Marcus Grinblat ESMCommunications Manager, State Council
Peter TyersCommunications Manager, Gippsland
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Richard Burgess ESMProjects
Tony DaninoCommunications Engineer CFA
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Charlie Savage
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Communications Manager, Central
Marine VHF Repeaters for Bass Strait & Enclosed Waters
The Genesis of the Project
In about 2003, Telstra had decided to shut down the VHF Seaphone system (a means of accessing the public telephone system from a marine VHF radio) as they claimed it was no longer commercially viable in light of the investment in mobile telephony. This concerned all boat enthusiasts, Water Police, volunteer marine rescue services and the commercial industry (Abalone).
The team pondered whether it would be economically and practically feasible to extend substantially the VHF marine radio network with repeaters to give continuous coverage for Victorian marine waters and well out into Bass Strait, at the same time eliminating existing radio blackspots within the current very “limited” network.
in December, 2005 Richard found a work colleague, Michael Mcdonald, a keen and very competent radio ham operator who said that he could simulate a VHF radio pattern with a software package that uses Google maps to emulate the contour of mountain peaks and hence predict radio coverage at a given frequency. Very quickly he presented a series of patterns that stretched from Portland in the west to Narooma in the east and as far South as Tasmania including Flinders, Deal and King islands.
At the same time the team had taken over a project from Westernport Safety Council*1 who were keen to establish a VHF marine radio repeater at Mount Oberon. Following the amalgamation of The Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol units at Port Welshpool and Port Albert into Coast Guard it became apparent that their rescue craft were being dispatched to sea with very limited radio coverage - very risky given the remote nature of the area! In addition, a regular routine was to check on the welfare of boats taking shelter in Refuge Cove, where once safely anchored, were unable to communicate their vessel’s status due to radio blackout from the mountainous terrain.
The trigger that prompted the team into taking action came after a Coast Guard crew was dispatched from VF20 Port Welshpool on Christmas Day 2005. Just before Christmas lunch Coast Guard received a call from a concerned relative enquiring about the possible whereabouts of an overdue yacht in transit to Melbourne. The rescue crew found them safe in Refuge Cove unable to make contact with anyone. They thanked the rescue crew for their efforts while enjoying their Christmas lunch! *2.
In about 2003, Telstra had decided to shut down the VHF Seaphone system (a means of accessing the public telephone system from a marine VHF radio) as they claimed it was no longer commercially viable in light of the investment in mobile telephony. This concerned all boat enthusiasts, Water Police, volunteer marine rescue services and the commercial industry (Abalone).
The team pondered whether it would be economically and practically feasible to extend substantially the VHF marine radio network with repeaters to give continuous coverage for Victorian marine waters and well out into Bass Strait, at the same time eliminating existing radio blackspots within the current very “limited” network.
in December, 2005 Richard found a work colleague, Michael Mcdonald, a keen and very competent radio ham operator who said that he could simulate a VHF radio pattern with a software package that uses Google maps to emulate the contour of mountain peaks and hence predict radio coverage at a given frequency. Very quickly he presented a series of patterns that stretched from Portland in the west to Narooma in the east and as far South as Tasmania including Flinders, Deal and King islands.
At the same time the team had taken over a project from Westernport Safety Council*1 who were keen to establish a VHF marine radio repeater at Mount Oberon. Following the amalgamation of The Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol units at Port Welshpool and Port Albert into Coast Guard it became apparent that their rescue craft were being dispatched to sea with very limited radio coverage - very risky given the remote nature of the area! In addition, a regular routine was to check on the welfare of boats taking shelter in Refuge Cove, where once safely anchored, were unable to communicate their vessel’s status due to radio blackout from the mountainous terrain.
The trigger that prompted the team into taking action came after a Coast Guard crew was dispatched from VF20 Port Welshpool on Christmas Day 2005. Just before Christmas lunch Coast Guard received a call from a concerned relative enquiring about the possible whereabouts of an overdue yacht in transit to Melbourne. The rescue crew found them safe in Refuge Cove unable to make contact with anyone. They thanked the rescue crew for their efforts while enjoying their Christmas lunch! *2.
