Here’s a little reminder of all maritime standard terms and abbreviations related to navigation.
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A
Acknowledge –> ACK
Acquire, Acquisition –> ACQ
Acquisition Zone –> AZ
Adjust, Adjustment –> ADJ
Aft –> AFT
Alarm –> ALARM
Altitude –> ALT
Amplitude Modulation –> AM
Anchor Watch –> ANCH
Antenna –> ANT
Anti Clutter Rain –> RAIN
Anti Clutter Sea –> SEA
April –> APR
Audible –> AUD
August –> AUG
Automatic –> AUTO
Automatic Frequency Control –> AFC
Automatic Gain Control –> AGC
Automatic Identification System –> AIS
Automatic Radar Plotting Aid –> ARPA
Autopilot –> AP
Auxiliary System/Function –> AUX
Available –> AVAIL
Azimuth Indicator –> AZI
B
Background –> BKGND
Bearing –> BRG
Bearing Waypoint To Waypoint –> BWW
Bow Crossing Range –> BCR
Bow Crossing Time –> BCT
Brilliance –> BRILL
Built in Test Equipment –> BITE
C
Calibrate –> CAL
Cancel –> CNCL
Carried (for example, carried EBL origin) –> C
Central Processing Unit –> CPU
Centre –> CENT
Change –> CHG
Circularly Polarised –> CP
Clear –> CLR
Closest Point of Approach –> CPA
Compact Disk Read Only Memory –> CDROM
Consistent Common Reference Point –> CCRP
Consistent Common Reference System –> CCRS
Contrast –> CONT
Coordinated Universal Time –> UTC
Correction –> CORR
Course –> CRS
Course Over the Ground –> COG
Course Through the Water –> CTW
Course To Steer –> CTS
Course Up –> C UP (Note 2)
Cross Track Distance –> XTD
Cursor –> CURS
D
Dangerous Goods –> DG
Date –> DATE
Day –> DAY
Dead Reckoning, Dead Reckoned Position –> DR
December –> DEC
Decrease –> DECR
Delay –> DELAY
Delete –> DEL
Departure –> DEP
Depth –> DPTH
Destination –> DEST
Deviation –> DEV
Differential GLONASS –> DGLONASS (Note 2)
Differential GNSS –> DGNSS (Note 2)
Differential GPS –> DGPS (Note 2)
Digital Selective Calling –> DSC
Display –> DISP
Distance –> DIST
Distance Root Mean Square –> DRMS (Note 2)
Distance To Go –> DTG
Drift –> DRIFT
Dropped (for example, dropped EBL origin) –> D
E
East –> E
Echo Reference –> REF
Electronic Bearing Line –> EBL
Electronic Chart Display and Information System –> ECDIS
Electronic Chart System –> ECS
Electronic Navigational Chart –> ENC
Electronic Position Fixing System –> EPFS
Electronic Range and Bearing Line –> ERBL
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon –> EPIRB
Enhance –> ENH
Enter –> ENT
Equipment –> EQUIP
Error –> ERR
Estimated Position –> EP
Estimated Time of Arrival –> ETA
Estimated Time of Departure –> ETD
European Geo-Stationary Navigational Overlay System –> EGNOS
Event –> EVENT
Exclusion Zone –> EZ
External –> EXT
F
F – Band (applies to Radar) –> F-Band
February –> FEB
Foreword –> FWD
Fishing Vessel –> FISH
Fix –> FIX
Forward –> FWD
Frequency –> FREQ
Frequency Modulation –> FM
Full –> FULL
G
Gain –> GAIN
Geographics –> GEOG
Geometric Dilution Of Precision –> GDOP
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System –> GMDSS
Global Navigation Satellite System –> GNSS
Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System –> GLONASS
Global Positioning System –> GPS
Great Circle –> GC
Grid –> GRID
Ground –> GND
Grounding Avoidance System –> GAS
Group Repetition Interval –> GRI
Guard Zone –> GZ
Gyro –> GYRO
H
Harmful Substances (applies to AIS) –> HS
Head Up –> H UP (Note 2)
Heading –> HDG
Heading Control System –> HCS
Heading Line –> HL
High Frequency –> HF
High Speed Craft –> HSC
Horizontal Dilution Of Precision –> HDOP
I
I – Band –> I-Band
Identification –> ID
In –> IN
Increase –> INCR
Indication –> IND
Information –> INFO
Infrared –> INF RED
Initialisation –> INIT
Input –> INP
Input/Output –> I/O
Integrated Bridge System –> IBS
Integrated Navigation System –> INS
Integrated Radio Communication System –> IRCS
Interference Rejection –> IR
Interswitch –> ISW
Interval –> INT
J
January –> JAN
July –> JUL
June –> JUN
L
Label –> LBL
Latitude –> LAT
Latitude/Longitude –> L/L
Leeway –> LWY
Limit –> LIM
Line Of Position –> LOP
Log –> LOG
Long Pulse –> LP
Long Range –> LR
Longitude –> LON
