There are many ways to communicate with others that are available to each of us.
One way that is frequently overlooked or not thoroughly considered is amateur
radio. Over 500,000 person in the US are licensed to utilize the many amateur
radio bands. Our latest USPS Course, Cruise Planning, devotes a section to communication
and points out the benefits of amateur radio to the cruising yachtsman.
The Amateur Radio Learning Guide describes the Amateur Radio Service administered by the Federal
Communications Commission. While the Learning Guide is not a course in itself, it explains
each class of amateur license, the nature of each examination, and the examination procedure
with Volunteer Examiners.
The Learning Guide offers suggestions for organizing a class to acquire a license and recommends
materials for study that are available through the Ship's Store. Each of the ham bands is
described with its sub-band allocations by license class and mode of operation. Also, a
description of propagation conditions affecting each band is provided.
Too often taken for granted, proper insurance coverage could well be the difference between an
inconvenience and a financial disaster. This program explains and simplifies the elements of
typical yacht policies so that the boater has a good grasp of the basics of marine insurance.
The Learning Guide discusses general policy provisions concerning the hull, machinery and
equipment, medical payments, liability exposure, land transportation risks, substandard risks
and surveying. A glossary of insurance terms and a sample policy and survey are included. A
review examination is provided with questions that not only test your knowledge, but are
instructive as well.
This Learning Guide covers the use of the handheld "pocket" electronic calculator in its
application of removing tedious longhand computation relating to navigation. Although a
final section is devoted to "advanced" scientific calculators, emphasis of the text is
primarily on the use of the lower priced calculators in applications pertaining to each USPS
course ranging from Piloting to Navigation. This course is an adjunct for those courses showing
the use of the handheld calculator as a timesaving tool, explaining its features and advantages
together with its drawbacks, limitations, and shortcomings. There is no duplication of the
instructional material contained in regular USPS Advanced Grade courses.
This Learning Guide describes "virtually every method known to man" that the skipper of a wood,
plastic or aluminum hull can use to adjust the compass, ensuring that the vessel's precise
heading may be determined easily -- in any weather!
Starting with a general overview, the program goes on to cover use of the pelorus, manipulation
of the corrector magnets, installation and alignment of the compass, and a light touch on the
fundamentals.
Described in the text are the methods to determine magnetic heading by bearings on the sun,
ranges, reciprocal bearings, bearings on distant objects and the Darrach or "sun compass" method,
as well as appraisals of when to use each.
This Learning Guide describes the interacting forces affecting hull stability and how this, in
turn, affects safety and comfort on the water. It deals with underwater hull shape as designed
for different purposes and gives the reader examples of how the marine architect deals with the
sometimes contrary considerations of overall design.. The reader will begin to learn why designs
are done the way they are and will understand the basic terms used.
A section on power and propulsion will help clarify this much misunderstood, but vital aspect of
design. Rudders, steering gear and construction details and materials are covered as well.
Useful ratios are defined and illustrated with line drawings. For the serious boater, it is
fascinating reading. For the amateur boat builder, it is a must.
Global Positioning System (GPS) has become of age as the premier worldwide electronic
navigational aid. The GPS is reliable, easy to use, has amazingly good accuracy and became
fully operational in 1993. GPS user units are either handheld or ship mounted. Ship mounted
units are easily installed.
The owner or prospective owner of a GPS unit will find information in this supplemental program
on how to select, install, maintain and use a GPS unit to best advantage. In addition, the text
includes a brief history of the development of GPS and a comparison of LORAN-C and TRANSIT with
GPS. The accuracy, the capability and the many features of GPS are described in some detail
including digital GPS.
Questions and Answers relevant to the contents of the GPS program are provided to enable the
material to be utilized in a classroom setting.
GPS is the third in a series of guides to electronic navigation following Loran - C AND RADAR.
Did you ever wish you could come up with something a bit more original that "thingamabob" when
discussing the great variety of tools for measuring, hitting, splitting, turning, cutting,
removing, gripping, fastening, etc.?
This Learning Guide has the answers. Along with descriptions of use are well over a hundred
illustrations of tools for the above purposes, as well as many others. Included is information
on: adhesives, abrasives, torches, soldering and a section on the safe operation of power tools.
This pleasant, non-technical introduction is intended to help the novice begin to enjoy the
wonders of the night sky. No prior familiarity with astronomy is required in order to follow
this easy-to-read guide to the stars, planets and major constellations. The text covers the
northern hemisphere. The objects described can be seen without instruments.
The emphasis is to locate and identify prominent patterns and the principal objects they
contain, particularly those of interest to navigators. This is done in easy steps and is
organized by seasons of the year. There are notes on observational techniques, history and
biblical references.
The Junior Navigator student will find this a convenient, but not necessarily complete star
guide. Others will find it a handy reference when sitting in the yard one evening and wondering
about the heavens.
The Sailing program covers the basics of small sailboat handling. Included are: nomenclature,
sail handling, the tiller, points of sailing, relationships between the wind and the moving
boat, action of the keel of centerboard and other points of interest to the novice sailor or
someone who wants to know how a sailboat works.
