shiptrax release date

[Harry Sundance]

Thats good to hear.

If the receiver is as good as some say, it should do well.

Look forward to the launch.

[Harry Sundance]

Just seen a post on another forum where a Shiptrax beta tester says testing is still ongoing and could delay the launch.  Is testing still happening?

[Andre Brandao]

That is affirmative, we are still fine tuning some software features.

[Harry Sundance]

Now Im totally confused?

Either the software is finished or it isn't?  If it's finished, is there still testing happening?  If it, how can you predict a release date?

This is just what you've been saying for 3 years.  I dont know if I can believe anything you say anymore.

I don't know if I can wait for Shiptrax.

[Fergal Clohessy]

then I suggest you dont wait.
patience is a virtue my friend. nagging will not bring the release date any closer!!

[Harry Sundance]

I didnt think I was nagging.  Airnav has been telling everyone for the last three years that  Shiptrax development is finished and it will be released soon or next month.

I've seen a list on another forum of all the Airnav announcements going back to 2008 when it said in April 2008 that Shiptrax would be ready by mid-August 2008.  Three years is a very big delay!!

This is just 2011:

January 2011
We have great news for all the fans waiting for ShipTrax: today AirNav Systems and its beta testing team finally approved the ShipTrax AIS receiver with very good results on 1-on-1 tests against competitor products.
So at this stage we have given the green light for the factory to start mass production of ShipTrax units.
Unfortunately this is something that takes some time due to several parts being shipped from many companies all over the world: we expect the first units to reach the market by mid April 2011.
Again we hope you feel happy about this: the ship enthusiast community will finally have an outstanding product that will revolutionize the market just like RadarBox did.
Again thanks for all your support.

April 2011
Unfortunately the production of hardware units for ShipTrax have been delayed due to parts shortages and a revised time for the launch for ShipTrax will be at the end of June.

We will provide a further update towards the start of June with more details and prices. We are hoping we can increase the production output once the parts have been shipped in and have an earlier launch date.

May 2011
We are getting really close to the release of the ShipTrax system.

Beta testing has started a long time ago and the software development is almost finished: at this stage we are looking for beta testers with:
- Experience with AirNav RadarBox;
- Experience with ship tarcking systems (ShipPlotter);

We will then select some new beta testers to further test ShipTrax.
Tks.

May 2011
We've started today the last stage of the ShipTrax software development. We hope to release the system by mid June 2011. It is looking amazing and this has been a big challenge for AirNav Systems. I'm sure are ship enthusiasts will love it as aviation enthusiasts love RadarBox. We will share further news when we have them.

27 May 2011
ShipTrax is more addictive than RadarBox...it's almost out.

23 June 2011
That's affirm we are still delayed with it this time because of software fine tuning. It shouldn't take more than 2 weeks to have the software totally finished. Cost will be similar to RadarBox. and will be announced on airnavsystems.com website.

23 June 2011
Hi Harry, that is a good question. If it would only depend on us it would have been released two years ago but unfortunately there are a lot of factors that we can't control.

Anyway the good thing is that:
- The hardware has impressive performance capturing a much higher number of messages than all the other receivers we have tried (sometimes 40% and 50% more) in exactly the same conditions;
- The software is very similar to AirNav RadaBox (for aviation) which has now thousands of happy users so a guaranteed success.

We appreciate all the patience of the users that have waited far too long but we're sure it will be a 100% success.

24 June 2011
As I write this message the last corrections on the software are being implemented. The hardware is finished.

24 June 2011
That is affirmative, we are still fine tuning some software features.

I think I've every reason to ask what's happening when the previously announced deadline has passed.  If thats nagging so be it.  There's always a different excuse - parts, software, Christmas, weddings, ash cloud!  I think this tests everyones patience.

[Christopher Gray]

Either the software is finished or it isn't?  If it's finished, is there still testing happening?

Would you prefer to have software that hasn't been tested?

Andre said "the last corrections on the software are being implemented".  Obviously, those corrections have to be tested by us beta-testers before the software can be considered "finished".

[Harry Sundance]

What I'd prefer is honesty instead of 3 years of broken promises.

How can anyone have any faith in Airnav after all this?

[Andre Brandao]

You will feel happy when you have your ShipTrax decoding 40% more messages than the competitors and we're sure you will forget the delays.

[BobS]

I live 1 km/one third of a mile from - and can see from my windows -  the banks of the lower Thames and the ships that sail thereon.
I also have the choice of at least two completely free and real-time AIS sites that can tell me what ships are coming - if I have not already sen them from my window.  How could I possibly benefit from buying Shiptrax?

[Andre Brandao]

Bob, having your own decoder and a dedicated Windows Software compared with watching traffic on a website could be compared to watching a football game on the field or at home on your TV.

The same question could be asked by thousands of RadarBox users who join the system every year: why buy a RadarBox unit if there are so many websites tracking aircraft nowadays?

With the ShipTrax software (which is based on AirNav's successful RadarBox software which has thousands of users nowadays) you will be able to do many things you could never do on the website you visit: you can keep a log of received ships, generate reports, create screen shots, generate alerts, run the software and track ships without being connected to the internet, generate filters, keep track of you own fleet.

[Harry Sundance]

Yes Andre it sounds fantastic. What I can't fathom (excuse the pun) is why its taking so long if it's based on Radarbox?  This isnt rocket science.

The other problem is buying Radarbox is expensive (

[henrycourt]

could bob let us know the "free" and real time ais sites he refers to. Of course the best one is the one you have to pay lots of money for 1 Rgds jw

[Glenn Towler]

So Andre let me make sure I understand the Shiptrax system correctly; basicly it works on the AIS System, providing additional information am I right?

If I am wrong please correct me, but if so it will be of no use to us shipspotters down here in Hobart where there are a couple of AIS reciving stations that are infrequently turned on.

And now any ships coming to load forestry products turn their AIS off about a week out from port.

Glenn

[Christopher Gray]

basicly it works on the AIS System, providing additional information am I right?

Correct.  ShipTrax is a combination of:
1. AIS Receiver
2. ShipTrax software to display the ship positions, details, photos, etc.  Log ships received, generate daily reports, provide alerts, fleet-watch, etc.....
3. ShipTrax network, tracking 8000+ ships globally and displaying these in the ShipTrax software.

So, for example, this screenshot shows the ShipTrax software tracking ships from my ShipTrax beta hardware, a TCP/IP feed from shipplotter (via. SP2TRAX), and the ShipTrax network.