Why is the CG Unintelligible When They are on the Radio?

[BlackHeron]

Up in the air you get a nice clean VHF signal. Even with a nice antenna and good coax feedline way up on the masthead it doesn't compare to the clean signal you get in up there in the choppa.

Apples and oranges. If they expect us to hear them and copy their transmissions down here on the water then they need to learn to use a radio properly.

[nwdiver]

I have a mil background also and comms were part of the job......when you spend hours on radios you get an ear for it, many only pay attention to their radio when their vessel name is called or mayday/pan, otherwise it’s all static, I monitor 16 all the time and understand pretty much everything that is being said, others aboard with less experience constantly ask what did he say.......some have and ear for radio chatter most don’t.....

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

Up in the air you get a nice clean VHF signal. Even with a nice antenna and good coax feedline way up on the masthead it doesn't compare to the clean signal you get in up there in the choppa.

Apples and oranges. If they expect us to hear them and copy their transmissions down here on the water then they need to learn to use a radio properly.

That makes me wonder what your experience is with VHF radio comms from a helicopter? The high site the CG ground station is transmitting from is at least at 1000' even in flat lands. I was rarely above 1000' in the helicopter. My line of site was effectively no different than yours, believe me.

But really, please reread my ENTIRE post. I completely agree that the issue is that the fast, professional comms that worked for me doesn't work for Joe Mariner AND I gave you some tips to help make it better. It's almost like people are trying to argue even though I'm both agreeing and doing one better to make the situation improve. What more do you want out of me!

[BlackHeron]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

I have a mil background also and comms were part of the job......when you spend hours on radios you get an ear for it, many only pay attention to their radio when their vessel name is called or mayday/pan, otherwise it’s all static, I monitor 16 all the time and understand pretty much everything that is being said, others aboard with less experience constantly ask what did he say.......some have and ear for radio chatter most don’t.....

We spent the summer in Canada last summer, travelling from Lake Ontario to Montreal and then back down through Lake Champlain to the Hudson again. The Canadian CG was extremely good and fully intelligible on the marije VHF -even juggling English and French in Quebec. Nothing like the major failtastic USCG pretty much everywhere else we have been over the last two plus years of full-time cruising over many thousands of nautical miles travelled through the Great lakes and the full length of the US East Coast multiple times.

My background is as a former US Army Cavalry Scout with with quite a bit of radio experience and background both with military coms and also as a general-class ham radio operator before ever using a marine VHF.

The USCG VHF radio ops are embarrassingly bad. Quit making excuses for poor performance. Anyone who has spent any times monitoring ch 16 marine VHF knows just how bad it really is.

[Creedence]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

Up in the air you get a nice clean VHF signal. Even with a nice antenna and good coax feedline way up on the masthead it doesn't compare to the clean signal you get in up there in the choppa.

Apples and oranges. If they expect us to hear them and copy their transmissions down here on the water then they need to learn to use a radio properly.

Why do I feel compelled to say I've been boating for 20 years as well and I find NO DIFFERENCE understanding the USCG from the disadvantaged environment of the pleasure craft??

Their communications were not made for me (the admittedly brazen denizen of the skies) floating with the eagles in the rarefied air... their communications are tailored to eliminate unnecessary elements during high-stress situations. Again, not MY opinion. I'm telling you why you're seeing what you're seeing in the pleasure craft environment.

But God bless us pleasure boaters managing to make it in the poor-bandwidth communications environment that we do!!

Can we please get back to Pickle Island... how can we reserve space for our Cruisersforum CPT Ron fest?? First round of beers is on me.

[capn ken]

You can always ask The coasties to slow down and repeat please !

[Creedence]

Originally Posted by capn ken

You can always ask The coasties to slow down and repeat please !

Not to be pedantic, but a little quiz for my Cav scout friend BlackHeron (I was a Cavalryman too, and beers are on me if you find your way to Tampa!!)...

"Say again, over" NOT "Repeat" Why??

[Macblaze]

Wait until you hear BC ferries do their announcements for Active Pass. 1 in 5 takes his/her job seriously and the rest are mostly gibberish

[BlackHeron]

Originally Posted by Creedence

Not to be pedantic, but a little quiz for my Cav scout friend BlackHeron (I was a Cavalryman too, and beers are on me if you find your way to Tampa!!)...

"Say again please" NOT "Repeat" Why??

FFA doesn't mean Future Farmers of America.



Scouts Out!

[capn ken]

Originally Posted by Creedence

Not to be pedantic, but a little quiz for my Cav scout friend BlackHeron (I was a Cavalryman too, and beers are on me if you find your way to Tampa!!)...

"Say again please" NOT "Repeat" Why??

Yep .Say again please .ATC wouldn’t know what to do !

[Creedence]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

FFA doesn't mean Future Farmers of America.



Scouts Out!

Touche!

[markpierce]

Hate it in inland waters when the CG locates an event only in degrees north and south. Would be more helpful if they included a description such as "one mile northwest of Point Richmond."

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Creedence

Not to be pedantic, but a little quiz for my Cav scout friend BlackHeron (I was a Cavalryman too, and beers are on me if you find your way to Tampa!!)...

"Say again, over" NOT "Repeat" Why??

'cos you don't want another six rounds FFE

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Hate it in inland waters when the CG locates an event only in degrees north and south. Would be more helpful if they included a description such as "one mile northwest of Point Richmond."

Fortunately they're pretty good about giving a location reference around here. Not always, but most of the time.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by BlackHeron

FFA doesn't mean Future Farmers of America.



Scouts Out!

What does it mean?


I'm very familiar with FFE, but not FFA (other than Free Fire Area which, unlike FFE is meaningless in the context of "Repeat")