Broadcast Service - Thunder Bay MCTS

Continuous Marine Broadcasts (CMB)

Great Lakes

Thunder Bay MCTS maintains two separate continuous marine broadcasts. Consult the list below to determine the channel used in your area and the content of the broadcast.

CMB West

Includes broadcast of:

• marine weather forecasts for Lakes Superior and Huron, Georgian Bay
• marine weather reports for reporting points from Duluth (Lake Superior) to DeTour passage (Georgian Bay)
• ship weather observations
• Notices to Shipping for Lake Superior and the St. Mary's River
• Water levels Lakes Superior and Huron.

CMB East

Includes broadcast of:

• marine weather forecasts for Lakes Superior and Huron, Georgian Bay
• marine weather reports for reporting points from Sault Ste Marie to Sarnia and Georgian Bay
• ship weather observations
• Notices to Shipping for Lake Huron north of latitude 44° 00' N, Georgian Bay (including Port Severn Lock), the North Channel and the St. Mary's River
• Water levels Lakes Superior and Huron.

NAVTEX (P) 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.

Lake Winnipeg

Thunder Bay provides a broadcast service for Lake Winnipeg using marine VHF channel 26 from transmitter sites located at Jackhead, Beaver Creek and Long Point and on channel 19 from Fraserwood Manitoba.

Broadcasts are made at 0140, 0840, 1240, 1640 and 2140 UTC.

The content of the broadcast includes:

• weather forecasts for Lake Winnipeg
• ship weather reports
• weather observations for:
  • Gimli
  • Grand Rapids
  • George Island
  • Norway House
  • Berens River
  • Victoria Beach
• Notices to Shipping.

Hudson Bay

Using a transmitter site located at Churchill Manitoba, Thunder Bay MCTS centre broadcasts weather, ice information and Notices to Shipping using radiotelephone marine VHF and MF frequencies in accordance with the schedules below.

Radiotelephone - Channels VHF 26 and Medium Frequency 2582 kHz.

At 0040 and 1410 UTC:

• Weather synopsis and forecasts for Arivat, Churchill, Rankin, Baker.
  Other areas on request.
• Ice forecasts for Hudson Bay route.
• Notices to Shipping for waters south of 70° N between 75° W and 96° W, including James Bay, Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin.

At 1520 UTC:

• Ice forecasts for Hudson Bay route.