The project
With a letter of support from Richard Mostard, Officer in Charge Gippsland Water Police, the team on behalf of Coast Guard was successful in 2006 in securing funding from Marine Safety Victoria in order to finance the Mount Oberon repeater installation. This was a huge project and required more hours to establish that the entire Bass Strait network. As the communication unit on Mount Oberon is a Telstra leased site, stringent safety and engineering standards had to be met. Marcus appointed Richard Burgess to plan and schedule the project. Thus all parties working on the site (an electrician, 2 Riggers, 2 communications technicians as well as Marcus and Richard) required full TELSTRA safety induction.
Project planning took at least six months before the project crew were in a position to do the installation. 72 man hours later they conducted their first test – Marcus, using his hand held VHF Marine Radio made a test call to Coast Guard Melbourne (located at Sandringham). The call was immediately received by the Queenscliff Flotilla reporting the signal was ‘loud and clear’.
The team were ecstatic, and subsequently amazed by how closely the geographic reception resembled the simulated mapping.
The team then pressed on and based on the simulated mapping, pursued options to access various sites along the coast. An Electrical Network provider had a number of potential sites however this effort was to no avail, for as soon as philanthropy was mentioned, it was clear that they were not interested in giving free space on their towers and were looking at a ten thousand dollar a year commitment (just for tower space!).
In discussion with others other options were considered in order to access properly located sites. The late Kevin Feltham, a long serving member of the RVCP and the newly formed Coast Guard Flotilla at Port Albert, in addition to being a Ham Radio Operator, had indicated that the TELSTRA Seaphone equipment might become redundant given the demise of the network. It was concluded that it would not be too difficult technically to modify the equipment (both are duplex systems) with the necessary frequency changes and cavity filtering probably being the major costs.
Richard sent an email to TELSTRA's managed radio and wireless solutions division outlining the proposal.
Initially the only reply was that the network manager was on holidays. It was several months later that Richard received a call from Dennis Liddicoat Senior Manager for TELSTRA's Network Solutions Group. As side note, Dennis previously worked for Defence in a similar role as Richard when employed with the Defence Signals Directorate – Richard would build it at Victoria Barracks in Melbourne, the equipment would be loaded onto a C130 and flown to Darwin where Dennis’ team would instal it.
After the brief, Dennis responded that he was very supportive of the Coast Guard team’s initiative and promptly assigned an engineer to assist with the project.
Noel Sutherland, a radio solutions architect contacted Richard within a few days. Noel and Dennis realised very quickly the merit in the project. Telstra were still being widely criticised due to the demise of the Seaphone system as a number of small commercial vessel operators had relied solely on the Seaphone Service to meet their communication survey requirements.
With Dennis’ and Noel’s direct involvement in the project, the result was that the required modifications were made to establish repeaters at Mt Taylor (Gippsland North of Bairnsdale), Mt Fatigue (Gippsland South, North of Welshpool), Arthur’s Seat, Cape Otway and Mt Imlay.
With a letter of support from Richard Mostard, Officer in Charge Gippsland Water Police, the team on behalf of Coast Guard was successful in 2006 in securing funding from Marine Safety Victoria in order to finance the Mount Oberon repeater installation. This was a huge project and required more hours to establish that the entire Bass Strait network. As the communication unit on Mount Oberon is a Telstra leased site, stringent safety and engineering standards had to be met. Marcus appointed Richard Burgess to plan and schedule the project. Thus all parties working on the site (an electrician, 2 Riggers, 2 communications technicians as well as Marcus and Richard) required full TELSTRA safety induction.
Project planning took at least six months before the project crew were in a position to do the installation. 72 man hours later they conducted their first test – Marcus, using his hand held VHF Marine Radio made a test call to Coast Guard Melbourne (located at Sandringham). The call was immediately received by the Queenscliff Flotilla reporting the signal was ‘loud and clear’.
The team were ecstatic, and subsequently amazed by how closely the geographic reception resembled the simulated mapping.
The team then pressed on and based on the simulated mapping, pursued options to access various sites along the coast. An Electrical Network provider had a number of potential sites however this effort was to no avail, for as soon as philanthropy was mentioned, it was clear that they were not interested in giving free space on their towers and were looking at a ten thousand dollar a year commitment (just for tower space!).
