I appreciate their capabilities and would be the last person to suggest we abandon them. Most of us have heard boaters repeatedly hailing the local commercial tow operators on ch 16 with no success. The point I drew from Doug's post is that the 911 operator is often more efficient at dispatching aid than the radio operator at the nearest CG base. I try to monitor ch 16 when underway but by the time I've heard the third or forth radio check request of the day or angry exchange over an inconsiderate boater's wake I will usually turn the thing off.