AMEC AIS AtoN device has the ability to support following applications:
- Lantern;
- Buoy;
- Lighthouse;
- Reef or rock warning;
- Synthetic/Virtual AtoN stations;
- Fishing farm;
- Wind farm;
- Chaining of AIS AtoN stations;
- Marking of wrecks;
- Marking of off-shore wave and tidal devices;
- etc.
A chain of AIS AtoN Stations allows for communication from an AIS Base Station to AIS AtoN Stations that are remotely located and unable to communicate directly with the Base Station. Messages are passed from station to station until the intended recipient is reached.
The concept requires an AIS AtoN Station to have knowledge of other AIS AtoN Stations in the chain, namely its parent and all children below it in the chain. A “parent station” is a station that is in the direction of the Base Station. A “child station” is a station that is directed away from a Base Station. In order to prevent unnecessary retransmission of the messages, each AIS AtoN Station in a chain may have only one parent, but may have multiple children (this includes all Synthetic and Virtual AIS AtoN).
Messages 6 and 25 are used for the transfer of the encrypted binary field. It is assumed that the whole chain has the same encryption key.