How Are Coordinates Read Aloud?
 

A few years ago when I needed a tow I didn't know how to read out my location. I told him I would just read what it said. That worked but I still don't know how to read it out. Isn't part of it in "minutes?" Here is an example pic with the coordinates at the bottom. How would I read it out over the radio?

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/x...psqgghdyw5.jpg

Thats easy, um no it's not, I was taught Degrees minutes and seconds however you can see that it's not that simple and my knowledge is old school apparently

http://blog.oplopanax.ca/2011/02/on-coordinates/

"To any vessel reading this transmission- this is Mike Charlie number number number number letter letter. (Repeat registration number). I am a yellow and white twenty two foot boat. My Bravo busted and I require assistance. Current location is as follows- three-six degrees and five-two point zero four niner minutes North by eight-five degrees and two point one niner minutes West. Break. Bring beer with the tow-boat. Break. And hookers. Nothing else follows."

Maybe call them "escorts" on the air so the FCC doesn't freak out...

Old School :drink:

I'll learn the new school way right after some young chopper pilot tells me he can't find me. :hitfan:

You should be able to go into the settings and have it read whatever format you want or are comfortable with.

It looks to be in degrees and minutes. Seems your decimal is showing thousandth instead tenths. You should be able to change the settings. You could just round to the nearest tenth.

36 degrees 52.0 minutes N
85 degrees 02.9 minutes W

That's how I would read it out.

Tree-Six degrees, Fife-Two point Zero-Four-Niner minutes North. Zero-Eight-Fife degrees, Zero-Two point Niner-One-Eight minutes West. You could always move the North and West ahead of the Lat/Long if you'd like. Report the Lat first followed by the Long. This is how the Coast Guard passes it over the radio, I'd recommend using their technique. For clarification, 3 is pronounced "tree", 5 is "fife" and 9 is "niner". This is for radio clarity, so numbers aren't confused with words like 'fire' instead of five.

You guys are only doing it partially correct.

A female should always call. Females always get faster and more efficient response times. No matter what, boat, car, store, cable, electrician, plumbing, car wash, ..anything, you name it... unless they talk with trash talk, then that depends

See, I'd be worried to pronounce the numbers like that due to possible confusion... especially if I was near trees. Or near Oakland, CA, where the Niners gang is located (saw it on SOA).... But especially if some backward county marine patrol reservists responded instead of USCG... "Fife? You just call me Barney Fife, boy?! Why I'm fittin' ta let yer boat sink, son."

The link that Wobble suggests is a common issue. As a retired Search and Rescue pilot, we had to deal with this all the time. Many search and rescue computer mapping systems have overlays, grids, and street systems on the surrounding land and land marks. On more than one rescue we finally asked them if they knew any nearby streets or landmarks. we can input that information into the computer and come up with a pretty good idea where the search needs to be.

If you're backwoods, you already made the mistake of being in the backwoods. Ha!

I hear what you're saying on the pronunciation, I'm only stating what the USCG teaches along with all professional maritime schools. Of course there are many different ways to read the position, just giving the textbook answer here. If you make a distress call over Ch.16 in any US waters (assuming you are), it's being listened to and recorded by the USCG. Rescue 21. If you're on a lake, cross your fingers and hope there's a Good Sam listening.

That must be the special treatment given to civilians or high ranking administrators, because I've always heard the pilots will make the poor sap relaying the coordinates recite the information to their liking before lighting up a scene. (But maybe that's just a rumor that swirls about at 800MHz) Lol!

Thanks!!

That's what it was. A busted upper Bravo case because the pre-load nut backed off. Towing insurance I had. They sent a slow boat from hell though. It took hours to get to me and hours to tow me in. Beer I had. Pee bottle I had.

So you call out registration numbers? I thought it was the name of the boat. Mine isn't named so I use "Little Yellow Donzi" on the radio.

I was always taught when calling a mayday, you say mayday 3 times, list name (if present) and numbers twice, give position/coordinates, briefly describe problem/injuries/how long you can stay afloat or at anchor, and then wait for response.

Mind you, I took boater's safety about 3 decades ago before Rescue 21 and DSC were even thought of.

Which format do you prefer?

