ShipPlotter displays complete information about ships that are within VHF range of your position using the

Universal
Automatic Identification System (AIS).

AIS is a system that ships use to communicate their positions to each other as part of the global maritime safety system. From December 2004, all ships over 300 tons must carry an AIS system
which broadcasts information about the ship to any suitably equipped receiver.AIS uses very short bursts of high speed data on two VHF channels in the marine band. The two frequencies used
are 161.975 (Marine ch 87 AIS) and 162.025 (ch 88 AIS) MHz. Ships broadcast their identity, position, course, speed and destination so that other ships can take account of their movements.
Using a low cost radio scanner tuned to one or other of these channels and ShipPlotter software running on your PC, you will be able to see a radar-like real-time map (below) of all the large
ships manoeuvring in your area together with information about their destination, estimated time of arrival and even the dimensions of each vessel.

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ShipPlotter decodes the AIS digital signals from each ship using the sound card in your PC. You need a suitable VHF band radio
receiver tuned to one of the two AIS channels. The program decodes the received digital data and displays it in a variety of formats.

Signal mode - In Signal Mode, ShipPlotter displays the raw digital signals on your PC screen in a diagnostic display which helps you to set up
the system.
Message mode - In Message Mode, ShipPlotter displays each decoded message in plain language on your PC screen.
Ship mode - In Ship Mode, ShipPlotter displays each decoded message in plain language on your PC screen. There is one line in the display
for each ship. Depending on which message formats have been received from the ship, the information may contain the MSSI number of the
ship, its name, its destination and the expected date and time of arrival, its length, beam and draught, and the latest position report received
from the ship.
Chart mode - In Chart Mode, ShipPlotter displays the position and identification of each ship on a chart of the area. ShipPlotter comes with
a general purpose world map but you can add your own maps to ShipPlotter simply by digitizing a chart to create a BMP or JPG graphic file
and calibrating the chart using tools built in to ShipPlotter. ShipPlotter can also read BSB format marine charts provided that your system
performance, memory, etc. can handle the size of the chart.
Ship details - In chart mode, if you right click on one of the ships displayed in the chart, a pop up window (right) displays all the data received
about the ship you have selected. If you are connected to the internet, there is a Search button that will access the ITU ship callsign database to
discover even more details about the ship including its port of registry.
Message log - ShipPlotter can store all messages received and decoded in a text file for later analysis. It can also store messages in formats
that are not decoded, in a hex format for subsequent decoding.
Radar view - ShipPlotter can display the position and identification of ships on a circular display centred on the user's position, which can be
a dynamic position based on positions from a connected GPS receiver. This radar display can be either North Up, or Heading Up.
Serial input - ShipPlotter can decode messages received from a dedicated AIS receiver using NMEA serial format.
Serial output - ShipPlotter can output demodulated messages to any AIS-compatible serial plotter using NMEA serial format.
GPS input - ShipPlotter can include position data from a local GPS receiver on the displayed chart and can automatically centre the chart on the current position.
Message sharing - ShipPlotter can use the Internet to share your messages with others so that all see the totality of messages received by participating users.
Local sharing - ShipPlotter can share received messages with other instances of the program running on machines over a local area network.
Automatic chart selection - If you have a selection of charts of your coverage area, ShipPlotter can automatically choose the appropriate chart to display any chosen ship of interest.
Multiple sound card support - ShipPlotter can choose between multiple soundcards if you have more than one. This means that, subject to processing power, you can run multiple
instances of ShipPlotter processing audio from more than one source.
COM Automation support - ShipPlotter can be accessed by VB Scripts or other services through a COM interface.
Automatic chart downloading - ShipPlotter can access several global databases of satellite imagery to use as the background chart for displaying ship positions.
Waypoint/track/route overlays - ShipPlotter can display waypoints, routes and tracks that are read from a GPS data file in GPX data format.
Peer-to-peer sharing - ShipPlotter can share data with up to four other instances of SP using UDP datagrams over a local network or over the Internet.
TCP/IP client - ShipPlotter can receive data from a remote TCP/IP server that transmits NMEA AIS message data.
TCP/IP server - ShipPlotter can receive data from a remote TCP/IP client that transmits NMEA AIS message data.
Google Earth server - ShipPlotter can present a server to Google Earth that delivers ship position data that will appear on a Google Earth map.
Memory Map support - ShipPlotter can control Memory Map Navigator(TM) so that it displays ships that are currently being displayed by ShipPlotter.
MultiMap support - ShipPlotter can open a browser window on the MultiMap server so that it displays a ship that you designate. It can also import MultiMap maps into the SP chart
window..
HTTP server - ShipPlotter can present an HTTP server to other instances of ShipPlotter so that they can access the ship data on the host machine. It is possible to link a community of
users with this feature, without requiring the use of a separate server.
Language versions - ShipPlotter is also available with menu and dialog options in French.
VMAP level 0 outline charts - ShipPlotter can display charts based on NIMA VMAP Level Zero data. The information is supplied in a compressed format including selected layers of
certain limited areas.
Navigation window - ShipPlotter allows you to create, edit, load and save a route and then to display navigation parameters relating to a designated ship following that route. The
information includes cross track error, time to next route point and much else besides.
Route window - ShipPlotter can display a route showing the track and distance between each route point, the estimated time between route points and the ETA at each route point.
Rhein navigation - ShipPlotter decodes the Rhein waterway specific binary messages (DAC branch 200 - lock times, water levels, passenger and crew data, etc) and displays the data in
the message window.
SMS Alerts
You can configure ShipPlotter to send details of ships that trigger your specified alerts, to a mobile phone number as a text message. This feature requires you to specify your mobile phone
number and to buy message credits for the texts that you want to receive using this link.
NV Charts
ShipPlotter can read digital nautical charts of Europe, the USA and the Carribean produced by NV Charts obtainable via this link.

Pocket ShipPlotter User feedback

All, here is my report on ShipPlotter
Pocket ShipPlotter is a compact version of ShipPlotter that runs on a Pocket PC (iPaq). It is intended for use in situations where it is not underway on our sailboat Sashay. Last
convenient to use a laptop or decktop computer. Like ShipPlotter, it displays AIS messages on a chart. Pocket ShipPlotter charts are compatible Saturday, on a bright and sunny day in SF
with ShipPlotter charts and calibration files. Pocket ShipPlotter does not include as many options as the desktop version but it can save decoded Bay, we departed our home slip and headed
messages in a log file and complete data in an NMEA serial file. Unlike ShipPlotter, Pocket ShipPlotter does not accept receiver audio signals - it over to one of our favorite anchorages at
is only suitable with a serial AIS data source. Only ship position messages and ship static data messages are decoded by Pocket ShipPlotter but Clipper Cove between Treasure & Yerba
the option to save the complete NMEA serial data to a file allows you to replay the full data at a later date using ShipPlotter running on a laptop Buena islands here in SF Bay. Prior to
or desktop. You can download Pocket ShipPlotter from www.coaa.co.uk/pshipplotter.htm. departing, I had ShipPlotter running on my
laptop outputting AIS info to my electronic
Other interesting monitoring software for the Maritime Mobile Service charting program (OziExplorer).
The AIS system faithfully reported all the
If you are interested in ShipPlotter, you may also be interested in its sister application DSCdecoder.DSCdecoder decodes the Digital Selective ship, tug, and ferry traffic and since it was a
Calling (DSC) messages used under the GMDSS for distress and calling purposes. DSC signalling is used in the MF, HF and VHF bands for clear day, it was easy to relate the display to
distress and calling between ships and coast stations. Messages that can be decoded include routine calls for test purposes between ships and the real world. All the shipping info and
coast stations; calls to establish communication by some other means (voice, etc.) between a ship and a coast station; notification of routine and positions seemed to be very accurate. In fact, a
safety messages from coast stations; Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) messages, distress messages and distress relay messages. DSCdecoder will tug was returning from berthing a ship and as I
decode these messages and display and log their content. Like the AIS messages that ShipPlotter decodes, you can only hear the DSC messages approached Oakland outer harbor from the
on VHF if you are within VHF range of the sea. However, DSCdecoder also handles the DSC messages on MF and HF which can be received opposite side of the container pier, I noticed
over much greater distances if you have a suitable receiver. As an added bonus, DSCdecoder also decodes Navtex messages of navigational and the tug being plotted on ShipPlotter on the
meteorolgical warnings that are broadcast on 518 kHz. It also decodes the identity of DGPS stations in the maritime beacon band. You can other side. I couldn't see the tug since it was
download DSCdecoder from www.coaa.co.uk/dscdecoder.htm. on the other side of the pier but knew it was
there and took action to avoid the tug as we
both "popped" out at the end of the pier.
Another marine monitoring application is EpirbPlotter. EPIRBs are Emergency Position Identifying Radio Beacons. The newly approved Sailing the Bay on Sunday was easier as well
EPIRBs transmit digital messages on 406.025MHz. EpirbPlotter can decode these messages, including the messages transmitted when the Test especially with ShipPlotter accurately
function is activated. You can download EpirbPlotter from www.coaa.co.uk/epirbplotter.htm. showing course & speed for the high speed
ferry traffic (30 - 35 knots) coming south from
Vallejo, CA.
Requirements to run ShipPlotter As far as performance, ShipPlotter was
plotting shipping as far out as 25 nm. Much
Pentium level PC running WinXP/Vista/Win7/Win8 with compatible sound card. The real time processing of the AIS messages is processor farther than the radar. But, when the radar did
intensive and requires a machine of reasonable performance. To display large charts, you may also find that you require a surprising detect a ship, it was easy to identify and track.
amount of memory. Power drain on the battery bank was minimal
Dedicated AIS receiver with a serial output or a general purpose VHF band radio receiver tuned to one of the AIS channels. The receiver since the only extra load was running the
output should be taken from a discriminator tap with low phase and amplitude distortion. See below for a selection of receivers that will Yaesu FT2600 2m Ham radio.
work with ShipPlotter without modification. All in all, I think this is a very useful tool for
If you already have a receiver that does not have a discriminator output, have a look at Rene's wonderful resource identifing and avoiding the "heavies".
http://www.discriminator.nl/index-en.html which lists dozens of makes and models of receiver with details of how to connect to the Bev, thanks again for all of your efforts on this
discriminator output. This is really the secret to successful AIS decoding. program. The "radar" display is especially
useful.
Download ShipPlotter Rodney
S/V Sashay - K6YOT
ShipPlotter can be downloaded freely and comes as a standard self installing setup file. The file size is around 3 Mb. SF Bay, California

