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In spite of the objections of some mariners, especially small boaters, the U.S. Coast Guard plans to install Mariner Radio Activated Sound Signal (MRASS) at 17 lighthouses in Maine.
The change is part of a larger Coast Guard initiative involving fog signals at lighthouses around the nation. The purpose of the modernization is to replace less reliable and less efficient VM-100 fog detectors with a Coast Guard-designed radio controlled system.
The MRASS device will allow mariners to activate the installed sound signal, on demand, by keying a standard CHF-FM radio five consecutive times on VHF channel 83A. The sound signal will then sound for up to 60 minutes following activation. But it will require that all small boaters will need a VHF Radio on board their vessel.
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