Return to District 13's Home Page.

 DSO-NS Pamela Chelgren-Koterba District 13

 

Pamela is a retired NOAA Corps Officer, with over 19 years in the nautical chart survey program, and has over 7 years sea duty. Since then, she has worked in oil spill preparedness and response at the local/regional/national level for several decades.

Welcome to the D13 Navigation Systems Page.

The Prevention Department, Navigation Systems Division program encourages the checking of every Federal Aid to Navigation and Bridge by any Auxiliarist at any time. Nothing restricts any member from checking an Aid or Bridge and reporting any observed discrepancies to the Coast Guard. “Qualified Auxiliarists and their facilities are authorized assignment to duty to support and augment the Coast Guard’s navigation systems (NS) program. This includes verifying position and characteristics of private aids-to-navigation (PATON), after qualifying as an aid verifier (AV). Auxiliarists may assist and support aids-to-navigation (ATON) units... Auxiliarists may also help NOAA and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) in updating nautical and aeronautical charts and publications. … Qualified Auxiliarists and their facilities are authorized assignment to duty to support and augment bridge surveys, investigate and provide information regarding waterways safety and navigation situations pertaining to the bridge program, ...” (Excerpted from Chapter 2, Sections B.4 & B.5, “Programs/Activities Authorized for Auxiliarists” of the Auxiliary Manual.)

Each Auxiliarist is encouraged to check each Federal Aid to Navigation that they pass while underway on an OPFAC. Provision is provided to take credit for your underway time and for all your activity in AUXDATA, whether or not you find a discrepancy.  Checking aids to navigation can be a year-round Auxiliary program in Districts 13 and is extremely rewarding. Generally, you need access to an OPFAC to participate in this program. New members are encouraged to join their local Auxiliary Navigation Systems Team. Your skill, knowledge, and desire to make a contribution to a worthy endeavor are all that is needed.

Information for reporting ATON discrepancies can be found in Section C and E of the D13 NS SOP.

Many Aid Verifier training documents and other NS materials are available on Pam’s Dropbox. To get invited, just email her at [email protected].

Resources are below.

AV WORKSHOP FOLDERS

AV Workshop PPT's

AV Workshop Handouts

NS Staff

ADSO-NS-N VACANT

ADSO-NS-S Wil Sumner (DCDR, Div5)

ADSO-NS VACANT

Helpful NS Links

Resource	About This Resource
AV Refresher	AV-Refresher April 2025 (Zoom Recording)
AV Procedure Guide	This handy 2-page Guide provides a description of the overall procedures for P/ATON and Bridge Missions.
D13 NS P/ATON Handout	District 13 Navigation Systems P/ATON Program Handout (2025)
D13 NS SOP	D13 SOP for NS Program, 2025
National NS Program link	Look here for the national ATON Training Guide, some NS forms, Nautical Chart Updating Training Guide, etc.
USCG's Navigation Center link	Look here for Light Lists and updates, Local Notice to Mariners, etc.
Auxiliary D1 North NS Program link	Look here for additional NS forms and training materials
Nautical Chart Updating Training Guide	An extensive Training Manual for members interested in providing Chart Updating inputs to NOAA.  (2025)
Handy Navigation Websites	This document lists some Handy Navigation Weblinks  Note: They get updated as providers change.  (2025)
Best Practices/ENCs	This document lists some best practices when using your Multi-Functional Display or navigation app, 2025.
Fillable Aids to Nav Report	Fillable Aids to Navigation Report, used for Class II, III PATONs and Federal Aids. Includes instructions
ATON Program Handbook link	ATON Program Handbook link

 

What's New in NS

The AV Refresher was updated for 2025.The D13 NS SOP document was updated in for 2025.

Use This Form For Questions or Comments