Rescue 21 Information

[Papillon]

http://www.gdc4s.com/content/detail.cfm?item=816a4a1c-1316-4879-adff-430e9f7972fa

Rescue 21 is a new tool in the Coast Guard's Toolbox...and we have it on the West Coast of Florida now. It will be available in Seattle this month, so you PNW's might want to get up to speed on it by checking the above link.

Naples Daily News

Rescue 21 uses a process called triangulation to locate VHF frequencies from marine radios. When a boater — or a nonboater — radios in a distress call to the Fort Myers Beach Coast Guard, the system determines an approximate location from three towers out in the Gulf of Mexico.

The system is designed to zero in on a 1-watt radio 2 feet off the water at a range of 20 miles offshore. A typical 5-watt radio extends to the range of up to 100 miles.

"You call us and if we get at least two seconds of transmission or more, we should get one or more lines of bearing, which will help us more accurately narrow down the search grid," said Judy Silverstein, a spokeswoman for Rescue 21.

Silverstein cautions that Rescue 21 has direction-finding capabilities that can locate a radio call to plus or minus 2 degrees — which could still be miles off. People should still wear their life jackets, she said, and should look at purchasing a new digital selective calling radio, which sends an exact GPS location to the Coast Guard at the push of a button.