In discussion with others other options were considered in order to access properly located sites. The late Kevin Feltham, a long serving member of the RVCP and the newly formed Coast Guard Flotilla at Port Albert, in addition to being a Ham Radio Operator, had indicated that the TELSTRA Seaphone equipment might become redundant given the demise of the network. It was concluded that it would not be too difficult technically to modify the equipment (both are duplex systems) with the necessary frequency changes and cavity filtering probably being the major costs.
Richard sent an email to TELSTRA's managed radio and wireless solutions division outlining the proposal.
Initially the only reply was that the network manager was on holidays. It was several months later that Richard received a call from Dennis Liddicoat Senior Manager for TELSTRA's Network Solutions Group. As side note, Dennis previously worked for Defence in a similar role as Richard when employed with the Defence Signals Directorate – Richard would build it at Victoria Barracks in Melbourne, the equipment would be loaded onto a C130 and flown to Darwin where Dennis’ team would instal it.
After the brief, Dennis responded that he was very supportive of the Coast Guard team’s initiative and promptly assigned an engineer to assist with the project.
Noel Sutherland, a radio solutions architect contacted Richard within a few days. Noel and Dennis realised very quickly the merit in the project. Telstra were still being widely criticised due to the demise of the Seaphone system as a number of small commercial vessel operators had relied solely on the Seaphone Service to meet their communication survey requirements.
With Dennis’ and Noel’s direct involvement in the project, the result was that the required modifications were made to establish repeaters at Mt Taylor (Gippsland North of Bairnsdale), Mt Fatigue (Gippsland South, North of Welshpool), Arthur’s Seat, Cape Otway and Mt Imlay.
Mike Mcdonald's simulation plot, these were used as the basis of identifying suitable sites across Victoria.
The Result
Due predominately to the determination of the CG team, on a purely voluntary basis, a continuous VHF Marine Radio network from Eden in the East to Portland in the West and reliable coverage 20 Nm off the coast into Bass Strait.
From the outset, all associated government and voluntary organisations acknowledged that this wide VHF marine radio coverage was a major achievement and would save many lives as well as result in more prompt and effective dispatch of rescue assets.
As the repeaters were progressively commissioned, the radio calls from craft along Bass Strait have been received which otherwise would have not been heard. In most cases, mobile phones were out of range.
Specific praise has been forthcoming from the Victorian and New South Wales Water Police units, and also from the Sydney-Hobart Race officials from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia relating to a specific incident where the use of the repeater at Mt Imlay enhanced the prompt rescue of and injured sailor.
There have been numerous rescues and assistance provided which otherwise could not have been possible some early brief summaries are also reproduced below government recognition of the outcome has been recognised with Coast Guard winning a 2008 Australia safer community award. In addition, Coast Guard also received a Boating Industry Association Award 'Safety Initiatives by an organisation', presented at the 2008 Melbourne Boat Show.
Mount Oberon Project 2008
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Conclusion
As Project Manager, the efforts of many were critical in achieving the project success. In particular, the original vision and technical support and guidance of Marcus Grinblat.
The Officer in Charge, Gippsland Water Police, Richard Mostard chaired the Gippsland DisPlan quarterly Meetings, the Repeater Network project was high on his priority list. The minutes of the Displan Meetings supported all funding applications to the various Government bodies.
Noel Sutherland, Telstra's Radio Solutions Architect, was as a real champion of the project who worked tirelessly with the Australian Communications and media authority to achieve the frequency assignment as well as provide overall engineering support.
Tony Danino, Country Fire Authority, Communications Engineer, worked tirelessly to support the Coast Guard team. His professional knowledge and experience enabled initially the repeater project to progress seamlessly. In addition, Tony's experience in the field of 'radio over IP' (RoiP) open doors to more efficient and effective means of linking networks. As will be demonstrated later, the projects to extend the Distress and Calling frequencies across Bass Strait were designed by Tony.
Paul Elgar, a senior communications engineer from Motorola who was a key player in the project contributing many hours on a purely voluntary basis. His involvement enabled the establishment of Bass Hill and Mount Oberon where he supplied and installed equipment, Paul continues to maintain the Bass Hill Repeater as well as provide technical advice.
