October 2006

IO HOB AD AR R T T S

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G R T S M

COAST RADIO NEWSLETTER

It’s time… INSIDE THIS ISSUE This is a newsletter in a new format which we hope will be enjoyed and found to be informative by our loyal subscribers without whose support, Coast Radio Hobart would cease to exist and would This edition mostly contains some leave without the vital communication services that we provide. The cost prevents a regular reminders about issues that have newsletter in this form but we do hope to continue keeping in touch from time to time, perhaps by come to our attention so bear with email. If you have not done so, let us have your email address. us and look forward to a more newsy edition later. We shall rely on emailing copies to Where and how it all began… you to save costs. The Tasmanian Smallcraft Marine Radio Group (TSMRG) was formed by Change of HF Frequencies… Barry McCann and Les Collins in 1975 Page 2 to establish a means of communication Seaguard Service Terminated… between pleasure craft and a shore Page 3 station. The purpose was to enhance the safety of life and property at sea. We need more subscribers… Page 3 Margaret Base went to air in July 1976 and nine years later moved to South Arm Desperately seeking radio and became Tasmar Radio. In 1987, a operators… remotely controlled base station was Page 4 constructed at Snug Tiers and this facility is still an integral part of the much expanded system that is Coast Radio Hobart today. The name change from Tasmar Radio to Coast Radio Hobart had no bearing on the self-funded and voluntary nature of this network. It was a decision made by the body that oversees the national High Frequency Radio Network, for which we operate Coast Radio Hobart. The local service we provided as Tasmar Radio, of course, still continues. In 1993, the State Government granted TSMRG control and sole use of the old Hobart Radio receiving station on . This station, now fully re-equipped, forms a vital back-up and provides monitoring of the international distress frequencies. Our operations room at the old Hobart Radio building on the Domain began service in May 2004, continuing a marine radio service from this site since 1912. Where we are today… Huge technical improvements have been made over the last two years with the help of volunteers Brian Muir, Andrew Boon and CRH directors, Barry McCann, Stu Braunholz and Mike Hooper. The Coast Radio Hobart radio link equipment at Snug Tiers and Bruny was in a poor state and needed replacement. Telstra PO Box 1655 and Hydro Tasmania came to our aid with the donation of surplus multi-channel and broadband radio Hobart Tasmania 7001 equipment. The Tasmania Police and DPIWE co-operated to establish a link repeater on Mt Nelson and Telephone (03) 6231 2276 Incat Tasmania provided an enclosure and power supply. CRH is constantly improving the coverage and Email [email protected] quality of our transmissions and work is ongoing. We’ll keep you posted. COAST RADIO HOBART NEWSLETTER

RG numbers, they belong to you… As a subscriber to CRH you are allocated an RG number which belongs to you and not your boat. If you sell the boat, the RG number does not form part of the package. We have followed up on members who have ceased subscribing to fi nd that they have retired from boating and sold the boat and the RG number. We have taken calls from buyers of boats who have believed wrongly that they are entitled to use the RG number that came with the boat. RG numbers make it a lot easier for our operators to understand, rather than boat names which we know are sometimes diffi cult to pronounce and even harder to spell on the log sheet. More importantly, lots of boats have the same name and we could easily have the wrong information at hand if it was needed. Keep your RG number noted on a bulkhead or something close to the radio so anyone needing it has it at hand. Safety issues… being boat safe! Never leave the shore without life jackets correctly sized for all people on board and instruct any newcomers in the proper fi tting of the jackets or fl oatation devices. Check fuel, oil, water and make sure that your batteries are fresh and charged. Keep on board some emergency supplies, drinking water and some non-perishable food. Maintain your epirb, fl ares and fi re extinguisher… check regularly and observe use by dates. Make sure that you have a good torch on board and charts for the area you intend to visit. Call Coast Radio Hobart as this will give you a radio check and tell us where you are heading, your ETA and when you arrive or reach your home port again and closing, don’t forget to advise us so we can log you off. Domain Radio Console

Weather sked broadcast times… Just to remind you of the regular “sked” times… Coast Radio Hobart broadcasts the latest weather forecast at the following times:

0745–1345–1903 Conducted simultaneously from transmitters at Snug, Bruny Island and Maria Isalnd on VHF channels 67 and 68 and HF frequeincies 2524, 4146 and 6227 KHz. Initial broadcasts would be made on the distress and calling channels VHF Ch 16, HF frequencies 2182, 4125 and 6215 KHz.

