CIVIC - USEFUL INFORMATION
ABBREVIATIONS (ALPHABET SOUP)
ABBREVIATIONS (ALPHABET SOUP)
We are bombarded with acronyms, technical & non-technical.
This ever growing list should help you sort out which are important to the safe operation of your vessel. The definitions and/or explanations are brief and you can learn much more about each one.
To suggest an acronym that should be added,
email it to webmaster@pbps.us
This ever growing list should help you sort out which are important to the safe operation of your vessel. The definitions and/or explanations are brief and you can learn much more about each one.
To suggest an acronym that should be added,
email it to webmaster@pbps.us
| 121.5MHz | The homing frequency transmitted by EPIRBs & PLBs | ||
| 406MHz | The distress signal frequency transmitted by EPIRBs | ||
| ABYC | American Boat and Yacht Council -trade organization | ||
| AFRCC | Air Force Rescue Coordination Center | ||
| AIS | Automatic Identification System -ship ID via VHF + GPS info | ||
| AIS 1 | 161.975 MHz (Channel 87B) | ||
| AIS 2 | 162.025 MHz (Channel 88B) | ||
| ALR | Alarm | ||
| AM | Amplitude Modulation -radio transmission format | ||
| AMI | American Maritime Industries | ||
| AMSL | Above Mean Sea level | ||
| AMTOR | AMateur Teleprinting Over Radio -older data Tx standard | ||
| AMVER | Automated Merchant VEssel Reporting system | ||
| ANSI | American National Standards Institute | ||
| ARPA | Automatic Radar Plotting Aid | ||
| ARQ | Automatic Repeat reQuest (Modem data confirmation) | ||
| ATN | Aids To Navigation | ||
| AWA | Anchor Watch Alarm | ||
| Biedou | Chinese version of GPS | ||
| BIIT | Built-In Integrity Tests | ||
| BS | Base Station | ||
| CB | Citizens Band -low cost AM radio popular in 1970s | ||
| CDMA | Code Division Multiple Access -cell phone standard | ||
| CO | Carbon Monoxide | ||
| COG | Course Over Ground (also called Track) | ||
| COLREGS | COLlision REGulationS -Intl Regs for Preventing Collision at Sea | ||
| COSPAS | Space System for Search of Vessels in Distress (Russian) | ||
| CPA | Closest Point of Approach bet. vessels (RADAR or AIS predicted) | ||
| CSTDMA | Carrier Sense Time Division Multiple Access | ||
| DASS | Distress Alerting Satellite System | ||
| DCPA | Distance at Closest Point of Approach | ||
| DGNSS | Differential Global Navigation Satellite System | ||
| DGPS | Differential GPS - GPS with error correction from land sites | ||
| DOP | Dilution of Precision - GPS accuracy (satellites in relation to Rx) | ||
| DSC | Digital Selective Calling -how VHF radios Tx distress or other calls | ||
| DSM | Digital Sounder Module -interprets sounder or fishfinder signals | ||
| EBL | Electronic Bearing line -bearing to a target on an electronic display | ||
| ECDIS | Electronic Chart Display and Information System | ||
| ECS | Electronic Chart System | ||
| EIEIO | What you sing after "Old MacDonald had a farm" | ||
| EMC | ElectroMagnetic Compatibility | ||
| EPA | Environmental Protection Agency | ||
| EPIRB | Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (safety equip.) | ||
| ETA | Estimated Time of Arrival -time to next (also ETE) | ||
| ETE | Estimated Time En route -time to next (also ETA) | ||
| FCC | Federal Communications Commission -they make the rules | ||
| FM | Frequency Modulation -radio transmission format | ||
| FRP | Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester -"fiberglass" boat material | ||
| FRS | Family Radio Service -small handheld version of GMRS type unit | ||
| FSK | Frequency Shift Keyed modulation -data transmission format | ||
| Galileo | Not the person, but European version of GPS | ||
| GDOP | Geometrical Dilution Of Precision - GPS accuracy | ||
| GEOSAR | Geostationary Earth Orbiting Search And Rescue (satellites) | ||
| GHz | GigaHertz (1000 MHz or 1,000,000,000 cycles per second) | ||
| GLONASS | Russian version of GPS | ||
| GMDSS | Global Maritime Distress & Safety System -Rx EPIRB signals | ||
| GMRS | General Mobile Radio Service -the modern day CB radio | ||
| GNSS | Global Navigation Satellite System (GPS, Galileo, etc.) | ||
