Real-Life Communication
As a boat captain, you are in charge of supervising the entire crew.
This can range from one other person to 100 people, depending on the size
of your ship and the purpose. While onboard, you will use the boat radio to
communicate with other vessels.
There is an appropriate and an inappropriate
way to call others on the VHF radio. First and foremost, no one should call
a false mayday. This is illegal.
Second, you use the phonetic alphabet
in place of letters. Third, you repeat important parts of the message, such
as your boat name and the boat you're calling, three times, in case of
radio interference. Fourth, there is certain terminology that boats use to
communicate.
You have just heard about a severe storm that is expected
to hit where you and a buddy of yours are sailing. You need to contact him
aboard his boat and communicate the information. Your radio station call sign
is TS 2255 and you are working aboard a boat called Big Red. Your friend is
captain aboard the boat Little Blue, whose call sign is RF 8477.
Given
the instructions above and the two tables below, convert the following dialog
between your boat and another boat into sea terms. Be sure to use the 24-hour
clock for times specified.
You: I'm looking for the boat
Little Blue. Are you out there?
LB: Yes. Here I am. We need to
switch to a free channel.
You: OK.
[Channel change]
LB:
Are you here? I'm here.
You: Yes. Let's talk.
LB:
OK, what do you want?
You: At 4 this afternoon, I heard a storm
(squall) is supposed to hit this area. How far do you think we are from the
Seattle coast?
LB: I can't understand you. There is interference.
You:
I heard about a storm warning beginning at 4. Can you hear me now?
LB:
Yes, I can hear you. I think we are about 550 miles away. I don't know
if we'll make it before 4.
You: I know. What time do you
have now?
LB: 6 a.m.
You: Should we turn back?
LB:
Yes. What do you think? If you think so, repeat that for me.
You:
I think we should turn back.
| NATO Phonetic Alphabet |
| A - ALPHA | N - NOVEMBER |
| B - BRAVO | O - OSCAR |
| C - CHARLIE | P - PAPA |
| D - DELTA | Q - QUEBEC |
| E - ECHO | R - ROMEO |
| F - FOXTROT | S - SIERRA |
| G - GOLF | T - TANGO |
| H - HOTEL | U - UNIFORM |
| I - INDIA | V - VICTOR |
| J - JULIET | W - WHISKY |
| K - KILO | X - X-RAY |
| L - LIMA | Y - YANKEE |
| M - MIKE | Z - ZULU |
| ACKNOWLEDGE | Let me know that you have received and understood this message |
| AFFIRMATIVE | Yes or permission granted |
| CHANNEL | Change to channel xx before proceeding |
| CORRECTION | An error has been made in this transmission (message indicated) |
| GO AHEAD | Proceed with your message |
| HOW DO YOU READ | How well do you receive me? |
| NEGATIVE | No, or that is not correct, or I do not agree |
| OVER | My transmission is ended and I expect a response from you |
| OUT | Conversation is ended and no response is expected |
| READBACK | Repeat this entire message back to me exactly as received after I have
given OVER. (Do not use the word "repeat") |
| ROGER | I have received all of your last transmission |
| ROGER NUMBER | I have received your message number |
| STANDBY | I must pause for a few seconds or minutes, please wait |