Ian Waugh - A Mariner\'s Guide to Marine Communications

Atlantic Ocean Region-East; AOR-W/Atlantic Ocean Region-West;

Indian Ocean Region/IOR; and Pacific Ocean Region/POR). You must

be within the footprint of a satellite in order to log-in and receive

information from that satellite.

The 'Transmission Schedule for full GMDSS service', (ALRS Vol.

5 adjacent to the map), lists all sixteen NAV /METAREAS showing

which satellite(s) broadcast NAV (Navigational) and MET (Weather)

information for the area and the regular, scheduled, broadcast times for

each type of information.

If a satellite is indicated alongside the listed time, the information

is only available on that satellite. If there is no satellite listed in the

individual, NAV /MET column, then the 'Satellite' column on the far

right of the page applies to that information.

MET Infonnation

NAV/MET NAV Information Issuing Country/TImes

AREA Coordinator/Times (UTe) (UTe) Satellite

II France/ 1630 (AOR-E) France/ 0900, 2100 AORE/ AORW

(AOR·E/ AOR-W)

IX Pakistan/ 0800 Pakistanl0700 IOR

Example I -Transmission Schedule for Nay/Met Area II; and Nay/ Met Area IX

Author's explanation: The 'Transmission Schedule' in ALRS Vo!. 5 lists the

satellites for all 76 (I to XVI) Nav/Metareas. The above two examples

(extracted from the foll ALRS Vol. 5 table) show that:

For Area II (2) Navigation (NAV) warnings are coordinated by France and

sent on the AOR-E satellite at 7630 UTC daily. Weather (MET) forecasts are

also issued by France, and are sent on both A ORE and AORW satellites at

0900 and 2700 UTC daily. (The right-hand column is a summary of satellites

used for both types of broadcast)

For Area IX (9) Navigation warning broadcasts/weather forecasts are

coordinated/issued by Pakistan. Nav warnings are transmitted at 0800 and
weather forecasts at 0700 UTC, daily. As there is no satellite mentioned in the
individual Nav/Met columns, the far-right column applies to both (i.e., in this
case, both Nav and Weather information is broadcast on the IOR satellite).
The 'Transmission Schedule' is followed by maps which show the
names of the weather forecast areas within some of the 16 METAREAs.
Where a map is titled 'SafetyNET - METAREA' - this identifies the
forecast areas for the entire ocean area concerned (see figure 2.2).

14 THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE