Archive for the ‘Amateur Radio License’ Category

What is ham radio?

Ham radios or amateur radios are used by many individuals especially amateurs who use various radio gears to communicate with other amateurs as a recreational practice, or training, or public services. The license for such activity is given has to be achieved by the governing government body such as United States Federal Communications Commission. The word ‘amateurs" doesn't represent lack of skill but it is used to show that the radio is not operated by any private or public office.  These practices involve a lot of importance as it is used to in many researches throughout the world.   Round two million people across the globe are associated with such activities.

Before opting for such activity, an individual should recognize the importance of such activity and it uses. After that, he or she should look for standard equipments which can help to establish the entire set. A detailed research is required as the set purchased can be expensive. A detailed research on the market and the brands should be done in order to buy the finest radio equipment and to ensure that it is bought at the market price. This should really help an individual if he or she need to for some experiment.

Usually, such amateurs are bought by people leaving in remote areas so that they contact the populated towns or cities in any critical situation.  Other than that, it apparatus is used to carry out many activities both commercial and scientific. You can check our website for more details on ham radios.

You can find ham radios for sale on our website http://www.hamradiosforsale.com on for discount prices and see the most popular ones on the internet.

 

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Licensing for Two Way Radios

For usage of FRS two way radios, no special license is required. You can even use FRS/GMRS combo radios without a license, given that you constrain yourself to the FRS capabilities of the radio, i.e. you do not use GMRS-only channels and you do not use more than 0.5 watts of transmission power.

The General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) is a land-mobile radio service available for short-distance two-way communications to facilitate the activities of an adult individual and his or her immediate family members, including a spouse, children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and in-laws.

If you are planning to purchase a two way radio that operates using GMRS frequencies and plan to use it within the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires that you register for a GMRS license.

The FCC is responsible for licensing and regulating the use of the radio frequency spectrum for broadcast purposes in the United States.

Before any station transmits on any channel authorized in the GMRS from any point within or over the territorial limits of any area where the FCC regulates radio services, the responsible party must obtain a license.

FCC has mentioned following guidelines on their website. “Radios marketed as "FRS/GMRS" or "dual-service radios" are available from many manufacturers and many retail or discount stores. The manual that comes with the radio, or the label placed on it by the manufacturer, should indicate the service the unit is certified for. If you cannot determine what service the unit may be used in, contact the manufacturer.”

Operating within FCC rules and regulations is the responsibility of the actual end user.

Like all government requirements, paperwork will be involved and it can be confusing and time consuming. Companies using licensed two way radio equipment must have a valid OFCOM operator's license. The license is issued by OFCOM.

The license fees vary depending on requirement and post code but briefly they are as follows:

Amateur Radio 446 – No License Required

Business Radio - Light License - £75 for 5 years

Business Radio - Technically Assigned - POA

Business Radio - Area Defined - POA

Licensed radios are typically 10 times more powerful than unlicensed radios giving greater range and less likelihood of interference from other radio users. Business radio licenses are distinct from radio broadcast licenses in that radio broadcasters use radio communication as an end product, while business radio licensees use radio communication to support their business operations. The FCC can fine your organization up to ,000 per day for failure to comply with the rules and regulations!

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How I became a licensed Radio Ham, By John Allsopp G4YDM

How I became a licensed Radio Ham, By John Allsopp G4YDM

 

Hello, I am John Allsopp; I hold a class A Amateur Radio transmitting license.

Ham radio is a fascinating unique hobby; Ham Radio permits you to talk to people all over the world, after you get your transmitting license. My Ham Radio interest began many years ago; it was triggered by several Radio related connections.

 

I had always been interested in how things worked, the only way to do that is to pull them apart, which I did, sometimes to the shock and horror of my elder sister, and she did not take too kindly to her brother investigating some of her electrical toys.

 

From Bulbs, wires and batteries, a book which sold in their millions in the United Kingdom, I progressed from simple circuits that turned a light bulb on and off, to building my first Radio, a crystal set, or a cat's whisker which it was commonly known by.

 

Soon I had a full working crystal set, made from a toilet role inner tube, that I used to build a coil, some very inexpensive tuning capacitors, which were recycled from an old A.M. Radio, a pair of Brown headphones, they came from a friends father, single core wire obtained from the local do it yourself store, and a diode to detect the audio signal within the radio wave.

 

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My first A.M. Radio, A.M. stands for Amplitude Modulation. The set would tune a portion of the Medium Wave band, from 600 Kilohertz thought to 900 Kilohertz. Soon I discovered modifications to the Crystal set, which I found out by reading books on the subject. My Medium Wave receiver was altered with the aid of more and less wire on the coil, and a tuning capacitor with a bigger tuning ratio. I was now able to pick up the local Marine Weather transmissions, on frequencies a little higher than the Medium Wave band.

 

My father was a member of the local Retained Fire Service, we had a large bell at the bottom of our stairs, which would ring when an alarm call was made, and a siren on the top of the Fire Station was sounded at the same time. During the night the bell sounded only, which was a relief to all those, who were sleeping. By now I knew that the Fire Engine was fitted with a Radio Transmitter.

 

My endless curiosity which has survived till now was to figure out how to listen to the Radio Messages made By the Fire Appliance, and the Fire control. My knowledge taught me to know that an aerial used on the Fire Appliance was around one quarter of a wavelength long. I measure the aerial one day, my results indicated the frequency was in the 80 megahertz part of the Radio spectrum.

 

Before long, with help from article published in Practical Wireless, I had my own home brew Radio receiver which was capable of picking up Radio Transmissions from the Fire Engine, another receiver was made to listen to the Fire Control. The control frequency was higher up the V.H.F. band; V.H.F. stands for Very High Frequency.

 

Soon after the Control receiver was constructed, I found out about how to alter the receiver, to pick up transmissions on the two meter Amateur band. Listening to Hams using all sorts of home brewed receivers and transmitters were another mile stone in my self training in the art of Radio construction. By now I was well into the City & Guilds Book, how to be a Radio Amateur. My license followed, together with a certificate which allowed me to use the Morse code.

 

From these early beginnings I progressed with my physics studies and eventually gained a Higher National Diploma in Communication studies. This qualification gained me a post as a Radio Engineer working on Transceivers used by local taxi companies, Utility services and the Emergency Services. I then moved from analogue transmission to digital transmission and eventually became involved in commissioning G.S.M. equipment. G.S.M stands for Global System Mobile, the popular cell phone or mobile phone technology.

Amateur Radio

Article by Dave Glass

Amateur radio has something for everyone, that is one reason there are clubs. These clubs promote that mode of operation, some by sponsoring "DXpeditons" to places which are scarce on operators but you can get credits for communication with that area. These can be promoted with T-shirts, coffee mugs, and/or paperweights sporting the dates and locations of what they are going to do!

Some clubs sponsor "Hamfests", which again has a lot of areas and equipment for about everyone and everything. They have vendors that sell everything from equipment to books. There are vendors that sell antennas, there are vendors that sell computers and parts. There is usually an area where "hams"can sell anything from used equipment to remote doorbells! Again you will see some of these clubs advertise these "hamfests" using coffee mugs and paperweights, and giving the t-shirts to the people working the floor, or the mic, or the "talk in" radio for the club.

Clubs also sponsor testing sessions for people to acquire a new license or upgrade the one that they have. These are usually advertised with either the "hamfest" or if they are separate by their own means. A paperweight, coffee mug, or t-shirt from Amateur Radio Gifts is really a good way to advertise this.

The lower levels of testing mainly consists of the rules governing the use of a Amateur Radio. As a person progresses through the different classes of operation, more of the questions are of a technical nature. All of the written tests are multiple choice ( four answers each) and several amateur radio web sites have the questions and answers for each of the level of tests which is patterned after the written portion of the aircraft pilots test (another government test). Paperweights, coffee mugs, or T-shirts are a perfect way to advertise this from amateur radio gifts.

