IV-w13 relaying

Relaying Latitude / Longitude coordinates (degrees, minutes, tenth of a minute).
By Joe Doman, Coos County Search and Rescue

Alas, the romantic days of reporting latitude and longitude by Morse code from a sinking ship are long gone.

The United States Coast Guard no longer monitors Morse code traffic on the emergency frequencies.

So put away that old straight key and speak slowly and distinctly into your microphone.

This information was gleaned from a training session for the Coos County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team
at the United States Coast Guard Air Station at North Bend, Oregon

IMPORTANT: The USCG does not use seconds but rather uses tenths of a minute.

Latitudes are always expressed as DD - MM.M followed by "N" (for "North").

The first two digits are interpreted as degrees and the second three are interpreted as minutes plus tenths.

Longitudes are always expressed as DDD - MM.M followed by "W" (for "West").

The first three digits are interpreted as degrees and the last three are interpreted as minutes plus tenths.

Tenths are never rounded up. For example, 43°22.279' becomes 43°22.2'

The coordinates: 43°22.2' N and 124°23.6' W should be reported as

43 degrees - 22 point 2 minutes north

(pause)

124 degrees - 23 point 6 minutes west

Email: OSSA@cooscountysheriff.com