Download ShipPlotter (English W2k,XP,Vista,Win7,Win8,Win8.1,Win10 version 12.5.4.5) now.

To use earlier versions of ShipPlotter after 31 December 2019 you will need an updated WMM.COF file, which contains the coefficients for the World Magnetic
Model used to convert true bearings to magnetic.

Right click on this link and select "Save Target As". You should save the file to the application directory where you have installed ShipPlotter (eg:
C:\Program files\COAA\ShipPlotter\) and then restart ShipPlotter.

Registration of ShipPlotter
ShipPlotter can be freely downloaded and used for 21 days. After that time it must be registered. Registration can be done swiftly and securely on-line and costs only Euro
€25 for personal use and €215 for professional or corporate use. (VAT is added to these charges for customers within the EU). We strongly recommend that you ensure that
ShipPlotter performs to your complete satisfaction before registering.

Register ShipPlotter Now.

Support for ShipPlotter users

David Taylor has orchestrated an invaluable wikipedia for ShipPlotter users that you will find here.

ShipPlotter wikipedia.

There is a lively discussion forum for ShipPlotter users in the Groups.io egroups domain where users exchange hints, tips, charts and suggestions.

ShipPlotter forum.

FAQ file for ShipPlotter. If you have any questions relating to AIS or ShipPlotter, our FAQ file may have the answer.

FAQ File.

Charts for ShipPlotter

To get the best out of ShipPlotter you need charts on which to plot the traffic that you receive.

NV Charts
ShipPlotter can read digital nautical charts of Europe, the USA and the Carribean produced by NV Charts obtainable via this link.

ShipPlotter itself can import satellite images that are automatically calibrated for use with the program.

If you need coastline charts rather than satellite images, Hal Mueller has generously provided a means to generate charts at his splendid Mobile Geographics website,
where you can easily create a personalised chart of your local area.

Mobile Geographics chart generator.

If you are in North America, you can download charts in BSB format (that ShipPlotter can read directly) from http://www.charts.noaa.gov. The charts you want are Raster
Navigational Charts® (NOAA RNCs). Save the chart folder(s) in the chart files directory for ShipPlotter. Each folder contains a .BSB file and one or more .KAP files.

