HF Weather Broadcasts to Continue
Coast Guard Supports for High Frequency Forecast Services
Feb 8, 2008
In April of 2007, the United States Coast Guard solicited comments from the public on the need to continue the broadcast of high frequency (HF) weather forecast products due to the high cost of required infrastructure. The Coast Guard and Navy operate 23 high power HF transmitter sites that provide weather facsimile (radiofax), voice and text based weather forecasts. This system provides valuable high seas weather information along the coasts of the United States and Guam.
An Overview of HF Weather Broadcasts - High seas weather forecast products are transmitted by HF radio in three formats, radiofacsimile (radiofax), voice and text (SITOR).
- Radiofax - Only a little different from the office fax machine, this is a method used to broadcast and receive weather graphics like forecast maps, weather charts or satellite images for use of ships at sea. Facsimile images are received as radio signals on an appropriate receiver and decoded onboard
- Voice - Spoken weather forecasts and warnings are broadcast via single side band modulated radio signals and similar to marine weather broadcasts made on VHF marine radios
- Text - Text broadcasts are transmitted through use of SITOR or Simplex Teletype Over Radio. This automated direct printing service is also known as Narrow Band Direct Printing (NBDP). SITOR has a distinctive sound when heard on a radio receiver
Overwhelming Public Comment - The Coast Guard solicited public comment from the users of HF radio weather services and asked what effects termination of the service would have for them. Comments to the Federal Register notice were accepted for 120 days. More than 1,100 people responded to the request for comments, with some 821 of them being off-shore or high-seas vessel operators. There were three times more public comments made by recreational versus commercial users.
A Business Case Study Proposed - On 7 February 2008, the Coast Guard released a business case study supporting the continuation of the HF weather broadcasts due to the overwhelming public support for the service. Titled An Impact Assessment of Discontinuing USCG High-Frequency Radio Broadcasts of NWS Marine Weather Forecasts, the study is available online for public viewing. The study concludes that "The responding public collectively perceives that the USCG HF broadcasts are essential to their safety. There is no viable alternative to the USCG HF broadcasts because present alternatives are perceived by the public to be out of financial reach. Also, marine weather forecasts available through these alternative sources may not guarantee the same level of accuracy, timeliness, and/or sufficiency as provided by the USCG HF broadcasts."
Continued support of high frequency radio broadcasts of weather forecasts and warnings is important commitment made by the Coast Guard to ensure mariner safety at sea. It is positive sign that the agency responded favorability to public user support for the technology.
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