The U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam’s VHF-FM radio communication is facing a temporary outage after a router relocation.

Comms have been down since Friday, Jan. 12th.

A VHF or Very High Frequency radio is an important means of communication to navigate any emergencies out at sea. It allows for instant communication between other boats, Guam Fire Rescue and to the Coast Guard.

“Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam is advising the public that we’re experiencing an interruption receiving communications and transmitting over VHF-FM radio due to an issue with our Rescue 21 towers,” said Sara Muir, U.S. Coast Guard Public Affairs Officer.

KUAM checked out how local mariners were faring at the Hagatna Boat Basin.

Gibson Houmeang, Sunny Side Up Parasail boat operator, told KUAM News he just heard about the downed radio Tuesday.

“I’m not aware of that. I just know it now. But we have our phone in case of emergencies and we just call these guys,” Houmeang said, pointing to GFD’s Search and Rescue Fire Station nearby.

He became boat captain four years ago, working his way up from crew member during the past decade.

“Sometimes the boat is downed and I have to call the other guys to come up and tow it. But we’ve been training for it so we know exactly what we’re doing,” he said, sharing his confidence in his training.

Plus, he has other lifelines to shore.

“We have the VHF radio on the boat, a phone, and Fire Rescue just right there. So we just got to be on alert about the conditions,” said Houmeang.

He typically only ventures out up to 3 miles with his parasail boat, which is close enough for Guam Fire and even other boaters to answer his call for help in case of an emergency.

Meanwhile, Muir said it’s good advice to have additional modes of communication when out at sea, whether or not there’s a radio outage.

“The last several search and rescues we had locally were called in over cellular or mobile phones,” she said.

The disruption, she adds, is an “unintended consequence of a routine and pre-planned router relocation” that was meant to enhance operational capability.

“When we were in the process of relocating it [to another building], we transferred all of our communications to our colleagues in Hawaii to listen to the radios for us and let us know if there was any issue that required Coast Guard attention, so there was never someone not listening,” she said, recounting the outage discovery. “Unfortunately when we went to transfer those back, we couldn’t hear anything and Hawaii could no longer hear anything. So that’s where the issue is.”

She's not sure when their radio will be fixed, but technical teams are working to get them back on air.

Muir added this does not mean other boaters can’t hear each other. Just the Coast Guard can’t receive or transmit messages.

In the meantime, all mariners are advised to have additional modes of communication when taking to sea. The outage does not affect Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking alerts from 406 MHz beacons, high frequency(HF) communication or phone services.

Mariners should also be aware, there's a gale watch and hazardous sea conditions anticipated this Wednesday to Friday.

For maritime emergencies, you’re advised to call Coast Guard watchstanders at (671) 355-4824.