AIS DX Aggregator (V 1.17)

Using AIS for VHF propagation monitoring

AIS DX Aggregator is a program that allows AIS receiving stations to automatically upload AIS DX reports to DXMAPS so that they can be shown on the AIS DX maps, listings, etc.

The program takes the NMEA frames from any UDP stream provided by your receiver or receiving software (ShipPlotter for instance), interpret and filter them, and upload the data to DXMAPS server.

Using AIS DX Aggregator is extremely easy and if you already have an AIS receiving station you can be uploading AIS DX reports in minutes. Simply follow these steps:

1.- Download the program, unZIP it and place it in any folder of your computer you whish (for instance C:\program files\AisDXAggregator).  The program does not require installation in most of the cases. Just place it in a folder and run it.  If you get an error message indicating that some files are missing then download a full setup package , place it in an empty folder and run it from there (do no run it directly from internet)

2.- Enter your amateur radio callsign or choose your station ID if you are not a radio amateur, your locator/grid square, the frequency your are receiving and the UDP port where your receiver or receiving software is sharing the NMEA frames. Then press "Start monitoring".

If all is OK you will immediately see the NMEA frames received in the "Raw message received" box. Otherwise it means that the UDP port configured in AIS DX Aggregator and in your receiving software don't match. Please notice that port 4258 used in this example can be any available UDP port in your system.  Just make sure that it is the same that you have configured in your receiving software for sharing the data.

Leave the program running (you can minimize it if you want). As soon as it detects a coherent reception of a ship above 300 km it will automatically send the information to DXMAPS.

If you are using ShipPlotter for decoding AIS, go to "Options - I/O settings" to configure the UDP port, as show below.

If you are running ShipPlotter and AIS DX aggregator on the same computer you must use the "localhost" IP address 127.0.0.1

If you are running AIS DX Aggregator on a second computer you must configure the IP address of that computer. Just bear in mind that both must be in the same network.

If you are using AIS Dispatcher to share your data with other services you can also easily configure to share it with the AIS DX Aggregator. Go to "Configuration" to configure the UDP port, as show below.

If you are running AIS Dispatcher and AIS DX aggregator on the same computer you must use the "localhost" IP address 127.0.0.1

If you are running AIS DX Aggregator on a second computer you must configure the IP address of that computer.

Some users of AIS Logger have reported problems sharing messages with AIS DX Aggregator. A way to solve this is to use AIS Dispatcher (see above) in the middle.  This is an example of how could be done running all programs on same computer:

• Receiver is connected to AIS Logger
• AIS Logger forwards the frames to Marinetraffic (for instance) and also to localhost @ UDP port 5341
• AIS Dispatcher listens on localhost UDP port 5341 and outputs data packets to localhost UDP port 4258.
• AIS DX Aggregator monitors localhost UDP port 4258.

If you are having some trouble using AIS DX Aggregator don't hesitate to E-Mail me

You could also be interested in the APRS DX Aggregator, in the WSJT DX Aggregator and in the MAP65 DX Aggregator

Changes in version 1.17:

• Improved control of wrongly formatted AIS frames in order to avoid run-time errors.

Changes in version 1.16:

• When the window is minimized it shows in the Windows task bar, instead of in the notification area, in order to avoid confusion.

Changes in version 1.15:

• Uses any available local UDP port.
• References to MSINET.OCX removed.

Changes in version 1.14:

• Spots are sent to DXMAPS in a UDP connection, instead of using HTTP.

Changes in version 1.12:

• Allows to select a minimum distance to consider the reception as a DX.  Intended for receiving stations which routinely receive ships above 300 km.

Changes in version 1.11:

• Control of possible socket problems that could cause the program stops receiving. Monitoring is restarted automatically.

Changes in version 1.10:

• Help URL for locator calculation changed.

Changes in version 1.9:

• Fixed program crash with "Error 5" when a message with an unknown Positioning Device was received.
• Spots for MMSI 000000000 are not sent.

Changes in version 1.8:

• Control if the UDP port is in use.

Changes in version 1.7:

• Supports receiving data from AIS Dispatcher software.

Changes in version 1.6:

• Improved control on ships sending unstable lat/lon information

Changes in version 1.5:

• Allow configuration of reception via AIS repeaters (highly recommended to leave the option disabled).Repeater spots are filtered out by default at DXMAPS server. If for whatever reason you consider they must be accepted for your please E-Mail me

Changes in version 1.4:

• Decrease minimum distance for DX spots to 300 km
• Cosmetic improvements

Changes in version 1.3:

• Allow the automatic detection of the frequency for dual channel receivers
• Changes in the minimum distance limit
• Cosmetic improvements

Changes in version 1.2:

• Centralized control of messages received via repeater.
• Supports message type 21

Changes in version 1.1:

• Discard messages having passed for more than one repeater.
• Indication of messages received via AIS repeater.

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