Due to the changes that the World Organization on Frequency Allocations has made the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has deleted the requirementsof Morse code (against some of the older "hams" wishes) for all levels. This means that none of the levels of Amateujr Radio Operations need any Morse code. With these new requirements for licenses more people are gettinginto this amazing hobby or are upgrading to a new level. A nice gift for someone (male or female) that has accomplished this is either a t-shirt or coffee mug that has their name and call letters on the product.

How To Get Your Amateur Radio License

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates the operation of all equipment that uses radio waves to communicate. This includes amateur radios (ham radios), AM and FM radios, televisions, cell phones, cordless phones, police and fire department radios, etc. In order to operate a radio in the Amateur Radio Service you have to take and pass a test to show that you understand something about how radios work and what the rules are to operate a ham radio.

The test for the entry level license is not hard. People as young as 5 years old have become licensed ham radio operators. The most popular license for beginners, is the Technician Class license, which requires only a 35 question multiple-choice test. The test covers basic regulations, operating practices, and simple electronics theory. It is written with the beginner in mind. Morse code is no longer a requirement for any class of Ham Radio license. A good way to learn the material needed for the exam is to go to a series of classes held by a local ham radio club. Usually the classes are free or at a nominal cost except for the cost of a study book. Go to the American Radio Relay League (arrl.org) to find a club in your area. Then contact the club to see when they are running the next beginners class.

Some people have been able to pass the test just by reading a book about ham radio, or studying a published license manual, or even going online and reading sample questions and answers. Books about ham radio and license manuals are often sold at stores like Radio Shack, or your local book store. Stop in and ask. Books are also available at the ARRL website and Amazon.com. Another place to get a good study book for your first license is the w5yi.org. Make sure any book you buy is the current version (not more than a year old). If you decide to take a class, sign up for that first because you will need to use the book they are using.

Last, if you know of any ham radio operators in your town, call them or find out where they live and knock on their door. Ask them if they know of any local classes coming up or if they would have the time to help you learn what you need to know to pass the test. You might be surprised...hams are usually very friendly people.

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Get your Amateur Radio License this year.

Article by Carl Broady

Get your Amateur Radio License this year.

There has never been a better time become an Amateur Radio Operator or "Ham" Radio Operator in the USA. The average person with no prior knowledge should easily be able to study for and pass the test and receive a license in a month or two.Ham radio once required the Ham to learn Morse code or CW "Continuous Wave" as most Hams refer to it.Until quite recently anyone who wanted a full Amateur Radio License had to pass a Morse Code receiving test.The candidate had to receive Morse Code at five words per minute for an entry level license, receive thirteen words per minute for an intermediate level or General Class license and receive twenty words per minute for an Extra class license.

The FCC abolished Morse code testing as a requirement for an amateur radio license on February 23rd 2007.

Testing for an amateur radio license is a multiple choice test open book type test, almost. Almost in that the candidate can't bring study materials, books or notes into the examination room. The questions for this test are taken from a pool of questions. These questions and the correct answer and the three incorrect answers to these questions are readily available.The American Amateur Radio League AARL web site has the question pool available for free download.Read the question pool and memorize the correct answers. This is probably the only exam where you get to see the exact questions on the exam with the correct answers before the test.There are several sites online where you can practice taking the test. Practice until you pass most of the time in the practice test.There are three Amateur radio license classes Technician, General and extra each higher class giving the operator more privileges and frequencies to operate on.

To take an Amateur Radio test:Locate a Ham Radio VE "Volunteer Examiner" testing session in your area and find out when and where you can take your test. There is a nominal fee for the test usually or less. You can locate a testing session by calling a local Amateur Radio club, by contacting a local Amateur Radio Operator or by simply doing an online search.Take and pass your test. If you do fail the test "which you probably wont" you can just retake it usually the same day.After about a week you will receive your own unique Armature Radio Call sign from the FCC.Good Luck

About the Author

C. Broady is an Amateur radio operator who owns a small web based mail order company. Web site: http://sellit2us.com

Cordless Phones ? Freedom While Talking

A Cordless Phone is commonly a telephone with a wireless handset that can communicate through radio waves with a base station. The base station is connected to a telephone line that is fixed within a limited range of its base station. The base is generally placed on the subscriber premises, and it gets attached to the telephone network the same way a corded telephone does. It is the base station on the subscriber premises that differentiates a cordless telephone from a mobile phone. In the latest model cordless models, the base stations are maintained by a commercial mobile network operator and the users subscribe to the service. Unlike a telephone with cords, a cordless telephone requires the mains electricity to power the base station. The cordless phone is powered by a battery that could be recharged when the handset is placed on the cradle.

It was George Sweigert, an amateur radio operator and inventor from Ohio, who is considered as the father of the cordless phone. He submitted a patent application in 1966 for a "full duplex wireless communications apparatus". The US Patent and Trademark Office awarded him a patent in June of 1969. Sweigert, who was working as a radio operator in World War II, stationed at the South Pacific Islands, developed the full duplex-concept for untrained personnel that would improve battlefield communications for senior commanders. George was also licensed as W8ZIS and N9LC in the amateur radio service. He also held a First Class Radiotelephone Operator's Permit issued by the Federal Communications Commission.

It was in 1980’s that a series of manufacturers including Sony entered in the cordless phone market. Generally the cordless phones used a base station that was connected to a telephone line and a handset with a microphone, speaker, keypad, and telescoping antenna. The handset contained a rechargeable battery, typically NiCd, the base unit was powered by household current, typically through a wall wart. The base included a charging cradle, was generally a form of trickle charger, on which the handset rested when not in use.

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Telephones ? freedom of speech

A cordless phone is often a phone with a wireless receiver, the base station can communicate via radio waves with A. The base station is connected to a telephone line that is within a limited range of base station connected securely. The base is usually set to the subscriber line local telephone connections and will work the same way as a corded phone. It 's the base station to the subscriber line systems, a cordless phone is different from aCell models latest model in wireless base stations, operators are managed by a commercial mobile network users and subscribers. Unlike a telephone cable, the cordless phone requires a power supply that powers the base station. cradle with a battery on the cordless phone was found that recharges when the handset.

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E 'was Sweigert George, an amateur radio operator and inventor from Ohio,phone is considered the father of wireless. He filed a patent application in 1966 for a "full-duplex wireless communication device." The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a patent in June 1969. Sweigert, who was stationed as a radio operator in World War II, when the islands of the South Pacific to work, he developed the concept of full-duplex for untrained personnel to improve communications for battlefield commanders. George was also a license and W8ZISN9LC the Amateur Service. He was also a first class radio operator's license issued by the Federal Communications Commission.

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It 'was in 1980 a number of manufacturers such as Sony entered the market in the cordless telephone. In general, the telescope uses a cordless phone base station is connected to a telephone line and a laptop with a microphone, loudspeakers, e. Keyboard The handset contains a rechargeable battery, which usuallyNiCd was the basic unit provides the power budget, usually through a wall wart. The base contains a charging base, it was generally a form of trickle charge upon which the handset when not in use.

RMS Queen Mary

Construction and naming

With Germany launching their Bremen and Europa into service, the British did not want to be left out in the ship building race. White Star Line began construction on their 60,000 ton Oceanic in 1928, while Cunard planned a 75,000 ton unnamed ship of their own.

Construction on the ship, then known only as "Hull Number 534", began in December 1930 on the River Clyde by the John Brown & Company Shipbuilding and Engineering shipyard at Clydebank Scotland. Work was halted in December 1931 due to the Great Depression and Cunard applied to the British Government for a loan to complete 534. The loan was granted, with enough money to complete the Queen Mary and to build a running mate, Hull No. 552 which would become the Queen Elizabeth. One condition of the loan was that Cunard would merge with the White Star Line, which was Cunard's chief British rival at the time and which had already been forced by the Depression to cancel construction on its Oceanic. Both lines agreed and the merger was completed in April 1934. Work on the Queen Mary resumed immediately and she was launched on 26 September 1934. Completion ultimately took 3 years and cost 3 million pounds sterling in total. Much of the ship's interior was designed and constructed by the Bromsgrove Guild.

