Solent Radio Checks

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JeremyF

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Delighted to hear Coastguard first on Friday request no more radio radio checks. Then, on Saturday, repeated statements that radio checks will not be responded to.

Well done; and not before time. Frankly this is an improvement to safety as there is a much better chance that people will now monitor CH16.

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Dawn Chorus</font color=red>
 
but the radio checks kept on coming! Are people just plain daft, time after time the coast guard asked for the radio checks to stop and sure enough five minutes later "this is nobby can i have a radio...............

Ian



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Extraordinary reception last weekend.

Just outside Boulogne on Saturday afternoon. I was about to call the harbour on my bargain-basement XM handheld, usual range 3 miles, when to my surprise I heard a call from Brixham Coast Guard on ch16. Over the next hour ch16 was crowded with calls from Brixham, Portland, Solent, Dover and Thames coastguards, including a mayday for a boat on fire in the Solent. (But no irritated responses to radio checks).

After about an hour it all faded back to the normal peace and quiet ...

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Jbourg Traffic

Now all we need is to turn down the power on the Cherbourg traffic transmitter or permanently consign him to Canal Huit Zero.

Interestingly it was a British voice a couple of weeks ago. .....

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Re: Jbourg Traffic

I rather enjoy the Appellez Tous calls. Somewhat more exotic that the usual stuff. Lots of Dutch traffic (and yachts) in the last fortnight, but very few French. Wonder why?

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=red>Jeremy Flynn/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif
Dawn Chorus</font color=red>
 
Re: Extraordinary reception last weekend.

High pressure causes all sort of remarkable things to happen to VHF range - cases exist where our American cousins have been heard on the west coast of the UK!

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Re: Extraordinary reception last weekend.

Ah ken .. and that's withoot any communication device!!!

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Re: Extraordinary reception last weekend.

Agree,, we use to hear American boats quite often.
When working off the north coast of cornwall, especially in the autumn.
Use to try calling back , but never had a response,
Use to see the Northern lights at times as well, Dont know why I mentioned that.
totally irrevelant to this thread.

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Re: Extraordinary reception last weekend.

On one occasion in similar weather, we heard Newcastle taxi's on our internal platform radio frequency - and that was 110 miles due east of Peterhead ! !

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Hi,

Weekend before last there was one idiot that came up on 16 with

radiocheckradiocheck

radiocheckradiocheck

radio check please.

and so on for about five minutes. I thought Solent Coastgaurd were very restrained!

Regards


Ian



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The problem is spreading I heard a few requests for Radio Checks in Plymouth area last weekend. Is this connected to the spread of Sunsail boats to the area? I often wonder if people check their MOB equipment as often as the radio.

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Re: Extraordinary reception last weekend.

We have one of those XM handheld thingies and it picked up Swansea coastguard and the Mumbles lifeboat yesterday!

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Re: Jbourg Traffic

You are right. I used to live near Mt St Michel (on the Breton side of the Couesnon)and really meant the dialect of the people from around there and the Cotentin. But it definitely is in Normandy!

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Re: Extraordinary reception last weekend.

Picked up Swansea, Brixham, Jersey as well as Solent & Portland CG, when off Poole last week.
This is probably cause of request from CG to stop radio checks, due to over talking from these stations. Can't believe any CG - who are extremely patient and professional would just say no for any other reason.

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There was a reply to a letter in September's edition of Sailing Today which claimed that they had contacted Solent Coastguard about this matter. Solent Coastguard stated that they would still respond to radio checks but would not do so when other matters took precedent.

Now I am really confused!



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