AIS upgrade or radar reflector conundrum
QI have recently bought a second-hand Moody 29 in excellent condition. It comes with a Raymarine Plotter with an AIS receiver. However, this does not transmit my position via AIS. It also comes without a radar reflector. I would like to have the capacity to cross the Channel from Portsmouth to northern France.
Should I upgrade the AIS to a transceiver, fit a radar reflector or do both?
I am inclined to upgrade the AIS as I think the majority of boats using radar will be likely to also have AIS available, and a proportion of your smaller boats without radar are likely to have AIS alone.
Passive radar reflectors do not always give a clear echo, especially on a small sailing boat. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts. Peter Morris
ADuncan Kent responds: Commercial shipping tends to navigate primarily by radar as it’s a guaranteed real-time image of an object or vessel. They are also obliged to carry an AIS transceiver, which will give them more information about the nature and intentions of an approaching vessel.
If my budget was very limited, I would choose to fit the largest practicable radar reflector available (even though these can sometimes be missed in poor weather or when yachts are heeling excessively) and a cheap AIS receiver, which would at least give me a ship’s MMSI for direct DSC/VHF communication.
If I had a little more cash, I’d choose an active radar reflector. If money was no object, I’d of course fit the latter plus an AIS transceiver as, in my opinion, it’s more important to be seen than to see.