THE SIGNALS TO SAVE
Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Angela Henderson, U.S. Coast Guard District 14
The dark, orange sun sets slowly over the calm waters of the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Oahu. The lone fisherman looks over his catch for the day and decides to head back in. He goes to start his 80-foot fishing vessel, but the engines will not turn. He opens the bilges, a compartment within the boat's hull, and realizes they've filled with water. He looks at his small hand pump and knows right away it will not suffice with the significant amount of water that is already in the bilge. He rushes to his radio and makes the call a boat captain prays he never has to make.
Some mariners may not realize what goes on behind the scenes when they make a call for help. That's fine, because the men and women of the Coast Guard want boaters to know that their "Coasties" will be there when needed. There are, however, vital systems the service maintains to ensure those in need receive fast and timely assistance.
That's where the Coast Guard communications stations come in to play.
Here's how it works.
As soon as the radio is keyed, a signal is immediately transmitted to Coast Guard Communication Station (CommSta) Wahiawa, which is the signal receiver station located between Diamond Head and Kaena Point. Five Coast Guard electronics technicians work at this station and ensure all communications systems are working properly.
"CommSta Wahiawa houses the main tower that receives all information being passed," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Burke, an electronics technician stationed at Wahiawa.
This information can either be voice, such as a verbal mayday call, or data, such as the signal sent by an Electronic Positioning Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).
The tower then processes the information, such as position, people on board, type of vessel and weather conditions, and sends it via cable lines to CommSta Waianae, the transmitter station, said Burke.
CommSta Waianae transmitters, maintained by 10 Coast Guard electronics technicians, will then send the distress signal to one or more towers; within seconds, the signal will reach the original source, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Painter, an electronics technician at CommSta Waianae.
There are more than 20 towers on Oahu and more than 30 towers throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The towers utilize Very High Frequency (VHF) radio frequency, a frequency commonly used for marine communication.
There is another station, the Communications Area Master Station Pacific (CAMSPAC), located in Petaluma, Calif., that is responsible for making this all happen.
CAMSPAC houses special circuit lines called T1 lines that connect with the Wahiawa and Waianae stations. T1 lines are fiber optic, which makes them a fast and reliable conduit for sending voice and data signals. The T1 lines extend almost 3,000 miles under the Pacific Ocean, from California to Wahiawa and Waianae. Without CAMSPAC, the use of communications systems such as VHF radio, cell phones and modems would not be possible.
Maintaining the various towers is critical. The towers enable Coast Guard rescue crews to receive vital information from distressed mariners. This information is crucial when the service only has minutes to reach a boater who may be taking on water or has made the decision to abandon his vessel.
"When we climb the towers, we look to make sure the antennas are not coming loose and that there are no loose wires. We also look for burned-out fuses, corrosion on wires and rust in specific areas where wires may connect, said Painter.
The technicians also ensure towers on neighbor islands are serviced and maintained every month.
The Coast Guard highly recommends all mariners practice safe boating and ensure they have life-saving equipment onboard, such as Coast Guard-approved life jackets, a VHF radio, flares and other important equipment.
For more information, please visit www.uscgboating.org/ or call the Coast Guard in Honolulu at 808-535-3230.
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