In fog, with no targets on radar, you hear a fog signal forward of your beam. What is the recommended action?

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Multiple Choice

In fog, with no targets on radar, you hear a fog signal forward of your beam. What is the recommended action?

When visibility is poor, you must actively locate unseen vessels using radar. Hearing a fog signal forward of your beam suggests a vessel there that you haven’t detected yet. The best move is to tune or adjust the radar to search for that vessel, so you can determine its range and bearing and assess the risk of collision. This might involve selecting a shorter range, adjusting gain and sea-clutter suppression, and using ARPA or manual bearing tracking if the target appears. Once you locate the vessel, you can decide on a safe speed and course. Increasing speed or ignoring the signal isn’t advisable in fog, and continuing at the same pace while a vessel ahead could be present ignores a potential collision risk.

When visibility is poor, you must actively locate unseen vessels using radar. Hearing a fog signal forward of your beam suggests a vessel there that you haven’t detected yet. The best move is to tune or adjust the radar to search for that vessel, so you can determine its range and bearing and assess the risk of collision. This might involve selecting a shorter range, adjusting gain and sea-clutter suppression, and using ARPA or manual bearing tracking if the target appears. Once you locate the vessel, you can decide on a safe speed and course.

Increasing speed or ignoring the signal isn’t advisable in fog, and continuing at the same pace while a vessel ahead could be present ignores a potential collision risk.

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