First the Poll Tax; Now it's Daleks

[awol]

You clearly have no idea how many more important Solent radio checks one can pack into those 10 mins. Not to forget mayday requests for yachts that have run out of fuel

So why not trial the "voice" down there? Stornoway tends not to have many radio checks and the Maydays tend to be serious.

 

[weustace]

To be honest, ever since the CG were playing silly buggers, and refusing to give out safety messages and forecasts, but were still taking Minch Reports from ships transiting the Minch, I lost my respect for them, and installed a Navtex.

Which area is this? I am a softie Southerner, but was sailing in various Scottish coastguard waters over the summer and asked at least once for a repeat of a forecast section I had not copied; it was repeated most obligingly forthwith (this exchange on a working channel, of course). I found that the Scottish CG operatives tended to read the forecast significantly more quickly than NMOC Fareham (i.e. Solent CG), to the degree that it was sometimes difficult to keep up (especially if listening in a noisy environment, i.e. motoring, necessitating more concentration to copy what was being said)—this is why I had to ask for a repeat, actually... I wonder whether the increased speed is due to significantly higher workload per operative, hence the motivation for automating the weather forecasts? I agree that a human voice is significantly preferable (and it's very comforting if at sea in heavy weather (for a yacht) to hear a calm human operative reading the forecast).

 

[awol]

Which area is this? .

I believe NormanS is referring to the period some years back when the CG were so pissed off with their management that they were working to rule and only dealing with safety related matters. That was the response they gave when refusing to respond to radio check requests.

 

[NormanS]

I believe NormanS is referring to the period some years back when the CG were so pissed off with their management that they were working to rule and only dealing with safety related matters. That was the response they gave when refusing to respond to radio check requests.

That's correct, although I could never understand which "rule" they were following, when they refused to broadcast the Marine SAFETY Information Broadcast. If I do happen to write down the forecast from their dictation, I use a form of shorthand, and if necessary, catch up when they are giving "sea state", which I can guess for myself.
Radio checks are not a problem in northern waters.

 

[pagoda]

Which area is this? I am a softie Southerner, but was sailing in various Scottish coastguard waters over the summer and asked at least once for a repeat of a forecast section I had not copied; it was repeated most obligingly forthwith (this exchange on a working channel, of course). I found that the Scottish CG operatives tended to read the forecast significantly more quickly than NMOC Fareham (i.e. Solent CG), to the degree that it was sometimes difficult to keep up (especially if listening in a noisy environment, i.e. motoring, necessitating more concentration to copy what was being said)—this is why I had to ask for a repeat, actually... I wonder whether the increased speed is due to significantly higher workload per operative, hence the motivation for automating the weather forecasts? I agree that a human voice is significantly preferable (and it's very comforting if at sea in heavy weather (for a yacht) to hear a calm human operative reading the forecast).

Scottish forecasting quick??

The Met Eireann marine forecasting is spoken by humans , but at about 19 to the dozen. They are about halfway through before you realise what is going on! In that respect a slow machine voice might be better. (delivered in a West Cork or Galway voice)

 

[LittleSister]

You should all move to the East Coast. The UK CG forecast here is nothing remarkable, but we can often hear Oostende Radio. One of its female operators has a most, er, engaging voice and radio manner. The content may be all about some obscure buoy's light being inoperable and storm force winds in all areas, but who cares when it sounds more like you're being invited out for a candlelit dinner?

 

[ShinyShoe]

But they don't record a new broadcast every time- I think it's only three actual recordings per day.

Showing a complete lack of Civil Service Business Planning Competence. You will need to redo your Civil Service Mandatory Training. (No worries... It will be the same e-learning package you did before)

Slide 89 of 356 in the e-learning package clearly says... "If you are trying to demonstrate a saving you ALWAYS use data from the worst case as your baseline and MUST use a projected best case, this will optimise the maximum delta in your project."

So in this case, it is *possible* you might need to record a new version every 4 hours (gale warming etc) so use that.

Are they actually using the Dalek for the whole MMSI Broadcast now? Previously, it was only for the initial message on Ch16, and then an actual living and breathing human read out the forecasts etc on the working channels.

Which is complete madness!!

The CH16 bit doesn't really change does it?

"Securite Securite this is UK Coastguard. A Maritime Safety Information Broadcast will shortly follow on CH XX for sea area xxx"...

So if it never changes... That could be a human recording surely?

Actually, I don't understand why it would use a dalek voice. I bet there is a dictionary of less than 1000 phrases in the MSI!

There are some very smart automatic systems out there. We've probably all had a recorded PPI phonecall which until you confuse it and it repeats the question with exactly the same words sounds very real...

To be honest, ever since the CG were playing silly buggers, and refusing to give out safety messages and forecasts, but were still taking Minch Reports from ships transiting the Minch, I lost my respect for them, and installed a Navtex.

The Minch is a contracted service like Dover. Effectively it is supposed to operate separately from the mayday functions etc. If they stopped the minch, the contract would terminate and they would loose an extra member of staff

 

[NormanS]

Since we now have AIS, is there any reason to record Minch ship transits verbally? What does it achieve?

 

[capnsensible]

Mandatory Vessel Reporting occurs in many places around the world. Its all about safety and the threat of pollution in the event of an incident.

It really isnt all about extra jobs, its about safety at sea.

https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/media/7763/minchtraffic.pdf

Its all there in our old friend Google.....

 

[alan_d]

Mandatory Vessel Reporting occurs in many places around the world. Its all about safety and the threat of pollution in the event of an incident.

It really isnt all about extra jobs, its about safety at sea.

https://www.cne-siar.gov.uk/media/7763/minchtraffic.pdf

Its all there in our old friend Google.....

Another wrecker spoiling a perfectly good discussion with facts ...

 

[chwarae]

Metal Mickey has been knocking out weather forecasts in the US for years. Still sounds a bit strange when I hear it.

 

[chanelyacht]

The Minch is a contracted service like Dover. Effectively it is supposed to operate separately from the mayday functions etc. If they stopped the minch, the contract would terminate and they would loose an extra member of staff

Eh, what?

Neither are "contracted services" - CNIS (Dover) has always been a CG function since it's inception, and, like the Minch, is part of CGs VTM responsibility - in the same way that MAREPS at Falmouth are.

 

[DJE]

Navtex anyone?

 

[NormanS]

Navtex anyone?

See #18.

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

I had the misfortune to hear one of these texts. It took quite some time to translate, shame as it was an emergency call out for the volunteers. One part I remember was "1.9 never mind from eyighe", the original was "1.9 nm from Eigg"