| GOES | Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite | ||
| GPIRB | EPIRB with built in GPS | ||
| GPRS | General Packet Radio Service -data over cell phone network | ||
| GPS | Global Positioning System -satellite based location and tracking sys | ||
| GSM | Global System for Mobile communications -cell phone standard | ||
| HF | High Frequency (3-30 MHz) | ||
| HIN | Hull Identification Number -your boat has one | ||
| HMS | Her / His Majesty's Ship -designation for ships from the UK | ||
| IALA | Intl. Assoc. of marine aids to navigation & Lighthouse Authorities | ||
| ICOMIA | International Council Of Marine Industry Associations | ||
| ID | Inside Dimension or Diameter | ||
| IDEN | Integrated Digital Enhanced Network -cell phone standard | ||
| IEC | International Electrotechnical Commission | ||
| IMO | International Maritime Organization | ||
| INMARSAT | International Maritime satellite Organization | ||
| I/O | Inboard/Outboard -engine inboard, drive unit outboard | ||
| iOS | iPhone Operating System -also used for other Apple devices | ||
| IP | Internet Protocol -Numbered device address a network or internet | ||
| IRNSS | GPS type system from India (also called NavIC) | ||
| ITU | International Telecommunications Union | ||
| kHz | kiloHertz (1000 Hertz or a frequency of 1000 cycles per second) | ||
| LCD | Liquid Crystal Display -flat panel display technology | ||
| LED | Light Emitting Diode -solid state light producing device | ||
| LEOSAR | Low Earth Orbiting Search And Rescue (satellite) | ||
| LMR | Land Mobile Radio, 380.0-399.9 MHz for land based use | ||
| LORAN | LOng-Range radio Aid to Navigation -locates position & course | ||
| LR | Long Range | ||
| LUT | Local User Terminal | ||
| MCC | Mission Control Center | ||
| MEO | Medium Earth Orbiting (satellite) | ||
| MEOSAR | Medium Earth Orbiting Search And Rescue (satellite) | ||
| MF | Medium Frequency band (300-3000 kHz) | ||
| MFD | Multi Function Display - info from many devices on a single screen | ||
| MFI | Multi-port Fuel Injection -a type of engine technology | ||
| MHz | MegaHertz (1000 kHz or 1,000,000 cycles per second) | ||
| MMSI | Maritime Mobile Service Identity -ID number DSC radio sends | ||
| MOB | Man Over Board -hopefully this will never happen to you | ||
| MRASS | Mariner Radio Activated Sound Signal (Key mic 5 times on chan. 83A) | ||
| MSI | Maritime Safety Information | ||
| MSD | Marine Sanitation Device -head, holding tank, etc. | ||
| MSLD | Maritime Survivor Locating Device (MOB beacon) | ||
| MUF | Maximum Usable Frequency | ||
| NASBLA | National Association of State Boating Law Administrators | ||
| NavIC | GPS type system from India (also called IRNSS) | ||
| NAVTEX | NAVigation radio TelEX -local safety info on 518 or 490MHz | ||
| NBDP | Narrow Band Direct Printing -another term for Radio Telex | ||
| NDRS | National Distress and Response System | ||
| NIOSH | National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health -sets standards | ||
| NM | Nauticle Mile = 1 minute of Latitude, 1852 meters or about 6076 ft | ||
| NMEA | National Marine Electronics Association | ||
| NMMA | National Marine Manufacturers Association -trade organization | ||
| NOAA | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. -weather. charts, etc. | ||
| NWS | National Weather Service | ||
| NYDEC | N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation | ||
| OD | Outside Dimension or Diameter | ||
| OK | Old Kinderhook -Pres. Van Buren's nickname, now sign of approval | ||
| PACTOR | Combines PACket radio & amTOR (Radio modem standard) | ||
| PFD | Personal Floatation Device -life jackets, throwable rescue aids | ||
| PLB | Personal Locator Beacon -a small EPIRB for your life jacket | ||
| PWC | Personal Water Craft -Jet Ski, Wave Runner, etc. | ||
| Q-Z | Quasi-Zenith, Japanese version of GPS | ||
| RACON | Radar Beacon | ||
| RADAR | Radio Detection And Ranging -scans above the surface for objects | ||
| RAIM | Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring | ||
