Why does the Garmin® Chartplotter only Display a Few AIS Targets when there are many in the List?

There may be instances where many different AIS targets show in the AIS list, but only a portion of them are shown as targets on the chart page.

The reason this occurs is by design in order to better protect all boaters. The display automatically chooses the most threatening targets to draw on the map to avoid clutter concerns. The device is intuitive enough to only show the Time to Closest Point of Approach (TCPA) vector for the vessel(s) which are expected to penetrate the safe zone.

Less clutter and smarter organization of TCPA vessel(s) will ensure a better more safe boating experience for users of the AIS system.