The ship was named after Queen Mary, the consort of King George V. Until her launch the name she was to be given was kept a closely guarded secret. Legend has it that Cunard intended to name the ship "Victoria", in keeping with company tradition of giving its ships names ending in "ia". However, when company representatives asked the King's permission to name the ocean liner after Britain's "greatest queen", he said his wife, Queen Mary, would be delighted. And so, the legend goes, the delegation had of course no other choice but to report that No. 534 would be called RMS Queen Mary. This story was denied by company officials, and traditionally the names of sovereigns have only been used for capital ships of the Royal Navy. Some support for the story was provided by Washington Post editor Felix Morley, who sailed as a guest of the Cunard Line on the 1936 maiden voyage of the Queen Mary. In his 1979 autobiography, For the Record, Morley wrote that he was placed at table with Sir Percy Bates, chairman of the Cunard Line. Bates told him the story of the naming of the ship "on condition you won't print it during my lifetime." The name Queen Mary could also have been decided upon as a compromise between Cunard and the White Star Line, with which Cunard had recently merged, both lines had tradition of using names either ending in "ic" with White Star and "ia" with Cunard.

History (1934-1939)

Queen Mary 1936

There was already a Clyde turbine steamer named Queen Mary, so Cunard White Star reached agreement with the owners that the existing steamer would be renamed TS Queen Mary II, and in 1934 the new liner was launched by Queen Mary as RMS Queen Mary. On her way down the slipway, the Queen Mary was slowed by eighteen drag chains, which checked the liner's progress into the Clyde, a portion of which had been widened to accommodate the launch.

When she sailed on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England on 27 May 1936, she was commanded by Sir Edgar T. Britten, who had been the master designate for Cunard White Star whilst the ship was under construction at the John Brown shipyard. The Queen Mary had a gross tonnage (GT) of 80,774 tons; her rival, Normandie, which originally grossed 79,280 tonnes, had been modified the preceding winter to increase her size to 83,243 GT (an enclosed tourist lounge was built on the aft boat deck on the area where the game court was), and therefore kept the title of the largest ocean liner. The Queen Mary sailed at high speeds for most of her maiden voyage to New York until heavy fog forced a reduction of speed on the final day of the crossing.

The Observation Bar lounge. The windows were once part of the enclosed Promenade Deck turnaround; the lounge was extended forward after 1967.

The Queen Mary's design was criticized for being too traditional, especially when the Normandie's hull was revolutionary with a clipper shaped, streamlined bow. Except for her cruiser stern, she seemed to be simply an enlarged version of her Cunard predecessors from the pre World War I era. Her interior design, while mostly Art Deco, still seemed restrained and conservative when compared to the ultramodern French liner. However, the Queen Mary proved to be the more popular vessel than its larger rival, in terms of passengers carried.

In August 1936, Queen Mary captured the Blue Riband from Normandie, with average speeds of 30.14 knots (55.82 km/h) westbound and 30.63 knots eastbound. Normandie was refitted with a new set of propellors in 1937 and reclaimed the honour, but in 1938 Queen Mary took back the Blue Riband in both directions with average speeds of 30.99 knots (57.39 km/h) westbound and 31.69 knots eastbound, records which stood until lost to the SS United States in 1952.

Interior

The First Class dining room map on the Queen Mary, which tracked the ship's progress across the Atlantic Ocean.

Onboard amenities on the Queen Mary varied according to class, with First Class passengers accorded the most space and luxury. Among facilities available on board the Queen Mary, the liner featured an indoor swimming pool, salon, ship's library, children's nursery, outdoor paddle tennis court, and ship's kennel. The largest room was the first class dining room (grand salon), which spanned three stories in height and was anchored by wide columns. The indoor swimming pool facility also spanned over two decks in height.

The first class dining room featured a large map of the transatlantic crossing, with twin tracks symbolizing the winter/spring route (further south to avoid icebergs) and the summer/autumn route. During each crossing, a motorized model of the Queen Mary would indicate the vessel's progress en route.

The First Class dining room on the Queen Mary, also known as the Grand Salon.

As an alternative to the first class dining room, the Queen Mary featured a separate Verandah Grill on the Sun Deck at the upper aft of the ship. The Verandah Grill was an exclusive la carte restaurant with a capacity of approximately eighty passengers, and was converted to the Starlight Club at night. Irish writer and broadcaster, Brian Cleeve spent several months as a commis waiter on the ship in 1938, after he ran away from school. Also on board was the Observation Bar, an Art Deco styled lounge, with wide ocean views.

Woods from different regions of the British Empire were used in her public rooms and staterooms. Accommodations ranged from fully equipped, luxurious first class staterooms to modest and cramped third class cabins. Artists commissioned by Cunard in 1933 for works of art in the interior include Edward Wadsworth and A. Duncan Carse.

World War II

Arriving in New York Harbor, 20 June 1945, with thousands of U.S. troops.

In late August 1939, the Queen Mary was on a return run from New York to Southampton. The international situation led to her being escorted by the battlecruiser HMS Hood. She arrived safely, and set out again for New York on 1 September. By the time she arrived, the Second World War had started and she was ordered to remain in port until further notice alongside the Normandie. In 1940 the Queen Mary and the Normandie were joined in New York by Queen Mary's new running mate Queen Elizabeth, fresh from her secret dash from Clydebank. The three largest liners in the world sat idle for some time until the Allied commanders decided that all three ships could be used as troopships (unfortunately, the Normandie would be destroyed by fire during her troopship conversion). The Queen Mary left New York for Sydney, where she, along with several other liners, was converted into a troopship to carry Australian and New Zealand soldiers to the United Kingdom. In the conversion, her hull, superstructure and funnels were painted navy grey. Inside, stateroom furniture and decoration were removed and replaced with triple-tiered wooden bunks (which would later be replaced by standee bunks). Six miles of carpet, 220 cases of china, crystal and silver service, tapestries and paintings were removed and stored in warehouses for the duration of the war. The woodwork in the staterooms, the first-class dining room and other public areas were covered with leather. Eventually joined in troop service by the Queen Elizabeth, the two ships were the largest and fastest troopships involved in the war, often carrying as many as 15,000 men in a single voyage, and often travelling out of convoy and without escort. Their high speed meant that it was difficult for U boats to catch them.

On 2 October 1942, Queen Mary accidentally sank one of her escorts, slicing through the light cruiser HMS Curacoa off the Irish coast, with the loss of 338 lives. Due to the constant danger of being attacked by U-Boats, on board the Queen Mary Captain C. Gordon Illingworth was under strict orders not to stop for any reason, the Royal Navy destroyers accompanying the Queen were ordered to stay on course and not rescue any survivors.

The forward section of the Queen Mary was fitted with new big windows and anti-aircraft guns seen here in Long Beach.

In December 1942, the Queen Mary was carrying 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain, a standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel. While 700 miles from Scotland during a gale, she was suddenly hit broadside by a rogue wave that may have reached a height of 28 metres (92 ft). An account of this crossing can be found in Walter Ford Carter's book, No Greater Sacrifice, No Greater Love. Carter's father, Dr. Norval Carter, part of the 110th Station Hospital on board at the time, wrote that at one point the Queen Mary "damned near capsized... One moment the top deck was at its usual height and then, swoom! Down, over, and forward she would pitch." It was calculated later that the ship tilted 52 degrees, and would have capsized had she rolled another 3 degrees. The incident inspired Paul Gallico to write his story, The Poseidon Adventure, which was later made into a film by the same name, using the Queen Mary as a stand-in for the SS Poseidon.

