User:Jpalacios29/Function and operation

Initially Coast Radio Stations used radio telegraphy to sent and transmit Morse code signals from and to vessels underway, as well as Long-range ship-to-ship communications. Ships could dial into the designated radio frequency for a certain Coast Radio Station or a designated common radio communication frequency on a vessel to communicate with a certain shore station or a vessel. Later with the advent of satellite communications, as well as the ability to automate the systems reduced the need for Coast Radio Stations around the world. Coast Radio Stations are generally characterized by type of stations based on their services. The following are some examples of Coast Radio Stations and their function:

Public coast stations

VHF public coast stations were established to serve port and coastal areas using 156-162 MHz band frequencies that are allocated internationally for maritime service, and generally provide short-range communications for vessels not more than 30 nautical miles from shore. High seas public coast stations may use low frequency (.100-.160 MHz), medium frequency (.405-.525 and 2 MHz), and high frequency (HF) (4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 18/19, 22, and 25/26 MHz) band frequencies to serve vessels on the high seas, often hundreds or even thousands of miles from land.

Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS) stations

The AMTS service was established in 1981 as an alternative to traditional VHF public coast service, primarily to meet the specialized needs of tugs, barges, and other commercial vessels on inland waterways. AMTS stations, which use 217/219 MHz frequencies, were intended primarily to provide public correspondence service to such vessels, but in an integrated manner not readily available from individual VHF public coast stations.

Private coast stations

They not common carriers -- they cannot charge for communications services. Instead, they provide information to associated vessels. Only those entities that provide some sort of service to vessels or control a bridge or waterway may become a private coast station licensee. Some common uses of private coast stations include: marinas, radio repair shops, bridges, locks, and yacht clubs.

Marine utility stations

They are hand-held radios operating at ten watts or less. Marine utility stations provide similar types of services to vessels as are provided by private coast stations. The station operates under the rules applicable to ship stations when the unit is aboard a vessel, and under the rules applicable to private coast stations when the unit is on land.

Alaska public fixed stations

They provide communications for safety and public correspondence like public coast stations, but they serve Alaskan communities exclusively. Also provide point-to-point and coast-to-ship communications in Alaska. They are not common carriers and may not charge for service.

Radar stations

On land are used mostly to locate and track vessels in coastal and inland waters. Some radars also serve as navigational fixes for vessels in their range.

Radiobeacons/RACONS

They emit a constant radio signal from fixed locations on land, like lighthouses, or from buoys in the water, for navigational reference.


 * United States of America. FCC. Federal Communications Commission. N.p., 02 Dec. 2009