Marine Safety Victoria (now Transport Safety Maritime) were exceptionally supportive and promoted the network throughout Victoria. Their survey department rescinded exemptions placed on commercial vessels (less than 8 m in length) in relation to carrying a VHF radio, now these vessels must carry marine radios and operate within 30 nautical miles of a Limited Coast Radio Station.
Alan Green was the Treasurer of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia for many years, then a Rear Commodore and finally a Director (1995 – 2008). Alan was instrumental in setting up the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS ) trust with several other members of the CYCA. He was made a life member of the CYCA in recognition of his activities in enhancing radio communication and in working through a difficult period for the CYCA. Alan was a real advocate for the project and promoted through the CYCA how communications gaps would be closed, in particular during the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
For the volunteers with very demanding full-time jobs at the time and some with young families, it was undoubtably a ‘labour of love’, well and truly above the (normal) call of duty, involving countless hours of lobbying to gain support from the various government agencies, Justice Dept, Marine Safety Victoria, the Department of Forest and Fisheries and ensuring funds were available to finance the project.
For the recreational and small commercial boats using Victorian waters from Portland around to Eden in south-east New South Wales, and south to the Bass Strait islands, their journeys can now be made with the security of knowing they can be in constant communications with Limited Coast Radio Stations and other emergency services 24 hours a day.
As Project Manager, the efforts of many were critical in achieving the project success. In particular, the original vision and technical support and guidance of Marcus Grinblat.
The Officer in Charge, Gippsland Water Police, Richard Mostard chaired the Gippsland DisPlan quarterly Meetings, the Repeater Network project was high on his priority list. The minutes of the Displan Meetings supported all funding applications to the various Government bodies.
Noel Sutherland, Telstra's Radio Solutions Architect, was as a real champion of the project who worked tirelessly with the Australian Communications and media authority to achieve the frequency assignment as well as provide overall engineering support.
Tony Danino, Country Fire Authority, Communications Engineer, worked tirelessly to support the Coast Guard team. His professional knowledge and experience enabled initially the repeater project to progress seamlessly. In addition, Tony's experience in the field of 'radio over IP' (RoiP) open doors to more efficient and effective means of linking networks. As will be demonstrated later, the projects to extend the Distress and Calling frequencies across Bass Strait were designed by Tony.
Paul Elgar, a senior communications engineer from Motorola who was a key player in the project contributing many hours on a purely voluntary basis. His involvement enabled the establishment of Bass Hill and Mount Oberon where he supplied and installed equipment, Paul continues to maintain the Bass Hill Repeater as well as provide technical advice.
Marine Safety Victoria (now Transport Safety Maritime) were exceptionally supportive and promoted the network throughout Victoria. Their survey department rescinded exemptions placed on commercial vessels (less than 8 m in length) in relation to carrying a VHF radio, now these vessels must carry marine radios and operate within 30 nautical miles of a Limited Coast Radio Station.
Alan Green was the Treasurer of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia for many years, then a Rear Commodore and finally a Director (1995 – 2008). Alan was instrumental in setting up the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS ) trust with several other members of the CYCA. He was made a life member of the CYCA in recognition of his activities in enhancing radio communication and in working through a difficult period for the CYCA. Alan was a real advocate for the project and promoted through the CYCA how communications gaps would be closed, in particular during the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
For the volunteers with very demanding full-time jobs at the time and some with young families, it was undoubtably a ‘labour of love’, well and truly above the (normal) call of duty, involving countless hours of lobbying to gain support from the various government agencies, Justice Dept, Marine Safety Victoria, the Department of Forest and Fisheries and ensuring funds were available to finance the project.
For the recreational and small commercial boats using Victorian waters from Portland around to Eden in south-east New South Wales, and south to the Bass Strait islands, their journeys can now be made with the security of knowing they can be in constant communications with Limited Coast Radio Stations and other emergency services 24 hours a day.
Early Examples of Improved Safety from Repeater Network.
The introduction of the repeater network has vastly increased the area of marine radio coverage and enables greater use of the Offshore Tracking System. This has allowed NSW, Vic, Tasmania and SA to work together for the safety of all boat operators. Some early examples where the repeaters have proven useful follow (source: Marine Safety Victoria/AVCGA Publication "VHF Repeater
Network”).