During the war, the Queen Mary carried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic for meetings with fellow Allied forces officials on several occasions, he would be listed on the passenger manifest as "Colonel Warden" and insisted that the lifeboat assigned to him be fitted with a .303 machine gun so that he could "resist capture at all costs".

After World War II

The Queen Mary in Southampton, June 1956

From September 1946 to July 1947, Queen Mary was refitted for passenger service, adding air conditioning and upgrading her berth configuration to 711 first class, 707 cabin class and 577 tourist class passengers. Following refit, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth dominated the transatlantic passenger trade as Cunard White Star's two ship weekly express service through the latter half of the 1940s and well into the 1950s. They proved highly profitable for Cunard. But in 1958, the first transatlantic flight by a jet began a completely new era of competition for the Cunard Queens. On some voyages, winters especially, Queen Mary sailed into harbour with more crew than passengers. (But she and her sister Queen Elizabeth still averaged over 1000 passengers per crossing into the middle 1960s.) By 1965, the entire Cunard fleet was leaving a trail of red ink. Hoping to continue financing their still under construction Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard mortgaged the majority of the fleet. Finally, under a combination of age, lack of public interest, inefficiency in a new market, and the damaging after effects of the national seamen's strike, Cunard announced that both the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth would be retired from service (the Elizabeth would leave service one year later) and were to be sold off. Many offers were submitted, but it was Long Beach, California who beat the Japanese scrap merchants. And so, Queen Mary was retired from service in 1967, while her running mate Queen Elizabeth was withdrawn in 1968. RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 took over the transatlantic route in 1969.

The Queen Mary in Long Beach

The Queen Mary from the Northern side of Long Beach harbor

After her retirement in 1967, she steamed to Long Beach, California, where she is permanently moored as a tourist attraction. From 1983 to 1993, the Queen Mary was accompanied by Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, which was located in a large dome nearby (the dome is now used by Carnival Cruise Lines as a ship terminal, and formerly as a soundstage).

Since drilling had started for oil in Long Beach Harbor, some of the revenue had been set aside in the "Tidelands Oil Fund." Some of this money was allocated in 1958 for the future purchase of a maritime museum for Long Beach.

Conversion

When the Queen Mary was bought by Long Beach, they decided that the ship would be an iconic host and not for preserving her as an ocean liner. It had been decided to clear almost every area of the ship below C deck (called R deck after 1950 to lessen passenger confusion all the restaurants were on "R" deck) to make way for the museum. This would increase museum space to 400,000 square feet. It required removal of all the boiler rooms, the forward engine room, both turbo generator rooms, the ship stabilisers and the water softening plant. The ship's now empty fuel tanks were then filled with local mud which would keep the ship's centre of gravity and draft at the correct levels, as these critical factors had been affected by the removal of all various components and structure. Only the aft engine room and "shaft alley", at the stern of the ship, would be spared from the cutter's torch. Remaining space would be used for storage or office space. One problem that arose during the conversion was a dispute between land based and maritime unions over conversion jobs. The United States Coast Guard had final say; the Queen Mary was deemed a building, since most of her propellers had been removed and her machinery gutted. The ship was also repainted with its red water level paint a slightly higher than its old one. During the conversion the funnels were removed as it was the only practical way to lift out the the scrap materials from the engine and boiler rooms, subsiquently it was found that the funnels were held together with over thirty coats of paint and that they had to be replaced with new replica items.

A passageway in First Class accommodation, now part of the onboard hotel

With all of the lower decks nearly gutted from R deck and down, Diner's Club, the initial lessee of the ship, was to convert the remainder of the vessel into a hotel. Diner's Club Queen Mary dissolved and vacated the ship in 1970 after their parent company, Diner's Club International was sold, and a change in corporate direction was mandated amidst the conversion process. Specialty Restaurants, a Los Angeles based company that focused on theme based restaurants, would take over as master lessee the following year.

During this conversion, the plan was to convert most of her first and second class cabins on A and B decks only into hotel rooms, and convert the main lounges and dining rooms into banquet spaces. On Promenade Deck, the starboard promenade deck would be enclosed to feature an upscale restaurant and cafe called Lord Nelson's and Lady Hamilton's themed like early 19th century sailing ships. The famed and elegant Observation Bar was redecorated as a western themed bar.

The Queen Mary's bridge, now open to visitors

The smaller first class public rooms such as the Drawing Room, Library, Lecture Room and the Music studio would be stripped of most of their fittings and converted over to retail space, heavily expanding the retail presence on the ship. Two more shopping malls were built on the Sun Deck in separate spaces previously used for first class cabins and engineer's quarters.

A post war feature of the ship, the first class cinema, was removed for kitchen space for the new Promenade deck dining venues. The first class lounge and smoking room were reconfigured and converted into banquet space, while the second class smoking room would be subdivided into a wedding chapel and office space. On Sun Deck, the elegant Verandah Grill would be gutted and converted into a fast food eatery, while a new upscale dining venue would be created directly above it on Sports Deck in space once used for crew quarters. The second class lounges would be expanded to the sides of the ship and used for banqueting. On R deck, the first class dining room was reconfigured and subdivided into two banquet venues, the Royal Salon and the Windsor Room. The second class dining room would be subdivided into kitchen storage and a crew mess hall, while the third class dining room would initially be used as storage and crew space. Also on R deck, the first class Turkish bath complex, the 1930s equivalent to a spa, would be removed. The second class pool would be removed and its space initially used for office space, while the first class swimming pool would be used for hotel guests. Combined with modern safety codes, and the structural soundness of the area directly below, the swimming pool is no longer in use.

No crew cabins remain intact aboard the ship today. She now serves as a hotel, museum, tourist attraction, and for rent site for events, but her financial results have been mixed.

The Queen Mary as a tourist attraction

On 8 May 1971, the Queen Mary opened its doors to tourists. Initially, only portions of the ship were open to the public as Specialty Restaurants had yet to open its dining venues or the hotel. As a result, the ship was only open on weekends. In December of that year, Jacques Cousteau's Museum of the Sea opened, with only a quarter of the planned exhibits built. Within the decade, Cousteau's museum closed due to low ticket sales and the deaths of many of the fish that were housed in the museum. In November of the following year, the hotel opened its initial 150 guest rooms. Hyatt operated the hotel from 1974 to 1980, when the Jack Wrather Corporation signed a 66-year lease with the city of Long Beach to operate the entire property. Wrather was taken over by the Walt Disney Company in 1988, Wrather owned the Disneyland Hotel, which Disney had been trying to buy for 30 years; the Queen Mary was thus an afterthought and was never marketed as a Disney property.

First Class accommodations on the Queen Mary, converted into a present-day hotel room with modern curtains, bedding and amenities surrounded by original wood paneling, portholes and light fixtures.

Through the late eighties and early nineties, the Queen Mary continued to struggle financially. During the Disney years, Disney planned to develop a theme park on the remaining land. This theme park eventually opened a decade later in Japan as DisneySea, with a recreated oceanliner resembling the Queen Mary as its centerpiece. Hotel Queen Mary closed in 1992 when Disney gave up the lease on the ship to focus on what would become Disney's California Adventure. The tourist attraction remained open for another two months, but by the end of 1992, the Queen Mary completely closed its doors to tourists and visitors.

