In article
,
" wrote:

All good points, Larry. For what it is worth a few nationalities
still keep continuous radio watches on the official marine SSB voice
distress frequencies:

From USCG (http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/MARCOMMS/...mdss_faq.htm):
....
Can ships fitted for Sea Area A1 meet GMDSS carriage requirements if
they stay within 20 nm of the U.S. shore?* Can ships fitted for Sea Area
A2 meet the requirements of they stay within 70-100 nm of the U.S.
shore?** Is the Gulf of Mexico a Sea Area A2?
No.* GMDSS Sea Areas A1 and A2 are defined by shore radio coverage, not
by distance offshore.* The Gulf of Mexico should never be a Sea Area A2
because of 2 MHz propagation limitations.* Except for some very limited
MF DSC coverage around our Communications Stations, the U.S. currently
has no operational Sea Areas A1 or A2.* Until these areas are in place,
ships must fit for GMDSS Area A3, or request a waiver from the FCC.* We
plan to publish expected Sea Area A2 coverage charts by summer 2001.*
For more information, see the GMDSS Area webpage.
....

GMDSS ships will be allowed to cease guarding VHF channel 16 on February
1, 2005, and have already ceased watchkeeping on 2182 kHz.* Is that
safe?* How will ships not equipped with GMDSS (i.e. digital selective
calling) be able to contact such ships in an emergency?
That question was raised at the International Maritime Organization.* It
was to prevent this interoperability problem that the date GMDSS ships
may cease to guard VHF channel 16 was deferred six years, until 2005.*
DSC should be common on new radios, and presumably, on ships not subject
to GMDSS, by that date.* 2182 kHz watchkeeping is another matter.* In
that case, an interoperability problem already exists.* Most
SOLAS-regulated ships guarding 2182kHz do so using an autoalarm
receiver, which can only be triggered by an autoalarm signal transmitted
on 2182 kHz.* Autoalarm receivers and signal generators are not
new;SOLAS-regulated ships have been using them for decades.* Since few
ships not subject to GMDSS carry an autoalarm generator, they could not
initiate contact on 2182 kHz with most SOLAS ships.* Extending the 2182
kHz watchkeeping date on those ships would benefit no one.** For that
reason IMO decided to allow GMDSS-regulated ships to discontinue
watchkeeping on 2182 kHz on February 1, 1999, as originally scheduled.
*The U.S. Coast Guard will, of course, continue a listening watch, with
a live watchstander, on both VHF channel 16 and 2182 kHz.*
....

So it looks like propagation was the limit on 2182.
2182 has been phased out under GMDSS as watch channel, replaced by DSC
frequencies.

Too bad in this case.

With a new transmitter the DSC distress and urgency calls are quite
easy, and it is viable to send them in multiple bands in a few minutes.
Most likely activating the EPIRB earlier would have been ok too.

Anyway, it's always easy from a safe place - wish you'll never need it
again.

Marc

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