National coast radio network

A network of Coast Radio stations currently provides HF voice marine radio distress and safety services for vessels operating up to 200 nautical miles from the Australian coast.

The stations operate as;

• Coast Radio Adelaide
• Coast Radio Cairns
• Coast Radio Darwin
• Coast Radio Hobart
• Coast Radio Gladstone
• Coast Radio Melbourne
• Coast Radio Perth
• Coast Radio Port Hedland
• Coast Radio Sydney.

This national network optimises the probability that a vessel may be able to contact a HF coast station, which, given the nature of HF radio transmission may not necessarily be the closest.

The Coast Radio stations provide a continuous 24-hour distress and safety monitoring service on 4125 kHz, 6215 kHz and 8291 kHz, together with the scheduled broadcast of navigational warnings on 8176 kHz.

Urgent navigational warnings may also be broadcast on the working frequencies of 4146 kHz, 6227 kHz or 8294 kHz at any time, following a brief prior announcement to that effect on 8291 kHz (DAY) or 4125 kHz (NIGHT).

2182 kHz will not be monitored by these Coast Radio stations but may continue to be monitored by the various Volunteer Marine Rescue organisations’ radio bases.

Intended to provide a ‘safety net’ for vessels operating in South Australian coastal waters, Coast Radio Adelaide does not provide a general communications service, nor does it replace communication services currently provided by volunteer groups.

Coast Radio Adelaide

Coast Radio Adelaide aims to provide a safety net for vessels operating in South Australian coastal waters, however does not provide a general communications service, nor does it replace communication services currently provided by volunteer groups.

Coast Radio Adelaide monitors distress calls made on the distress frequencies, 4125 kHz, 6215 kHz and 8291 kHz, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, utilising HF receiving and transmitting sites at Alice Springs and Broken Hill. Please remember to limit the use of these frequencies to distress and safety.

Frequencies

The rule of thumb for high frequency radio is to use the higher frequencies during the day and the lower at night; hence the most appropriate frequency for the time of day is likely to be:

• 8291 during the day
• 4125 at night
• 6215 as the next choice for either day or night.

More accurate predictions provided by the Australian Commonwealth Government IPS Radio and Space Service agency are available online at www.ips.gov.au/Products_and_Services/5/9 and selecting:

• Hourly HAP charts (Hourly Area Prediction charts) that show the best frequency for that time of the day for locations in South Australian coastal waters through to each of the Broken Hill or the Alice Springs HF radio sites used to provide Coast Radio Adelaide.
• Hourly NAP charts (Network Area Prediction charts) that show the best frequency for that time of the day for locations in South Australian coastal waters used to call Coast Radio Adelaide.

These charts are automatically updated on an hourly basis.

If your vessel is fitted with an HF marine radio, it is important to check that these frequencies are available so you can access these distress and safety services.

Navigation warnings

Navigation warnings are broadcast twice daily on 8176 kHz by the Coast Radio network at scheduled times. Coast Radio Adelaide will broadcast warnings for Auscoast area E, and if time permits, those for areas D and F, through:

Coast Radio Adelaide at 1327 and 1727 Central Standard Time (CST) 0357 and 0757 UTC.

Warnings for Auscoast area E may also be broadcast by:

• Coast Radio Melbourne at 0827 and 1227 CST (2157 and 0257 UTC)
• Coast Radio Perth at 1627 and 2127

Individual stations will broadcast urgent, local navigation warnings at the earliest available opportunity.
For Auscoast Sea Areas, please refer to the map.

Weather schedules

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) broadcasts marine weather information, routine forecasts and warnings, via HF radio transmitters at Charleville in Queensland (Callsign VMC) and Wiluna in Western Australia (Callsign VMW).

Warnings are broadcast on the half hour, every hour from both sites.

For further information on BoM marine weather services, including the radio fax service, visit the webiste on www.bom.gov.au/marine or telephone (08) 8366 2600.

AUSREP and additional Services

Small craft may use AUSREP provided:

• the voyage is 200 nautical miles or more
• the voyage will take longer than 24 hours
• the appropriate communications equipment is carried: HF Digital Selective Calling (DSC), or Inmarsat C.

Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) will also provide distress and safety services to vessels with the appropriate equipment fitted:

• HF Digital Selective Calling (DSC) services will be available from the stations established at Wiluna in Western Australia and Charleville in Queensland
  Note: the higher frequencies, (i.e. 8 and 12 MHz), will generally be required to access these sites from South Australian waters.
• Inmarsat C
• 121.5/243 MHz and 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB)
  Note: only 406MHz beacons will be detected from 1 February 2009 and 121.5/243MHz will not comply with mandatory carriage requirements from that time.

For further information on the services available from AMSA including AUSREP, telephone AMSA on (02) 6230 6880 or free call 1800 641 792 or the website www.amsa.gov.au.

Test transmissions

When a vessel needs to transmit signals for testing or technical adjustments, first ensure that it will not interfere with any communications traffic.

Test signals should be kept to a minimum, particularly on frequencies used for distress, emergency and safety purposes. However, this does not prevent a vessel from making brief transmissions to confirm that equipment is operating properly before it puts to sea.

Coast Radio Adelaide monitors test transmissions seven days a week.

When acknowledging test transmissions, Coast Radio Adelaide will provide advice regarding the received quality of the transmission, in terms of the standard readability of:

Radio check operating procedures

Vessel radio operators should use the normal call and reply procedures for radio checks:

1. Before transmitting, the operator should listen for a period long enough to be satisfi ed that harmful interference will not be caused to communications already in progress.

• When establishing communication, calls should be made in the following manner:
  • the name, callsign or other identifi cation of the station being called should be spoken not more than three times;
  • the words, “This is …”
  • the name and/or callsign or other identifi cation of the station making contact should be spoken not more than three times
  • “This call…” should immediately be followed with the purpose of the call, and the word “Over” (the invitation for the Coast Radio Station to respond).

  For example:
  “Coast Radio Adelaide Coast Radio Adelaide Coast Radio Adelaide This is spindrift vlw1234 spindrift vlw1234 spindrift vlw1234 Test transmission requesting acknowledgement on frequency xxxx.”

1. If the coast radio station being called does not respond, wait one minute, check that your transmission will not interfere with any other communication and, providing the frequency is clear, repeat the test transmission.

• If the coast station does not reply to a call sent three times in the space of two minutes, calling should cease and not be continued until after an interval of three minutes.
  
• If no response is received try another frequency.
  
• Should no response be received, check your radio and tuning settings, the radio and antenna connections and then attempt the test transmission again.

Further information on this subject may be found in the Marine Radio Operators Handbook issued by the Australian Maritime College. For further details contact the Office of Maritime Communications, Australian Maritime College. Telephone 1300 365 262 or the website at www.amcom.amc.edu.au.

Remember: Keep test transmissions to a minimum.

HF Marine Radio Requirements

A current apparatus licence issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority is required for all HF marine radio transceivers. For further information contact the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Telephone 1300 850 115 or visit the Internet at www.acma.gov.au.

Operators of HF marine radios must hold an appropriate Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency.

It's vital that you follow procedures detailed in the Marine Radio Operators Handbook and a copy of the handbook should be carried on the vessel.

A ship’s HF marine radio equipment and the service it provides are under the authority of the master or skipper, or the person responsible for the safety of the vessel.

Transmissions should be kept brief and consistent with the requirements under which a station is licensed. Non-essential remarks, bad language and unnecessary conversations should be avoided.

It is an offence to use a transmitter in a manner that is likely to cause a reasonable person to be seriously alarmed or affronted, or for the purpose of harassing another person.

Operators should keep a record of all distress alerts and messages transmitted or received.

Operators should take precautions to ensure their transmissions will not cause harmful interference to other stations, and:

• should listen before transmitting to ensure a frequency is not already in use
• use the minimum transmitting power necessary for reliable communications
• strictly observe the purpose for which a frequency is assigned
• keep test signals to a minimum.

When reception is doubtful or conditions difficult spell out words and figures using the International Phonetic Alphabet and figure code when transmitting a message.

Always end the exchange of communications with the word “Out”.

Monitoring

Commercial vessels required to have a certificate of survey are required to maintain a continuous listening watch at all times while the vessel is at sea. Given the best frequency to use for the current coast station arrangements is likely to be 8291 kHz (day) and 4125 kHz (night), it is therefore recommended that vessels monitor these frequencies during these times.

Commercial vessels required to have a certificate of survey are required to ensure contact is made with a coast station using the vessels radio equipment:

• as soon as practicable after leaving port on a voyage
• as soon as practicable on entering port at the conclusion of a voyage
• at least once during each day that the vessel is at sea.

Whilst contacts on departing and returning to port may be undertaken on VHF, depending upon the area a vessel is operating, it may also require the use of HF whilst at sea. When planning to operate in an area reliant on HF for communications, it is recommended to make an initial test call on leaving port, to ensure the radio is
working satisfactorily. Coast Radio Adelaide can accept all such calls.

Although not subject to the same obligations through legislation, these practices are also recommended for recreational vessels.

Position reports, trip notification

The Coast Radio stations will accept and record offered position reports but will not provide any form of follow-up or trip notification services. Such information may only be released upon request to the relevant authorities to assist in providing a last reported position in the event of a search.

Prior to departure notify someone ashore of the details of your trip and arrange for them to notify relevant authorities should you not reach your destination as planned.

Vessel operators planning coastal passages or offshore trips should arrange for monitoring of their trip details and position reports with local limited coast stations operated by volunteer or with the Australian
Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) by AUSREP.

Marine Radio Equipment

Location
The HF radio is to be installed in as high a position as is practicable, with protection from saltwater and extremes of temperature. It must not be positioned where it may affect the vessel’s compasses or other navigational equipment.

Documents
In addition to the ship station licence and operator’s certificate, a current copy of the Australian Maritime College’s Marine Radio Operators Handbook and material suitable for use as a radio log book should be held aboard a vessel.

Commercial vessels required to have a certificate of survey are reminded of their obligation to maintain a record of all distress alerts and messages transmitted or received, which should include details of:

• the date and time at which the call was received
• the frequency on which it was received
• any callsign used
• the name and position of the vessel in distress
• the nature of the distress
• any action taken in respect of the call.

Although not subject to the same obligations through legislation, these practices are also recommended for recreational vessels.

There are three types of marine radio equipment that may be installed in vessels:

• 27MHz marine transceivers
• VHF marine
• transceivers and MF/HF marine transceivers.

For information on the operation of 27MHz or VHF transceivers, VHF distress monitoring and weather broadcasts, refer to the South Australian Recreational Boating Safety Handbook, the Tide Tables or refer to the Marine Safety information.

The importance of maintaining marine radio equipment in good working order cannot be over emphasised. The equipment may help save your life in an emergency, but only if it is working.

The Marine Radio Operators Handbook also provides more information on this subject and how to deal with minor faults while at sea.