USCG proposes discontinuing HF voice watch

[ka3jjz]

From the ARRL.org website

Coast Guard Proposes to Discontinue HF Voice Watchkeeping

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for amateur radio, connecting hams around the U.S. with news, information and resources.

www.arrl.org

Mike

 

[Boombox]

So let's assume a ship or yacht has inoperative satellite radios and DSC, and a ship or yacht goes down because no one is monitoring any of the four HF emergency channels. What then? I mean, what does it take to have a radio watching the HF channels in question? I'm certain at least some of them can be set to scan the four channels for activity, and they don't really get in the way on a Coast Guard vessel. When a ship goes down, it can be a matter of life and death. But then, I'm not a mariner....

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

 

[mmckenna]

So let's assume a ship or yacht has inoperative satellite radios and DSC, and a ship or yacht goes down because no one is monitoring any of the four HF emergency channels. What then? I mean, what does it take to have a radio watching the HF channels in question? I'm certain at least some of them can be set to scan the four channels for activity, and they don't really get in the way on a Coast Guard vessel. When a ship goes down, it can be a matter of life and death. But then, I'm not a mariner....

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Reliability of satellite EPRIBS, phones, INMARSAT has well proven itself.

There's always something that can break, and that's when it can be valuable to have more than one EPRIB, more than one phone, or mixes of different technology.

I think it's a shame to lose the HF resource. I don't think this is something the USCG is taking lightly, but I think it's being driven by the lack of users on HF now. -YES- there are some, but not like it used to be. When I was in, HF was used quite a bit. I recall being on the bridge and hearing a lot of traffic on the HF radios. All our correspondence done with the district was all handled by HF. I think we had a satellite EPRIB and a Consumer grade GPS at the time. Everything else was HF/VHF.

But, times have changed.

 

[chrismol1]

"The Coast Guard said it would continue to monitor HF DSC distress alerting for all existing regions and voice distress and hailing from Kodiak, Alaska, and Guam. The Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) on 14.300 MHz remains available to less-equipped mariners who need assistance in emergencies" They're still on 14.300 available

If I was going out into the ocean these days I'd have an EPIRB, if the ship has an old HF radio so be it,, if nothing more competely unprepared I'd have an airband radio on 121.500 your almost guaranteed to find a commercial flight no matter what around the world with 121.5 on standby

 

[w2dsx]

Do they still monitor 121.5 outside of the USA anymore? Wasn't there a push to go to 406 MHz?

 

[chrismol1]

Do they still monitor 121.5 outside of the USA anymore? Wasn't there a push to go to 406 MHz?

121.5 is the international airband distress channel also known as the guard channel. EPIRBs on 121.5 are long gone, personal beacons, not talking about some aircraft ELTs that are still on 121.5. 406 is satellite monitored for EPIRBs

 

[w2dsx]

I didn't know 121.5 was still monitored over water. I do know they monitor their assigned HF frequency for SELCAL testing, etc. Good to know...

 

[redbeard]

Seems counterproductive if SOLAS continues to require HF stations on board.