"Doug Dotson" dougdotson@NOSPAMcablespeedNOSPAMcom wrote

Thank You! A great and sensible answer! And I agree that the squelch
doesn't work all that well on SSB.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

"Me" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Doug Dotson" dougdotson@NOSPAMcablespeedNOSPAMcom wrote:

I don't know the actual answer to this, but it seems to me that
the CG has clustered its monitoring stations for HF/MF along the
coasts.
What is the rationale behind this? It pretty much limits comms to
groundwave
in the covered areas. It would seems that a few stations spread out
around the country would vastly expand coverage via skywave. Is it
because
the CG is limited in it's jusisdiction and can't establish stations
inland?
One of the advantages of using the ham bands is that station are stread
out
all over the world. At any given time day or night some station either
via
groundwave or skywave is going to be listening.

Doug, k3qt
s/v Callista

It is because the USCG only deals with "Certain" Comms capability, so
any skywave comms which depend on what the E and F layers are doing
and what the GeoMagnetic Index is at the moment, aren't figured in.
That is also why MF was basically given up as a Maritime Comms System
when the switch to SSB from AM happened, by the USCG. Oh, the "Official
Line" is that they have a 24/7 Watch on 2812 Khz, but in the REAL World,
and not Jack's Universe, Most of those MF Receivers have the volume turn
down, because the Operators can't deal with the white noise, when trying
to hear something on one of the HF Receivers. Been that way for MANY
years, even if Jack doesn't acknowledge it. Some of the best FCC
Maritime Monitoring that was ever done was from the old Grand Island,
Nebraska, Station.......

Me


Are you still interested in answers to your questions, or would you two just
rather continue your back-slapping stories? Your replies to each other sound
pretty cozy, and I don't want to barge in between your barstools while the
two of you solve the world's problems.

For the rest of the group still following G here is my universe:

1. "Squelch" is NEVER adjusted on any USCG guard receiver, VHF, MF, or HF.
This applies equally to every Boat Station, Group, Sector, Activity,
Communication Station and Communication Area Master Station. Anyone not
drunk will also understand the following:

2. Volume is NEVER turned down, as was foolishly suggested above. Lets be
serious for a moment. During critical SAR comms, volume will be turned UP on
affected systems, this will have the same effect as turning others "down".
That is not a long term condition, and SSB receivers are in a separate area
from the VHF consoles anyway. This is something some of you could observe if
you asked for a tour of a Group watchstanding system.

3. Boat Stations do NOT have SSB capability, their AOR is always within VHF
range.

4. Some small patrol boats DO have SSB capability, namely all new 47' MLBs's
which systematically replace the aging 41' patrol boats. Some 41's also have
SSB. All aircraft have VHF/MF/HF systems.

5. Most Groups (or "Sectors" as they are transitioning to) and Activities
have multiple towers (called "High Sites" ). Location of these high-sites
normally allows significant overlap of the adjoining Group/Sector's AOR.

6. There are still areas of the Coastal-Continental United States that have
small gaps in VHF coverage. Maine and Florida used to be the last ones on
the East coast reporting this problem (there may be others we are not aware
of). USCG AUX in Florida remedied that state's problem with volunteer
funded, erected and maintained towers and repeater systems in the thousand
islands area of SW Florida.

7. Rescue-21 when fully implemented, will maintain full VHF coverage in all
areas, and between 20-40 miles seaward. The first Group to have this system
completed is adjacent to me, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Even with
Rescue-21 up and running there, that Group NOW has full MF-DSC-GMDSS
capability on 2187.5 khz and of course monitors 2182 khz (the IMO-regulated
adjoining voice channel to 2mhz-DSC) on a 24/7 basis, just as all USCG
Groups do.

8. Each of a Group's several high-sites now has their own set of VHF
receivers and transmitters. Group watchstanders monitor a guard receiver
speaker from EACH high site, all playing "white noise" all the time.

9. The SSB/MF/HF systems of every GroupSector/Activity serves many other
purposes than just guarding 2182 khz, which is required by International
treaty for declared Sea Area A-2 (the range between VHF and HF shore
coverage of guard frequencies). IMO regulations are beyond the scope of this
discussion, but I will be happy to try to elaborate some that relate to ship
to shore communications later.

9. Automatic Direction Finding equipment with display on computer-screen
charts is selectable from all or individual high-sites.

10. Digital recording devices capture 100% of all incoming traffic to USCG
Group receivers.

11. Auto-alarms received on 2182 khz (that are NOT during the
testing-periods allowed) occur up to several times a week. In no case that I
can remember, has the pleasure boat, fishing vessel or commercial ship that
sounded them ever "cancelled" with apologies. Callouts and urgent marine
information broadcasts across wide areas result.

12. Auto-alarms received on VHF-DSC Ch-70 (156.525 mhz) with no
acknowledgement or cancellation occur at least weekly. Testing of VHF-DSC
auto-alarms is illegal, so I guess it's no surprise that most don't
acknowledge. I have heard a commercial fishing captain call us to say "the
darn thing just went off". He was DF'd and hunted-down before he
acknowledged this. It cost him nothing to apologize yet cost the Coast Guard
an hour of SAR-callouts, boat-team launch, preparation for aircraft launch,
etc.

13. Valid MAYDAY calls for USCG SAR-response are received on 2182 khz as the
first communication used on average of once every two weeks or so along the
Eastern seaboard.

14. HF is the ONLY 24hr skywave-reliable SSB system in use. MF is only for
short range (20-200 miles), and only intended as a bridge between VHF line
of sight and HF skywave. This doesn't stop us from completing hours of
SAR-case communications exclusively on 2182 khz as long as it remains
successful.

Hope this clears some of the fog spreading from various
barstool-scuttlebutt.

Jack Painter
Virginia Beach, Virginia