Brixham Coast Guards.

hlb

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Theres been alot of complaint about brixham not advising the weather forcast on 16. Most times Brixham wont acknowlege that there is a problem and pretend they have had no complaints.

So whilst storm bound in Brixham, I thought I'd get to the bottom of it.

First visit, I got told a load of tecnical reasons why some folk could not hear the broadcast. Blah, Blah, Blah.

Then by chance, I visited the harbour office to pay the dues. Conversation got around to weather forcasts and HM said. They had not got the Brixham forcast for months! Even had to reprogram his radio to pick up chanel 23 on my advice.

I thought, this is bloody rediculas, even the HM dont know. God knows how any visiting boat suppsed to know the time and chanel of the forcast. It's not in the almanac, well not actualy the right time anyway.

So back to the coast guards.
Part of the problem it seems, is the weather forcast is designed for boats at sea. But they have now discovered that most folk these days like to get a forcast, before they set off. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Finally one of the CG fessed up. Powers way above them, had told them to turn off all the ariels except prawle point. (Prawle Point cant actually be heard, unless your passing err Prawle Point) For the few second duation of broadcasting when to go to chanel 23 or whatever, for safety reasons, being that there maybe a mayday call in those few seconds.

Course, I pointed out. Well every one that knows, is going to have switched over to 23 half an hour ago, by that method. So his mayday is going to fall on deaf ears.

The coast guard men shrugged helplessly, but are logging complains to send to there boss.

How ever they did point out, that they were happy to give the weather forcast out to anyone who missed it! Seemingly defeating the object of keeping broadcasting down to the minimum.

Oh yes. They agreed that this should be posted in the boating press, to get it sorted out. So who's listening!!
 

hlb

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You cant belive the complaints over the radio. There was a queue after me in the CG office, it's right there on the sea front. Still they would not admit the problem, till nailed down.
 

ccscott49

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I never heard brixham coastguard, all the time I was in Dartmouth, or salcombe or even effin Brixham, could hear them in Torquay, I complained for years, so did all the other boatmen around, I was chartering commercially and had to report my leaving and returning, but did it by phone! nothing happened then, nothing will happen now! The government is running the coastguard down, there wont be one soon.
 

hlb

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I said to the CG, that I would broadcast the weather for them on Chanel 16, they were in agreement and could find no reason why not. Seemed a bit silly though, saying Mucky Farter, Mucky Farter, here is the forecast on Chanel 23 though. I never thought it my place to do so.

The good news, is Portland is loud and clear all the way down the S/w coast Also Falmouth. Just not Brixham. Is this away of fazing them out???
 

hlb

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Yep the problem has been there for years, it just gets worse. Forecast for your area Chanel X. Nothing happens. So your told you are an idiot and listening to wrong Chanel. As you say, been going on for years. New thing is, broadcasting on an Ariel covered by land mass, so is severely restricted. As CG said. The Ariel cant be heard from Plymouth, Yelm, Salcolmbe, Dartmouth or even Bixham.

Theres somthing going on to freeze brixham out of the system.
 

hlb

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Yep, you will, thats the whole point. But you wont hear them anounce the weather forcast from Plymouth, Salcolmbe Dartmouth, Torquay or Brixham. Because there only using one arial and that one cant reach round the bends of the land. The other arials are switched on all the rest of the time.

It makes no sence at all. But there it is.
 
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