[StPete] Press relaese from USCG HF radio broadcasts of weather forecasts and warnings.

[Bill Eibach]

   The Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) urges mariners to respond to the U.S. Coast Guard on the need for high frequency (HF) radio broadcasts of weather forecasts and warnings.
   The U.S. Coast Guard has published a request for comments from the public on the need to continue providing high frequency (HF) radio broadcasts of marine weather forecasts and warnings. The Coast Guard radio transmitters used for this service have passed their useful life. Replacing them will be expensive, so the Coast Guard wants to know if mariners find the service useful. Comments will be collected until August 24, 2007, and can be submitted in one of four ways:
(1) Web Site: /https://dms.dot.gov/submit/dspSubmission.cfm /(Docket ID is USCG-2007-27656)
(2) Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001 (Cite docket USCG-2007-27656).
(3) Fax: 202-493-2251 (Cite docket USCG-2007-27656).
   RTCM is urging mariners to respond to the U.S. Coast Guard on the need to continue providing high frequency (HF) radio broadcasts of weather forecasts and warnings. Public comment is necessary in order to assess the demand for the HF radio broadcasts of weather forecasts in each of three forms:
(1) Radiofacsimile; (2) Voice; and (3) Simplex Teletype Over Radio (SITOR), also known as Narrow Band Direct Printing (NBDP).
   The infrastructure necessary to provide these services has exceeded its life expectancy; the equipment is no longer manufactured, repairs are difficult to accomplish, and spare parts generally are not available. Because of the very significant costs involved to continue these specific HF radio services, the Coast Guard requires information on the extent to which these services are used by the public and what alternative services are being used or are available to obtain weather forecasts and warnings.
   Although commenters can provide any relevant information they choose, the Coast Guard is asking the following questions, requesting answers as specific as possible, with explanations, if any, for the responses:
(1) What is your position in the maritime community? (Please be as specific as possible, /e.g., /captain of oil tanker, 1st mate on 500 unit containership, owner/operator of cruising sailboat, fleet manager of a 27 vessel shipping company, yacht delivery captain, etc.).
(2) What are your primary sources for obtaining marine weather forecasts? (For example, Inmarsat-C/SafetyNet, USCG HF radio broadcasts, USCG medium frequency (MF) Radio Broadcasts, USCG very high frequency (VHF) radio broadcasts, NOAA Weather Radio, NAVTEX, shoreside Internet, radio 
 television, commercial service/system, etc.)
(3) Do you use Coast Guard HF radio voice broadcasts to receive marine weather forecasts? (Yes or No) If yes, how often do you use Coast Guard HF voice broadcasts and how critical are they to your safety and operation as compared to the other sources you listed in your response to Question 2?
(4) Do you use Coast Guard HF radiofax broadcasts to receive marine weather forecasts? (Yes or No) If yes, how often do you use Coast Guard HF radiofax broadcasts and how critical are they to your safety and operation as compared to the other sources you listed in your response to Question 2?
(5) Do you use Coast Guard HF radio Simplex Teletype over Radio (SITOR) (also known as Narrow Band Direct printing (NBDP)) to receive marine weather forecasts? (Yes or No) If yes, how often do you use Coast Guard SITOR radio broadcasts and how critical are they to your safety and operation as compared to the other sources you listed in your response to Question 2?
(6) What alternative source(s) for obtaining marine weather forecasts would you pursue if Coast Guard HF broadcasts were no longer available?  How would you rate the alternative source(s) in terms of (a) user cost and (b) usefulness of the information as compared to the Coast Guard HF broadcast it replaces?
(7) Would the loss of Coast Guard HF marine weather broadcasts affect you?  Please explain.
(8) How far seaward does your vessel primarily operate? (For example; coastal (0-25 nautical miles (nm) seaward); offshore (25-200 nm seaward); or, high seas (more than 200 nm seaward.) In what geographic area(s) do you generally operate your vessel? (For example, mid-Atlantic, New England, North Central Pacific, Hawaii, Gulf of Mexico, etc.)
   The complete Coast Guard notice can be downloaded from RTCM at http://rtcm.info/076-2007-SC107-DIST.pdf .
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