COMMUNICATIONS 



Commander, International Ice Patrol used United States Coast 

 Guard Radio Argentia, Newfoundland (NIK), for communicating 

 with shipping. In January 1953, the Coast Guard Search and Rescue 

 Group, Argentia, was established and also assigned the call NIK. 

 In the past. Radio Station NIK had been used exclusively by the 

 International Ice Patrol, so that when NIK opened to serve the 

 Search and Rescuis Group, many ships thought that ice patrol had 

 begun, when actually NIK was not used by the ice patrol until 14 

 March. The Search and Rescue Group and the International Ice 

 Patrol both used the same radio call NIK throughout the 1953 season. 

 At the end of the season, as a result of Commander, International Ice 

 Patrol's recommendation, the radio call NIK was assigned exclusively 

 for ice patrol use, and a different call was assigned to the Search and 

 Rescue Group so no future difficulty is anticipated. Radio Station 

 NIK was secured by Commander, International Ice Patrol on 6 June 

 until the 1954 ice season. 



Ice bulletins were broadcast twice daily at 0048 and 1248 G. M. T., 

 beginning 19 March to the end of the ice season, on frequencies 155, 

 5320, and 8502 kilocycles after preliminary call on 500 kilocycles. 

 The frequency 8502 kilocycles replaced 8425 on 15 April. Special 

 ice bulletins were broadcast on a few occasions when the ice situation 

 warranted them. Twice daily ice reports to the United States 

 Hydrographic Office, Washington, D. C, were begun 14 March and 

 continued to the end of the season, for inclusion in the United States 

 Navy Radio, Washington (NSS), daily ice information bulletins at 

 0430 and 1630 G. M. T. The twice daily reports were also sent to 

 the Canadian Ice Information Officer, Canadian Department of 

 Transport, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the NIK ice broadcasts were 

 sent to the Royal Canadian Naval Radio Station, Albro Lake (CFH), 

 for inclusion in their hydrographic broadcasts. If a vessel failed to 

 receive desired ice information from any of the above methods of dis- 

 semination, the vessel could simply call NiK on 500 or 8280 kilocycles 

 and ask for special ice information on the working frequence of 468 or 

 8250 kilocycles. 



There was a gratifying increase in cooperation from merchant ves- 

 sels in the submitting of sea water temperatm-e, weather, and ice re- 

 ports. The number of sea water temperatures submitted was almost 

 double that of 1952, and the number of reporting vessels increased 

 by more than 50 percent. Commander, International Ice Patrol ex- 

 tends his heartiest thanks to all ship masters for their splendid coop- 

 eration. These reports are an invaluable source of oceanographic 

 and meteorological data, and are mutually beneficial to shipping and 

 to the International Ice Patrol. All sea water temperatures are 

 plotted, and a surface isotherm is constructed every fortnight during 



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