In February 1993, under the direction of President and C.E.O. Joseph F. Prevratil, RMS Foundation, Inc began a five-year lease with the city of Long Beach to act as the operators of the property. Later that month, the tourist attraction reopened completely, while the hotel reopened in March. In 1995, RMS's lease was extended to twenty years while the extent of the lease was reduced to simply operation of the ship itself. A new company, Queen's Seaport Development, Inc. (QSDI) came into existence in 1995 controlling the real estate adjacent to the vessel. In 1998, the City of Long Beach extended the QSDI lease to 66 years. In 2005, QSDI sought Chapter 11 protection due to a rent credit dispute with the City. In 2006, the bankruptcy court requested bids from parties interesting in taking over the lease from QSDI. The minimum required opening bid was M. The operation of the ship, by RMS, remained independent of the bankruptcy. In Summer 2007, the Queen Mary's lease was sold to a group named "Save the Queen" managed by Hostmark Hospitality Group, who planned to develop the land adjacent to the Queen Mary, and upgrade, renovate, and restore the Queen Mary. During the time of their management, staterooms were updated with Ipod docking stations and flatscreen TV's, the ships three funnels were repainted their original Cunard Red color, as well as the ships waterline area, The portside Promenade Deck's planking was restored and refinished, as well as work on other parts of the ship, many lifeboats were repaired and patched, and the ships kitchens were renovated with new equipment.

In late September 2009, the Queen Mary's management was taken over by Delaware North Companies, who plan to continue restoration, and renovation of the ship and its property, and work to revitalize and enhance one of the grandest ocean liners of all time.

In 2004, the Queen Mary and Stargazer Productions added Tibbies Great American Cabaret to the space previously occupied by the ship's bank and wireless telegraph room. Stargazer Productions and the Queen Mary transformed the space into a working dinner theater complete with stage, lights, sound, and scullery.

Meeting of the Queens

On 23 February 2006, the RMS Queen Mary 2 saluted her predecessor as it made its port of call in Los Angeles Harbor, while on a cruise to Mexico. The event was covered heavily by local and international media.

Ship's horn

The salute itself was carried out with the Queen Mary blowing her one working air horn in response to the Queen Mary 2 blowing her combination of two brand new horns pointing forward and an original 1932 Queen Mary horn (donated by the City of Long Beach) aimed aft. The Queen Mary originally had three whistles tuned to 55 Hz, a frequency chosen because it was low enough that the extremely loud sound of it would not be painful to human ears. Modern IMO regulations specify ships' horn frequencies to be in the range 70200 Hz for vessels that are over 200 metres (660 ft) in length. Traditionally, the lower the frequency, the larger the ship. The Queen Mary 2, being 345 metres (1,130 ft) long, was given the lowest possible frequency (70 Hz) for her regulation whistles, in addition to the refurbished 55 Hz whistle on permanent loan. 55 Hz is the lower bass "A" note found an octave up from the lowest note of a piano keyboard. The air-driven Tyfon whistle can be heard at least ten miles away.

W6RO

Queen Mary's wireless radio room

The Queen Mary's original, professionally manned wireless radio room was destroyed once the ship arrived in Long Beach. In its place an amateur radio room was created one deck above the original radio reception room with some of the discarded original radio equipment used for display purposes only. The amateur radio station with the call sign W6RO ("Whiskey Six Romeo Oscar") relies on volunteers from a local amateur radio club. They are present most of the time the ship is open to the public, and the radios can also be used by other licensed amateur radio operators.

In honor of his over forty years of dedication to W6RO and the Queen Mary, in November 2007 the Queen Mary Wireless Room was renamed The Nate Brightman Radio Room. This was announced on 28 October 2007 at Mr. Brightman's 90th birthday party by Joseph Prevratil, President and CEO of the Queen Mary.

Paranormal

The Queen Mary at night, with spotlight on the Soviet submarine B-427

Ghosts were reported on board only after permanently docked in California. Many areas are rumored to be haunted. Reports of hearing little children crying in the nursery room, actually used as the third-class playroom, and a mysterious splash noise in the drained first-class swimming pool are cited. In 1966, 18-year-old engineer John Pedder was crushed by a watertight door in the engine room during a fire drill, and his ghost is said to haunt the ship. There is also said to be the spirit of a young girl named Jackie who was murdered in the pool room haunts the first class pool onboard the ship. It is also said that men screaming and the sound of metal crushing against metal can be heard belowdecks at the extreme front end of the bow. Those who have heard this believe it to be the screams of the sailors aboard the HMS Curacoa at the moment the destroyer was split in half by the liner.
The Queen Mary operates daily paranormal themed tours, some of which have theatrics applied for dramatic effect. The ship maintains a haunted maze and expands to multiple mazes during the Halloween season.

The Queen Mary has been the subject of numerous professional paranormal investigations by printed publications like Beyond Investigation Magazine, nationally televised shows like Ghost Hunters, The Othersiders, and radio's Coast to Coast AM. The UK paranormal television program, Most Haunted, investigated the ship in a special two-part episode.

On screen

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (February 2010)

In its permanent berth in Long Beach, the Queen Mary has been used as a filming location for numerous films, television episodes, and commercials. Some examples are:

Assault on a Queen (1966)

The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Some of the Poseidon ship scenes were filmed on board the Queen Mary. A 26-foot long miniature of the ship was used in special effects shots.

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)

The Gumball Rally (1976). The pier in Long Beach where the ship is located was the finish line for the cross-country race.

S.O.S. Titanic (1979), in which the Queen Mary doubled for her ill-fated predecessor.

Goliath Awaits (1981), About an ocean liner named the Goliath being sunk during World War II and the survivors forming an underwater society.

Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), The murder at the beginning of the film was filmed in the First Class swimming pool area of the Queen Mary.

Toyota's advertisement for Celica All-trac Turbo in the 1991 Long Beach Grand Prix featured the Queen Mary, with the tagline, "On 14 April, we're going streaking in front of the Queen."

Murder, She Wrote (1989), Episode entitled "The Grand Old Lady" takes place on the Queen Mary in 1947.

Bold and the Beautiful (1989)
Tidal Wave: No Escape (1997). Harve Presnell destroys the Queen Mary with an artificial tsunami.

"Triangle," an episode of The X-Files, featured the Queen Mary as the fictional Queen Anne.

Pearl Harbor (2001).

Escape from L.A. (1996).

Being John Malkovich (1999), parts of the movie were shot on board.

Fiona Apple's "O' Sailor" video.

Most Haunted (2005).

The Amazing Race 7 (2005). The starting line for the 7th season.

Airwolf episode "Desperate Monday".

"Development Arrested", series finale of Arrested Development (2006).

The ship was used as the home for the finalists of reality TV show Last Comic Standing in the fourth season (2006).

National Lampoon's Dorm Daze 2 (2006).

The 2007 Cold Case episode World's End.

The Queen Mary was one location the TAPS crew investigated for hauntings during the second season of the TV series Ghost Hunters.

The Queen Mary was the site of Vincent Chase's Birthday in the episode "Less Than 30", of the 3rd Season of Entourage (TV Series).

The Queen Mary is featured on a 2007 Jonas Brothers music video, where they perform their single SOS on the ocean liner.

Portrayed the German liner SS Bremen in the 1983 mini-series The Winds of War based on the 1971 novel by Herman Wouk.

An episode of Quantum Leap took place on the Queen Mary.

The 1997 romantic comedy Out to Sea (with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) used the Queen Mary as filming location.

The Queen Mary was the set of "The Search for the Next Elvira", where many hopeful young women contended to be the next "Mistress of the Dark".

Miss America: Countdown to the Crown (2009), a reality competition show; part of the precompetition for the Miss America 2009 pagent.

An episode of New York Goes to Work used the Queen Mary as a filming location (2009).

The Othersiders (2009), The team investigated here for paranormal activity.

Legally Blondes (2008).

In popular culture

This "In popular culture" section may contain minor or trivial references. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture rather than simply listing appearances, and remove trivia references. (February 2010)

The album title for Apologies to the Queen Mary by Wolf Parade references an incident on the ship in which the band was involved.

Most of the series finale of Arrested Development takes place on the ship.

The music video of the Jonas Brothers song SOS was filmed aboard the Queen Mary.

A season one episode of Moonlight features the Queen Mary as the location of a murder of a stalked Hollywood star.