"In March 2008 a search was mounted for a fisherman who had not returned by the nominated time. Communications between Water Police and Coast Guard were less than ideal until changing to Arthur's Seat Repeater, Channel 82.
"In May 2008 a concerned wife wanted to make contact with her husband, who was sailing from Bateman's Bay (NSW) to Geelong with friends. Due to a change in weather they had decided to shelter in Refuge Cove, Wilsons Promontory - a black spot for radio and mobile phone communications for many years. By accessing Mt Oberon Repeater Channel 22, Pt Franklin LCRS was able to contact the man and advise his wife that all was well."
"There were two incidents on 23 October 2007 when the channel 81 repeater was used to provide emergency communication. The vessel "Sea Magic" ran aground on the Port Albert bar just after midnight. The Port Franklin base was activated to provide communications while the Port Albert rescue boat CG19 went to their assistance. The vessel "Sea Magic" subsequently sank and the crew were taken off by CG19. About 07:00 the same morning Port Albert were mobilised to assist the vessel "Pamela May" which was disabled west of the Glennie Group. Once again Port Franklin LCRS provided radio communication on channel 81. This incident took 12 hours and involved a tow of 53 miles."
"The provision of repeaters on Mt Taylor and the VHF Distress and Safety Channels (Channel 16 & 67 at Mt Nowa Nowa, a recent move into new premises and implementation of HF monitoring has significantly improved the capability of the Paynesville Flotilla's Limited Coast Radio Station to assist vessels both within the Gippsland Lakes and offshore. An example of the improved facility was a recent incident involving a vessel transiting offshore between Melbourne and Eden, who experienced fuel problems adjacent to Seaspray. The vessel was able to contact the base on the channel 80 repeater (Mt Taylor) and an appropriate response was arranged. Prior to the provision of extended coverage via the repeater network this would not have been possible.
The introduction of the repeater network has vastly increased the area of marine radio coverage and enables greater use of the Offshore Tracking System. This has allowed NSW, Vic, Tasmania and SA to work together for the safety of all boat operators. Some early examples where the repeaters have proven useful follow (source: Marine Safety Victoria/AVCGA Publication "VHF Repeater
Network”).
"In March 2008 a search was mounted for a fisherman who had not returned by the nominated time. Communications between Water Police and Coast Guard were less than ideal until changing to Arthur's Seat Repeater, Channel 82.
"In May 2008 a concerned wife wanted to make contact with her husband, who was sailing from Bateman's Bay (NSW) to Geelong with friends. Due to a change in weather they had decided to shelter in Refuge Cove, Wilsons Promontory - a black spot for radio and mobile phone communications for many years. By accessing Mt Oberon Repeater Channel 22, Pt Franklin LCRS was able to contact the man and advise his wife that all was well."
"There were two incidents on 23 October 2007 when the channel 81 repeater was used to provide emergency communication. The vessel "Sea Magic" ran aground on the Port Albert bar just after midnight. The Port Franklin base was activated to provide communications while the Port Albert rescue boat CG19 went to their assistance. The vessel "Sea Magic" subsequently sank and the crew were taken off by CG19. About 07:00 the same morning Port Albert were mobilised to assist the vessel "Pamela May" which was disabled west of the Glennie Group. Once again Port Franklin LCRS provided radio communication on channel 81. This incident took 12 hours and involved a tow of 53 miles."
"The provision of repeaters on Mt Taylor and the VHF Distress and Safety Channels (Channel 16 & 67 at Mt Nowa Nowa, a recent move into new premises and implementation of HF monitoring has significantly improved the capability of the Paynesville Flotilla's Limited Coast Radio Station to assist vessels both within the Gippsland Lakes and offshore. An example of the improved facility was a recent incident involving a vessel transiting offshore between Melbourne and Eden, who experienced fuel problems adjacent to Seaspray. The vessel was able to contact the base on the channel 80 repeater (Mt Taylor) and an appropriate response was arranged. Prior to the provision of extended coverage via the repeater network this would not have been possible.
