Mayday calls - where is that exactly?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

I would love to figure out a better way. Most calls I hear on the US East Coast do include a geographical reference. That's a good start. Even better would be a technological solution, so the position of the distress came up on my chart plotter. Maybe AIS could be used for this?







My wife, a native-born American English speaker, does the same.



Usually, I can translate. I know the cadence and the basic format of their comms, so I just have to listen for the blanks where they insert variables.



Where I struggle is when the CG radio watchstander is a non-native (and sometimes, not even very good) English speaker. We had one at our local station. Nice enough kid, but it always worried me that someone was going to get hurt some day because of the incomprehensible comms. Luckily they "graduate" from radio watch to other roles fairly quickly.

Easy enough to contact CG radio and ask for repeat details. They are usually happy to oblige.

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Easy enough to contact CG radio and ask for repeat details. They are usually happy to oblige.

The US ones (especially) usually come back rattling off just as fast. Sorry, but they are taught to speedspeak. This is wrong in every single way since when speedspeak is used there is a greater chance of misunderstandings

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by carstenb

The US ones (especially) usually come back rattling off just as fast. Sorry, but they are taught to speedspeak. This is wrong in every single way since when speedspeak is used there is a greater chance of misunderstandings

Then ask them to slow down

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Yes agreed private pleasure vessels fall outside the listening watch scope anyway

Not in the US they don't. There's absolutely no exemption for a pleasure craft that keeps them from being required to monitor VHF. The only exception is if they don't have a VHF on board, where they obviously can't monitor (and most pleasure craft aren't required to have one).

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Not in the US they don't. There's absolutely no exemption for a pleasure craft that keeps them from being required to monitor VHF. The only exception is if they don't have a VHF on board, where they obviously can't monitor (and most pleasure craft aren't required to have one).

That’s not my read is DSC equipped

[Sailor Sailor]

From the U.S. Coast Guard:

"Radio Listening Watch
Vessels not required to carry a marine radio – for example, recreational vessels less than 65 .6 feet (20 meters) in length, but which voluntarily carry a radio – must maintain a watch on Channel 16 (156 .800 MHz) or VHF Channel 9 (156 .450 MHz), the boater-calling channel, whenever the radio is operating and not being used to communicate ." p.76 https://www.uscgboating.org/images/420.PDF

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Not in the US they don't. There's absolutely no exemption for a pleasure craft that keeps them from being required to monitor VHF. The only exception is if they don't have a VHF on board, where they obviously can't monitor (and most pleasure craft aren't required to have one).

When We took our LRC we were taught that undet IMO rules- if you have radio then you have an obligation to keep a watch

[Sailor Sailor]

How can a boater fulfill his federal duty of rendering assistance without monitoring channel 16?:

From 46 U.S. Code Section 2304:

"(a)
(1)A master or individual in charge of a vessel shall render assistance to any individual found at sea in danger of being lost, so far as the master or individual in charge can do so without serious danger to the master’s or individual’s vessel or individuals on board.
(2)Paragraph (1) does not apply to a vessel of war or a vessel owned by the United States Government appropriated only to a public service.
(b)A master or individual violating this section shall be fined not more than $1,000, imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both.
(Pub. L. 98–89, Aug. 26, 1983, 97 Stat. 509; Pub. L. 109–304, § 15(8), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1703.) "

As I read the definitions for the application of this code section, "vessel" would include pleasure or recreational craft.

1 U.S. Code Section 3: "The word “vessel” includes every description of watercraft or other artificial contrivance used, or capable of being used, as a means of transportation on water.

(July 30, 1947, ch. 388, 61 Stat. 633.)"

If you recall an earlier discussion on portable gas containers, it applied to vessels subject to U.S. regular inspections. This is different.

[goboatingnow]

The point is the radio listening for a DSC alarm on ch70 now fulfills the obligation of a listening watch. Since Under GMDSS the distress alert is rebroadcast from the shore your ch70 “ listening “ picks up the distress.

GMDSS is not designed for ship to ship distress. The GMDSS carriage requirements require two independent methods of testing the shore must be carried for compulsory fit vessels.