0833–1803 Channel 82 Repeater on Maatsuyker Island. Marine Safety Information broadcasts are transmitted daily at 1557 EST (1657 ESST). Coastal Waters Wind Warnings are broadcast as they are issued from the Met. Bureau. Pre-announcements are made to this effect on the distress and calling channels VHF Ch 16, HF frequencies 2182, 4125 and 6215 KHz, and then the warnings are transmitted on the weather sked frequencies. Notices to Mariners issued by MAST or other authorities are broadcast at sked times. Note the change to new HF working (Sked) frequencies of 4146 and 6227 KHz. COAST RADIO HOBART NEWSLETTER

Keeping in touch… Change of address, telephone change, change of boat details, email address? Call us on the radio. Remember to notify CRH of any change to your address. It will save us postage and we won’t lose contact with you. Mobile, sat phone, home phones are changed from time to time… don’t forget us when you notify your other friends of any change. You now have an epirb, a new GPS, radar perhaps or brand new boat. Help us keep the records straight, advise us when changes occur. An email address makes it so much easier to communicate and it is cheap too. If you have email, tell us. Next time you are out on the water, call us on the radio. It stops our volunteer operators from falling asleep! Radio Etiquette… Please help us to help you! Sometimes the background noise and other interference makes it diffi cult for our operators to clearly understand your message. Here are a few hints when using the radio to make our lives easier. Listen for any other traffi c on the frequency before commencing. Depress the PTT button for 2 seconds before starting to speak. Announce your call sign (RG number) 3 times Speak slowly and louder than you would for normal speech. Use plain English and be concise. Always stow your mike in its proper cradle Bruny Tower and Radio Shack Not a subscriber to Coast Radio Hobart? Why not join now? Coast Radio Hobart (CRH) is a safety net for all boat users. You cannot rely on a mobile telephone to connect you to someone who knows the best way to get you out of trouble. Your radio puts you in contact with CRH and other boats. CRH broadcast weather forecasts and wind warnings and marine safety information several times each day and monitors VHF and HF frequencies. It is a reliable, friendly and professional service. Anyone of any age or boating experience can join. There is no exam but you will be advised to attend a once only new members evening where you will be allocated your unique RG radio callsign to be used when communicating with Coast Radio Hobart. The operation of the radio network, the services offered and the operation of your marine radio will all be explained to you. At about 60 cents per week, can you afford not to join? That’s it, just $30 per year and a joining fee of $10. We rely on your support to maintain this marine radio service.

How do I join? Seaguard Service Simply contact Coast Radio Hobart in any of the following ways: Phone (03) 6231 2276 Fax (03) 6231 4111 Terminated… Email: [email protected] The Seaguard service offered by Coast Radio or by post: GPO Box 1655 Hobart 7001 has been terminated. It was decided to do so Leave your contact details and we will get back to you and advise for a number of reasons, one of which, Coast you of the date and time of the next new members’ meeting. Meetings are held every 4–6 weeks. Radio is now manned on a 24 hour basis and that Seaphone type radios are no longer available. Partners, friends and crew all welcome. Getting to know your operators

The Directors The Technical Crew Barry McCann Brian Muir Barry’s technical career started at 7HT and whilst manager there, joined forces in Trained in telecommunications and radio communications in Hobart. Brian 1975 with the late Les Collis, (presenter of the ‘See You on the River’ program), to has mostly worked in the Federal Government radio-regulatory environment, establish a radio network for pleasure craft. Throughout the following years, Barry investigating radio interference, conducting radio and radar surveys on ships, worked to build up the service from 14 boats to what it is today, a network of over allocating radio frequencies and diagnosing radio communications interference. 1200 boats. In 1979, he opened McCann’s Model World and with Coast Radio and Now retired, Brian spends a lot of time as a volunteer on upgrade work for the other interests, he is kept very busy. He and wife Judy enjoy travel, their boat Coast Radio network. ‘Lowanna’ and campervanning. Stuart Braunholz Lyn Muir Stu was born in Western Australia and grew up on a farm southeast of Perth (WA) Lyn became involved with Coast Radio Hobart because she is married to Brian! and after schooling at Albany High, returned to the farm. Later, he worked for an Brian and Barry McCann thought it would be a good idea for Lyn to rewrite the engineering fi rm and as a projectionist at the Narrogin Drive-In before enlisting in Access database (used to keep member records) to occupy some of the fi rst part the RAAF as an Armament Fitter. His service days saw him living in each state of her retirement. They knew that this would give us a brilliant new system and and including Malaya, fi nally migrating to Tasmania from Victoria in 1989. He ‘mask’ the time that Brian was to put into CRH. Lyn taught Literature, English and acquired an amateur radio licence in 1980 and became involved in the technical Computer Applications at Elizabeth College. side of Tasmar Radio in 1996 and by 1997 was behind the mike and has enjoyed it ever since. Andrew Boon An engineer specialising in communications and amongst other things has been Mike Hooper involved in marine-related projects such as coast station antenna designs, a Mike qualifi ed as a Senior technician in the PMG department, later moving to report into the effects of closing Hobart Radio (VIH) and electronic designs for the Department of Supply in Canberra, Sydney and Mildura on a broad range of pleasure and commercial vessels. Andrew skippers ‘Refl ections’ (RG713) and electronic activities. This included operating and maintaining electronics packages has circumnavigated Tasmania and cruised to Deal and Flinders Island. Recently, in space research and pollution monitoring balloons that carried up to 1000kgs, 50 Andrew has built the control units which replaced lap-top computers at Snug Tiers km high. Promotion brought Mike back to the research laboratories in Melbourne and Bruny Is. working on the earliest PCs and early generations of computer control and monitoring systems. After retiring in 1994, he sailed his twin screw 12m. cruiser back to his hometown, Hobart and became involved with the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard and Tasmar Radio/CRH as an operator, technician, equipment designer and software writer.

