Your vessel is participating in the Voluntary Observing Ship Program, at 1200 ZT on 31 July, your position is LAT 24° 33' N, LONG 173° 05' W. You are preparing WS Form B-80 as seen in illustration D041NG below. How should you encode the first three groups after the call sign if you estimate the wind?
• YYGGiw group on WS Form B-80 (day, hour in UTC, and how the wind was obtained) • How latitude (99Lala) and longitude (QcLoLoLoLo) are coded and rounded in ship synoptic (BBXX) reports • Difference between estimated wind and measured wind in the iw code figure
• Determine what UTC time corresponds to 1200 ZT on 31 July at LONG 173° 05' W, then encode that into the YYGG part • Figure out which digit in the first 5‑figure group represents whether the wind is estimated or measured, and see which options match an estimated wind • Convert LAT 24° 33' N and LONG 173° 05' W into the 99Lala and QcLoLoLoLo codes, paying attention to rounding rules to the nearest 0.1°
• Be sure the day and hour (YYGG) in the first group correctly represent 31 July and the proper UTC hour, not local time • Confirm that the iw digit in the first group is the one used for estimated wind, and eliminate choices with the wrong iw code • Check that the coded latitude and longitude correspond numerically (after rounding) to 24° 33' N and 173° 05' W and the correct hemispheres (N and W)
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