oct 2015

David,
I wondered if you had managed to try the mAIS App yet for posting a quasi AIS position that then can be displayed on the OCC Fleet map?
Simon
By David.Tyler - 27 Oct 2015

[quote="simoncurrin" post=2514]David,
I wondered if you had managed to try the mAIS App yet for posting a quasi AIS position that then can be displayed on the OCC Fleet map?
Simon[/quote]

I 've now got the mAIS app, and have managed to get it to display my correct position on the marinetraffic map (ashore at Whangarei for a refit). I 've used S.V. TYSTIE as my name, to distinguish me from the tug Tystie in Shetland, and my MMSI is 232004694.

Once I 'm back afloat and cruising, it would be better if marinetraffic got my position from my Iridium GO, wouldn 't it?
By simoncurrin - 27 Oct 2015

David,
Thanks for the update.

Oddly enough I still can 't 232004694 or s.v. tystie on the marine traffic database to add you on to our map but I will check again tomorrow in case it takes sometime to update.

I have posted a position from offshore using email via an Iridium GO but I haven 't tried to configure the automated reports within IridiumGO. As you know data can be captured from other trackers to the Marinetraffic database so it should all be achievable. If you do manage it please post a "how to guide" on this thread on the forum.

I just did some fiddling with mAIS and have managed to inadvertently change my boats position from Iceland to the middle of Wales! Now I have to figure how to shift it back again.
Simon
By David.Tyler - 27 Oct 2015

There seems to be something amiss with the marinetraffic database. If I zoom in on the map, I can see S.V. Tystie, but if I use the search box, I get no result. Also, if I click on the map icon, I cannot get the further information that I can get for other vessels.

As well as mAIS, for position reporting only, as far as I can see, there 's another Apple app, "marine traffic ships and wind", that displays the map on my iPad, with the filtering etc, as for the computer website.

I 've just sent an Iridium GO position report to myself, and it comes in this format:

Lat-35deg44 '18" Lon+174deg20 '47" Alt+033ft GPS Sats seen: 06 2015-10-27 23:06UTC http://map.iridium.com/m?lat=-35.738382&lon=174.346538 Sent via Iridium GO!

That isn 't the format needed by marine traffic, so I don 't know what can be done, except get the two outfits to talk to each other about the need for a common standard.
By simoncurrin - 29 Oct 2015

David,
You are now on the OCC Fleet Map. I think the 'live view ' database takes a day or two to synchronise with their main database which informs our map.
Simon
By nhalsey - 29 Oct 2015

We are on the map, well done!
It worked automatically after I registered.
Can we have a short cut to the map on the OCC main page?
Regards
Nick
By simoncurrin - 29 Oct 2015

Nick,
A question for you and for readers of this thread. Should the map require members to log in to view it or should it be in the open to all section of the web? I don 't have a strong view but would welcome opinion and discussion.
Simon
By nhalsey - 29 Oct 2015

I think it should be members only as long as that gives access to the PO 's and POR 's.

PS I found the link to the map on the OCC site
Thanks Simon
By alshaheen - 30 Oct 2015

Simon, perhaps we should discuss this within committee, but my own views are that although the Marine Traffic information is in the public domain, the OCC Fleet Map is very much an OCC facility and should be accessible by OCC members only. This would require a log-in to the OCC website to access it.

We have promoted this as a facility for members to locate the boats of other members, not to display to the world in general where, as a Club, our members are sailing. There might be some PR benefit in this but before taking that step I would require a General Committee debate.

If a member of the public wants to trace a boat, whether OCC or not, they can do so via the Marine Traffic website, always assuming that boat 's position is recorded there.

John
By simoncurrin - 30 Oct 2015

John,
I agree with all you say but there are a couple of counter arguments. Some on Facebook imply that the password issue is an impediment to their use of the website and thus the map. Also, if fully populated, the map does demonstrate, at a glance, the global reach of the club. I agree though that these are minor considerations but worthy of debate.
Simon