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Marine Communications: Safety at Sea Seminar
Marine Communications: Safety at Sea Seminar
GMDSS Continued:
You must register your vessel and receive a free MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identifier) number.
Communications Options
VHF.. Close by
If you are equipped with a satellite GMDSS certified system (Inmarsat C), activate the red button.
Stand by for answer.
If No GMDSS Response
GMDSS satellite system is worldwide but it could be possible that you do not receive a response because your own equipment is inoperative. If you have an Iridium telephone, call preprogrammed emergency numbers (USCG, etc) Activate your 406 mhz EPIRB, hopefully equipped with GPS. Wait patiently.
I want to check in with the daily ham radio network and give location, weather and condition.
I just want to yack with other sailors. I want to check in to a ship-to-ship network.
Business Communications
We need some replacement parts when we get ashore.
Something has broken down and I have to speak with a shore side technician.
Be aware of restrictions on business communications.
Qualifying Questions
How far do you want to communicate? With whom? How often will you use it? How important is the message? How much skill is reasonable to expect of the operator?
Handheld VHF
Range: Cost: Best Uses: 3 miles (another boat) to 20 miles (CG tower) $100 to $300 Cockpit safety, ship to dinghy, small boats (inflatables, kayaks) Some uses are illegal but handy, short range, few channels
Limitations:
Limitations:
Boats which heel or roll may be better off with a wide-beam low-gain antenna
Iridium 9555
Iridium
Range: Cost: Worldwide $1500-$2500 plus $1.49 per minute plus $20 per month Also rental Portable voice communications where there is no cellular, or where phone calls are expensive Hard to know if they can afford to replace LEO satellites 2400 baud for data, 9600 with compression
Best Uses:
Limitations:
Limitations:
Ham/SSB Differences
SSB (commercial) radios are channelized Channel 802, 1206, etc by turn of knob Specific channels set aside for specific uses. Ship-to-ship; ship-to-shore Ham radio has continuous coverage in specified bands. Used to require two separate radios. Newer equipment (Icom 710) combines.
HF Antenna Considerations
Two general types
23 fiberglass whip antennas Insulated wire antennas
Requires an antenna tuner to match frequency to wire length Requires a counterpoise in contact with water or coupled to water
SSB Radio
Counterpoise
Inmarsat C
Standard C/Inmarsat C
Range: Cost: Best Uses: Worldwide $2,500 plus $0.25 for 32 characters Reliable messages worldwide Emergency position reporting Free text weather 4X per day for free Small antenna, relatively simple installation Expensive if brevity is not your forte
Limitations:
Inmarsat Mini-M
Inmarsat Mini-M
Range: Cost: Nearly worldwide $3,000 (non-stabilized to $6,000 stabilized) $2.50 per minute Best Usages: Reliable voice, fax and data Foolproof Limitations: Expensive
EPIRBs
406 MHz Beacons
Category 1 (hydrostatic release) Category 2 (manual release) PLB 121.5 not monitored after 1 Feb 2009
Unique encoding for each unit Register it with NOAA (its free!) World wide coverage Available with GPS signal transmission potential Waterproof, reliable, buoyant, rugged
West Marine
West Marine
GMDSS
Global Marine Distress & Safety System
Evolved from 1979 meeting of IMO (International Maritime Organization) Satellite- and terrestrial radio-based Changed from ship-to-ship to ship-to-shore
Uses Rescue Coordination Centers End of Morse Code Enables automatic transmissions Reduces need to monitor emergency frequencies
Additional Notes
National Distress Response System (NDRS)
VHF based system, coastal and 30 miles out. Digitally based system plus voice Direction finding ability by Coast Guard using multiple towers or GPS input Automated broadcasts Up to six emergency channels RCCs connected to NDRS Completion by end of 2007 or 2008 (hopefully)
The End
Thank you for your attention This presentation available at www.arholub.com