While part of the attractiveness of cruising is to “get a away
from it all”, we all feel the need (if not the responsibility) of
keeping others regularly updated on our whereabouts and our progress.
Whether we just want to reassure friends and family that all is well,
communicate our current position to the race committee or fellow regatta
members, or keep our charter agency informed on our itinerary, there
are no excuses today for not keeping others “in the loop”, thanks
to a combination of GPS, satellite systems, the Web and social media.
The options are may, and in most cases are within reach of the
average cruiser's budget.
Since the choice of the optimal method can be a bit daunting, we
will examine a couple of the methods we have experimented with in the
recent past. Each one has it's benefits an limitations, which we will
try to highlight in the summary table at the end.
Navigation software
The rapidly increasing availability of relatively inexpensive
mobile Internet access at sea is making this option more and more
popular. Simply put, your navigation software most likely already
knows where you are, your current heading etc. thanks to integration
with the on board GPS, and very likely has access to the Internet,
whether through a smartphone (while within cellular coverage), or
a satellite-based system (when away from land). Why
not have your navigation app take care of sending regular log updates
automatically?
Granted, everything is fine as long as you have good, inexpensive
Internet access, whether through WiFi at a marina or your cellular
phone. Things are a bit different when you are away from land and are relying on satellite communications. Here, costs greatly depend on the system you have, but can quickly become
prohibitive. The amount of data
required for the typical log update is fairly small (20-50KBytes),
but at the 2.4kbps data rate of many low-end satellite phones, where you are paying data minutes are in the $1 range,
even a single daily update can become way too pricey.
Different story
if you have already absorbed the investment in a high-end
(100-300kbps) satellite station (such as the Iridium Pilot or
Inmarsat Fleet One). In this case your average per-Megabyte cost,
which can be as low as $1 or less, can make sending several updates a
day quite affordable. Bottom line, navigation software-originated
updates can be a viable solution depending on your Internet setup,
and how much time you spend within reach of cellular networks.
Satellite Tracking Devices
The ever more popular Spot Tracker is a favorite among hikers,
skiers, cruisers and other outdoors sports enthusiasts. At an
affordable $99 for the device itself, plus $20 a month (including $5
for the Basic Tracking service, which you are going to need. A one year
contract is required). It incorporates a GPS chip, which sends your
position every 10 minutes to a network of commercial satellites,
covering most of the navigable globe.
AIS
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is an automatic tracking
system used on ships and by vessel traffic services for identifying
and locating vessels, by electronically exchanging data with other
nearby ships and AIS Base stations. While originally intended for
large cargo and passenger ships, low-cost AIS transponders are
becoming more affordable and are increasingly popular among pleasure
boaters.
Problem is, AIS was designed essentially for ship-to-ship
communication, so how can it help you send your log updates to the
Internet and the rest of the world? This service is provided by a
network of land-based stations that has sprung up in the last decade
that detects AIS broadcasts within a few tens of miles of the major
coastal urban areas around the world, In addition, an expanding
network of low orbiting satellites also picks up signals from remote
locations and feeds it to the Internet
Manual updates
Last but not least, you can always send your current position
manually as a
GeoSMS, which is a fancy word for a plain old text
message containing your latitude and longitude embedded in a special
format within the message. You can do this either through your
cellular or satellite phone.
Making your updates available to the world
OK, so you have chosen your ideal delivery method, or combination
thereof. But how do your log updates end up on the web or Facebook?
That's where services like sQuidd.io come handy. Sign up for a
free account and provide your unique AIS identifier (something called
MMSI), or your Spot Tracker ID and your AIS or Spot log updates will
appear in your profile page to anyone on your
follow list.
If you have chosen to use the OpenCPN sQuidd.io plugin, simply enter
your sQuidd.io user ID and a special API Key in your plugin settings
and there you have it, your plugin log updates are now available on
the sQuidd.io page. Optionally, you can have these updates posted to
your Faacebook account.
Speaking of OpenCPN, anyone on your 'follow list' who uses the
sQuidd.io plugin will also be able to track your position directly on
their OpenCPN chart, a nice handy feature that spares your from
having to constantly switch between your navigation software and your
web browser.
So, to wrap it up, hare's a table that summarizes pros and cons of
each solution.
|
Pros |
Cons |
Typical costs |
| Navigation Software (OpenCPN with sQuidd.io plugin) |
User-defined update frequency
Wide range of navigational information can be shared
Plugin allows display of friends' position on chart |
Computer must be on and application needs to be running in
order for updates to be sent
|
Purchase: Free (both OpenCPN and sQuiddio plugin are open
source)
Monthly service costs:
Cellular data: no incremental costs if your data plan is
unlimited
Satellite data: highly variable (from a few pennies to $1 per
update depending on the satellite system you use)
|
| Satellite Tracker (e.g Spot Tracker) |
Ease of setup/use
Best when frequent updates are required (e.g. every 10 mins)
|
Minimum monthly cost cannot be adapted to usage needs
Information shared is limited to lat/lon coordinates |
Equipment purchase: $99
Monthly Service Costs: $20, minimum one-year contract |
| AIS |
No recurring monthly or usage costs.
Equipment already a standard feature on many new boats,
required by law in some countries |
Coverage is limited to some coastal areas |
Equipment Purchase: $700 to $1200 for a class-B AIS transponder
Monthly service costs: free
|
| Manual updates (GeoSMS) |
No equipment or software required (other than your cellphone or sat phone) |
Can be cumbersome/tedious to operate.
Unreliable as
dependent on human manual operation |
Each SMS is typically priced as one minute of voice time
|
In summary, the choice of the optimal 'log sharing' solution
depends on how much time away from land you plan on spending, what
equipment you already own (AIS Transponder, Satellite Internet
station etc.) and how often you want to send log updates to the rest
of the world. If you are starting from scratch, don't own and AIS
transponder or fancy satellite station, Spot Tracker is by far your
best bet. If you already have an AIS transponder, and spend most of
your time sailing within VHF reach of land, AIS is entirely free. For
those who plan on doing a lot blue-water sailing and can afford the
cost of a high-speed, always on satellite Internet system, OpenCPN
with the sQuidd.io plugin offer by far the most flexibility.
Have you successfully adopted any other method for sharing your
logs? Do you have any comments and feedback to the solutions we
discuss in this post? Please
let us know by posting a comment
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