diff --git a/ais_query.sh b/ais_query.sh
index 43e9662..04e1c38 100755
--- a/ais_query.sh
+++ b/ais_query.sh
@@ -184,4 +184,4 @@ trap cleanup EXIT INT TERM
 SUBSCRIPTION_MSG=$(create_subscription_message)
 
 # Connect to websocket and send subscription message
-echo "$SUBSCRIPTION_MSG" | websocat -n -H "Sec-WebSocket-Protocol: json"  -v "$WEBSOCKET_URL" - | process_message
+echo "$SUBSCRIPTION_MSG" | websocat -n --text - -H "Sec-WebSocket-Protocol: json" -v autoreconnect:"$WEBSOCKET_URL" | process_message