Marine weather information is broadcast by the Bureau of Meteorology and navigation warnings are broadcast twice daily on 8176 kHz by the Coast Radio network at scheduled times.
Marine weather broadcasts
Marine weather information, routine forecasts, and warnings are broadcast by the Bureau of Meteorology through HF radio transmitters at:
- Charleville in Queensland (Callsign VMC)
- Wiluna in Western Australia (Callsign VMW).
Warnings are broadcast on the half-hour, every hour from both sites.
VMC Charleville broadcasts
| Routine coastal weather forecasts for South Australia at these times: 0200, 0600, 1000, 1400, 1800, 2200 CST | Frequencies for night CST 1730 to 0630 | Frequencies for day CST 0630 to 1730 |
|---|---|---|
VMC frequencies (kHz) |
2201 6507 8176 12365 |
4426 8176 12365 16546 |
VMW Wiluna broadcasts
| Routine coastal weather forecasts for South Australia at these times: 0300, 0700, 1100, 1500, 1900, 2300 CST | Frequencies for night CST 1930 to 0830 | Frequencies for day CST 0830 to 1930 |
|---|---|---|
VMW frequencies (kHz) |
2056 6230 8113 12362 |
4149 8113 12362 16528 |
For more information about marine weather services, including a radio fax service:
- visit www.bom.gov.au/marine
- phone 08 8366 2600.
HF Safety communications
Charleville Radio and Wiluna Radio monitor distress calls on the frequencies below.
Please remember to limit the use of these frequencies to distress and safety situations.
| Frequency (KHz) | Purpose |
|---|---|
4125 | Distress, urgency, safety and calling only, 24 hours a day |
| 12290 |
Distress, urgency and safety only Monitored from 0700 to 1900 local time (0800 to 2000 during daylight saving) |
|
4146
6227 | Safety working channels |
The rule of thumb for high-frequency radio is to use the higher frequencies during the day and the lower at night. The best frequency for the time of day is likely to be:
- 8291 - during the day
- 4125 - at night
- 6215 - as the next choice for either day or night.
More accurate predictions can be found on the Bureau of Meteorology's Space Weather Service website by selecting:
- Hourly Area Prediction charts (HAP charts) show the area covered by each frequency for that time of the day for locations in South Australian coastal waters by each of the Charleville or the Alice Springs HF radio sites.
- Hourly Network Area Prediction charts (NAP charts) show the best frequency for that time of the day for locations in South Australian coastal waters used to call either Charleville Radio or Wiluna Radio.
These charts are updated on an hourly basis.
If your vessel is fitted with an HF marine radio it's important to check that these frequencies are available so you can access these distress and safety services.
Navigation warnings
Navigation warnings are broadcast twice daily on 8176 kHz by:
- Coast Radio Adelaide will broadcast warnings for areas D and F, at 1255 and 1455 Central Standard Time (CST) (0325 and 0725 Universal Time Coordinated (UTC)).
They will also cover warnings for Auscoast Area E if time permits.
Warnings for Auscoast Area E (South Australia) may also be broadcast by:
- Coast Radio Melbourne at 0755 and 1155 CST (2125 and 0225 UTC)
- Coast Radio Perth at 1555 and 2055 CST (0625 and 1025 UTC).
Individual stations will broadcast urgent, local navigation warnings at the earliest available opportunity.
For Auscoast Sea Areas, please refer to the map below.
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