SBARC operates two two AIS receivers, station 533 and station 1360 to monitor the SB Channel.
Bill Talanian
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| MarineTraffic Contributors Newsletter |
| October 2024 |
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Dear community member,
As Halloween approaches, we wanted to add a touch of spooky fun to this month's newsletter! Whether you're out there capturing hauntingly beautiful maritime shots or tracking eerie movements on your AIS stations, we’ve got some spine-chilling updates and challenges just for you. 🎃
Stay tuned for eerie stories, frighteningly good photography, and a little Halloween treat to keep your antenna signals strong and your cameras snapping.
Don’t let the ghosts of the sea scare you away!
Happy Halloween!👻
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Featured contributor of the month
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Our featured contributor for this month is David Theron. He is an amateur radio operator managing four stations across South Africa, with his largest coverage station based in Napier (Station ID 6950). At 30 years old, he resides in Worcester, South Africa, and works as a fiber maintenance technician for an internet service provider.
Born deaf, David received a cochlear implant at the age of four, an experience that deepened his understanding of the importance of effective communication. Driven by a lifelong curiosity about alternative forms of communication, he earned his amateur radio operator’s license at 18, broadcasting under the call sign ZS1GA.
How David discovered MarineTraffic
A few years ago, David installed a Flightradar24 antenna on Theronsberg, achieving the third-best coverage in South Africa. While aviation has long been an interest of his, he’s equally passionate about maritime activity and the sea, which led him to volunteer with the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).
Seeing the essential service that Flightradar24 provides for aircraft sparked his curiosity about a similar tracking system for seagoing vessels. After some research, he discovered MarineTraffic and reached out, offering to help by installing antennas to aid maritime tracking. The setup process, communicated via email, was simple and straightforward. Within days, we sent him the necessary equipment at no cost, allowing him to make a valuable contribution to seafaring safety and vessel monitoring.
About the location - Elevated towers in South Africa
The company David works for maintains communication towers across the Western Cape, strategically positioned on high mountain peaks. After thorough research, he identified the optimal spots to install MarineTraffic antennas. Two of these installations, located in Lamberts Bay and Napier, provide excellent coverage and have proven highly effective for tracking seagoing vessels.
Separately, Banderas Bay has become a popular destination for cruising sailors during the winter. Arriving typically in November, they stay through the winter months, as the bay’s orientation makes it a natural hurricane hole, shielding it from Pacific hurricanes. Many sailors even keep their boats there through the summer and early fall, the area’s designated hurricane season, to benefit from the bay’s protective geography.
Insights and Advice
Being active in our communities is essential, and what better way to contribute than by helping vessels in distress?
Through my partnership with MarineTraffic, I’m also installing an antenna for FlightAware to support air traffic coverage. Collaboration and mutual assistance are key—it's up to all of us to lend a hand whenever we can.
— D. Theron
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Photos of the Month
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We are thrilled to present this month’s curated selection of photographs from our talented community.
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Do you want your photo to be featured in our newsletter?
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| Upload a photo |
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Ship Hunt Challenge: Spot & shot!
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Dear Photographers,
As you may know, last month we have launched the spot&shot challenge and we are happy to announce that 2 of the vessels hunted last month have been spotted by our talented photographers.
Thanks to Bonici Emmanuel , Hannes van Rijn, Peet de Rouw, Jan Verhoog, Helmut Seger and Thomas Hofmann beginning with this month, you can admire photos of CMA CGM FORT JAMES.
Also, NORD VULCAN is now present in our gallery thanks to the first shots of Erick Montalvo.
For those of you excited to take part in this month's challenge, here are the featured ships. Follow their voyages here:
HLS FLUORITE
PERTAMINA GAS DAHLIA
AMALFI BAY
CMA CGM POINTE DU PITON
CMA CGM ALTAMIRA
MI SHAN
TINOS I
ASIA INSPIRE
VOYAGER NO.1
ISLA PUNA
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Invite someone you know!
Share the link below with your friends and help them join the world's largest network to receive AIS .
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| Become an AIS station partner |
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Thank you all for being a member of this great community!
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