Canadian Coast Guard
www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca
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Marine Broadcast Service
Marine Communications and Traffic Service (MCTS) centres provide a broadcast service which includes the provision of information related to weather, hazards to navigation and other information to enhance the safety of life at sea.
The radio broadcast services include:
- Scheduled Broadcasts
- Unscheduled Broadcasts
- Continuous Marine Broadcast (CMB)
- NAVTEX
- Radio Facsimile Broadcasts
Scheduled Broadcasts
Scheduled broadcasts are made by Thunder Bay, Inuvik and Iqaluit MCTS Centres. The times, content and frequencies of scheduled broadcasts are outlined in the webpages of these MCTS Centres and in the publication Radio Aids to Marine Navigation.
Unscheduled Broadcasts
An unscheduled broadcast is made by MCTS Centres for special events requiring broadcast prior to the regular scheduled broadcasts or before being placed onto the continuous marine broadcast. Unscheduled broadcasts will be made to alert the mariner about distress and urgency situations, amended weather forecasts, weather warnings and important Notices to Shipping concerning dangers to navigation.
Continuous Marine Broadcast
A continuous marine broadcast is transmitted over VHF marine radio channels for the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe to permit immediate access to weather and navigational information. Consult the webpage for the MCTS Centres at Thunder Bay, Sarnia and Prescott for details about the VHF channel used for the continuous broadcast in your area.
The continuous marine broadcast contains the following information:
- MCTS Centre Identification
- Distress and Urgency priority information. When on-going marine incidents occur, information regarding the location and other details are included on the CMB to alert other mariners.
- Safety priority information: - safety priority weather information, such as wind warnings and severe weather warnings, safety priority notices to shipping.
- Weather information: - offshore marine forecasts, recreational marine weather forecasts for Lake Simcoe from May 1 to Oct 31 and for Lake Nipissing, Lake of the Woods, the North Channel and Lake Nipigon from May 15 to Oct 31, weather reports from automated weather stations, ship weather observations.
- Ice formation
- Notices to shipping: - information regarding hazards to navigation.
- Weekly mean water levels.
NAVTEX - 518 kHz (radioteletype)
NAVTEX is the system for the broadcast and automatic reception on the frequency 518 kHz of maritime safety information by means of narrow band direct-printing telegraphy.
The NAVTEX broadcast transmitted by Thunder Bay MCTS can be received using a NAVTEX receiver within the area of Lake Superior and northwestern Lake Huron. Prescott MCTS centre provides a NAVTEX broadcast service which can be received within the area of Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
Consult the webpage for the MCTS centres at Thunder Bay and Prescott for the schedule and content of NAVTEX broadcasts.
Radio Facsimile Broadcasts
Radio facsimile broadcasts over high frequency are made by the MCTS centres at Iqaluit and Inuvik to transmit weather charts and ice charts. Consult the webpage for the MCTS centres at Iqaluit and Inuvik for the schedule and frequency used for this broadcast service.
Great Lakes Marine Weather Facsimile Package
A Great Lakes marine weather package is available by FAX from Prescott MCTS Centre. Data is provided by the Ontario Weather Centre and consists of the following:
- Marine forecast for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River (west of Montreal)
- Marine Weather Warnings
- Prognosis Chart
- Marine Observation Chart
- Ice Chart
- Ice Report
The weather package may be polled by calling (613) 925-0666 and operating the POLL function on your facsimile machine. Mariners are cautioned that information may not be the latest issue.