[capt jgw]

Originally Posted by carstenb

The US ones (especially) usually come back rattling off just as fast. Sorry, but they are taught to speedspeak. This is wrong in every single way since when speedspeak is used there is a greater chance of misunderstandings

Not to mention their proprietary jargon. They get used to talking to each other and forget to speak common English. We heard a call once from a boater, obviously panicked, and the CG watch stander kept telling him to "pass your traffic". The poor schmuck didn't know what that meant so he didn't say anything. After three or four repetitions I finally jumped in and said "just tell them what you need". Turned out he was just out of gas but they got another boater to help him.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by carstenb

When We took our LRC we were taught that undet IMO rules- if you have radio then you have an obligation to keep a watch

Not if the radio is now DSC fitted. ( since around 2007 ) A listening watch is not required on the distress voice channel or the old alarm frequency
I’m GOC certified. ( SRC + LRC + sat and TOR )

[Sailor Sailor]

Since 1999, the FCC required that new fixed-mount VHF radios be equipped with DSC. As far as I know, it was not grandfathered to apply to existing VHF radios, so there are likely scores of boats out there without DSC.

In the Chesapeake Bay, many of the fisherman use CB radios for their communications with each other. I assume a rescue would ultimately be relayed to the U.S.C.G. and involve alerts to other boaters by the U.S.C.G. on channel 16.

There are numerous scenarios in which listening to 16 would allow one to fulfill one's legal requirement in the U.S. to render assistance and relying on a DSC alarm alone would not.

This discussion has gotten way off track from the OP's original inquiry, which can be simply answered by realizing we should know our approximate coordinates while we are underway, and understand a degree is roughly 60 n.m. and a minute is roughly 1 n.m. (longitude being less as we move toward the poles).

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Sailor Sailor

Since 1999, the FCC required that new fixed-mount VHF radios be equipped with DSC. As far as I know, it was not grandfathered to apply to existing VHF radios, so there are likely scores of boats out there without DSC.

In the Chesapeake Bay, many of the fisherman use CB radios for their communications with each other. I assume a rescue would ultimately be relayed to the U.S.C.G. and involve alerts to other boaters by the U.S.C.G. on channel 16.

There are numerous scenarios in which listening to 16 would allow one to fulfill one's legal requirement in the U.S. to render assistance and relying on a DSC alarm alone would not.

This discussion has gotten way off track from the OP's original inquiry, which can be simply answered by realizing we should know our approximate coordinates while we are underway, and understand a degree is roughly 60 n.m. and a minute is roughly 1 n.m. (longitude being less as we move toward the poles).

The situation is compulsory fit vessels cannot put to sea without having the correct GMDSS equipment on board. It’s illegal to do so. There is no “ grandfather “ clause. Compulsory fit vessels not upgrading to GMDSS compliance are breaking the law.

Non compulsory fit vessels which have DSC fitted remain not obligated to maintain a ch 16 listening as their radio is always listening to ch 70. Class D vhf specifically fullfills this obligation

Non compulsory fit vessels which do not have DSC must maintain a vhf 16 watch if the radio is being used

In all cases merely contact the mrcc radio to ascertain of you can be of help and where the causality is situated.

[JBP]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Easy enough to contact CG radio and ask for repeat details. They are usually happy to oblige.

With thousands of people in the listening area, that would be quite a problem if everyone asked for geographic details.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by JBP

With thousands of people in the listening area, that would be quite a problem if everyone asked for geographic details.

That’s not your problem. CG radio does not get thousands of responses and certainly doesn’t want 1000s turning up to a distress alert anyway. Always contact CG radio before attending a designated distress.

Remember it’s not the same under GMDSS. GMDSS moves the command and control away from ships and into mrcc centres. What’ve people here are describing is the old SOLAS convention that has been amended with GMDSS adoption .

GMDSS is badly understood amongst US pleasure operators cause of lack of formal radio training. Elsewhere formal radio covers GMDSS rescue strategy comprehensively