Mike, Your email to Dwight
Cornell has been forwarded to me. I am in charge of the communications
center at Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet, Florida.
Most of the info
you requested is contained in a Coast Guard publication called the LIGHT
LIST. It is printed by the U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C. 20402.
The Omega and similar systems have gone by the wayside with
the advent of newer more high tech systems such as GPS and LORAN. As of
January 2001, only 1 Coast Guard operated traditional marine radiobeacon
remains. That is located at Ediz Hook, WA.
LORAN A also has
gone by the wayside. LORAN C has replaced that. We have a
LORAN transmitting station 16 miles north of our station. It is located in
Jupiter, Florida.
LORAN C is a chain of transmitting stations
separated by several hundred miles. There are 3 to 6 stations in a chain. One is
the Master, and the other stations are the secondary stations. The secondary
stations are indicated by Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, or Zulu.
The
newer systems are the GPS and DGPS. (differential GPS) These systems
are extremely accurate and can tell you your course, speed, position, way
points, and some of that same information on other ships in the area. GPS can
now be interfaced into the newer VHF radios and show and transmit your position
if you are in distress. You can also interface your GPS into your 406 EPIRB.
Some new 406 EPIRBS have a GPS built right into them thus cutting down on the
notification time, and constantly updating your position. Takes the "search" out
of search and rescue. Notification time went from up to 6 hours with the 121.5
EPIRB, down to 1 hour with the 406 EPIRB, and now down to about 5 minutes with
the new global satellite 406 EPIRB with GPS built in.
Just like the
telephone went from dial to push button, and from wired to wireless, and now to
cellfones and even cellfones with video pictures, the electronic aids to
navigation are making great strides to improve their capability. If you are a
boating person, you appreciate this even more. Aircraft and vehicles also
have GPS units.
I hope this information is what you were looking
for.