From Jenkin Steed, Gippsland Water Police
On the 15th May, 2012 the Port Albert Coast Guard were despatched to Refuge Cove at Wilson's Promontory, to look for an overdue yacht travelling from Eden to Hastings in Western Port bay. The yacht subsequently arrived at its' destination the following morning with the crew blissfully unaware that anyone had been looking for them.
This is only one of many such incidents. Around the same time that the yacht went aground at Wingan last week, there was another elderly couple transiting from Hobart to Eden who had been in regular phone and internet contact up until they lost reception. Once again family and friends were concerned for their welfare, especially when there were reports of a similar vessel going aground and ending up a total wreck.
Communications are a real problem along our coast. But VHF marine Radio will give you almost continuous coverage right along the coast between Portland and Eden, if you make the best use of it. First try Ch 16, the distress and calling frequency. If there is no answer on that from the authorities or volunteer agencies, try some of the following channels, which are relayed via a repeater network to the Coast Guard and Water Police offices.
From the West of the state to the East - Ch 81 at Portland, Ch 80 at Cape Otway, Ch 82 at Arthur's seat, Ch 21 at Bass hill, Ch 22 on Mt Oberon, Ch 81 on Mt Fatigue, Ch 80 on Mt Tailor and Ch 81 again on Mt Imlay near the VIC/NSW border. These repeater stations are located so as to provide an overlapping coverage, provided that you switch from one to the next as you transit along the coast. The idea of them being different channels is so that they can be on different frequencies, to avoid cluttering up the airways. Unfortunately, most people still are not aware of the repeater network and do not know which channel to choose for best reception at their location.
With almost everyone having a mobile phone these days, we tend to neglect the importance of marine radios. In a busy area such as Port Phillip, even if your radio is a bit dodgy, someone will probably hear you. If not, you just pull out the telephone and call home, when you need help.
Once you get out of the city however, things can fall apart rapidly. You are in the middle of Bass Strait, it is pitch black and blowing a gale. You never get seasick, but you are cold and tired now, feeling very ordinary and can't seem to concentrate.
Your GPS has quit on you and you really aren't sure exactly where you are. The nearest vessel may be 50 or more kilometres away. Towers for mobile phones are almost non-existent. Your radio, that may not be working at full strength or is on the wrong frequency, seems to be useless. Or there is limited power to the radio, because the motor was playing up and you have flattened the battery trying to start it.
You pull out your phone and it is useless too, you have a great phone plan, lots of free calls and it works fine in the city. Out here, nothing! The further away from the towers you get, the more your phone software ramps up its signal to try and stay in touch. And it keeps on searching at full strength, even if you are not aware of it. So your battery, which lasts for almost a week in the city, has suddenly gone flat overnight - of course you didn't bring a charger, because you were only going to be away a few days.
Suddenly the world is a lot bigger place, you would give literally anything to be able to speak to someone. Hopefully a passing ship will pick up your radio calls and relay them to us, that is if they are listening as they should be, unfortunately it is not always the case.
Some of the light houses along the coast have radios but they are not manned 24/7. The people there have other duties these days and rarely listen to their radios.
So, before you leave on that trip of a lifetime, have your boat and motor fully checked out to avoid any problems, but have some contingency plans as well. Make sure your radio is working as it should, installation of a radio battery separate to your engine start battery will ensure maximum power. Carry a spare battery for your mobile phone and a charger and don't be afraid to call 000.
Most carriers will still be able to make emergency calls even if they seem to have lost normal signal. Try an SMS, it doesn’t need the same level of reception to get data through and it is transmitted in a short burst. But sometimes there is just no mobile service at all, so know what channel to select to get coverage on your Marine Radio.
A lot of searches could have been avoided if people had been able to contact home and let their loved ones know that they were delayed by a day or two. A lot of tragedies could have been averted, if authorities had known of an impending distress situation and assisted before things became critical. Hopefully you will never need to put out a Mayday call, but your radio could save your life. If you search the web for "Bass Strait Marine VHF Repeater Project" you will find images for Bass Strait, with all of the above information in an easy-to-understand format.
Safe boating.
Jenkin. J. STEED.