Trish and they are both proud grandparents to 8 grandchildren. John has always had an The Radio Operators interest in the sea, especially sailing but no longer has a boat. Enjoys fi shing, gardening Tom Strang and music. Tom was introduced to marine radio broadcasting by a Vietnam Veteran friend visiting Robin Retchford Tasmania. His association with HF radio started when working with Centurion Tanks A refugee from the mainland, retired with Judith in 2000 after 40 years satisfying other before going to Vietnam. Keen on fi shing and boating, he wished to become involved in women - as an architect. With a young family, lived in Fiji for 7 years returning to Brisbane assisting those on the water, so joined Coast Radio Hobart to help make our coastal waters in 1973. Sailed in several dinghies and 14-foot skiffs before getting into keelboats. Sold a safer place for all those who enjoy this wonderful activity. ‘Rewind’ (S & S 30 Defi ance) just before ‘refuging’ to Hobart. Always a keen cyclist, has ridden from Brisbane to Perth, Adelaide to Melbourne and from Lands End to John Mike Boss-Walker O’Groats. Spends more time these days motorcycling. Mike was a ‘boat kid’ spending much of his boyhood at the Lindisfarne Sailing Club in various classes of small boats. He went to sea with the British and Australian Merchant Derek Blair Navies and holds a Master Class 1 certifi cate. Mike spent 29 years in Burnie and Hobart Born Scotland, ex. Merchant seaman. Came to Australia in 1960 with the RAF, fell in love as Harbour Master and Marine Pilot. He and Jenni enjoy diving from their 6 metre cruiser with the country and elected to stay after discharge. Worked in offi ce equipment sales and and regularly races on a Farr 37. later in the computer industry. Moved to Tasmania 3 years ago and absolutely love the Jenni Boss-Walker place. Hobbies include carpentry, gardening, radios and Bundaberg Rum. Jenni grew up on a farm at Sheffi eld and later was joint founder/owner of the Scuba Centre Peter Woolford at Wynyard. She is a qualifi ed scuba instructor and one of Tasmania’s most experienced Peter claims to live in the capital of Tasmania, Primrose Sands. He spent 9 years in the divers. Jenni spent 6 years operating a 55-foot charter ketch in the Whitsundays taking Royal Australian Navy as an aircraft armament fi tter, returning to Tassie in the mid 70s. overseas tourists diving on the outer Barrier Reef. With an understanding and wonderful wife and at 60years young, Peter has several children and grandchildren. His hobby is Hobart Legacy and has just completed a 2year Graham Kellaway term as President and is currently President of Primrose Sands RSL. Born near Dartmoor (not the prison) and arrived in Australia in 1960 on the Fairsky. Career: Marine Radio Offi cer on several ships and later joined QANTAS as aircraft maintenance David Cowles engineer, then moved into IT, mainly radio work, followed by project management, IT/ Comms. In 1973, drove a Sunbeam Rapier from London to India. Hobbies are Trad Jazz David is a Master Mariner whose fi rst recollections of things nautical were of the ML (plays Tenor Banjo) and wood turning. Retired to Hobart with Judy in July 2004. Enjoys ‘Nancy’ operated by his father on day trips from to Hobart. First contact with getting away in the motor-home. radio was on another launch owned by his father, the ML ‘Aloha’. This radio was built by Hobart Radio Clinic by Mr Sidebottom and with it they could talk to Hobart Radio on the Domain. From these beginnings, David moved onto fi shing boats, then the merchant navy Johm Parsell on ships with proper radios. When other commitments permit, David takes the Wednesday Hobart born and bred! John worked in Fire, Accident and Marine Insurance for 27 years, morning watch on the Domain, using even more ‘proper’ radios once again, talking to heaps Welfare for 16 years and the Funeral Industry for 5 but he is now retired with his wife of nice people around the coast of Tasmania. We Need more radio operators Coast Radio Hobart relies on volunteer operators and is looking for more helpers. Most of our operators are retired or semi- retired and all have had a connection with the sea and boating in various ways. If you are interested in helping out, please contact us. The training is simple and the satisfaction gained makes the small effort worthwhile.