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Western Rivers FAQs
1. What capabilities will Rescue 21 bring to the Western Rivers?
- Enhances clarity of distress calls
- Allows simultaneous channel monitoring
- Provides more supportable, modern technology
2. Why does the Coast Guard need to modernize the National Distress and Response System (NDRS)?
When completed, this vital major systems acquisition will provide leading-edge VHF-FM communications replacing the legacy National Distress and Response System that has been in use since the 1970s. By replacing outdated legacy technology with a modernized system, Rescue 21 Western Rivers will provide the Coast Guard with an upgraded tool and technology suite with which to better protect the nation’s inland waterways.
3. Where and when will the system be deployed in the Western Rivers?
Rescue 21 Western Rivers will modernize VHF-FM coverage on the Mississippi River throughout the Ohio River Valley; all work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2012.
4. Will boaters need to buy any new equipment?
No. Existing VHF marine band radios will be compatible with Rescue 21.
5. Will Rescue 21 be capable of responding to cell phone distress calls?
No. Rescue 21 is a VHF radio-based system and does not replace cellular or mobile phone systems. The Coast Guard would like to remind all mariners not to rely upon cell phone coverage on the water. Always keep a VHF radio aboard your vessel, and remember to test it often.
Cell phones are point-to-point transmissions that can only be received by a single party. Rescue 21 provides broadcast signals that can be received by other vessels / aircraft within range of the broadcast, thereby increasing probability of rescue.
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