is this app available?..where?

[jimisbell]

I can't imagine cell service being very good out on the water if you get more than several miles from shore. At that point any cell phone becomes pretty useless. I also can't see how the Droid or Iphone would work as an ATIS receiver or wind speed sensor, without at least additional hardware.

First. We used a Sprint Samsung phone on our entire trip from Tampa to Corpus Christi three years ago, sending email every day. I am sure the networks have improved immensely in the past three years. It was never a problem getting a signal.

Second. The iPhone has an app that lets the device receive AIS information through a relay from the ships to the cell phone towers, not directly from the ships.

Third. The iphone app for wind speed uses the microphone and is said, by users, to be reasonably accurate up to 40 mph. After that I dont think I will be on deck with a cell phone:blink: There is no need to have every variance of wind and gusts, just a general idea of the strength.

 

[dylanthecat]

That is very interesting about the cell coverage, I would not have thought that would work. The AIS is through the cell towers? I don't understand how this would work. The cell companys are not going to be broadcasting this info, so someone or something needs to relay the info from a AIS receiver to an internet database where the app then goes to download it. That is how I percieve it maybe working. What is the range of these AIS broadcasts from the ships?

 

[jimisbell]

Yes, that is how it was explained to me. There is some delay in some areas because of the time it takes to send it from the source to the towers for relay and presumably because there might be an interval between transmissions of data. But any information is more than no information.

The second question: Its VHF radio so I would imagine the range is similar, about 15 miles MAX.

 

[ldimick]

Cruise ships have a different way of transferring data. I am not sure if they use satellites phones/technology or just HF.

 

[jimisbell]

Cruise ships have a different way of transferring data. I am not sure if they use satellites phones/technology or just HF.

I am not concerned about cruise ships. They will not be in the ICW. I am concerned about oil tankers, tugs pushing 6 packs up the ICW, any number of commercial shipping. BUT, cruise ships, also, are required by law to have AIS transmitters on board, transmitting on VHF. Its like the transponders required of all aircraft. All ships except privately owned vessels must have AIS.