Calling a coast station 


The big difference between a coast radio station and a ship radio station is that the licence fee for a coast station costs more, and is based on a price per channel. So coast stations generally have as few channels as possible, and Channel 16 may not be among them.


The available channels (and the preferred working channel) for each station are published in various reference books, including the Admiralty List of Radio Signals, Admiralty Maritime Communications, and yachtsmen’s almanacs.


The procedure for calling a coast radio station, then, is very much the same as for calling another vessel, except that you should call directly on one of the station’s specified working channels, rather than on Channel 16.


Suppose, for instance, that we are approaching Dover in the motor cruiser Galadriel, and would like permission to enter the harbour. Again, the first stage is to assess the situation.


 


The almanac shows that Dover Port Control operates on channels 74 and 12, with 74 as the preferred working channel. It is clear that there is not much point calling when we are more than a few minutes away from the entrance, so low power should be plenty.

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