[MHml] Automatic Radio Calling

[Joe Siudzinski]

> An  'Automatic Radio Calling' device. Plugged into (YV) radio, it sends out
> an "All ships, all ships .... requesting radio check" at pre determined
> intervals (10 minutes?) The resulting response from the ship, which almost
> certainly has it's radio functioning, would allert (awake) the singlehander
> to the immident danger.

My two cents' worth, FWIW:

1. AIS alarms DO show off the ships and radar alarms work in smooth
conditions for most vessels and for ships when it's rough. If loudness is a
concern, then feed the alarm into a LOUD master alarm system. So far since I
started using AIS I haven't seen a ship that was not using it. Absolutely
love AIS as even without any chart on the computer the closest intercept is
continuously computed for ships within easily a 75-mile radius - check out
the 21 October 2006 entry second photo here:
http://www.katiekat.net/Cruise/KatieKat2006C.html#101106.

2. I have two radar reflectors (one a parabolic) and so far every ship on a
collision course with me has moved over. When I've talked with them they had
no problem easily seeing me at 20 miles.

3. Ships aren't the problem as they really do show up both electronically
and visually. THE PROBLEM is our fellow cruisers with no radar, no radar
reflectors, and no running lights - all following the same GPS
point-to-point route and keeping their cross-track error zero. Had two close
calls at night so far...
Along most coasts, small fishing vessels invisible to radar are also an
issue...

4. Since Channel 16 is normally left on, I suspect that having a repetitive
VHF channel 16 signal banging in every ten minutes would be most annoying
("radio check" - isn't that deceitful?), and every commercial vessel within
range would soon want to run you over. :-) Many ships do not respond when
you call them, anyway. The only time I kicked out a periodic cautionary
"Securite" was when I was comfortably sitting to a para-anchor on a dark and
nasty night - and even then I was all lit up with decklights since I had
power to burn from the windgen.

5. In this day and age, onboard power is a non-issue. On my 33' cat
(multihull content) I have over 500W of solar panels and a windgen and
'only' 400AHr battery capacity and that's more than sufficient to
effortlessly run all the high power consumers: fridge and freezer,
autopilot, radar, computers, watermaker ... and I can always turn on the
engines and little Honda genset if needed, which I've never done yet because
of simply needing power.

Much as I like a long deep sleep, catnapping with a LOUD egg timer (10
minutes inshore, 20+ minutes offshore) and a quick look-around seems to work
at night. Well offshore when no other vessels are seen for weeks at a time,
I'm at peace with a nice longer sleep.

Sorry for the long-winded non-multihull-related response from a cruiser's
perspective but the message pushed a button. Perhaps Ross could comment?

Joe Siudzinski
(just rejoined the list for a few days while vegging in La Paz)
-- 
My personal (no advertizing!) cruising website: http://www.KatieKat.net