Mayday I'm familiar with. First and foremost they want your location to avoid a long search. Then nature of emergency, number of occupants, any injuries. Not that I've ever called a mayday or panpan but I'm prepared if I need to. Now I know how to properly read my coordinates. :)

It amazes me how many powerboaters especially gofasts that dont have VHF radios and of those that do, many dont have them turned on.

I know mine got me out of a bad situation when my Bravo 1 twisted off the vertical shaft in the Houston Ship Channel. It also has alerted me to more than one vessel in distress in the area that I was boating. ( I was not first on scene in either case, but you never know)

I guess in the absence of a vhf radio you would call 911 and ask for the coast guard, assuming you have service.

Boating on the rivers here in Pittsburgh nobody bothers to use the GPS co-ordinates. It is much easier to use land based markers like the bridges or buildings, dams, parks etc along the rivers. Cell service is never a problem so most distress calls go out that way. Some boaters have the VHF radios to include myself. I even have a hand held from my old boat. Those are handy for locking through.

Working River Rescue we will get dispatched for disabled boats via the landmark system.

I will add that it is a good idea to have a good VHF radio and GPS system if you are going offshore or even out on the great lakes. Granted, a basic compass will get you back to shoreline if needed but the others will get help to you fast if you break down.

I rented a boat in the Bahamas with not a single piece of working equipment outside of the throttle/steering and motor. No gauges (fuel included), no radio so I ran out of fuel 3/4 of a mile from a marina I was heading to. I knew where I was, I knew the name of the marina so I called them (cell phone) and asked for assistance. I could see the local lighthouse and could see the entrance to the marina and was essentially the only boat in the open bay.......guy came out in 15 minutes to give us some fuel and get us going again. Turns out we had rented his cousins boat! :D

I this case......GPS waypoints would have complicated the call to the locals!

I quite often go out of sight of land in any direction. I take all precautions which means having a chartplotter, cell phones, vhf, paper charts, compass and more. And towing insurance. The vhf is useful for communicating with marinas for dockage info etc. I still don't know all of the proper radio procedures but I'm learning. Most marinas have a sign saying what channel they monitor and I have a Great Lakes cruising guide that also has that info. Also you can use channel 16 to initiate contact and switch to another channel. I was told to say the name of who you are calling 3 times and then your boat's name. So I guess if I'm heading into Put-in-Bay and I want to see if the Boardwalk has a slip available I will go to their channel and say"Boardwalk, Boardwalk, Boardwalk, this is little yellow Donzi do you copy?" As long as you are trying to do it right I don't suppose you will get in trouble but I'd like to know all of the proper means of using the vhf. I do know four big DON'Ts: No random radio checks or calling Coast Guard for radio check. Must identify yourself by boat name at beginning and end of any conversation, "little yellow Donzi out". No tying up channel 16 and no needless gabbing on any channel. This is not CB.

So is a half dozen niner - actual radio talk for 69

I once gave the USCG my Loran numbers. Yes I'm old.

I usually give boat length and name (if it has one), if no name then boat brand.

I.E. - "Boardwalk, Boardwalk, Boardwalk, this is the 24 foot Insanity over'

Then refer to myself as just the boat name from that point forward until the end of the convo.

Actually I don't think you can, it's emergency distress only. I always thought 68/69 were for the type of contact you're referring to.

That's what I had thought but when I entered Caseville Municipal Harbor last summer a sign said to contact them on channel 16. We immediately dropped to 14. Maybe I misread it and it might have said they "monitor" channel 16. Hmmm. I might have screwed up!

All marine radios are required to monitor channel 16, I'd find it odd that they request to be contacted on 16, the CG would probably have a say about that. Most port/dock operations monitor that as well as the basic communication channel as a typical scan.

Yep, you're right. After some reading channel 16 is for "use in emergencies or to get the attention of another boat." I must have sounded like a real noob hailing the marina on channel 16!

I doubt the CG would bother you if you're simply contacting another vsl or marina on 16 and then switching to another working freq to pass your traffic. Its only when ppl clog up 16 that the CG will step in.

Yeah, that's what I meant that if you are at least trying to do it right you (I) shouldn't get in trouble. I'm learning. Need to listen more and see how they talk. Breaker one niner this here's little rubber ducky, Boardwalk you got your ears on?