Boat Beacon - AIS Navigation

Electric Pocket

In-app purchases

About this app

AIS receiver and display using just your Android device.

Boat Beacon is the only Marine AIS ship tracking app to provide Collision Detection, use real-time data and share your own boat’s position with other internet AIS users.

Specifically designed for use on the water, as well as showing all the Ships around you on a chart, Boat Beacon uniquely provides Bearing, Range and Closest Point of Approach (CPA) calculations in addition to AIS ship information. Transmits as well as receives internet AIS and is the only app that continuously monitors CPA, notifying if potential collisions are detected even when the app is in the background.

Key Features
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Receives and sends AIS ship data in real-time via the internet. No VHF AIS receiver, transponder or aerial required.

Over the horizon Collision and SART detection (30 miles radius) using continuous Closest Point of Approach (CPA) calculations - highlights boats that are on a potential collision course and alarms even when the app is in the background.

Provides Bearing and Distance information to other boats in addition to AIS information like speed, course, location, name, length etc. Shows you a track of the boats most recent voyage.

Share your live position, speed course and destination. People can follow you using Boat Beacon or our free Boat Watch app and on leading internet AIS systems like MarineTraffic and Ship Finder. Transmit also works continuously in the background when enabled.

Live Map view with compass overlay which rotates with you so you can look in the direction of the ships on the map to locate them. You can also tilt the map to get a 3D perspective by dragging upwards with two fingers.

NOAA US and UKHO Marine Charts (IAP required)

Extensive details on other ships including Photos.

Search for boats or places by name or MMSI.

Share your track and position with friends and family instantly and in real time via email, Twitter and Facebook etc.

AIS Share lets you share BoatBeacon's live AIS data with other apps like Navionics on your device. (IAP required with free 3 day trial)

Arm all the crews in a race with Boat Beacon and have real time updates on the race positions. Watch the action back in the Club-house too on a large screen with Boat Beacon's TV/Video Out support

VHF AIS with RTL-SDR and AIS Share app.

Local NMEA AIS via Wifi and USB.

Boat Beacon requires internet access to work. Most popular coastal areas around the world including the US and UK have mobile data access (2G or better) extending 12 or more miles out to sea.

Requirements:
Android Smartphone or Tablet with GPS.
Internet connection.

You do not need an MMSI to use Boat Beacon and you can be seen on Boat Beacon by other Boat Beacon users without having one. However if you want to be seen on Global AIS systems like Marine Traffic, Ship Finder and AIS Hub, etc. then you will need to have and use an MMSI number. If you don't have an MMSI for your boat you can obtain a free one in the US by visiting http://www.boatus.com/mmsi (the USCG approved agent) and using their online form. Alternatively email us for a free internet MMSI number.

Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

AIS Ship data is provided by a network of voluntary AIS shore based stations. Some areas may not have AIS coverage.

N.B. This is not an AIS transponder. You will not be visible to other ships on their AIS systems unless they also use data from the same land based AIS networks.

NOT FOR NAVIGATION
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful. Boat Beacon should only be used for basic navigation reference and should not be solely relied upon to determine precise locations, proximity, distance, or direction.

Ratings and reviews

I purchased this app over a year ago. Since then I upgraded to a new phone. Using the same account, when I install the app on the new phone, I can't get live view. When I click on Add Live View and Upgrade Now, it gives me an error and says I already own the app. Uninstalling and reinstalling doesn't help. This problem has persisted for months and the developer hasn't been able to resolve it.

Doesn't show boats on smaller rivers only buzy ones and uses loads of battery life.

Ive used this app since i started sharing to Steve's site . The app is my daily driver and have my ais-catcher decoder linked to it as well through various receivers .The app is decent for its simplicity and the ability to share from/to multiple devices is excellent. Also the maps and ship icons are laid out clearly and you can differentiate between them . I see some negative reviews with regards to navigation remember these apps are more hobbyist than accuracy. Keep up the good work . Rab

What's new

Updated to latest Android OS 14 requirements.
Share will now also provide a kml file (viewable in Google Maps) of your track as well as your position.
Camera can now be used to take and upload ship photos in the app.