User's Manual

3
1.1 Class A vs. Class B AIS
A brief comparison of class A and class B AIS is illustrated in the following table.
CAMINO-108 is a class B AIS transponder.
Table 1-1 Comparison of Class A and Class B
Type of AIS
Class A AIS
Class B AIS
Communication
Protocol
SOTDMA (Self-organizing)
CSTDMA (Carrier-Sense)
Transmit Power and
range
12.5w (25 NM expected)
2w (5-7 NM expected)
IMO Mandate
Mandatory for all SOLAS
compliant vessels
No mandate
Reporting rate
dynamic data
Higher (transmission up to
every 2 sec)
Lower (transmission up to
every 30 sec)
AIS data presented
Static, Dynamic, Voyage
Static and Dynamic data
Applications
Commercial vessels, fishing
boats, working boats,
passenger boats with more
than 12 passengers
Recreational vessels and
small fishing boats