OVER THE PAST five years, HM Coastguard has been provided with a great deal of very sophisticated VHF radio equipment to cover the International distress and calling frequency and other frequencies in the marine band. This system now covers the entire coast of the United Kingdom and extends at least 30 miles out to sea - in many places considerably further. This has been made possible by installing some 80 high point aerials around our coasts, including, for example, a mountain top aerial on Snaefell in the Isle of Man.

It is HM Coastguard's responsibility to guard the VHF distress and calling frequency (channel 16) continuously and this guard, together with the continuous monitoring of the frequency by British Telecom's Coast Radio Stations, make it very unlikely that a distress transmission from a yacht or any other vessel on channel 16 within the cover as given above will be unheard or unanswered.

Furthermore, a VHF direction finding facility has been installed at various points on the south coast of England and this facility is being extended to other parts of our coasts. Eventually it is hoped that direction finding cover will conform with the entire VHF surveillance cover.

Why not CB? It may be asked why VHF equipment is needed when it is so easy to talk on citizen band radio. CB radio is legally restricted in its transmission power output and so has a much shorter range than marine band VHF equipment. To give even a quarter of the cover now under VHF surveillance would mean the provision of a formidable number of additional aerial and relay systems at a prohibitive cost. It would also require many more personnel to ensure continuous monitoring by HM Coastguard.

The marine CB user with only a limited knowledge of the range and capability of his equipment may be enjoying a false sense of security. He may think that the mere act of transmitting an emergency message will produce a response when, in fact, it is quite possible that no one at all will have heard him.

Again, it is more than likely that his CB transceiver will not have been 'marinised', that is to say, modified so that it is able to withstand for any length of time the conditions of damp, salt encrustation, hard usage and vibration which you get at sea, particularly in very small yachts and boats. So it is entirely possible that when the user most needs to transmit, his CB radio may be useless.Radio discipline There is also radio discipline to be considered. Though it is agreed that most CB users will accept the importance of the emergency channel 9, there is no guarantee that anyone will be listening on this channel, except perhaps REACT organisations (see below}. Because there is no official CB emergency channel - only that agreed by CB users themselves - there will always be some who through ignorance or for selfish reasons will misuse it. Those who want to, and this includes malicious hoaxers, can misuse channel 9 knowing that the only penalty is the disapprobation of more responsible CB users.

A large number of CB users, having bought and licensed their equipment, will, naturally, want to use it, so that frequencies other than channel 9 will be cluttered up. It is not difficult to imagine a situation in which a CB licensee who genuinely needs assistance but who has been unable to gain a response from channel 9 will turn to another channel in an attempt to shift someone to the emergency frequency only to find he is unable to break in because these other channels are cluttered up with those who themselves have had to wait impatiently for their turn.

On land - REACT There is, however, a useful place for citizen band radio on land because CB radio enthusiasts are setting up their own official organisations, known as REACT. They form a network of responsible homebound volunteers who have made themselves known to their local emergency services, including, HM Coastguard, and who monitor CB emergency channel 9. CB users likely to be on remote parts of the coast should, therefore, establish a liaison with their local REACT member; then, if they should sight anyone in distress at sea or on the cliffs they will have two courses of action open to them: Telephone: Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. If a telephone is available this method of communication should always be the first choice. Information can then be given first hand to the Coastguard on duty with the minimum delay. Also, the Coastguard, in turn, can ask the person who has actually seen the incident any questions to which he may need answers before he can organise the quickest and most effective rescue operation possible.

REACT: If there is no telephone available the CB user should call his REACT member who in turn will telephone the Coastguard, or any other appropriate emergency service, using the 999 system. It is most important that the CB caller should continue to listen out on channel 9 so that the REACT member can reach him again with any questions the Coastguard needs to ask.

This second course of action is slower than a direct 999 telephone call, and more open to pitfalls, but for someone in trouble on a remote part of the coast it could be the vital link.

The REACT organisations are undoubtedly well motivated and within certain limits will be well run. The limits include the quality and number of volunteers available to man the circuit upon which the efficiency of the service provided will entirely depend. It is also fair to say that REACT organisations will have been orientated towards emergencies on land and may be manned by those who may have no idea of marine matters. Some REACT organisations, usually in the large city areas, will have little difficulty in recruiting the right type and number of volunteers, but for others in less populated areas it will not be so easy.

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