| RCC | Rescue Coordination Center | ||
| RDF | Radio Direction Finder -used to get a bearing on a radio signal | ||
| RF | Radio Frequency | ||
| RIB | Rigid Inflatable Boat -this inflatable has a fixed hard bottom | ||
| RO | Reverse Osmosis - makes drinking water from lake or sea water | ||
| ROT | Rate Of Turn | ||
| RTCM | Radio Technical Commission of Maritime Service | ||
| RTE | Abbreviation for Route (also RADAR Target Enhancer) | ||
| RTTY | Radio TeleTYpewriter -a method of transmitting text | ||
| Rx | Receive or Receiver | ||
| SA | Selective Availability - GPS error for security (no longer used) | ||
| SAME | Specific Area Message Encoding -NOAA radio hear local area only | ||
| SAR | Search And Rescue | ||
| SARSAT | Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking | ||
| SART | Search And Rescue Transponder (display on RADAR guides rescuers) | ||
| SC101 | North American standard for DSC | ||
| SCR | Selective Catalytic Reducers - emission control, boats over 78' | ||
| SCUBA | Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus -what divers use | ||
| SEND | Satellite Emergency Notification Device (can send text messages) | ||
| SMS | Short Message Service | ||
| SOG | Speed Over Ground | ||
| SOLAS | Safety Of Life At Sea -marine standards recommendations | ||
| SONAR | SOund Navigation And Ranging -scans below surface for objects | ||
| SOS | Save Our Ship -Distress call in light or radio pulse ( ... - - - … ) | ||
| SOTDMA | Self-Organizing Time Division Multiple Access | ||
| SSB | Single Side Band -extra channels on your VHF radio | ||
| SWR | Standing Wave Ratio | ||
| TCPA | Time to Closest Point of Approach | ||
| TDMA | Time Division Multiple Access (cell phone standard) | ||
| Tx | Transmit or Tranamitter | ||
| UGC | User Generated Content (i.e. user entered electronic chart updates) | ||
| UHF | Ultra High Frequency (300 MHz -3 GHz) | ||
| USB | Upper Side Band (In VHF radio communications) | ||
| USB | Universal Serial Bus -computer data communication protocol | ||
| USCG | United States Coast Guard | ||
| USMCC | United States Mission Control Center | ||
| USPS | United States Power Squadrons | ||
| UTC | Universal Time Coordinated (also UT) | ||
| VDL | VHF Date Link | ||
| VDR | Voyage Data Recorder | ||
| VHF | Very High Frequency (30-300 MHz), 156-163 MHz for marine radio | ||
| VHF CH16 | VHF channel for hailing and voice emergency calls | ||
| VHF CH70 | VHF DSC digital data channel (includes a Mayday feature) | ||
| VHF CH87 | VHF AIS channel #1 | ||
| VHF CH88 | VHF AIS channel #2 | ||
| VMG | Velocity Made Good - speed toward waypoint | ||
| VMRS | Vessel Movement Reporting System | ||
| VPIRB | VHF Position Indication Radio Beacon (GPS info via DSC) | ||
| VRM | Variable Range Marker -RADAR display rings to measure distance | ||
| VTS | Vessel Traffic Service - Traffic control in busy or large harbors | ||
| WAAS | Wide Area Augmentation System -GPS error correction from land sites | ||
| WGS84 | World Geodetic System (chart standard) + the year of the standard | ||
| WiFi | Wireless Fidelity -high speed wireless data connection | ||
| WWV | Call sign for national atomic clock broadcast on 2.5, 5, 10, 15 & 20 MHz | ||
| XTE | Cross Track Error (also XTK) -distance off course | ||
| XTK | Cross Track Error (also XTE) -distance off course | ||
| SQUADRON ALPHABET SOUP | |||
| AC | Active Member | FM | Family Member |
| WC | Woman's Certificate | JF | Junior Family Member |
| Cdr | Commander | Lt/C | Lieutenant Commander |
| Lt | Lieutenant | 1st/Lt | First Lieutenant |
| D/C | District Cdr | D/Lt/C | District Lt Cdr |
| C/C | Chief Commander | V/C | Vice Commander |
| R/C | Rear Commander | Stf/C | Staff Commander |
| P/ | Past (Precedes Ranks) | J/ | Junior (Precedes P/) |
| S | Seaman | P | Pilot |
| AP | Advanced Pilot | N | Navigator |
| JN | Junior Navigator | SN or N | Senior Navigator |
| BOA | Boat Operators Certificate (designations below) | ||
| IN | Inland Navigator | CN | Coastal Navigator |
| ACN | Adv. Coastal Navigator | ON | Offshore Navigator |