Karen Novo provides weather updates to Auxiliarists on Patrol at Lake Pleasant

“Charlie Hotel this is Kilo November, over? Kilo November this is Charlie Hotel position and status, over? This is Kilo November position Romeo one five, Operations are normal, over.”  

Division 10 has unveiled two new telecommunications tools.  District 11-Southern Region Commodore Mike Johnson has worked for over two years to have repeaters installed to improve radio coverage on Arizona’s inland lakes.   Division 10 Commander, Bud Gothann, has developed a new grid identification system that should streamline radio communications and reporting accuracy.  

“Effectiveness, simplifications, and additional operations security should result from these efforts”, Commodore Johnson said.  “These changes should also help us to work more effectively with our boating safety partners including the various sheriff departments and the Arizona Game and Fish Department.” 

Grids are defined as numerical sectors split north and south to facilitate position identification. Canyon Lake testing went well.  A test was recently conducted at Roosevelt Lake using the Mount Ord repeater. Coxswains used the grid system and the narrow band repeater at Mount Ord.  Clarity, reach and dead spots were evaluated.  

Bud Gothann stated “my vision has been to create an easy multifunctional grid reference system due Arizona’s unique geography that makes radio communications difficult, at best. Division 10 patrols seven lakes. Many of our lakes have “coves and canyons” that seal off radio communications.  These new grid ID’s will just make it easier for everyone to report and know where our assets are.  The repeaters will allow us to reach areas we have never been able to reach through normal VHF-FM radio.” 

A new communications watch stander unfamiliar with a lake that is being patrolled currently receives a report similar to the following:   “OPS NORMAL, WINDY HILL”.  The communicator records the time, the facility, location and comments.   If the watch stander is unfamiliar with the lake and needs to visualize the location a “Fish map” is consulted.   

It may take a bit of time to find the geographic reference on the map due to the scale and small print. Additional questions may arise to ascertain whether the boat is north, south or east of Windy Hill.  With the new method a Coxswain simply states “OPS NORMAL, R15” succinctly identifying the position as “SOUTH” of Windy Hill.  

The first letter identifies the lake. For example, “R” represents  Roosevelt Lake followed by a location sector number .  One to three letters come next indicating a north or south location, and/or special markings such as Sheriff’s Office /Marina/Portable Restroom, etc. 

North of the main channel, even numbers are used and South for odd numbers.  The main channel is usually depicted on fish maps as the original path of the river before it was dammed to create the lake. 

Grids also help identify patrol patterns. If a communicator is supporting vessels on multiple lakes the watch stander can quickly determine the lake, facility position, and if a call for assistance is received, the closest boat.  

Testing and evaluation should be completed this fall. During 2011, these new tools will aid Division 10 to be always ready.

~NGS