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Coast Guard warns mariners of no offshore radio communications along South Florida coast
Coast Guard ^

Posted on 06/27/2018 5:34:39 PM PDT by ameribbean expat

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/27/2018 06:19 PM EDT

MIAMI — Coast Guard Sector Miami reported a loss of radio communication capability Wednesday.

The Coast Guard cannot monitor radio traffic offshore and is urging mariners to use extreme caution throughout the Miami Captain of the Port Zone, which includes the ports and waterways surrounding Fort Pierce, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and the Miami areas.

Mariners are reminded to check all safety equipment, carry a fully charged cell phone, and file a float plan with a friend or family member before getting underway.

If in distress, mariners should attempt to call Coast Guard’s Seventh District Command Center at 305-415-6818 or 305-415-6800.

A Coast Guard aircraft has been launched to monitor communications in Sector Miami COTP Zone. The estimated time of repair is unknown, but the Coast Guard is developing a radio coverage plan in the event repairs cannot be fixed for an extended period. A press release and notification will be issued once radio communications are restored.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: 201805; 201806; border; coastguard; communications; isolatedincidents; maritime; maritimesecurity; nicaragua; northcarolina; offshorecomms; smuggling; uscg
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To: ExSES

Nitro repairing radio gear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ORx8bhclYI


41 posted on 06/27/2018 7:57:21 PM PDT by Ozark Tom
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To: DoughtyOne
Something seems very wrong. Sounds like the CG can't RECEIVE.

That makes no sense at all; every CG vessel should have a receiver.

Waitaminnit -- if they depend on a high-powered repeater system for full-area coverage -- perhaps that's down hard... (Tower down?)

But -- no redundancy -- on a life-critical system????

Makes me glad I'm a fresh-water fisherman...

42 posted on 06/27/2018 8:12:24 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias; "0bama": Allah's stooge; "Moderate Muslims": Allah's useful idiots.)
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To: TXnMA

Marine communications do not depend on repeater systems. However, the USCG appears to be making reference to a system of remote receivers that send their received communications to a central monitoring point, likely via a microwave link. They may also be able to localize their transmissions in a similar way since VHF signals do not travel far past the radio horizon.


43 posted on 06/27/2018 8:31:41 PM PDT by T-Bird45 (It feels like the seventies, and it shouldn't.)
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To: Mariner

The CG radio comma equipment is maintained by civilian contractors.


44 posted on 06/27/2018 8:50:44 PM PDT by The_Media_never_lie ("The MSM is the enemy of the American people"...Democrat Pat Caddell)
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To: null and void
Phantom Russian Submarine (tm), The ghost of Barry Seal making another drop at Mena or....or....or....




45 posted on 06/27/2018 8:58:32 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: Whenifhow; null and void; aragorn; EnigmaticAnomaly; kalee; Kale; 2ndDivisionVet; azishot; ...

p


46 posted on 06/27/2018 9:10:01 PM PDT by bitt (t\\)
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To: null and void

+1


47 posted on 06/27/2018 9:20:14 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: TXnMA
Waitaminnit -- if they depend on a high-powered repeater system for full-area coverage -- perhaps that's down hard... (Tower down?)

But -- no redundancy -- on a life-critical......

A couple of years ago, I was sailing about 15 miles off of Daytona heading north toward Jax. The first mate had managed to get the mailsail tangled up in the rigging during an early AM thunderstorm (he was a racer and REFUSED to use a preventer.... and when I went to sleep, it was back to bad sailing IMHO).

As I also had an engine transmission problem too, I called Coast Guard Daytona but CG Jacksonville answered. They had Sea Tow call me on the cell phone in case I needed help.

Apparently CG Miami and Jax cover the whole east coast of Fla through a series of repeaters then down through the Fla Keys, you get CG Key West. The comm they are talking about is VHF channel 16 (about 150 mhz) which is basically line of sight. My antenna height is about 60 ft above water and I figure with shore station height, that is good for around 30 miles or so.

In the old days, the CG network might have been connected via phone lines but now, I would guess microwave links today which is probably down.