The Queen Mary is referenced in episode 7 of the ABC Family series The Middleman, "The Cursed Tuba Contingency". One of the episode's villains has a ship which he boasts is "three feet longer than the Queen Mary, and eighty-six feet longer than the Titanic." In reality, the Queen Mary (at 965 feet perpendiculars) really is eighty-three feet longer than the Titanic (at 882 feet).

In the book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, the Queen Mary plays a major part as the start of Edward's Journey. Edward, a china rabbit, is on the Queen Mary with his owner, a little girl named Abileine. Two boys accidentily throw Edward overboard, and the rabbit starts out on his journey. The Queen Mary is referenced in the text and in a painting in the book.

In Tim Powers's book Expiration Date, the Queen Mary plays a significant part, related to the supernatural legends above.

See also

"It's Men that Count"; late 1930s promotional poster for the Cunard Line

RMS Mauretania (1938)

RMS Queen Elizabeth

RMS Queen Elizabeth 2

MS Queen Elizabeth

RMS Queen Mary 2

MS Queen Victoria

References

Notes

^ Royal Lady - The Queen Mary Reigns in Long Beach

^ The Bromsgrove Guild - an illustrated history, The Bromsgrove Society

^ a b c Maxtone-Graham, John. The Only Way to Cross. New York: Collier Books, 1972, p. 288

^ "Chains brake liner at launching". Popular Science. 1934-12. http://books.google.com/books?id=uigDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20&lpg=PA20#v=onepage&q=&f=false. Retrieved 2009-11-02. 

^ Atlantic Liners: RMS Queen Mary

^ ocean-liners.com SS Normandie

^ Bruce, Jim, Faithful Servant: A Memoir of Brian Cleeve Lulu, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84753-064-6, (pp.50-55)

^ Modern art takes to the waves

^ The Historic Queen Mary - RMS Foundation, Inc.

^ Levi, Ran. "The Wave That Changed Science". The Future of Things. http://thefutureofthings.com/column/1005/the-wave-that-changed-science.html. Retrieved 2009-11-02. 

^ Lavery, Brian. Churchill Goes to War: Winston's Wartime Journeys. Naval Institute Press, 2007, p. 213.

^ OceanLiners.com. RMS Queen Mary

^ Harvey, Clive (2008). R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth-The Ultimate Ship. Carmania Press. ISBN 9780954366681. 

^ The Queen Mary. The Queen Mary's History

^ Long Beach Report. A REPORT ON THE QUEENSWAY BAY DEVELOPMENT PLAN AND THE LONG BEACH TIDE AND SUBMERGED LANDS. State Lands Commission, April 2001

^ Tibbies Cabaret. History. Retrieved on August 8, 2009.

^ USATODAY.com - Queen Mary 2 to meet original Queen Mary in Long Beach harbor

^ 'Queen Mary's horn (MP3) - PortCities Southampton

^ The Funnels and Whistles

^ Welcome to kockum sonics: Tyfon IMO regulations

^ "The voice of the Queen Mary can be heard ten miles away" (JPG image)

^ W6RO - Associated Radio Amateurs of Long Beach

^ Human Touch Draws Ham Radio Buffs, Gazettes Newspaper

^ The wireless installation on RMS Queen Mary

^ Chisholm, Charlyn Keating. "Haunted Hotel - Queen Mary Hotel in Long Beach, California". About.com. http://hotels.about.com/od/hauntedhotelsatoz/p/hau_queenmary.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-25. 

^ Winer, Richard, Ghost Ships

^ Queen Mary - Attractions at Night QueenMary.com

^ Queen Mary's Shipwreck - Annual Halloween fest

^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VUZK-D5czs&feature=related

Bibliography

The Cunard White Star Quadruple-screw North Atlantic Liner, Queen Mary. - Bonanza Books, 289 p., 1979. - ISBN 0517279290. Largely a reprint of a special edition of "The Shipbuilder and Marine Engine-builder" from 1936.

Cunard Line, Ltd., John Brown and Company archives.

Clydebank Central Library Clydebank, Scotland.

Roberts, Andrew, Masters and Commanders: How four titans won the war in the West, 1941-1945, Harper Collins e-Books, London

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: RMS Queen Mary

Website of current commercial operator (Event listings as well as Facts & History section)

Queen Mary Alternative Visions (Describes the construction and conversion of the Queen Mary and advocates its partial restoration)

Time Magazine: The Queen; 11 August 1947

The Great Ocean Liners: RMS Queen Mary

Clydebank Restoration Trust

RMS Queen Mary at Chris' Cunard Page (The Last Great Atlantic Fleet)

Coordinates: 334511 1181123 / 33.7531N 118.1898W / 33.7531; -118.1898

Records

Preceded by

Normandie

Holder of the Blue Riband (Westbound)

1936 1937

Succeeded by

Normandie

Atlantic Eastbound Record

1936 1937

Holder of the Blue Riband (Westbound)

1938 1952

Succeeded by

United States

Atlantic Eastbound Record

1938 1952

v  d  e

Cunard ships

Current Fleet

RMS Queen Mary 2 (2004)   MS Queen Victoria (2007)

Planned

MS Queen Elizabeth (2010)

Former Ships

RMS Britannia (1840)   RMS Persia (1856)   SS Abyssinia (1870)   SS Servia (1881)   RMS Etruria (1884)   RMS Umbria (1884)   RMS Campania (1892)   RMS Lucania (1893)   SS Ivernia (1899)   RMS Carpathia (1903)   RMS Carmania (1905)   RMS Caronia (1905)   RMS Lusitania (1907)   RMS Mauretania (1907)   RMS Franconia (1910)   RMS Ascania (1911)   RMS Albania (1911)   RMS Ausonia (1911)   RMS Laconia (1912)   RMS Alaunia (1913) (1913)   RMS Aquitania (1913)   SS Orduna (1914)   SS Empire Barracuda (1918)   RMS Albania (1920)   RMS Antonia (1921)   RMS Ausonia (1921)   RMS Scythia (1921)   RMS Andania (1922)   RMS Berengaria (1922)   RMS Laconia (1922)   RMS Lancastria (1922)   RMS Majestic (1922)   RMS Ascania (1923)   RMS Aurania (1924)   SS Letitia (1924)   RMS Alaunia (1925)   RMS Carinthia (1925)   SS Laurentic (1927)   RMS Britannic (1929)   RMS Georgic (1934)   RMS Olympic (1934)   RMS Queen Mary (1936)   RMS Mauretania (1939)   SS Pasteur (1939)  MV Empire Audacity (1939)   RMS Queen Elizabeth (1940)   SS Empire Battleaxe (1943)   SS Empire Broadsword (1943)   SS Valacia (1943)   RMS Media (1947)   RMS Caronia (1949)   RMS Saxonia (1954)   RMS Ivernia (1955)   RMS Carinthia (1956)   RMS Sylvania (1957)   RMS Alaunia (1960)   RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (1967)   MS Cunard Adventurer (1971)   MS Cunard Ambassador (1972)   MS Cunard Countess (1975)   MS Cunard Princess (1976)   MS Sagafjord (1983)   MS Caronia (1983)   MS Royal Viking Sun (1994)

v  d  e

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Keeper of the Register  History of the National Register of Historic Places  Property types  Historic district  Contributing property

List of entries

National Park Service  National Historic Landmarks  National Battlefields  National Historic Sites  National Historical Parks  National Memorials  National Monuments

Categories: Art Deco ships | Blue Riband holders | Clyde-built ships | Landmarks in Los Angeles, California | Ocean liners | Museum ships in California | Passenger ships of the United Kingdom | National Register of Historic Places in California | Rogue wave incidents | Ships of Scotland | Ships of the Cunard Line | Ships on the National Register of Historic Places | Steamships | Visitor attractions in Long Beach, California | Troop ships of the United Kingdom | 1934 ships | Museums in Long Beach, California | Haunted attractions | Paranormal placesHidden categories: Articles with trivia sections from February 2010 | All articles with trivia sections

