U.S. Coast Guard in hunt for pirate SOS station

The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking the public's help in finding the person who radioed-in several phony distress calls.
Burt Hicks, WB6MQV, has more:

Coast Guard officials said they received three phony radio calls starting on Thursday, March 2nd. Each one claimed that boats were sinking. After the calls, Coast Guard and Navy crews spent hours searching for the damaged vessels using planes, helicopters and boats.

An investigation determined that the calls were made from the same person and were pranks. Coast Guard spokesman Don Brzuska told Local 6 Internet News that after analyzing the sound files, it was determined that the tone of voice closely matches the voice heard on two of the hoax calls.

Investigators have narrowed the search for the pirate radio operator to a radio located somewhere between
St. Augustine, Florida and New Smyrna, Georgia.

Making a false distress call is a felony, carrying a maximum penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison, up to $255,000 in fines, and reimbursement to the Coast Guard for the costs incurred in responding to the false call.

Burt Hicks, WB6MQV
Amateur Radio Newsline

Anyone with information about the hoax caller is asked to contact the Coast Guard at area code 386-428-9085.

Source: AR Newsline, USCG release, published reports

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