Hear the ships outside your window.

1. Connect the antenna and receiver

1. Screw the two longer telescopic elements into the antenna base. Extend each to about 42 cm of exposed length.
2. Mount the antenna indoors at your best window, with one element pointing up and the other down.
3. Screw the antenna cable's small metal connector into the receiver. Use the included extension if needed to reach the window.
4. Plug the receiver into your computer's USB port, using a data adapter if needed.

That's all the hardware for this setup. The manufacturer's illustrated antenna guide shows the mounts and element lengths. Keep this antenna indoors for ongoing use.

2. Get your token and download the config

1. Open the token page in a new tab. Optionally give your station a public name, accept the contributor agreement, and generate your token. Leave the network-address binding option unchecked.
2. Under AIS-catcher, choose Download AIS-catcher config. Save aiscatcher.json in your Downloads folder. If your browser adds a number to the filename, rename it to aiscatcher.json.
3. Keep the token tab open: it contains your station link for the final check.

The file already contains your private token, the RTL-SDR input, and the Open Waters output. Keep it private, just like a password. Your station name and shared receptions are public.

This config is for a new receiver setup. Don't replace an existing receiver's config with it. Receiving starts when you press Start; then your receptions are shared with Open Waters under the agreement you accepted. AIS-catcher's separate community sharing is disabled.

3. Install AIS-catcher and load your config

AIS-catcher is free software that receives ships and gives you a dashboard in your browser. Follow the instructions for your computer.

.\AIS-catcher.exe -E .\aiscatcher.json 127.0.0.1:8118

brew install git make gcc cmake pkg-config sqlite3 librtlsdr openssl@3
git clone https://github.com/jvde-github/AIS-catcher.git --depth 1
cd AIS-catcher
mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="$(brew --prefix openssl@3)"
make
sudo make install

AIS-catcher -E ~/Downloads/aiscatcher.json 127.0.0.1:8118

sudo bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jvde-github/AIS-catcher/main/scripts/aiscatcher-install) -p -M"

sudo systemctl stop ais-catcher
sudo install -b -o aiscatcher -g aiscatcher -m 600 ~/Downloads/aiscatcher.json /etc/AIS-catcher/aiscatcher.json
sudo chmod 700 /etc/AIS-catcher
sudo systemctl restart ais-catcher

4. Start receiving and sharing

1. On the same computer, open http://localhost:8118 in your browser. This is your receiver's dashboard.
2. Set a dashboard admin password when asked. The downloaded config has already selected your RTL-SDR and Open Waters output, so you don't need the setup wizard.
3. Press Start. This starts local reception and shares your ship messages with Open Waters over an encrypted connection.
4. Look at the dashboard's local map and received-message count. With traffic in range, the count increases and ships appear.

You're receiving ships directly from your window. Give the receiver time to hear passing traffic; some ship details arrive less often than positions. If nothing arrives, check these fixes before buying more equipment.

Keep your computer awake while receiving. You can close the browser tab; AIS-catcher itself must stay running. Keep the dashboard on your home network and don't forward its port through your router.

5. Open your station page

Return to the token tab and follow your station's link. Check that it shows recent receptions while your local receiver is hearing ships. That confirms your data is reaching Open Waters; finding the same ship on the worldwide map alone doesn't.

Your receptions are shared under CC0 and the volunteer database under ODbL. See how contributor access works and how the open network shares your data.

Once your token earns contributor access, you can also read the network in a separate AIS-catcher viewer. Keep that viewer separate from this receiver’s sharing output so network traffic is not sent back as your own reception.

If no ships appear

Still stuck? Email us with your computer type and the step you're on, without your token. See also AIS-catcher troubleshooting.