U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Sierra Division 11

Author: Jack Leth
Flotilla Staff Officer-Communications
Flotilla 11-01 North Lake Tahoe

Radio communications play a serious part in the Operations area of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The most frequent (and obvious) use is between our Auxiliary boats (called facilities), CG Boats, and the controlling Coast Guard Station. In areas with other agencies (Sheriffs, Fire Departments, etc) there is also a need for "comms" with those units.

This is usually done with a hard wired 25 watt Marine VHF-FM radio, although we also use 5 watt handheld units. As candidates for Boat Crew and Coxswain progress through their training they become proficient in proper radio procedures, the military phonetic alphabet (Q is "Quebec", etc) and all the fine points that go in to being a professional radio user.

Some of our members progress further in this area and become communication watchstanders at Coast Guard Stations, furthering the "force multiplier" concept. This does require additional training as well. From time to time the Auxiliary will set up an ACU (Auxiliary Communications Unit) to fill a particular need. This past weekend our Flotilla did just that at Pyramid Lake. Pyramid Lake is about 35 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada and is on a Paiute Reservation. It is a well known fishing area for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. See below for view from space:

Images courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center.

For two successive weekends in February, Crosby's Lodge (located in Sutcliffe, NV) hosts a fishing tournament on Pyramid Lake. Because Pyramid is 27 miles long, and up to 11 miles wide; and, with water temps in the low 40's, the Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Washoe County Sheriff's Office SAR and the Paiute tribe deploy boat safety patrols to cover this large area. The lake is known for strong winds that can come up unexpectedly putting fishermen in small metal fishing boats in potential trouble. Cell coverage is spotty over most of the lake, making it even more important that there be safety patrols covering the area looking for boats in trouble.

To coordinate all this we use an Auxiliary Communications Unit located high above the lake on Spider Point. This height allows us to be able to reach any part of the lake with the Marine VHF-FM radio, which basically is a line of sight unit.  At the ACU we use the "chart" of Pyramid Lake with plastic chips to keep track of the location of the various units.

On Sunday the watch was handled by member Bill Leoppard. Here he is by his pickup truck on Spider Point. Note that the antenna on his truck is on a special mount to get it even higher in the air and away from the metal of the vehicle.

Bill is in the final process of getting an even higher rating in Auxiliary radio use. Using his skills as an amateur radio "ham" he will be part of an elite group of members authorized to use military frequencies in the HF (high frequency) band. At his home in Truckee, California, he has a tall radio antenna mast giving him the ability to communicate all over the country (and beyond).

Here he is working the radio at his house.

Thanks Bill for putting in the time and effort needed to reach this high level in Auxiliary radio.

The Auxiliary is always looking for members interested in volunteering their time and resources to support the Coast Guard. If you're interested in radio, get in touch with us. We're looking for you and your skills.

Photos by Jack Leth