Global Maritime Distress Safety System

Components of GMDSS

The main types of equipment used in GMDSS are:

Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)

Main article: Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon

Cospas-Sarsat is an international satellite-based search and rescue system, established by Canada, France, the United States, and Russia. These four countries jointly helped develop the 406 MHz Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), an element of the GMDSS designed to operate with Cospas-Sarsat system. These automatic-activating EPIRBs, now required on SOLAS ships, commercial fishing vessels, and all passenger ships, are designed to transmit to alert rescue coordination centers via the satellite system from anywhere in the world. The original COSPAS / SARSAT system used Polar orbiting satellites but in recent years the system has been expanded to also include 4 GEOSTATIONARY satellites. Newest designs incorporate GPS receivers to transmit highly accurate positions (within about 20 metres)of the distress position. The original COSPAS / SARSAT satellites could calculate EPIRBs position to within about 3 nautical miles by using Doppler techniques. By the end of 2010 EPIRB manufacturers may be offering AIS (Automatic Identification System) enabled beacons. The service-ability of these items are checked monthly and annually and have limited battery shelf life betweeen 2 to 5 years using mostly Lithium type batteries. 406 MHz EPIRB's transmit a Hexadecimal registration number which is linked to a database of information about the vessel.

NAVTEX

Main article: Navtex

Navtex is an international, automated system for instantly distributing maritime navigational warnings, weather forecasts and warnings, search and rescue notices and similar information to ships. A small, low-cost and self-contained "smart" printing radio receiver installed on the bridge, or the place from where the ship is navigated, and checks each incoming message to see if it has been received during an earlier transmission, or if it is of a category of no interest to the ship's master. The frequency of transmission of these messages is 518 kHz in English, while 490 kHz is used to broadcast in local language.

The messages are coded with a header code identified by the using alphabets to represent broadcasting stations, type of messages, and followed by two figures indicating the serial number of the message.

Inmarsat

Satellite systems operated by the Inmarsat, overseen by IMSO, International Mobile Satellite Organization are also important elements of the GMDSS. The types of Inmarsat ship earth station terminals recognized by the GMDSS are: Inmarsat B, C and F77. Inmarsat B and F77, an updated version of the now redundant Inmarsat A, provide ship/shore, ship/ship and shore/ship telephone, telex and high-speed data services, including a distress priority telephone and telex service to and from rescue coordination centers. Fleet 77 fully supports the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and includes advanced features such as emergency call prioritisation. The Inmarsat C provides ship/shore, shore/ship and ship/ship store-and-forward data and email messaging, the capability for sending preformatted distress messages to a rescue coordination center, and the Inmarsat C SafetyNET service. The Inmarsat C SafetyNET service is a satellite-based worldwide maritime safety information broadcast service of high seas weather warnings, NAVAREA navigational warnings, radionavigation warnings, ice reports and warnings generated by the USCG-conducted International Ice Patrol, and other similar information not provided by NAVTEX. SafetyNET works similarly to NAVTEX in areas outside NAVTEX coverage.

Inmarsat C equipment is relatively small and lightweight, and costs much less than an Inmarsat B or F77. Inmarsat B and F77 ship earth stations require relatively large gyro-stabilized antennas; the antenna size of the Inmarsat C is much smaller.

Under a cooperative agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), combined meteorological observations and AMVER reports can now be sent to both the USCG AMVER Center, and NOAA, using an Inmarsat C ship earth station, at no charge. .

SOLAS now requires that Inmarsat C equipment have an integral satellite navigation receiver, or be externally connected to a satellite navigation receiver. That connection will ensure accurate location information to be sent to a rescue coordination center if a distress alert is ever transmitted.

Also the new LRIT log range tracking systems are upgraded via GMDSS inmarsat C which are also complient along with inbuilt SSAS which is ship security alarm system

High Frequency

A GMDSS system may include High Frequency (HF) radiotelephone and radiotelex (narrow-band direct printing) equipment, with calls initiated by digital selective calling (DSC). Worldwide broadcasts of maritime safety information are also made on HF narrow-band direct printing channels.

Search and Rescue Locating device

Main article: Search and Rescue Locating device

The GMDSS installation on ships include one or more Search and Rescue Locating device devices which are used to locate survival craft or distressed vessels by creating a series of dots on a rescuing ship's 3 cm radar display or operating on frequencies dedicated for AIS . The detection range between these devices and ships, dependent upon the height of the ship's radar mast and the height of the Search and Rescue Locating device, is normally about 15 km (8 nautical miles). Note that a marine radar may not detect a Search and Rescue Locating device even within this distance, if the radar settings are not optimized for Search and Rescue Locating device detection.

Once detected by radar, the Search and Rescue Locating device will produce a visual and aural indication.

Digital Selective Calling

The IMO also introduced Digital Selective Calling (DSC) on MF, HF and VHF maritime radios as part of the GMDSS system. DSC is primarily intended to initiate ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship radiotelephone and MF/HF radiotelex calls. DSC calls can also be made to individual stations, groups of stations, or "all stations" in one's reach. Each DSC-equipped ship, shore station and group is assigned a unique 9-digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity.

DSC distress alerts, which consist of a preformatted distress message, are used to initiate emergency communications with ships and rescue coordination centers. DSC was intended to eliminate the need for persons on a ship's bridge or on shore to continuously guard radio receivers on voice radio channels, including VHF channel 16 (156.8 MHz) and 2182 kHz now used for distress, safety and calling. A listening watch aboard GMDSS-equipped ships on 2182 kHz ended on February 1, 1999. In May 2002, IMO decided to postpone cessation of a VHF listening watch aboard ships. That watchkeeping requirement had been scheduled to end on 1 February 2005.

IMO and ITU both require that the DSC-equipped MF/HF and VHF radios be externally connected to a satellite navigation receiver. That connection will ensure accurate location information is sent to a rescue coordination center if a distress alert is ever transmitted. The FCC requires that all new VHF and MF/HF maritime radiotelephones type accepted after June 1999 have at least a basic DSC capability.

VHF digital selective calling also has other capabilities beyond those required for the GMDSS. The Coast Guard uses this system to track vessels in Prince William Sound, Alaska, Vessel Traffic Service. IMO and the USCG also plan to require ships carry a Universal Shipborne Automatic Identification System, which will be DSC-compatible. Countries having a GMDSS A1 Area should be able to identify and track AIS-equipped vessels in its waters without any additional radio equipment. A DSC-equipped radio cannot be interrogated and tracked unless that option was included by the manufacturer, and unless the user configures it to allow tracking.

GMDSS telecommunications equipment should not be reserved for emergency use only. The International Maritime Organization encourages mariners to use that equipment for routine as well as safety telecommunications.

GMDSS Sea Areas

GMDSS sea areas serve two purposes: to describe areas where GMDSS services are available, and to define what radio equipment GMDSS ships must carry (carriage requirements). Prior to the GMDSS, the number and type of radio safety equipment ships had to carry depended upon its tonnage. With GMDSS, the number and type of radio safety equipment ships have to carry depends upon the GMDSS areas in which they travel.

In addition to equipment listed below, all GMDSS-regulated ships must carry a satellite EPIRB, a NAVTEX receiver (if they travel in any areas served by NAVTEX), an Inmarsat-C SafetyNET receiver (if they travel in any areas not served by NAVTEX), a DSC-equipped VHF radiotelephone, two (if between 300 and less than 500 GRT)or three VHF handhelds (if 500 GRT or more), and one 9GHz search and rescue radar transponder (SART).

Sea Area A1

An area within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one VHF coast station in which continuous digital selective calling (Ch.70/156.525MHz) alerting and radiotelephony services are available.Such an area could extend typically 20 nautical miles (37 km) to 30 nautical miles (56 km) from the Coast Station.