Every offshore boat should have redundancy. I could have next gone to HF radio (SSB). Next would (now) be a Sat Phone as their prices have come way down. For distress situations, an EPIRB would be the last resort.

I also periodically check in on the Ham Radio nets to list my position with a net control. The 20 meter nets go on for the whole day well into the evening. I also have TWO VHF radios hooked up to two separate antennas.

48 posted on 06/27/2018 9:43:33 PM PDT by politicianslie (OPTIMIST-Glass 1/2 full- PESSIMIST 1/2 empty TO ENGINEER, Glass is twice as big as it needs to be!)
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To: ameribbean expat
No comms? Not even surface to surface? Like the Jet Blue plane yesterday?

Sounds to me like some ECM jamming going on.

49 posted on 06/27/2018 9:57:50 PM PDT by meadsjn
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To: meadsjn

Distinct possibility.

https://bigleaguepolitics.com/china-builds-port-bahamas-provides-military-assistance-equipment-180-miles-off-u-s-coast/


50 posted on 06/27/2018 10:05:33 PM PDT by ameribbean expat
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To: politicianslie
"The comm they are talking about is VHF channel 16 (about 150 mhz) which is basically line of sight."

Essentially the same as the 2 meter repeater systems we hams use for socializing -- until the NWS issues a severe weather advisory. Then, it is tight, trained "Skywarn" net discipline that is an integral part of the tornado warning system.

51 posted on 06/27/2018 10:10:03 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias; "0bama": Allah's stooge; "Moderate Muslims": Allah's useful idiots.)
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To: ameribbean expat

Me too

Key West and Myamuh 80s

Both my girls born Coconut Grove @Mercy Hospital

To say it was a wild era is an understatement

I loved it

We still visit Miami Beach I have pals in Lauderdale and Naples ...we stay north of Lincoln road....lord ocean drive got so thugged up

They used to keep the opa local liberty city culture out of there

Not anymore


52 posted on 06/27/2018 10:48:11 PM PDT by wardaddy (Hanged not hung.)
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To: CedarDave

Probably so, but it seems to go to show how Obama let the military go to pot. Carter, Clinton, and Obama couldn’t have cared less about our national security.


53 posted on 06/28/2018 12:04:11 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (01/26/18 DJIA 30 stocks $26,616.71 48.794% > open 11/07/16 215.71 from 50% increase 1.2183 yrs..)
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To: publius911

Thanks...


54 posted on 06/28/2018 12:04:48 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (01/26/18 DJIA 30 stocks $26,616.71 48.794% > open 11/07/16 215.71 from 50% increase 1.2183 yrs..)
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To: TXnMA

Yeah, I agree with your take on it.

The no redundancy bothers me to.


55 posted on 06/28/2018 12:07:59 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (01/26/18 DJIA 30 stocks $26,616.71 48.794% > open 11/07/16 215.71 from 50% increase 1.2183 yrs..)
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To: Ozark Tom

but, it worked lol.


56 posted on 06/28/2018 1:40:34 AM PDT by Shadowstrike (Be polite, Be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.)
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To: ameribbean expat

The Coast Guard is so badly underfunded that they are close to losing operability of the US’s only heavy ice breaker; this while other countries are building heavy and medium ice breakers like no tomorrow - nuclear powered ones.


57 posted on 06/28/2018 2:08:33 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now it is your turn ...)
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To: McGruff

How the heck does a dead zone like that move unless shifts in the earth’s plates and core are shifting have we spun out of axis slightly ? i just don’t see any of that happening without cataclysmic disruptions !

“But i panic” lol


58 posted on 06/28/2018 2:09:36 AM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK ("Vi veri vniversum vivus vici" "By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe)
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To: lightman

ustah be under Dept of Trans,never Commerce, it is now und the DHS


59 posted on 06/28/2018 2:55:42 AM PDT by CGASMIA68
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To: T-Bird45

Could be local land line facilities that trans the radio coms to Miami Sector CG 7


60 posted on 06/28/2018 2:58:52 AM PDT by CGASMIA68
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