Run aground at low water? Put your anchor out!

[ProDave]

And the idiots continue. Yesterday I heard 3 vessels call Solent CG for radio checks during a Seelonce period whilst they were dealing with a real Mayday off Hengistbury Head.

There was a pan pan in progress while we were out yesterday. There were some VERY long periods between communications at times.

Anyone could have switched on, waited a few minutes and then made a call, not knowing a Seelonce was in progress. Just how are you supposed to know?

 

[lustyd]

They tell you if you call. It’s the reason your initial call is short and sweet and not more than once every two minutes.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I’ve never made a radio check call. And certainly no need now, I can’t go to sea without calling the harbour to request them to open the bridge.

 

[shanemax]

If air traffic control world wide uses English why are the UK Coast Guard using some French, and please don't come back with its traditional, traditional should go out the window when it comes to an emergency.

 

[ylop]

If air traffic control world wide uses English why are the UK Coast Guard using some French, and please don't come back with its traditional, traditional should go out the window when it comes to an emergency.

Why do you believe that English should be superior?

Actually I think the “French sounding” (they aren’t actually pure French) prowords actually standout from the rest of the chatter. The marine prowords seem to have shortened the total amount of message required and are very unlikely to be accidentally confused with normal discussion.

Radio discipline on ATC is generally better though. Perhaps because there is almost always a professional controller involved, and they only deal with that one method of comms. No bridge to bridge comms, no controller who seconds before was on a 999 call to the public, etc.

 

[ylop]

I’ve never made a radio check call. And certainly no need now, I can’t go to sea without calling the harbour to request them to open the bridge.

Probably good enough if you can reach them to reach someone else in lake Solent - but your radio probably would work to call them at that distance even if you took the antenna off the top of the coax! Not that I’ve made many radio checks - perhaps 3 in 25 yrs of owning a vhf, and only one of them was to CG.

 

[johnalison]

If air traffic control world wide uses English why are the UK Coast Guard using some French, and please don't come back with its traditional, traditional should go out the window when it comes to an emergency.

Perhaps because it has stood the test of time. Assuming that a two-syllable word or phrase is desirable, the English alternative “Help me” just doesn’t cut the mustard as it would sound muffled over the radio and might be harder for some peoples to say.

 

[shanemax]

Perhaps because it has stood the test of time. Assuming that a two-syllable word or phrase is desirable, the English alternative “Help me” just doesn’t cut the mustard as it would sound muffled over the radio and might be harder for some peoples to say.

Perhaps today you will walk up to 100 strangers and say Seelonce or Seelonce Feenee. They will all look at you as if you have lost your marbles and the wrong guy might give you a smack in the mouth, thinking you were insulting him. What is wrong with " Radio Silence Please."

 

[snowbird30ds]

If air traffic control world wide uses English why are the UK Coast Guard using some French, and please don't come back with its traditional, traditional should go out the window when it comes to an emergency.

We have many French words in the English language, surrender and collaborate to name two.

 

[ylop]

Perhaps because it has stood the test of time. Assuming that a two-syllable word or phrase is desirable, the English alternative “Help me” just doesn’t cut the mustard as it would sound muffled over the radio and might be harder for some peoples to say.

Not to mention that "Help me" can easily appear in routine english "Marina X, I'm single handed so could someone help me by taking my lines" or "Safety boat 1, could you help me get this dinghy ashore" or "Ship X it would help me if you can confirm you can see us on RADAR/AIS".

Perhaps today you will walk up to 100 strangers and say Seelonce or Seelonce Feenee. They will all look at you as if you have lost your marbles and the wrong guy might give you a smack in the mouth, thinking you were insulting him. What is wrong with " Radio Silence Please."

I think if you walk up to strangers saying "radio silence please" you are going to get similar looks! It is context. If you fall over in the street and start shouting MAYDAY you'll get odd looks too. You haven't really said what you don't like about using french sounding words on an international system other than some sort of xenophobia. From the occasions I've heard CG request radio seelonce and seelonce fini I think the first transmission was always accompanied with some explanation for the hard of thinking.

MAYDAY
PANPAN
SECURITÉ
SEELONCE / SEELONCE FINI
OVER
OUT

Its not exactly a massive new vocabulary for your to learn! (At least some of those are used in ATC too!).

 

[KevinV]

Perhaps today you will walk up to 100 strangers and say Seelonce or Seelonce Feenee. They will all look at you as if you have lost your marbles and the wrong guy might give you a smack in the mouth, thinking you were insulting him. What is wrong with " Radio Silence Please."

"Mayday, .." and "Pan, .." work because they don't sound like anything else. "Seelonce" sounds (to me) like the name of a boat being hailed ("Sea Launch" or suchlike) - it always takes me a few moments to process it's meaning even though I know it - I'm sure I'm not the only one. The issue with using "radio silence" is that that isn't quite what seelonce means. Maybe STFU?

 

[Stemar]

We have many French words in the English language, surrender and collaborate to name two.

But, of course, the French have no word for entrepreneur...

Maybe STFU?

I reckon that's exactly what seelonce means - in English and in French (with a spelling adjustment)

 

[justanothersailboat]

Judging by the faux bomber pilot accents I hear, many radio checkers sound like they're requesting a VDF talk down to a foggy Lincolnshire airfield rather than wasting everyone's time testing a modern Icom set.

I've never asked for a radio check but I do put on my "voice for radio"* when radioing because I find it infuriating when other radio users speak in a fastpaced slurred mumble. But you're making me feel really self-conscious now!

*(as opposed to my face for radio, which is always-on)

 

[wonkywinch]

MAYDAY
PANPAN
SECURITÉ
SEELONCE / SEELONCE FINI
OVER
OUT

Its not exactly a massive new vocabulary for your to learn! (At least some of those are used in ATC too!).

Ah, you reminded me of another pet hate, "Over and Out" which doesn't exist.

All still better than tapping away .. ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄

 

[justanothersailboat]

All still better than tapping away .. ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄

Can you imagine the radio checks?

 

[shanemax]

Reminds me, I haven't used the Aldis lamp on my boat for a couple of weeks.