USCG Exam PracticeGPS and electronic navigation
Under 33 CFR §164.11, a vessel's position at each fix must be plotted on a chart, and the person directing movement must be informed. The regulation also specifies which combination of references must be used when fixing position?
- A. Electronic equipment and buoys, supplemented by dead reckoning
- ✓ Electronic and other navigational equipment, external fixed aids to navigation, geographic reference points, and hydrographic contoursCorrect
- C. Radar, GPS, and at least two visual bearings on charted aids to navigation
- D. Electronic equipment and celestial observations when visibility permits
Why B is correct
33 CFR §164.11(d) requires that electronic and other navigational equipment, external fixed aids to navigation, geographic reference points, and hydrographic contours all be used when fixing the vessel's position. This multi-source requirement reflects the regulatory intent that no single fixing method be relied upon exclusively, and it must be read together with §164.11(e), which prohibits using buoys alone as a position fix.
Cited:33 CFR §164.11