overhere

I was amazed there were only 100 people there! Where well all the thousands who signed the petition. Seems a bit of a poor show for an Island so concerned!

Seeing the uproar about how coastguards wont understand accents etc etc etc certainly should be making mariners think that in the future they will have to be competent in passing an accurate position and not just a range and bearing. There are many pleasure craft users who at the moment are totally incompetent. Its about time they took responsibility for themselves and learnt how to use their equipment properly, therefore making the coastguards job a lot easier.

fair enough but coastguards who initially come from elsewhere must have been able to decipher what locals were saying. They deal will foreign accents regularly!!!! Its amazing how clearly people speak when they have an important message to pass!

There is a lot of talk about local language and accents. Can someone tell me, how many of the coastguards are not local people? How many are from mainland Scotland or England? If there are any then surely this blows all these arguments out the water.

Surely you can move away from CH0 pagers? I would be interested to know (probably wont be privvy to such information) how many times the antennas AND all the phone lines have been down at the same time. Surely mobile phones and satellite phones could/would/should be used? My point again is that if Shetland can only use their antenna up to 45 miles from the station then they would be in the same boat ref Orkney? Reading the consultation paper it also gives more power to the Sector Managers during incidents. If such a situation occured (everything down) surely they would be called out and would beable to run SAR locally? Remember - I am just asking!

At a guess via the coastguard volunteers on Fair Isle. So the same way staff at a MOC would then? Like I said, I am against this move, just trying to pick holes in arguments so we know which ones are watertight and which ones are not. Will make your case stronger in the long run (I hope) The argument about equipment failure needing staff at Shetland does not stand up to scrutiny. I wish it did. Back to the drawing board.

QUOTE "Incorrect AFAIK Not dead in the water. Shetland MRCC has its own hard wired antenna which will cover the area within 45 miles of Lerwick and with this antenna it can also communicate effectivly with its volunteers sitting at the antenna sites ....Aberdeen could not as it is simply too far away" QUOTE But this would not allow them to communicate with anyone on Orkney. However the Aerials in the North coast of Scotland would be able to. Therefore if they were still in Shetland they could only communicate with 50% of the district using their own antenna If they were at the MOC they could only communicate with 50% of the district using their own antenna

can someone explain to me, bearing in mind I am a simpleton! For all these hours that the equipoment fails. As an example. If all the kit failed for 12 hours. What difference does it make if the good folks in Shetland CG are there or not? (dont fly down my throat - bear with me) If the equipment fails it fails. I was under the impression that when it does so, the volunteers are called out to go to the aerial sites? So, in those circumstances, the staff at Shetland would be as dead in the water as the staff at a MOC would be. correct? So playing devils advocate, surely it makes no difference if the staff at Shetland are there or not? DONT attack me, I am asking an honest question, not suggesting that Shetland should close.

I would presume that cost is not the only factor involved.

I have been reading this post with interest as I personally dont want to see the coastguard broken apart. However, it now is heading towards a hate campaign towards Aberdeen coastguard. Surely this is about saving Sheltand coastguard, not blaming another station. I presume that the staff at both stations probably know each other, assist each other and work towards the same goal? This thread needs refocussed towards its main aim.