Loran-C is the current electronic navigation aid of choice for recreational boaters because it
is available for use on both inland waterways and coastal waters, and it is accurate, dependable
and relatively modest in cost. The owner or prospective owner of a Loran-C set will find
information in this program on how to use Loran-C to best advantage, as well as how to select,
install and maintain a Loran-C all in one reference manual. In addition, the text includes a
brief history of the development of Loran-C and removes all mystery about how it works. Its
accuracy, its multiple modes of operation, and its convenience are all described in detail.
Questions and answers relevant to the content are provided to enable the material to be utilized
in a classroom setting.
An indispensable part of a mariner's knowledge is his/her ability to manage line and to tie a
variety of knots and splices. This Supplemental Course details the accepted methods of cutting,
joining and tying line, as well as a description of the tools used and the basic theory of line
usage.
Excellent step-by-step diagrams of 60 individual knots, hitches, splices, line endings, loops,
bends, toggles and decorative knots are presented. Emphasis on instruction methods, practice
boards and knot demonstration boards is designed to motivate the student to pass-on this
knowledge to others.
When this program is finished successfully, you will be thrilled with your unusual ability to
make your craft safer and more functional.
The study of oceanography is so vast and technical that it is a pleasure to have this well
worded, non-technical introduction to the many facets of such a fascinating science. The
program covers marine geography, including earth crusts, tectonic plates, fractures and
movement, ocean chemistry, effects of weather and the aspects of ocean movement, including
tides, currents and waves. Even those without scientific backgrounds will enjoy the text and
will want to dig further into this basic earth science.
A Predicted Log contest consists of running a course of 25 miles or more with three or more
legs in the course. The contest requires at least two check points and a start and a finish.
This program tells you how to set up and run a predicted log contest for anyone from beginners
through advanced pilots.
This is the only Learning Guide that requires a formal classroom lecture format and the
prerequisites of Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting, Engine Maintenance, Weather and Sail
(if applying for Auxiliary Sailing Vessel or Sailing Vessel in Ocean Service).
The student will use USCG publications extensively for primary texts. Successful presentation
of the program requires a knowledgeable teaching staff and motivated students. The student will
be prepared to pass one or more of the CG license examinations up to and including 100 ton ocean
going vessels -Power OR sail.
The lessons guide the student through Rules of the Road, machinery, seamanship, weather,
piloting, coastal navigation, and fire and damage control. Includes review questions and a
sample examination.
Radar is becoming a priority safety and navigational aid for recreational boats. Many experts
believe that, after a compass, a depth sounder and a VHF radiotelephone, radar is the next most
important aid to consider. Today's radar sets are easy to install, easy and convenient to use
in daylight or night, and small enough to be practical on boats less than 30 ft in length.
The owner or prospective owner of a radar unit will find information in this Learning Guide on
how to select, install, maintain and use a radar set to best advantage. In addition, the text
includes a brief history of the development of radar and how it works. The accuracy, the
capability and many of the features of radar are all described in some detail.
Questions and answers relevant to the content of the program are provided to enable the
material to be utilized in a classroom setting.
This Learning Guide, written for self-instruction, teaches five methods of reducing sextant
sights to obtain lines of position. Methods described in detail are: Law of Cosines using a
scientific calculator; The Nautical Almanac Sight Reduction Tables (NASR method); Modified
Ageton; HO-229; and HO-249. The full NASR and Modified Ageton tables and excerpts from HO-229
and HO-249 with a Sight Reduction Form for each of the five methods are included to facilitate
working sight Practice Problems. Answers to the Practice Problems are shown on the appropriate
Sight Reduction Forms. The manual is printed in a loose-leaf style for insertion into a three
ring bnder. This makes it possible to remove and make copies of each of the five single page
Sight Reduction Forms to work the sight problems and to have extra copies for future use.
Sight Reduction Methods will be useful for recent JN and N graduates to become familiar with
the methods taught by USPS in previous years as well as for veteran JNs and Ns who would like
to update their skills with the methods currently being taught in USPS courses. With all five
methods conveniently assembled in one volume, Sight Reduction Methods should be a "must" for
inclusion in any serious USPS library.
This program is a blend of two USPS objectives - SAFETY and EDUCATION. Its purpose is to help
the student acquire basic boat handling ability without frills or superfluous information. The
idea is to learn how to operate a boat safely in an emergency without the throes of panic.
It consists of three classroom lessons which cover: situations requiring immediate action,
boat handling and use of the radiotelephone. A fourth session on the water in the family boat
is a practical demonstration of the classroom work. A helpmate section provides reference on
what to do in situations requiring first aid, special needs of guests, useful knots,
radiotelephone procedures and boat handling. A Skipper Saver Patch and Certificate are
available for presentation to those who successfully complete the program.
Waterskiing accidents occur because people are not aware of the variety of hazards involved or
are not mindful of them. There are correct, tested procedures that minimize the risks in this
popular activity. This Learning Guide describes them and lists the responsibilities of the
people making up a safe waterskiing team.
There is information on types of boats, suggestions on rigging the towing equipment, and
descriptions of the many types of skis in use. Included are discussions of racing, slalom,
barefoot skiing, jumping, and ways to pick oneself up and start all over again.
By following the basic safety recommendations included, the student will be contributing to the
enjoyment of this sport for all involved.
