United States Coast Guard Auxiliary National Short Range Aids to Navigation Training Guide

One of the primary responsibilities of the Auxiliary National Short Range Aid to Navigation Program is the reporting of discrepancies observed on both Federal Aids to Navigation (ATONs) and Private Aids to Navigation (PATONs). It is a partnership between the Coast Guard and the Auxiliary that focuses on assisting the Coast Guard in backwater and remote areas where the Coast Guard doesn't transit in the normal course of daily operations, as well as the more traveled waterways of the country. This "National Short Range Aids to Navigation Training Guide" explains the guidelines for checking aids and for reporting observations of any discrepancies to the Coast Guard units in charge of the maintenance of those aids. Auxiliarists report to the Coast Guard only those discrepancies that they observe on aids. Federal aids found "watching properly" are normally not reported to the Coast Guard. The exception is when a Coast Guard unit or entity specifically requests that a particular aid or aids be observed.