Need help tracking a ship's location online

[FinelyRetired]

Having difficulty using a website called. www.marinetraffic.com to track

present location of Diamond Princess. Admittedly, we're not very computer literate.

 

Need assistance/instructions to locate a cruise ship on that site. Specifically, where a ship is located within a large, general area...such as SE Asia and anywhere between Singapore and Beijing. Leave Mon on a cruise & husband here at home may want to see where Diamond is in that area at any given time he happens to look.

 

Perhaps there's another ship locator site that would be easier to use?

 

Thanks.

[jocap]

I use the site most evenings....have you pressed the button at the top of the page, marked "Vessels" ? The drop down menu asks you to put in the name of the ship, then in the next box press "passenger", then search.

If the ship is radioing in, then the signal should be picked up and transferred onto the map.

It can be a bit hitty- missy...I was following Ventura this week, and knew where she should be, but there was no record of her....tonight there she is, starting her Transatlantic...

Hope this helps....:)

Jo.

[B and C Blake]

I usually uncheck all the boxes on the left side ..leave passenger, underway and anchored/ moored

It makes it easier to locate ships.:D

[rimau]

That is cool but i could not find any Princess ships. Am I doing something wrong with the names or are they not on. Had no trouble finding the Ryndam.

[FinelyRetired]

Jo and B&C Blake:

 

OK. Tried both methods. No luck.

 

When I did Ship Name (Diamond Princess) & passenger vessel, I got no record found message. (I did play around with this and was able to quickly find the Ruby Princess right where she's supposed to be in the Med.).

 

Then I went to: South China Sea, and only left Passenger ships checked. It brought up that area fine, both map and satellite versions........but no ships were showing anywhere even when I added a check for tankers. As I enlarged, the numbered grids appeared.........but still not a single ship of any kind showed up?

[bob brown]

I don't know for sure, but sometimes ships are out of range of coverage. Try this alternate site http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/cruiseships.phtml

This uses a different method. It is not automated like the other, but solely depends on ships reporting their positions and weather conditions. Sometimes they update hourly, other times months can go by.

[B and C Blake]

If you play around with the wheel on your mouse and roll it down. The map expanded outward.

You will see green squares. If the ship is not found within a squared area it is temporarily out of range.

 

I have checked and then a few hours to half a day later found the out of range ship.

 

Also Diamond Princess has a bridge cam on the cruise site. It tells exactly where the ship is. http://www.princess.com/bridgecams/

[donaldsc]

The diamond princess bridge cam gives you a general idea of where the ship is heading.

 

DON

[Capt_BJ]

marinetraffic.com reports positions as they are 'captured' from participating shore based AIS stations.

 

AIS is a short range transmission system, typicaly a ship must be within 20 miles or so of a participating shore receiver.

 

In some parts of the world there simply are no participating receivers to collect the data and the ship will be reported as 'out of range'

[FinelyRetired]

marinetraffic.com reports positions as they are 'captured' from participating shore based AIS stations.

 

AIS is a short range transmission system, typicaly a ship must be within 20 miles or so of a participating shore receiver.

 

In some parts of the world there simply are no participating receivers to collect the data and the ship will be reported as 'out of range'

 

OK. Rather like Loran?

[Capt_BJ]

No - LORAN stands for LOng RAnge Navigation and is a very low frequency that travels very very far. Transmitters were on land and the recivers on ships and airplanes - to determine thier geographic position. {Note, that US has shut down LORAN transmissions over the last couple of years having deemed it un-necess'ly redundant to GPS.}

 

AIS is actually just a data burst broadcast on a VHF-FM channel which has been designated for this 'new' purpose. Relatively new anyway. VHF-FM is a purely line of sight system and intended for short range ship to ship and ship to shore communication.

 

The original intent of AIS was for the automated exchange of basic information from ships bridge to bridge, the same types of information the two ships would commonly exchage when "risk of collision" existed and they wated to arrange "a meeting". Knowing the, ship's name, course, speed, destination, type vessel all help this process while eliminating the need for a 20 question discussion by voice.

 

Shore stations have found this information very useful as well but the nature of VHF-FM limits the transmission range.

[jocap]

Diamond Princess didn't show up last night under Vessels, but she's there tonight, happily sailing north (18.27 GMT). I also found her route in cruisett.com

Jo.

[FinelyRetired]

I don't know for sure, but sometimes ships are out of range of coverage. Try this alternate site http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/cruiseships.phtml

This uses a different method. It is not automated like the other, but solely depends on ships reporting their positions and weather conditions. Sometimes they update hourly, other times months can go by.

 

Bob Brown: Yes, this works. Found her easily. No country names appeared:eek: and it was a bit of a test of our gneeral geography knowledge.:o But we decided she was off Vietnam around Saigon.

 

Then we checked the Diamond's bridge cam as donaldsc & Capt_BJ suggested. Her heading was toward Laem Chabang. Fits the itinerary as her last port was Phu My.

 

So this will work. Thanks, Martha

[FinelyRetired]

Diamond Princess didn't show up last night under Vessels, but she's there tonight, happily sailing north (18.27 GMT). I also found her route in cruisett.com

Jo.

 

Jo: Yes I see her on the marine traffic site tonight. Thanks for posting.

 

So, DH will try that first for best view/info and if she's not showing can use the other methods.

 

I'll mention cruisett.com to him as well.

 

So.......thanks all here for the prompt & clear advice.

 

Martha

[jocap]

I see you've already got a site for her web cam....if you want to see other lines, there's some good pictures at webcamgalore.com

It's mainly a German site, so has a lot of Aida pics, plus most of the Princess, P&O, Costa etc.

Jo.