# Ais



## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I live within sight of the AIS VHF setup shown on www.marinetraffic.com/ais that is located near Mablethorpe in darkest deepest east Lincolnshire. It is on the top of a microwave mast some 135m high. 

Yesterday evening on the public access view, there was quite a lot of traffic showing with about 10 ships in and around The Wash, others docked in Boston, at Sutton Bridge and Kings Lynn and even one on passage down river to Wisbech. This morning there are none showing at all. Does anyone have any thoughts on why this may be ?? 

Last evening it was at about high tide, damp and wet. It is still damp and wet today, but about 4-5 hours after high tide. Line of sight in to the Wash is about 20 miles. A bit further to Kings Lynn. 

David
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## Nick Balls (Apr 5, 2008)

The coverage on the UK East coast is complete rubbish and I have noticed frequently that down here in Great Yarmouth we often lose the signal strength. 
This is in stark contrast to the other side of the pond where coverage is pretty consistent and simply much better............... Oh well our government apparently has great confidence in the use of technology and is about to rely on it totally. My experience of all things electronic , especially communications equipment at sea is that it always has more than its fair share of problems and is probably the single most expensive stuff to maintain on todays modern ships bridge


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

The AIS mast is on the old Humber Radio receiving site. Look what happened there with the advance of 'new technology' - closed within ten years almost !!

Can see everything on AIS this evening - even the little ship in Wisbech.

There is an unspecified vessel signal anchored/moored just south of Stiffkey. Google maps shows it to be what looks like a chicken farm !!

David
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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Sunday Morning 0915. I usually have a walk along the seafront here en-route to get my Sunday paper. Offshore, abeam of the AIS mast, I could see a fast catamaran workboat going down to the windfarm off Skegness. At 1000, I checked online and saw that it was the Windcat 9, but it was showing as well north of Mablethorpe, so I guess the public version is round about an hour behind the live action.

David
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