The 'new' Solent Coastguard, opinions??

[Jabs]

How are Solent sailors finding the new arrangement, i.e. new service from Fareham??

I'm not too happy right now, but it's early days.

There was an open mic on 16 yesterday and they weren't interested.

I heard Radio Checks being responded to without ships names being used. How do you know its you who is 'loud and clear'?

Any other observations??



Tony

 

[RichardTaylor]

Yesterday was fascicle - as you say no names on radio checks and a Pan Pan (or Mayday - we could only hear the CG end) which I think was a fire on board where the handling and radio etiquette was well below that we would have expected from the CG a month ago.

 

[richardbrennan]

I also noticed the above issues; have the personnel changed? I thought it was just a relocation of premises.

 

[prv]

I also noticed the above issues; have the personnel changed? I thought it was just a relocation of premises.

No, they replaced practically all the staff with complete novices on much lower pay. Straight from the JobCentre via a brief training course on the basics of VHF and some by-rote incident management procedures, but no experience and no handover from the old crew. I think I've heard one familiar voice since the change, but I'm not sure. And even then her conversation was talked over by a newbie colleague on the same frequency because they're using a setup geared towards call-centres with individual phone lines rather than a shared radio spectrum.

They're also still well short of the number of people they're meant to have.

Pete

 

[colingr]

How are Solent sailors finding the new arrangement, i.e. new service from Fareham??

There was an open mic on 16 yesterday and they weren't interested.

If it was the one causing an almost continuous clicking then the CG lady did come on early afternoon and do an all ships to check their radios so they did pick up on it. About 13:30 to 14:00 ish. Pretty clear what they wanted and the interference stopped pretty soon after. I was in the docks area when I heard their transmission.

As usual I couldn't hear the weather transmission though. Very crackly, and the announcement about what channel to use was pretty indecipherable.

 

[Jabs]

If it was the one causing an almost continuous clicking then the CG lady did come on early afternoon and do an all ships to check their radios so they did pick up on it. About 13:30 to 14:00 ish. Pretty clear what they wanted and the interference stopped pretty soon after. I was in the docks area when I heard their transmission.

As usual I couldn't hear the weather transmission though. Very crackly, and the announcement about what channel to use was pretty indecipherable.

I called them close to 11.00 since ch 16 calls near us were going unanswered.

Interesting that it was ME who suggested going 67 rather than them!

We also had the issue with the weather forecast. From close to Yarmouth.

The real worry is a radio check acknowledged with no ships name.

Tony.

 

[prv]

The real worry is a radio check acknowledged with no ships name.

That worries me considerably less than some of the other things I've heard in the last month :nonchalance:

Pete

 

[BlueSkyNick]

The real worry is a radio check acknowledged with no ships name.

Tony.

If thats your biggest concern, then the rest of it must be working pretty well. If nobody called on CH16 for a radio check, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Personally I am bored with people trying to find faults and criticise the new staff for the sake of it, rather than giving them time to settle in. However this usually happens with a major business change, especially by previous employees.

 

[Jabs]

So you would be happy for the ambulance service or police or fire emergency services to be revamped and allowed time to bed in???

Tony

 

[chubby]

I agree that the standard from Solent CG is well below previous standards, yesterday they seemed to be dealing with something in Poole harbour using the Solent CG callsign and an aerial local to the Solent.

I have called Gosport NCI on Ch 65 for a radio check, answered very quickly and efficiently with excellent confident RT technique. No doubt someone will castigate me for doing radio checks but I think it is important to occasionally check the set if it can be done without irritation, yes we call 999 and don`t do a phone check to the 99 number but then most of us use a telephone on a regular basis.

I did hear them respond to a commercial ship in mid channel as "UK coastguard", now that does seem sense, to a merchantman on passage where the Solent is is irrelevant.

 

[Dessire_Luvals]

Pretty difficult to criticise the CG when we have endless requests for radio checks on 16 and the response is routine traffic 67 during busy summer months. Two minutes later another radio check on 16!

 

[ShinyShoe]

yesterday they seemed to be dealing with something in Poole harbour using the Solent CG callsign and an aerial local to the Solent.

So that's their callsign now. And you could always hear Portland at Ryde so what dya want them to do?

have called Gosport NCI on Ch 65 for a radio check, answered very quickly and efficiently with excellent confident RT technique. No doubt someone will castigate me for doing radio checks but I think it is important to occasionally check the set if it can be done.

NCI sounds a sensible place to do it.

I did hear them respond to a commercial ship in mid channel as "UK coastguard", now that does seem sense, to a merchantman on passage where the Solent is is irrelevant.

Not sure what your point is. If you call Coastguard I'd expect a response. But bear in mind that in the channel from a ship in the right conditions that could reach 100miles of aerials. Telling which one you wanted might help?