Free BSB (KAP) charts of the USA coastline.

An alternative, if you are in the USA, is a two-DVD set of charts from Managing the Waterway. The BSB charts on these DVDs can be read by ShipPlotter and they make
an attractive alternative (currently only $39.95) to downloading large volumes of data.

USA Charts on DVD.

If you are in western Europe, you can download compressed VMAP Level Zero charts below. ShipPlotter can read the vec/nam files and generate a customised outline
chart.

Compressed VMAP Outline Charts of western Europe.

Plug-ins for ShipPlotter

CombiPlotter provides you with a low-overhead means of displaying the ship data known to ShipPlotter on another chart view. It will plot simultaneous data from
ShipPlotter, PlanePlotter, OrbcommPlotter and SondeMonitor on a single chart.

CombiPlotter.

Richard (VE3IGE) has devised an add-on for ShipPlotter that manages a database and displays the information carried by special binary message formats that are used by
the AIS system in the St Lawrence Seaway area. The self installing package includes a VB runtime so it is somewhat over 4 Mb. The message formats include weather
reports, water level and water flow reports, lock sequence messages and other interesting data. Rick's database archives and displays this information with a very
professional user interface.

Rick's AIS Message Manager.

If you have an earlier version, Richard has released an update file which which adds the display of meteorological information from European base stations. It is the
replacement exe. You need to right click on the link below and select "Save As" and store it in the directory where the original AISMessage.exe is saved.

AIS Message Manager 2 update (exe only).

If you need to upload data at regular intervals to a web site (eg from the ship.vbs script), Richard has penned a utility to do that. Download the zip file, unzip it and run the
setup file.

Rick's Program Executioner.

SpUp (ShipPlotter Uploader) is a tiny freeware utility for Linux users. As the name suggests, it allows you to upload AIS data to the ShipPlotter sharing server using a
Linux box. It requires access to a serial port that receives AIS data in serial NMEA format from a dedicated AIS receiver, and Internet access. It can operate blind or in a
command line window with command line options to specify the com port number and the user sharing ID code. The executable file was compiled with static linking and
no library requirements. It has been tested on Red Hat/Fedora and SuSe but may work on other flavours of Linux.

ShipPlotter Uploader vsn 2.6.

Radios suitable for ShipPlotter

There are a number of dedicated AIS receivers that deliver data that ShipPlotter can accept.

The following list of dedicated AIS receivers is by no means exhaustive.

Special purpose AIS receiver/decoder

NASA Marine produce an inexpensive AIS Engine which is a dedicated receiver/decoder that provides a serial output that can be connected directly to a serial port on a PC
running ShipPlotter. It requires a separate 12 v power supply.

In addition to those, many VHF scanner receivers provide a discriminator output that can be connected to the PC Line-In and decoded by ShipPlotter. Many receivers that do not offer
a discriminator output can be modified to yield a suitable signal output by following the instructions on Rene's valuable web site.

ShipPlotter change log

Version changes in ShipPlotter are to be found here.

Version changes.

First Disclaimer

There are considerable variations in the legislation concerning radio reception in the different administrations around the world. It is your responsibility to determine
whether or not your local administration permits the reception of AIS messages from ships. It is specifically forbidden to use ShipPlotter for any illegal purpose
whatsoever. The existence and the availability of ShipPlotter is not to be construed as an incitement to commit any unlawful act. It is for use only in those states and regions
where such use is permitted.

Second Disclaimer

If you carry ShipPlotter on board any vessel you must understand that, while ShipPlotter may provide you with some potentially useful information about some of the ships
in your vicinity, COAA does not make any warranties whatsoever that ShipPlotter is fit or appropriate for any application, including but not limited to, applications where
the safety of life is at stake. On the contrary, your primary means of navigation, collision avoidance and seamanship in general must place no reliance whatsoever on
ShipPlotter or any of the data that it generates. Not all vessels carry AIS equipment; not all vessels that carry it can be relied upon to have it operational; the radio receiver
to which ShipPlotter is connected may not be delivering all messages in a decodable form; ShipPlotter may not decode messages correctly; ShipPlotter code is reliability
tested to an extent that is adequate for entertainment and educational use but is neither warranted nor tested for any operational use.

Contact us: [email protected]