Leading Senior Constable 24542
Gippsland Water Police
On the 15th May, 2012 the Port Albert Coast Guard were despatched to Refuge Cove at Wilson's Promontory, to look for an overdue yacht travelling from Eden to Hastings in Western Port bay. The yacht subsequently arrived at its' destination the following morning with the crew blissfully unaware that anyone had been looking for them.
This is only one of many such incidents. Around the same time that the yacht went aground at Wingan last week, there was another elderly couple transiting from Hobart to Eden who had been in regular phone and internet contact up until they lost reception. Once again family and friends were concerned for their welfare, especially when there were reports of a similar vessel going aground and ending up a total wreck.
Communications are a real problem along our coast. But VHF marine Radio will give you almost continuous coverage right along the coast between Portland and Eden, if you make the best use of it. First try Ch 16, the distress and calling frequency. If there is no answer on that from the authorities or volunteer agencies, try some of the following channels, which are relayed via a repeater network to the Coast Guard and Water Police offices.
From the West of the state to the East - Ch 81 at Portland, Ch 80 at Cape Otway, Ch 82 at Arthur's seat, Ch 21 at Bass hill, Ch 22 on Mt Oberon, Ch 81 on Mt Fatigue, Ch 80 on Mt Tailor and Ch 81 again on Mt Imlay near the VIC/NSW border. These repeater stations are located so as to provide an overlapping coverage, provided that you switch from one to the next as you transit along the coast. The idea of them being different channels is so that they can be on different frequencies, to avoid cluttering up the airways. Unfortunately, most people still are not aware of the repeater network and do not know which channel to choose for best reception at their location.
With almost everyone having a mobile phone these days, we tend to neglect the importance of marine radios. In a busy area such as Port Phillip, even if your radio is a bit dodgy, someone will probably hear you. If not, you just pull out the telephone and call home, when you need help.
Once you get out of the city however, things can fall apart rapidly. You are in the middle of Bass Strait, it is pitch black and blowing a gale. You never get seasick, but you are cold and tired now, feeling very ordinary and can't seem to concentrate.
Your GPS has quit on you and you really aren't sure exactly where you are. The nearest vessel may be 50 or more kilometres away. Towers for mobile phones are almost non-existent. Your radio, that may not be working at full strength or is on the wrong frequency, seems to be useless. Or there is limited power to the radio, because the motor was playing up and you have flattened the battery trying to start it.
You pull out your phone and it is useless too, you have a great phone plan, lots of free calls and it works fine in the city. Out here, nothing! The further away from the towers you get, the more your phone software ramps up its signal to try and stay in touch. And it keeps on searching at full strength, even if you are not aware of it. So your battery, which lasts for almost a week in the city, has suddenly gone flat overnight - of course you didn't bring a charger, because you were only going to be away a few days.
Suddenly the world is a lot bigger place, you would give literally anything to be able to speak to someone. Hopefully a passing ship will pick up your radio calls and relay them to us, that is if they are listening as they should be, unfortunately it is not always the case.
Some of the light houses along the coast have radios but they are not manned 24/7. The people there have other duties these days and rarely listen to their radios.
So, before you leave on that trip of a lifetime, have your boat and motor fully checked out to avoid any problems, but have some contingency plans as well. Make sure your radio is working as it should, installation of a radio battery separate to your engine start battery will ensure maximum power. Carry a spare battery for your mobile phone and a charger and don't be afraid to call 000.
Most carriers will still be able to make emergency calls even if they seem to have lost normal signal. Try an SMS, it doesn’t need the same level of reception to get data through and it is transmitted in a short burst. But sometimes there is just no mobile service at all, so know what channel to select to get coverage on your Marine Radio.
A lot of searches could have been avoided if people had been able to contact home and let their loved ones know that they were delayed by a day or two. A lot of tragedies could have been averted, if authorities had known of an impending distress situation and assisted before things became critical. Hopefully you will never need to put out a Mayday call, but your radio could save your life. If you search the web for "Bass Strait Marine VHF Repeater Project" you will find images for Bass Strait, with all of the above information in an easy-to-understand format.
Safe boating.
Jenkin. J. STEED.
Leading Senior Constable 24542
Gippsland Water Police
REPEATER NETWORK EDUCATION MATERIAL PROMULGATED BY MARINE SAFETY VICTORIA
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