The new and innovative Virtual AIS Beacon™ addresses the need to make hazards at sea visible when costly physical infrastructure is not appropriate or is impossible to deploy. It is based on Vesper Marine’s highly successful range of AIS products. The Virtual AIS Beacon uses our AIS Processing Engine technology to offer a completely new product to Port Authorities, Port Companies and organizations with Oil & Gas, Offshore Fishing, Aquaculture or Marina operations.
When a Virtual AIS Beacon is deployed and marking hazards such as a reef or other obstacles, a ship’s *existing onboard equipment is able to alert crews that they are on a collision course with the hazard well before they come in contact with it.
Other uses of the Virtual AIS Beacon include;
- Marking shipping channels, used to “join the dots” between physical buoys to improve shipping lane visibility
- Marking areas where navigation conditions change frequently, including; overhead clearance, ice, water levels, etc
- Marking both visible and invisible hazards, including; bridges, marina/piers, reefs or shellfish beds
- Marking moving hazards such as sand bars to regularly provide changes in location and provide alert warnings
- And can even be used to “throw up” temporary cordons around events such as boat / yacht race and swim courses or other no-go areas such as hazardous spills, marine protected areas, etc
One of many examples of where the Virtual AIS Beacon can be used is to mark a shipping channel (image below). This might be needed to augment existing physical buoys or to implement a temporary route.
Electronically mark hazards at sea in a low cost, environmentally friendly, easy to deploy way; enhancing safety at sea and protecting coastal environments.
* Dependent on type of equipment and chart software being used.
The Virtual AIS Beacon is what is known as an Aid to Navigation (AtoN); examples of AtoN’s are buoy’s, lateral marks, cardinal markers and lighthouses. These AtoN’s are physical structures and usually marked on sea charts. In contrast, the Virtual AIS Beacon is an electronic virtual marker of a hazard; these virtual markers are recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a Virtual Aid to Navigation (VAtoN).
Our Virtual AIS Beacon allows multiple marker signals (Virtual aids to Navigation) to be transmitted. Each Virtual aids to Navigation (VAtoN) is created by sending a unique signal from the Virtual AIS Beacon location (point A) that marks a remote hazardous point (point B). This virtual mark, point B, is displayed as a navigational hazard on a ship’s chart plotter or other receivers when in range of the transmitting equipment.
This beacon is not complicated by AIS network management and configuration features. It’s designed to do the job of configuring and transmitting AtoN marks with ease.
- Easy to install and maintain with very little user training
- Allows AtoN marks to be placed in locations where it is impossible to install physical buoys
- A fast way to mark large numbers of physical buoys
- Much lower cost than other overly complex products
The beacon is fully waterproof (IPx7) and includes our AIS Processing Engine, Virtual AIS Beacon software (50+ virtual or synthetic marks) and connectors for VHF antenna, GPS antenna, power and USB for configuration. It comes complete with GPS and AIS antennas, cables, and power supply to suit your requirements.
One of the many benefits the Virtual AIS Beacon offers our customers is that it can be deployed at a much lower cost than physical Aids to Navigation. Some physical AtoN’s can cost in excesses of $100,000 where as the Virtual AIS Beacon cost less than a tenth of this price with the added advantage of being able to provide multiple markers and no additional environmental impact.
If you are a Port Authority/Company or have Oil & Gas, Offshore Fishing, Aquaculture, or Marina operations we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how the Virtual AIS Beacon could solve some of your Aids to Navigation infrastructure issues.
System Specification – VAB0200
| Access Mode: | RATDMA |
| Transmission mode: | Type 3 AtoN operates in mode A, B or C |
| Radio frequency: | Marine VHF frequency range, (between 156 to 163 MHz) |
| AtoN marks: | 65 (dependent on configuration) |
| Message formats: | ITU-R M.1371 - Message 6, 8, 21 |
| Power supply: | Custom to local requirements (12V / 24V or mains) |
| Transmission power output: | 33 dbm (2W) |
| Serial data: | 1 Input/Output (USB), 1 NMEA input (RS422), 1 NMEA output (RS422) |
| Water tightness: | IP67 |
| Size: | 170mm X 130mm X 60mm deep |
| Mark management: | Configuration software Ver1.02. Vista or later version of Windows |
| GPS antenna: | Low profile with detachable cable for easy surface or pole mounting |
| VHF antenna (options available): | VHF / AIS antenna, 1.0m stainless steel whip |
System Specification – VAB1250
| Access Mode: | RATDMA |
| Transmission mode: | Type 3 AtoN operates in mode A, B or C |
| Radio frequency: | Marine VHF frequency range, (between 156 to 163 MHz) |
| AtoN marks: | 65 (dependent on configuration) |
| Message formats: | ITU-R M.1371 - Message 6, 8, 21 |
| Power supply: | 12 V with AC/DC isolated power pack. 12V, 5A |
| Transmission power output: | 41 dbm (12.5W) |
| Serial data: | 1 Input/Output (RS232), 1 NMEA input (RS422), 1 NMEA output (RS422) |
| Water tightness: | IP67 |
| Size: | 160mm X 120mm X 90mm deep |
| Mark management: | Configuration software Ver1.02. Vista or later version of Windows |
| GPS antenna: | Low profile with detachable cable for easy surface or pole mounting |
| VHF antenna (options available): | VHF / AIS antenna, 1.0m stainless steel whip |
Due to on-going product improvements specifications are subject to change
Virtual AIS Beacon Compliance:
- IALA Recommendation O-143 (03/2010), Virtual Aids to Navigation
- IALA Recommendation A-126 (ed 1.5), Use of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) in Marine Aids to Navigation Services
- ITU-R M.1371-4 (04/2010), Technical characteristics for an automatic identification system using time-division multiple access in the VHF maritime mobile band
- IEC 62320-2 (ed 1.0), Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) – Part 2, AIS AtoN Stations – Operational and performance requirements, method of testing and required test results
- IEC 61108 (ed 2.0), Maritime navigation and radio communication equipment and systems - Global positioning system performance standards
- IEC 61162 (ed 2.0), Maritime navigation and radio communication equipment and systems - Digital interfaces
- IEC 60945:2002, Maritime navigation and radio communication equipment and systems - Durability and resistance to environmental conditions
Please contact us for more information.
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