BUILDING THE NATIONAL VHF-FM DISTRESS SYSTEM. A REAL WORLD CHALLENGE

This paper describes the evolutionary process by which the United States Coast Guard has accepted the challenge of converting its primary short range distress and safety system from the 2-3 MHz band to the VHF-FM Maritime Mobile band. It will describe the concepts, planning factors and present status of this national program which promises to be the most comprehensive Coast Guard short range safety system ever conceived. This VHF-FM system, which is 2/3 complete will provide converage on channel 16 (The National Distress and Calling frequency) throughout the entire coast of the United States to 20 miles offshore, the Great Lakes, and the Navigable waters of the U.S. including the Western Rivers. Also discussed is the Coast Guard plans for VHF-FM in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The paper concludes with a look at future applications of this system, including Distress Alerting and Locating System (DALS), marine information dissemination, and information and data retrieval.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the April 25-27, 1973 Seattle RTCM Assembly Meeting. Volume 1--Papers A thru E, Maritime Satellite Telecommunications Activity; Volume 2--Papers F thru L, Maritime Antennas, Personnel, and ITU Conference Activity; Volume 3--Papers M thru R, Systems Approaches to Maritime Telecommunications; Volume 4--Papers S thru Y, Navigation and Position Fixing in Maritime Telecommunications. Sold only as a complete four volume set--$10.00 per set.
• Corporate Authors:

  Radio Technical Commission for Marine Services

  /Federal Communications Commission
  Washington, DC  United States  20554
• Authors:
  • Offutt Jr, J R
• Publication Date: 1973-4

Media Info

• Pagination: 16 p.
• Serial:
  • Volume: 3

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Communication systems; Communications traffic; Distress alerting systems; Radio; Safety; Safety equipment; Standards
• Uncontrolled Terms: Safety standards
• Old TRIS Terms: Radio traffic loads
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00050268
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Radio Technical Commission for Marine Services
• Report/Paper Numbers: Paper 103-73/DO-72
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 14 1973 12:00AM