So you would be happy for the ambulance service or police or fire emergency services to be revamped and allowed time to bed in???

Tony

anyone died yet? Or is the worst that's actually happened that a few foru.items are frustrated by poor RT protocol? If its a 999 call centre the difference is the rest of the country can't listen in...

If thats your biggest concern, then the rest of it must be working pretty well. If nobody called on CH16 for a radio check, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Personally I am bored with people trying to find faults and criticise the new staff for the sake of it, rather than giving them time to settle in. However this usually happens with a major business change, especially by previous employees.

+1

As usual I couldn't hear the weather transmission though. Very crackly, and the announcement about what channel to use was pretty indecipherable.

Where were you? For months (well before Fareham) they haven't transmitted MSI announcements on 16 in the Solent its self. I guess because there is no mast to listen to for an actual forecast, so they must only be transmitting MSI announcements from the masts that will transmit the MSI which kinda makes sense.

 

[ShinyShoe]

I called them close to 11.00 since ch 16 calls near us were going unanswered.

Interesting that it was ME who suggested going 67 rather than them!

So I find I can help them by calling:
Solent Coastguard, Solent Coastguard this is Yacht Nonsuch, Nonsuch, Routine traffic, over.

But in Solent they listen to 67 why not go there direct anyway...

You have to put yourself in their shoes.
How do they respond to
Solent CG, Solent CG this is Yacht X, Yacht X over.

It has to be assumed its not routine.

So then they tell you to proceed on 16 and you either then say would you not prefer 67 or you blabber for a bit and they have a headslap moment while they realise it should be on 67 but hope you are done so no point moving you.

You knew it was traffic suitable for 67 tell them early on or go direct or.. Use DSC!

But don't waste my internet bandwidth telling me that the new guys don't move you to 67... The old guys had to put up with you before and sometimes didn't move you...

The real worry is a radio check acknowledged with no ships name.

The guy and girl who I think of as the voice of Solent used to regularly answer... Station calling Solent you are weak but readable. Makes me chuckle... So readable we didn't catch your name.

 

[Jabs]

To clarify

I broadcast a request for a radio check.

My antenna is corroded and the call is lost in the ether.

Almost simultaneously, another station broadcasts a similar message.

SC reply "loud and clear" but no station name.

I think all is ok.

Think about it.

Tony

 

[Daydream believer]

So you would be happy for the ambulance service or police or fire emergency services to be revamped and allowed time to bed in???

Tony

Could not be much worse

 

[prv]

To clarify

I broadcast a request for a radio check.

My antenna is corroded and the call is lost in the ether.

Almost simultaneously, another station broadcasts a similar message.

SC reply "loud and clear" but no station name.

I think all is ok.

Think about it.

That's nothing new though. The old crew used to regularly respond "Station calling for radio check, you are good and readable".

Pete

 

[colingr]

Where were you? For months (well before Fareham) they haven't transmitted MSI announcements on 16 in the Solent its self. I guess because there is no mast to listen to for an actual forecast, so they must only be transmitting MSI announcements from the masts that will transmit the MSI which kinda makes sense.

I wasn't listening on 16 I moved to the channel they recommended (sorry can't remember which one, might have been 23) for central Solent. As I have already mentioned I was in the docks area (just off dock head as it happens.

The signal was very broken up. I get the same issue around the upper reaches of Southampton Water so it's probably a line of sight thing as VTS are nice and clear on 12.

 

[jac]

I wasn't listening on 16 I moved to the channel they recommended (sorry can't remember which one, might have been 23) for central Solent. As I have already mentioned I was in the docks area (just off dock head as it happens.

The signal was very broken up. I get the same issue around the upper reaches of Southampton Water so it's probably a line of sight thing as VTS are nice and clear on 12.

Don't think so sadly.

We were off Newton when the announcement came through. It was only my memory that got us onto the right channel for the Needles aerial as it wasn't announced clearly enough and even then the pronunciation wasn't great.

Was it life threatening, no. Does it present a risk - yes. Gale warnings were in force last weekend and someone could easily have been searching for the forecast and missed it due to lack of clarity.

That said, they are new. They will get better.

 

[Sandy]

So you would be happy for the ambulance service or police or fire emergency services to be revamped and allowed time to bed in???

You are about 20 years to late. Remember the London Ambulance Service problems? Sadly lessons were not transfered.

 

[Colvic Watson]

That's nothing new though. The old crew used to regularly respond "Station calling for radio check, you are good and readable".

Pete

Yep, heard that lots in the summer. Hope they're all nice and trained up for our summer cruise

And honestly who listens to CG for the weather? Go online and in a few minutes you have the latest inshore waters and shipping forecast.