Sea Area A2

An area, excluding Sea Area A1, within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one MF coast station in which continuous DSC (2187.5 kHz) alerting and radiotelephony services are available.For planning purposes this area typically extends to up to 180 nautical miles (330 km) offshore during daylight hours,but would exclude any A1 designated areas.In practice,satisfactory coverage may often be achieved out to around 400 nautical miles (740 km) offshore during night time.

Sea Area A3

An area,excluding sea areas A1 and A2, within the coverage of an INMARSAT geostationary satellite.This area lies between about latitude 76 Degree NORTH and SOUTH,but excludes A1 and/or A2 designated areas.Inmarsat guarantee their system will work between 70 South and 70 North though it will often work to 76 degrees South or North.

Sea Area A4

An area outside Sea Areas A1, A2 and A3 is called Sea Area A4. This is essentially the polar regions, north and south of about 70 degrees of latitude, excluding any A1 or A2 areas.

GMDSS Radio Equipment Required for U.S. Coastal Voyages

Presently, until an A1 or A2 Sea Area is established, GMDSS-mandated ships operating off the U.S. coast must fit to Sea Areas A3 (or A4) regardless of where they operate. U.S. ships whose voyage allows them to always remain within VHF channel 16 coverage of U.S. Coast Guard stations may apply to the Federal Communications Commission for an individual waiver to fit to Sea Area A1 requirements. Similarly, those who remain within 2182 kHz coverage of U.S. Coast Guard stations may apply for a waiver to fit to Sea Area A2 requirements.

History

Since the invention of radio at the end of the 19th century, ships at sea have relied on Morse code, invented by Samuel Morse and first used in 1844, for distress and safety telecommunications. The need for ship and coast radio stations to have and use radiotelegraph equipment, and to listen to a common radio frequency for Morse encoded distress calls, was recognized after the sinking of the liner RMS Titanic in the North Atlantic in 1912. The U.S. Congress enacted legislation soon after, requiring U.S. ships to use Morse code radiotelegraph equipment for distress calls. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), now a United Nations agency, followed suit for ships of all nations. Morse encoded distress calling has saved thousands of lives since its inception almost a century ago, but its use requires skilled radio operators spending many hours listening to the radio distress frequency. Its range on the medium frequency (MF) distress band (500 kHz) is limited, and the amount of traffic Morse signals can carry is also limited.

Not all ship-to-shore radio communications were short range. Some radio stations provided long-range radiotelephony services, such as radio telegrams and radio telex calls, on the HF bands (3-30 MHz) enabling worldwide communications with ships. For example, Portishead Radio, which was the world's busiest radiotelephony station, provided HF long-range services. In 1974, it had 154 radio operators who handled over 20 million words per year. Such large radiotelephony stations employed large numbers of people and were expensive to operate. By the end of the 1980s, satellite services had started to take an increasingly large share of the market for ship-to-shore communications.

For these reasons, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency specializing in safety of shipping and preventing ships from polluting the seas, began looking at ways of improving maritime distress and safety communications. In 1979, a group of experts drafted the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, which called for development of a global search and rescue plan. This group also passed a resolution calling for development by IMO of a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) to provide the communication support needed to implement the search and rescue plan. This new system, which the world's maritime nations are implementing, is based upon a combination of satellite and terrestrial radio services, and has changed international distress communications from being primarily ship-to-ship based to ship-to-shore (Rescue Coordination Center) based. It spelled the end of Morse code communications for all but a few users, such as amateur radio operators. The GMDSS provides for automatic distress alerting and locating in cases where a radio operator doesn't have time to send an SOS or MAYDAY call, and, for the first time, requires ships to receive broadcasts of maritime safety information which could prevent a distress from happening in the first place. In 1988, IMO amended the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention, requiring ships subject to it fit GMDSS equipment. Such ships were required to carry NAVTEX and satellite EPIRBs by 1 August 1993, and had to fit all other GMDSS equipment by 1 February 1999. US ships were allowed to fit GMDSS in lieu of Morse telegraphy equipment by the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Licensing of Operators

National maritime authorities may issue various classes of licenses. The General Operator Certificate is required on SOLAS vessels operating also outside GMDSS Sea Area A1, while a Restricted Operator Certificate is needed on SOLAS vessels operated solely within GMDSS Sea Area A1,

Long Range Certificate may be issued, and is required on non-SOLAS vessels operating outside GMDSS Sea Area A1, while a Short Range Certificate is issued for non-SOLAS vessels operating only inside GMDSS Sea Area A1.

Finally there is a Restricted radiotelephone operator's certificate, which is similar to the Short Range Certificate but limited VHR DSC radio operation. Some countries do not consider this adequate for GMDSS qualification.

In the United States four different GMDSS certificates are issued. A GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License allows a person to maintain, install,and repair GMDSS equipment at sea. A GMDSS Radio Operator's License is necessary for a person to use required GMDSS equipment. The holder of both certificates can be issued one GMDSS Radio Operator/Maintainer License. Finally, the GMDSS Restricted License is available for VHF operations only within 20 nautical miles (37 km) of the coast. To obtain any of these licenses a person must be a U.S. citizen or otherwise eligible for work in the country, be able to communicate in English, and take written examinations approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Like the amateur radio examinations, these are given by private, FCC-approved groups. These are generally not the same agencies who administer the ham tests. Written test elements 1 and 7 are required for the Operator license, and elements 1 and 7R for the Restricted Operator. (Passing element 1 also automatically qualifies the applicant for the Marine Radiotelephone Operator Permit, the MROP.)

For the Maintainer license, written exam element 9 must be passed. However, to obtain this certificate an applicant must also hold a General radiotelephone operator license (GROL), which requires passing commercial written exam elements 1 and 3 (and thus supersedes the MROP). Upon the further passing of optional written exam element 8 the ship radar endorsement will be added to both the GROL and Maintainer licenses. This allows the holder to adjust, maintain, and repair shipboard radar equipment.

Until March 25, 2008 GMDSS operator and maintainer licenses expired after five years but could be renewed upon payment of a fee. On that date all new certificates were issued valid for the lifetimes of their holders. For those still valid but previously issued with expiration dates, the FCC states:

Any GMDSS Radio Operator's License, Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator's License, GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License, GMDSS Radio Operator/Maintainer License, or Marine Radio Operator Permit that was active, i.e., had not expired, as of March 25, 2008, does not have to be renewed.

Since an older certificate does show an expiration date, for crewmembers sailing internationally it may be worth paying the fee (as of 2008 it was ) to avoid any confusion with local authorities.

Finally, it should be noted that to actually serve as a GMDSS operator on most commercial vessels the United States Coast Guard requires additional classroom training and practical experience beyond just holding a license.

See also

Nautical portal

Marine VHF radio the GMDSS equipments.

Search and Rescue Transponder

Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)

Inmarsat

Radio horizon

500 kHz

2182 kHz

Source

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/default.htm

http://www.gmdss.com.au/

References

^ Johnson, B (1994). "English in maritime radiotelephony". World Englishes 13 (1): 8391. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971X.1994.tb00285.x. 

^ "The story of Portishead Radio: Long range maritime radio communications: 1920 1995". 2001-04-06. http://jproc.ca/radiostor/portis1.html. Retrieved 2008-01-09. 

^ FCC - Commercial Radio Operator Licenses

^

^ MarComms - GMDSS Training and Certification

External links

COSPAS-SARSAT system home page

Search And Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT)

FCC - Commercial Operator Licenes: Examinations FCC

FCC - GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License (DM) FCC

FCC - GMDSS Radio Operator's License (DO) FCC

FCC - Ship Radar Endorsement FCC

FCC - Commercial Operator Licenses: Examination Question Pools FCC

GMDSS Ship Inspection Checklist FCC

"CCIR 493-4 HF Selcall Information Resource". HFLINK. 2010. http://hflink.com/selcall. Retrieved 2010-01-10. 

Categories: Emergency communication | Law of the sea | Maritime communication | Rescue equipment

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