Loran –> LORAN
Lost Target –> LOST TGT
Low Frequency –> LF
M
Magnetic –> MAG
Man Overboard –> MOB
Manoeuvre –> MVR
Manual –> MAN
Map(s) –> MAP
March –> MAR
Maritime Mobile Services Identity number –> MMSI
Maritime Pollutant (applies to AIS) –> MP
Maritime Safety Information –> MSI
Marker –> MKR
Master –> MSTR
Maximum –> MAX
May –> MAY
Medium Frequency –> MF
Medium Pulse –> MP
Menu –> MENU
Minimum –> MIN
Missing –> MISSING
Mute –> MUTE
N
Navigation –> NAV
Night –> NT
Normal –> NORM
North –> N
North Up –> N UP (Note 2)
Not Less Than –> NLT
Not More Than –> NMT
Not Under Command –> NUC
November –> NOV
O
October –> OCT
Off –> OFF
Officer On Watch –> OOW
Offset –> OFFSET
On –> ON
Out/Output –> OUT
Own Ship –> OS
P
Panel Illumination –> PANEL
Parallel Index Line –> PI
Past Positions –> PAST POSN
Passenger Vessel –> PASSV
Performance Monitor –> MON
Permanent –> PERM
Person Overboard –> POB
Personal Identification Number –> PIN
Pilot Vessel –> PILOT
Port/Portside –> PORT
Position –> POSN
Positional Dilution Of Precision –> PDOP
Power –> PWR
Predicted –> PRED
Predicted Area of Danger –> PAD
Predicted Point of Collision –> PPC
Pulse Length –> PL
Pulse Modulation –> PM
Pulse Repetition Frequency –> PRF
Pulse Repetition Rate –> PRR
Pulses Per Revolution –> PPR
R
Racon –> RACON
Radar –> RADAR
Radar Plotting –> RP
Radius –> RAD
Rain –> RAIN
Range –> RNG
Range Rings –> RR
Raster Chart Display System –> RCDS
Raster Navigational Chart –> RNC
Rate Of Turn –> ROT
Real-time Kinemetic –> RTK
Receive Rx –> RX (Note 2)
Receiver –> RCDR
Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring –> RAIM
Reference –> REF
Relative –> REL (Note 3)
Relative Motion –> RM
Revolutions per Minute –> RPM
Rhumb Line –> RL
Roll On/Roll Off Vessel –> RoRo
Root Mean Square –> RMS
Route –> ROUTE
S
Safety Contour –> SF CNT
Sailing Vessel –> SAIL
Satellite –> SAT
S-Band –> S-BAND
Scan to Scan –> SC/SC
Search And Rescue –> SAR
Search And Rescue Transponder –> SART
Search And Rescue Vessel –> SARV
Select –> SEL
September –> SEP
Sequence –> SEQ
Set (i.e., set and drift, or setting a value) –> SET
Ship’s Time –> TIME
Short Pulse –> SP
Signal to Noise Ratio –> SNR
Simulation –> SIM (Note 4)
Slave –> SLAVE
South –> S
Speed –> SPD
Speed and Distance Measuring Equipment –> SDME
Speed Over the Ground –> SOG
Speed Through the Water –> STW
Stabilized –> STAB
Standby –> STBY
Starboard/Starboard Side –> STBD
Station –> STN
Symbol(s) –> SYM
Synchronised/Synchronous –> SYNC
T
Target –> TGT
Target Tracking –> TT
Test –> TEST
Time –> TIME
Time Difference –> TD
Time Dilution Of Precision –> TDOP
Time Of Arrival –> TOA
Time Of Departure –> TOD
Time to CPA –> TCPA
Time To Go –> TTG
Time to Wheel Over Line –> TWOL
Track –> TRK
Track Control System –> TCS
Tracking –> TRKG
Trail(s) –> TRAIL
Transmit and Receive –> TXRX (Note 2)
Transceiver –> TCVR
Transferred Line Of Position –> TPL
Transmit –> TX
Transmitter –> TMTR
Transmitting Heading Device –> THD
Transponder –> TPR
Trial –> TRIAL (Note 4)
Trigger Pulse –> TRIG
True –> T
True Motion –> TM
Tune –> TUNE
U
Ultrahigh Frequency –> UHF
Uninterruptible Power Supply –> UPS
Universal Time, Coordinated –> UTC
Universal Transverse Mercator –> UTM
Unstabilised –> UNSTAB
V
Variable Range Marker –> VRM
Variation –> VAR
Vector –> VECT
Very High Frequency –> VHF
Very Low Frequency –> VLF
Vessel Aground –> GRND
Vessel at Anchor –> ANCH
Vessel Constrained by Draught –> VCD
Vessel Engaged in Diving Operations –> DIVE
Vessel Engaged in Dredging or Underwater Operations –> DRG
Vessel Engaged in Towing Operations –> TOW
Vessel Not Under Command –> NUC
Vessel Restricted in Manoeuvrability) –> RIM
Vessel Traffic Service –> VTS
Vessel Underway Using Engine –> UWE
Video –> VID
Visual Display Unit –> VDU
Voyage –> VOY
Voyage Data Recorder –> VDR
W
Warning –> WARNING
Water –> WAT
Waypoint –> WPT
Waypoint Closure Velocity –> WCV
West –> W
Wheel Over Line –> WOL
Wheel Over Point –> WOP
Wheel Over Time –> WOT
World Geodetic System –> WGS
X
X-Band –> X-BAND